Projects

Goa

Goa was the first Indian play I ever directed. That was 1965, immediately after my first year of exposure to India. I was fortunate to have Asif Currimbhoy, the playwright, in residence on the East Lansing campus for the duration of the rehearsal and production period thanks to a grant from the JDR 3rd (Rockfeller) Fund of New York. His charming wife Sureya accompanied him and proved to be a wonderful source of additional information on India and the play. We were honored that the cover of the first publication of the play bore a photograph of student actors who played two of the leading roles.

Goa was originally written in English and is an allegory dealing with the bloodless Indian invasion of the small Portugese colony of Goa, the last colonial stronghold in India. The events are seen through the eyes of Goanese, Indian, and Portugese characters. It sets out to paint India as a violent nation, contrary to the way the western press was then portraying the country under the influence of the Beetles’ guru and the craze for Indian classical sitar music so popular among young people of that generation. I found it an excellent vehicle for our leading graduate actress. However the play left East Lansing audiences somewhat baffled and confused. Clearly, either we had not done justice to the play’s meaning or the play was flawed. Unfortunately, it did not do any better when it was first produced in New York a few months later. A sarcastic New York Times critic is reported to have titled his review, “Goa, Go Away!”

Nevertheless, it did provide our students and audiences with a different perception of Indian culture; and it gave me a means to apply my exposure to India and Indian theatre and to hone my directing skills.