The play ‘A Strange Quartet’ gives short takes on stereotypes

Produced by Hyderabad-based Storyboard Productions, the play is the directorial debut of advertisement professional and theatre actor Akshay Kokala

What do advertising professionals with an Engineering and MBA degree do in the pandemic time? Hyderabad-based Akshay Kokala managed to do more than most people; not only will he launch Madderrrone a creative advertising agency but will also debut as a theatre director with A Strange Quartet. Produced by Storyboard Productions, A Strange Quartet is a set of four short plays — three in English and one in Hindi— that addresses gender stereotypes and sexuality with a touch of comedy in the context of life and love. The play is scheduled to be staged at Rangabhoomi Cultural Space on September 4 and 5. “I had read each of these plays at different times and found a common thread binding them,” shares Akshay. While Pre-Conception by Larry Hamm is on a meeting between sperm and egg, Vrittant by Siddharth Mishra and Kashan Mustafa deals with multiple characters within the play, Shakespeare and Love by DM Larsson is a story about a college professor and student and Slick Dame by Kay Poiro has a play within a play where a couple role plays in a bid to revive its stagnant marriage. The near hour-long narrative (with 10 to 20 minutes for each play) explores how deep-seated are stereotypes. “Even the most rational and progressive person might stereotype a gender issue; these plays question them, albeit playfully,” points out Akshay, hoping these plays act like “mirrors so that audiences ask themselves if they are like that too”.