Siren Theatre World Premiers Janaki – Daughter of Dirt in San Francisco

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Publicity Contact: Roke Noir *Artistic Director *sirenproject [at] gmail.com
Taz Ahmed *510.473.5917* TazzyStar [at] gmail.com

Siren Theatre World Premiers Janaki – Daughter of Dirt in San Francisco
Told from the perspective of Sita, Janaki breaks barriers with this stage production reinterpreting the Ramayana

Oakland, CA Aug, 30 2011 – Janaki - Daughter of the Dirt is a story of ancient archetypes that reflects modern day dilemmas. It is the journey of a young woman who looks to her own personal superhero, “Sita” (also known as “Janaki”) for answers to life's problems. Only this Sita is not the perfect woman as is portrayed in the ancient “Ramayana”, one of Hinduism’s most known and revered epics.

A bay area production, Janaki’s world premier will occur this September 16th -18th at the Mission Cultural Center (2868 Mission St.) in San Francisco. Written by first time playwright Virali Gokaldas and directed by Krishnakali Chaudhuri and Shruti Purkayashta, this ground breaking stage production of Janaki touches upon issues of power, sexism and classism from the perspective of Sita. With an all star cast, the role of Janaki is played by the renowned actress and activist Kiran Patel.

Tickets are available now for purchase on BrownPaperTickets.com. It is the first stage production to come out of the newly founded Siren Theatre Project (http://www.sirentheatre.org).

“I wrote Janaki – Daughter of Dirt to show that Hindu goddesses, just like the women in my family, are not self-sacrificing devotees,” said playwright Virali Gokaldas. “They are complex, powerful, strong-willed examples, helping us hold compassion for others and ourselves, guiding us when making hard decisions, and above all, giving us the courage to live out our own destinies.”

Written, and rewritten, talked about and analyzed over thousands of years, “The Ramayana” is a saga about good versus evil. It is integral to the cultural consciousness of India - complete with gods, talking animals, and demons. It depicts the duties and ideal behavior of people, be it servant, king, husband or wife. But, do people in power wield this glorious epic to perpetuate a social structure which is self-serving? Could it be that this devotional tale of love and choices around one’s “dharma”, has served as justification for imperialism, racism, destruction of earth and the subjugation of women? This stage production explores these connections between the traditional take and modern day dilemmas.

“It is critical that we dive into our cultural stories, not as the rigid reading of one man which was then amplified by many powerful men over time,” said Gokaldas. “But as a living breathing being that must inform our lives today. The debut play "Janaki" is one example of this diversity that lies behind the Ramayana, showing my beloved Sita, in all her uncertainty, hope, whim, and wisdom.”

The trailer for Janaki – Daughter of Dirt is available on Vimeo at the following link: http://vimeo.com/27773275

Janakai – Daughter of Dirt is produced by San Francisco area based Siren Theatre Project, a production company that creates and produces multi-media theatre pieces by women as vehicles to broaden human perspectives and affect social change. The first of many projects coming out of Siren Theatre Project, this December the theatre company will host a three day arts festival in Oakland,CA incorporating arts, activism, wellness and ancestry. For more information on Siren Theatre Project, visit http://www.sirentheatre.org
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