The Legend of Kohinoor traces the epic journey of the world’s most (in)famous diamond — from its origins in the Deccan (Southern part of India), through the hands of Indian and West Asian rulers, to its current place in the crown jewels of the British Empire.
Featuring North Indian Classical (Hindustani) and South Indian Classical (Carnatic) music of India as well as a North Indian Classical dance form, Kathak, and a South Indian Classical dance form, Kuchipudi, along iwth folk and contemporary dance forms, this play showcases a wide range of dance and musical tradiitons of South Asia.
Lifetime Oscar-winning scriptwriter and playwright Jean-Claude Carrière presented a one-man retelling of the Mahabharata as a final performance of his lifetime in sold-out performances in museums, universities, schools, and theaters across America. Vyaasa recounts the story of the Mahabharata to a young Bharat to a mesmerized house-full audience at UC Berkeley.
Kiran Patel (Traffic, foreground) and Terry Lamb (Zarif) in The Most Dangerous Highway in the World. The play examines survival, power, and human connection along Afghanistan’s perilous Highway 1. Directed by Evren Odcikin.
Terry Lamb as Zarif in The Most Dangerous Highway in the World, a world premiere by Kevin Artigue exploring conflict and moral ambiguity in a war-torn landscape. Directed by Evren Odcikin.
Sofia Ahmad (Samira) and Kiran Patel (Traffic) in The Most Dangerous Highway in the World. The production centers Afghan civilian voices within contemporary geopolitical conflict. Directed by Evren Odcikin.
Davern Wright (Nader, left) and Kiran Patel (Traffic) in The Most Dangerous Highway in the World, a drama set against the volatile terrain of Afghanistan’s Highway 1. Directed by Evren Odcikin.
Sofia Ahmad (Samira) and Kiran Patel (Traffic) in The Most Dangerous Highway in the World. The play foregrounds personal stakes amid political instability. Directed by Evren Odcikin.
Louel Señores (Daoud, left), Davern Wright (Nader, center), and Kiran Patel (Traffic) in The Most Dangerous Highway in the World, a world premiere directed by Evren Odcikin.
The aftermath of the callous drawing of the Radcliffe line dividing India into two countries is explored through the brutality and compassion experienced by six varied families on both sides of the border. The play opens with scenes of village life in which various communities coexist peacefully.
A newlywed bride in Benares appears more captivated by her jewels than anything else. Benares was staged as part of The Tagore Tales, Short Cut Productions’ 2025 anthology of Hindi short plays adapted from stories by Rabindranath Tagore.
A poignant scene from Benares, in which the duo hatches a macabre plan. Benares was staged as part of The Tagore Tales, Short Cut Productions’ 2025 anthology of three Hindi short plays, Rishikesh, Benares, and Mayapur, presented at The Pear Theatre in Mountain View.
In Mayapur, a teenage belle holds on to her pet a little longer before society demands her transformation into a coy bride. Mayapur was staged as part of The Tagore Tales, Short Cut Productions’ 2025 anthology of three Hindi short plays, Rishikesh, Benares, and Mayapur, presented at The Pear Theatre in Mountain View.
BAAT’s inaugural production presented Agatha Christie’s The Unexpected Guest, an original English-language stage mystery that opened in London’s West End in 1958. Directed by Anindya Chakraborty, the production marked the company’s entry into full-scale theatrical staging and its engagement with the global tradition of detective drama.
The Walk is a 2026 street-theatre sketch by Short Cut Productions, presented as part of The Sisterhood Social at Fremont Hub Courtyard. Reflecting on women’s courage, inheritance, and collective struggle, the piece uses walking difficult roads as a metaphor for creating freer paths for future generations. Through dialogue-based street theatre, it connects these themes to Draupadi after the cheer-haran episode in the Mahabharat, imagining her internal conflict among the identities of Panchali, Yagnaseni, and Draupadi.
This poster documents American Conservatory Theater’s 2025 educational tour of Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare, featuring Radhika Rao in the title role. Rao described the production as especially meaningful because the play was brought to high school audiences and used to open conversations about friendship, betrayal, generosity, money, and responsibility. Her work in the production reflects her broader practice of using theater as a tool for dialogue, education, and communication.
This collage documents BAAT’s performances beyond the Bay Area, including cities such as Dallas and Chicago, as well as its pivot to virtual theater during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tughlaq revisited Girish Karnad’s landmark historical drama, presented in Marathi through Vijay Tendulkar’s adaptation. The play examines the reign of Muhammad bin Tughlaq, the fourteenth-century Sultan of Delhi, whose ambitious reforms and radical political experiments earned him a reputation as both visionary and tyrant. Often remembered as a “mad king,” Tughlaq’s decision to shift the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad, introduce currency reforms, and restructure governance exposed the fragile balance between idealism and political pragmatism. Karnad’s text portrays a ruler deeply invested in philosophy, poetry, and intellectual debate, yet increasingly isolated by mistrust and unintended consequences.
