Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children"
Written by Salman Rushdie
Directed by Lavina Jadhwani
Assistant Directed by Manish Shah
Wednesday, May 23 at 7:30 pm
Chicago Cultural Center
Claudia Cassidy Theater
77 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60601
$5 suggested donation
Rasaka Theatre Company presents a one-night staged reading of an adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s 1980 Booker Prize-winning novel “Midnight’s Children,” directed by Lavina Jadhwani, assistant directed by Manish Shah. This staged reading will run about two hours with one intermission, and will be followed by a post-show discussion with the cast. An allegory of modern India, “Midnight’s Children” is a family saga set against the volatile events of the 30 years following the country’s independence — the partitioning of India and Pakistan, the rule of Indira Gandhi, the onset of violence and war, and the imposition of martial law. It is a magical and haunting tale, of fragmentation and of the struggle for identity and belonging that links personal life with national history. Rushdie adapted his own novel in collaboration with Simon Reade, Tim Supple and the Royal Shakespeare Society.
Includes:
Kaiser Ahmed (Joe, Shiva, Fat Perce, Zulfikar and Thin Man)
Usman Ally (Saleem)
Allan Aquino (Lifafa Das, Dr. Bose, Sonny, Doctor, Zia, Contortionist)
Anita Chandwaney* (Amina, Sari Woman)
Dipika Cherala (Midget Queen, Lila Sabarmati, Mary/Mrs. Braganza, Parvati)
Kamal Hans* (Ahmed, Zagallo, Mirza)
Matthew Holzfeind (Lord Mountbatten, Priest, Newsreel Announcer)
Sofia Mohammed* (Padma)
Vishal Patel* (Ramram Seth, Narlikar, House Manager, Eyeslice, C-in-C (Later President of Pakistan), Picture Singh)
Leticia Ramirez (Pia, Masha Miovic, Emerald)
Sadieh Rifai (Vanita, Jamila)
Manish Shah* (Wee Willie Winkie, Hanif, Glandy Keith, Commander Sabarmati)
Tariq Vasudeva (Oily Quiff, Burly Man, Postman, Homi, Hairoil, Fat Man)
Blake Williams (Stage Directions)
*Denotes Rasaka Ensemble member