{"id":12489,"date":"2016-04-23T09:55:35","date_gmt":"2016-04-23T16:55:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/?p=12489"},"modified":"2016-04-23T09:55:35","modified_gmt":"2016-04-23T16:55:35","slug":"rickshaw-girl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/rickshaw-girl\/","title":{"rendered":"RICKSHAW GIRL"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Emily
Emily Alvarado as \u2018Naima,\u2019 painting a traditional \u2018alpana.\u2019 (Photo: Joshua Posamentier)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Author Mitali Perkins\u2019 award-winning children\u2019s book, Rickshaw Girl<\/i>, tells the touching story of Naima, an artistic ten-year-old in an impoverished Bangladeshi village who yearns to help her hard-working father, a rickshaw driver, earn more money for the family, writes Vivian Auslander.<\/b> (#BACT, #BayAreaChildrensTheatre, #Siliconeer, @Siliconeer, #RickshawGirl, #MitaliPerkins)<\/p>\n

\n

Perkins, who lives in Orinda, Calif., grew up speaking Bangla and hearing her parents\u2019 stories about their life in the part of the world we know today as Bangladesh. Later, she spent three years in Bangladesh, meeting the people, learning what they hold dear, and observing the impact of changes, like the advent of microcredit, on local customs and culture.<\/p>\n

When Nina Meehan, executive director of the Bay Area Children\u2019s Theatre<\/a> (BACT), read Perkins\u2019 book, she knew immediately that she wanted to bring Naima\u2019s daring adventure to the stage for children and their families to see.<\/p>\n

\"Mitali
Mitali Perkins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cNaima\u2019s story opens a window on a different culture for our young audiences, which is so important for their experience, yet it has universal appeal in its depiction of courage, duty and caring,\u201d Meehan said.<\/p>\n

BACT commissioned critically acclaimed playwright Aditi Kapil to adapt Perkins\u2019 novel, and the world premiere of Rickshaw Girl<\/i> was born!\u00a0 Of Indian and Bulgarian descent, Kapil was raised in Sweden and resides in Minneapolis, MN. In addition to her work for BACT, she is currently working on commissions with Yale Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, South Coast Repertory Theatre, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival.<\/p>\n

\"Mitali
Mitali Perkins\u2019 mother, Madhusree Bose, in vest, surrounded by cast members, after teaching them how to paint \u2018alpanas.\u2019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Directed by Vidhu Singh, with live music by vocalist Sonali Bhattacharya, percussionist Amit Sharma, and others, Rickshaw Girl<\/i> opened at the Front Row Theater in San Ramon, Calif., and played weekends, April 2-10, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. After San Ramon, the production travels to San Francisco, where it plays weekends, April 16 – May 1, and completes its run in Berkeley, Calif., weekends, May 7 \u2013 22.<\/p>\n

Perkins has worked with Singh and Kapil to help them develop the show, contributing to the authenticity of the production by contacting a friend, an educator in Bangladesh, to learn what songs daughters of rickshaw pullers sing these days and what games they play. These songs\u2014everything from a lullaby to a patriotic song\u2014will be sung in Bangla. Perkins also brought her mother to rehearsal to teach the actors how to paint alpanas, the traditional designs that figure prominently in the story.<\/p>\n

Describing the rehearsal process, Perkins said, \u201cIt\u2019s magical! When I watch these fabulous actors and see the story in the flesh on the stage, I find myself being curious for Naima and wondering what\u2019s going to happen to her, and I have to remind myself that I know what happens to her\u2014I wrote the book!\u201d<\/p>\n

Director Singh of San Francisco has devoted her career to nurturing South Asian theatre and bringing work from around the globe to the stage.\u00a0 Born and raised in India, she holds a master\u2019s degree in Dramatic Art from the University of California at San\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00adta Barbara and a doctorate in Asian Theatre from the University \u00ad\u00ad\u00adof Hawaii at Manoa, specializing in contemporary Indian theater.<\/p>\n

\"Artists
Artists at Rickshaw Girl workshop, l. to r., actors Radhika Rao and Salim Razawi, Director Vidhu Singh, Author Mitali Perkins, Playwright Aditi Kapil<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis play is so up my alley,\u201d Singh said. \u201cI\u2019m so grateful it came to me. When I heard about it, I got a copy of the book\u2014it\u2019s one of the best children\u2019s books I\u2019ve ever read.\u00a0 It is a sweet, empowering story that is important for girls all over the world. The story is a window to another culture but it\u2019s also a mirror\u2014Naima learns that, with a little ingenuity and a lot of courage and grit, she can recover from a terrible mistake and make things right for herself and her family. Kids can see that they have so much in common with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

The play, Singh explained, is \u201can ensemble piece\u201d that blends theatre, dance and Bangla songs.\u00a0 Five actors play the primary characters as well as secondary roles. The ensemble also functions as a chorus, becoming school children learning the Bangla alphabet, villagers celebrating International Mother Language Day, vendors selling wares, farmers toiling in the rice fields, town dwellers\u2014a vibrant microcosm of life in Bangladesh.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is very important work,\u201d Singh said, explaining that Bangladeshi culture has rarely been reflected in American theatre or even in South Asian theatre.\u00a0 \u201cWhat makes the story remarkably powerful is its universality and its ability to inspire children as well as adults across cultures. I\u2019m from India, not from Bangladesh, and I\u2019m very particular about reflecting Bangladeshi culture and creating the world of Bangladesh. As a director of Indian descent, I take that responsibility very seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rickshaw Girl<\/i> is recommended for audience aged 6 and up. For information: www.bactheatre.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Author Mitali Perkins\u2019 award-winning children\u2019s book, Rickshaw Girl, tells the touching story of Naima, an artistic ten-year-old in an impoverished Bangladeshi village who yearns to help her hard-working father, a rickshaw driver, earn more money for the family, writes Vivian Auslander. (#BACT, #BayAreaChildrensTheatre, #Siliconeer, @Siliconeer, #RickshawGirl, #MitaliPerkins) Perkins, who lives in Orinda, Calif., grew up…<\/p>\n

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