Theatre festival in Chennai to tell LGBTQ stories

The latest edition of a theatre festival that’s been gaining popularity over the past few years in Chennai is upon us. Erotica 4, curated by founder of Chennai Art Theatre (CAT) B Charles, kicks off in the city today.

The fourth edition of the festival, known for pushing boundaries with its modern outlook, will be no different. This year it will focus on telling LGBTQ stories. 

“Erotica 4, coinciding with Pride month in the UK, will present four short plays that will explore love, sensuality and sexuality as experienced by the LGBTQ community,” says Charles.

The first play, Love, presented by theatre group Theatre Nisha is from the pages of mythology. Uttara, the princess of Virata falls in love with Brihannala, her teacher, who does not belong to the binary genders. The teacher is not inclined to reciprocate her love for reasons Uttara does not comprehend. She does not realise the conundrum of her teacher’s real identity which stands as a moral watchdog over their decision to love or not to love.

The next play, About Last Night, directed by Denver is about Aarti and Arjun, a couple exploring their new relationship. Arti introduces Arjun to her brother Ashok. One night, as Aarti passes out, Arjun and Ashok, who have undeniable chemistry, engage in a casual banter that leads to a kiss. Will they explore their kiss or will they beat it down to protect Aarti?

The third play, One Chinna Change, presented by Theatre Mirrors, is a quirky take on the OTT-consuming generation, and those who binge-watch content like they are paid for it. Now, what if OTT runs out of family-friendly, yet inclusive and progressive content? What if they have to take a small trip to Stratford, to meet the Bard of Avon, to ask him to drum up some LGBTQIA+ content from his already iconic plays? You have to watch this play to know what unfolds.

The last of the lot is Under 18 Lust stories, directed by John Pradeep JL. Written and performed by Santhosh Kaliyanaraman, it will tell the story of an under-aged boy and his abusers. Were they all men? If so were they all gays?