The stage in Hyderabad got bigger when two retired English literature lecturers stepped in with their first production, at home in the zoo. This play connects Act I and Act II zoo story (1959) with home life (2004), prequel written by Edward Albee 45 years later.

The duo of Sarla Mahidhara and Navneeta Lahiri are former colleagues and friends from Vivekananda College, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. After more than a decade in retirement, and having done “nothing in terms of theatre”, he has rekindled a long-standing passion by launching his own theater group, Daring Duo – a name that reflects his feisty, adventurous spirit.

passion for theater

Bhushan Kalyan as Peter and Mondira Jaisimha as Ann in a scene from the play Photo Courtesy: Special Arrangement

Conceived and directed by Sarla and Navneeta, the play consists of a cast and crew of five. Its pilot was recently held in Saptaparni for a select audience, and now it is gearing up for two shows in the city this April.

Apart from being members of Little Theater – one of the oldest theater groups in Hyderabad – both of them have staged around 13 classic plays in Hindi and English with their students. “We have always had a love for drama, but this is the first time that we have stepped outside our institution,” says Sarala, 69. “From the first performance in 1959 to the recent staging by Delhi-based Actors Palette in January this year, at home in the zoo It is an iconic play that is performed almost every month somewhere in the world,” she adds.

Bhushan Kalyan as Peter and Mondira Jaisimha as Ann in a scene from the play Photo Courtesy: Special Arrangement

While researching copyrights with Jagruti Theatre, the duo discovered that the playwright had written Act I – the prequel – some 45 years after the original play. “Nobody talks about Act I, but everyone treats Act II as a standalone production.”

The 90-minute, intermission-free production combines zoo story (Act II) and home life (Act I), which he titled Ann and Peter. It traces a wife’s attempts to connect with her husband as well as her encounter with a stranger on the fringes of society. The staging is minimal, with only two actors on stage at any time, either husband and wife, or strangers and a character on a park bench. This dialogue-based play, written nearly 70 years ago, remains relevant to its contemporary themes. “Today people are better connected virtually, but have lost the human connection,” says Sarla.

Deepika Kumar and Ajay Pothireddy are alumni who are helping the production team. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Navneeta further says that this growing discontent makes the play especially relevant today. “With themes of isolation, loneliness, social inequality and dehumanization in a materialistic world, this American classic continues to resonate. It is, among other things, a commentary on the shrinking human connections that define our times.”

Bhushan Kalyan as Peter and Shashank Karmarkar as Jerry in a scene from the play. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Sarla and Navneeta hope to carve a niche for themselves in theatre, but they have no ambitions. “It’s not that we want to go anywhere. We want to do theater purely for the love of it.”

The play will be staged on April 16 at MCEME Auditorium, Trimulgherry, Secunderabad. Entry free but only through registration; And on April 26 at Rangbhoomi Space. Tickets: BookMyShow