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NIRBHAYA
Written & Directed by Yaël Farber
Based on the performer’s experiences & the violent incident which shocked Delhi and the World.
On the night of December 16th 2012, a young woman and her male friend boarded a bus in urban New Delhi, heading for home. What followed changed theirs and countless lives forever. NIRBHAYA – a searing new testimonial work - cracks open the cone of silence around sexual and gender-based violence. Using the true events of the rape and death of the young woman the world has come to know as Nirbhaya, Yaël Farber, with an extraordinary cast and creative team from India, brings us a blistering evocation of that terrible night, and the tide of change it set in motion. NIRBHAYA is a voyage into a tapestry of personal testimonies that speaks for a world no longer willing to hold the tides of change at bay.
PRESS
‘Great theatre requires the intercession of the human imagination, and this piece combines the presentation of unbearable facts with ingenious aesthetics in a manner so brilliant that it is, surely, one of the most powerful and urgent pieces of human rights theatre ever made.’ .
THE HERALD | Read more...
A compelling depiction of an awful truth
THE INDEPENDENT | Read more...
“Deeply moving”
THE NEW YORK TIMES
This is consciousness-raising theatre of the old school, emphasising the fact that Pandey’s suffering has lifted the veil of silence regarding violence against women in India and beyond. As one performer says, “We can be silent no more.” That is reason enough to see this urgent, compelling show.
THE TELEGRAPH | Read more...
‘While undeniably effective as a call to arms, it’s in the quieter, more intimate moments that these stories are at their most powerful.’
THE TIMES
I was stunned into a dark silence… [a] brilliant depiction.
DAILY MAIL, INDIA I Read more…
This is consciousness-raising theatre of the old school, emphasising the fact that Pandey’s suffering has lifted the veil of silence regarding violence against women in India and beyond. As one performer says, “We can be silent no more.” That is reason enough to see this urgent, compelling show.
THE TELEGRAPH | Read more...
Farber's message is clear; this is a collective problem and we – men and women – must speak out. "I know my silence is part of what that dark night brought" says one actor. Silently, some women in the audience nod.
THE INDEPENDENT | Read more...
Proudly, they shatter the pervasive shame culture of silence that surrounds sexual violence against women.’
EVENING STANDARD | Read more...
One of the most affecting plays you are likely to see […] Could well turn into a force for change.
THE STAGE I Read more…
One of the most powerful and emotional plays I have ever seen. I cannot recommend this enough
EDINBURGH FESTIVAL MAGAZINE I Read more…
Surely the most moving Edinburgh presentation of the year.
BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE I Read more…
Their stories full of tears and rage, their songs, their radiance, and above all, their shared determination that this death, among so many, will be the one that changes things, for good.
THE SCOTSMAN | Read more...
At a time when rape threats have become casual social media currency, it’s intensely sobering to have a play like this that reminds us so viscerally of the real horrors of sexual violence.
TIME OUT | Read more...
A devastating, thought-provoking play.
THE SKINNY I Read more...
A hard-hitting piece of theatre
BROADWAY BABY
Farber is unflinching. The message is clear: Silence is no longer an option. It's time to speak out.
FEST MAG I Read more…
Yael Farber’s intelligent, defiant and uncompromising production says simply, ‘this is happening and it can’t be ignored’.
THE LIST I Read more…
The text crackles with poetry, fury and complexity […] a powerful and fearless production.
THREE WEEKS I Read more…
Mumbai gives Nirbhaya play a standing ovation
TIMES OF INDIA | Read more...
Nirbhaya: the Edinburgh play telling the truth about abuse
THE GUARDIAN | Read more...
On Stage, ‘Nirbhaya’ Gives Delhi Gang Rape Victim a Voice
NY TIMES - INDIA | Read more...
My stage protest against sexual violence
THE GUARDIAN | Read more...
Nirbhaya runs to packed audiences in London
THE HINDU | Read more...
Theatre director Yaël Farber is staging an intervention against the culture of denial
THE NATIONAL | Read more...
PRODUCTION INFO / THE COMPANY
Written and Directed By
YAEL FARBER
ENSEMBLE
SAPNA BHAVNANI (until 2014)
PAMELA SINHA (2015 PERFORMANCES)
PRIYANKA BOSE
POORNA JAGANNATHAN
SNEHA JAWALE
RUKHSAR KABIR
JAPJIT KAUR
ANKUR VIKAL
Set and Costume Design: OROON DAS
Soundscape Design: ABHIJEET TAMBE
Lighting Design: PAUL LIM
Stage Management: TRIONA HUMPHRIES
Assistant Director: ROBERT JANSEN
Production Management India: QTP ENTERTAINMENT
Production Management UK: PAUL LIM
Producers: ASSEMBLY, RIVERSIDE STUDIOS AND POORNA JAGANNATHAN
Producer: MARGARET MOLL
Sound Libraries provided by EARTH MOMENTS AND SVARAM
Running Time 90 minutes
TOURS
Nightwood Theatre – Toronto, Canada 2015
The Cultch – Vancouver, Canada 2015
Cast – Doncaster, UK 2015
Oldham Coliseum – Oldham, UK 2015
Arena Theatre – Wolverhampton, UK 2015
Southbank Centre – London, UK 2015
Culture Project – New York, USA 2015
Contact – Manchester, UK 2015
Brighton Dome - Brighton, UK 2015
Pavilion Theatre - Dun Laoghaire, Dublin 2014
Ranga Shankara – Bangalore, India 2014
FICCI - Delhi, India 2014
Tata Theatre - Bombay, India 2014
Woman of the World, South Bank – London UK 2013
Edinburgh Fringe Festival – Edinburgh, Scotland 2013
TOUR BOOKING INFO
Contact Margaret Moll: magsmoll@gmail.com