City-based theatre troupe to stage Glue on Sep 3

Theatre Nisha, a Chennai-based theatre troupe which has produced over 130 plays in the last 22 years will be staging its recent production Glue at Alliance Française on September 3. Speaking to DT Next about the play, V Balakrishnan, founder of the troupe says, “Glue throws light on the ill-effects of sniffing glue on underprivileged children. The narration explores how the addiction to glue can destroy lives and is a very pressing issue.

“The story also traces the life of a nine-year-old girl. Glue is significant in her life and is a part of her trials and tribulations.”

V Balakrishnan

Since the story is very hard-hitting and heavy, the play is open only to people above 16. The five-member actors will also be playing the roles of children. Bala says that the actors had to undergo training to be able to portray the mannerisms and perfect the characterisation of children accurately.

Talking about how he connected with the story, he says, “I was born and brought up in Delhi. Growing up, places like Connaught Place, Palika Bazar, and Mandi House were part of my everyday life. I would see children on the streets pouring glue into rags and sniffing them. I think that image somewhere stayed in my head for a very long time and I finally managed to put it on paper.”

He says that Glue is very close to his heart because it deals with a very dark subject. The troupe wants to shed light on this issue and hopes it opens up for healthy discussions.

Talking about the rehearsals, he says, “The rehearsals are going great and we are setting the stage for our opening night. We are very excited to see how our play is received by the audience and hopefully, they take a part of the play home.”