KHAMOSHI

We are a group of women working together to produce a drama in Hindi. The play will cover issues related to mental health and domestic violence. We are writing the script, drawing from our own experiences and will be acting in it ourselves. We will be having group discussions after each performance where the audience can ask questions. The message of the piece is to encourage other women in our situation to speak out about their experiences and let them know anything is possible.

Feedback for Khamoshi from Harrow performance on 30th October 2009:

"My immediate feelings after seeing the play were that it affected me emotionally. Although I have not been a victim of domestic violence in a married relationship, there were things in the play I could relate to and affected me a great deal"

"The quality of the play was very high, the acting was very good as well as the script. The dances worked very well in the play and made it more appealing and helped to put the message across."

"I was very moved by the play, even if I didn’t understand the spoken language. The narration before each scene was helpful. The gestures and nuances displayed by the actors were very real and depicted the sadness evoked in the play."

"I thought the acting was of a high quality. The play clearly captured mental health discrimination and domestic violence using drama in a unique way within a different culture. It was a great learning experience."
 
"I can’t think of any ways in how the play should be improved."

"In my opinion, it was done in such a way that would be easily understood by people outside of the culture."
 
"I particularly liked the dance element aspect, which was indeed very therapeutic."
 
"I think this play could be taken up in a range of settings and/or geographical areas as the performance was really good."
 
"Healthcare professionals, Drama therapists – since they use drama in a healing/therapeutic way and the general public would all benefit from this play."

"I was very emotional but at the same time happy that there was a happy ending. I wanted the play to keep going on."

"The quality of the play was excellent and it looked very professional. There was acting, dancing, emotions and happiness, it had everything. I would give it 10/10."

"There is nothing I can think of to improve the play as the actors did it so well".

"I was able to understand how they [the characters] must be feeling."

"I think everyone will benefit from this play because domestic violence is always a hidden topic that no one wants to talk about."

"Very touching. Excellent"

You can read more feedback from the first performance of Khamoshi on London Co-ordinator Chandra Shah's blog