NEW YORK:- The play ‘Sabiti’, based on the famous novel ‘Sabiti’ by Nepali writer Jagdish Ghimire, is set to be staged at the famous theater ‘The Tank’ located in the heart of New York.
This attempt to present a Nepali story on the international stage has been written and directed by young playwright Bimal Subedi. Subedi, who graduated from the prestigious National School of Drama in India, has rewritten and adapted the play according to the context of New York and the psychology of the audience there.
Another main attraction of the play is its cast. Bollywood film ‘Lootera’ actress Swachhta Guha will play the lead role (Sabiti). Along with her, American actor Judd Meyers, who has worked in dozens of Hollywood films, and Nepali-origin American actor Nawal Rai will also be acting.
Although the novel depicts society through the story of a disadvantaged male character, Subedi has placed a female character at the center of the play’s adaptation. The play will raise serious questions about the structure of social institutions by voicing women’s voices and empowerment.
The Nepali Consulate General in New York has promoted the play as a form of cultural diplomacy. New York Consul General Dadhiram Bhandari called it a “new and proud chapter” in the history of Nepali theater, saying it was a great achievement for Nepali stories to find a place in mainstream American theater.
Although the play had to wait about seven months for its turn to be staged at New York’s prestigious theater company ‘The Tank’, director Megan Finn, impressed by Bimal Subedi’s work, arranged for it to be staged soon.
According to director Subedi, the play will be staged in two stages. The first stage will run for a week from April 26, and the second stage will be performed again in May. After New York, the play is planned to be taken to other states in the United States.