Hyderabad Theatre: Play ‘If Lanterns Could Talk!’ Explores race, love and silence

Have you ever wondered what happens to the stories we aren’t allowed to tell? In If lanterns could talk!they take the shape of a shirt And a slipper. Directed by Usman Ghani of Hyderabad-based Red Turtle Collective in collaboration with Lighthouse Theatre, the performance reimagines an old folktale collected by AK Ramanujan. It has been reworked to reflect current realities – questions of caste, love, marriage, control, censorship and the burdens people carry.

“Our work grows from a deep commitment to craft and collaboration and the belief that theater can move, question and connect,” says Osman, who first staged a shorter version of the play during his Master in Performing Arts at Pondicherry University.