Finalist 2022-23

Anupama Chandrasekhar

Play: The Father and the Assassin

 

 

Anupama Chandrasekhar

Synopsis: Mahatma Gandhi: lawyer, champion of non-violence, beloved leader. Nathuram Godse: journalist, nationalist – and the man who murdered him. The Father and the Assassin traces Godse’s life over thirty years during India’s fight for independence: from a devout follower of Gandhi, through to his radicalisation and their tragic final encounter in Delhi in 1948. An essential exploration of oppression and extremism, The Father and the Assassin, opened at the National Theatre, London, in 2022.

 

Cast Breakdown: M - 14, W - 2 Crowds, with a mix of men and women

 

Set/Costume Requirements: Pre-Independence Indian costumes specific to the historical figures and/or regions they come from. Set – what is important is that each scene bleeds seamlessly into the next. An ideal set would be one that aids this.

 

Website: Anupama Chandrasekhar - Casarotto Ramsay & Associates

 

Agent: Casarotto Ramsay & Associates
Rachel Taylor: rtaylor@casarotto.co.uk
Helena Clark: helena@casarotto.co.uk

 

Play Service: Nick Hern Books

 

Bio: Anupama Chandrasekhar is a playwright based in Chennai, India. She was the first international playwright-in-residence at the National Theatre, London, and a Charles Wallace India Trust Writing Fellow at the University of Chichester. Her plays have been translated into several languages and staged at leading venues in India, Europe, and North America.
Her latest play The Father and the Assassin opened at the National Theatre’s Olivier Stage in London and was nominated for best play and best actor at the recent London Evening Standard Theatre Awards. Among her other works are Free Going and Disconnect, both of which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London, and When the Crows Visit, which opened at the Kiln Theatre. She was a runner-up for the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright and a finalist for the Whiting Award (UK), and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (US) for Free Going.
Her screenplay adaptation of the play was a finalist for the Sundance International Screenwriters’ Lab, Utah.
Other plays include:
The Snow Queen (Unicorn Theatre/Trestle Theatre/UK and India tour)
Acid (QTP, Mumbai/Madras Players, Chennai)
Closer Apart (Theatre Nisha, Chennai)
Short plays include:
Kabaddi-Kabaddi (Royal Court Theatre – International Human Rights Watch Film Festival); Whiteout (Royal Court Theatre, BBC Radio World Drama)
Produced screenplay:
Kitchen Tales (short) 

 


The Father and the Assassin at the National Theatre, London. Photo credit: Marc Brenner