Broad Gauge Productions @ The Fringe Festival
Broad Gauge Entertainment is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to "fostering diverse perspectives in the arts." In today's local arts community, it stands as one of the few modes of artistic expression for South Asian voices. Outside of its traditional art forms, the desi community has been largely unrecognized, or perhaps even absent, from the D.C. art scene. Broad Gauge and other groups such as Subcontinental Drift might indicate a sea change of sorts.
A driving force of Broad Gauge is founder Arpita Mukherjee, a talented young director and writer who has put on shows at the South Asian Literary and Theater Arts Festival, the Schlesinger Center, and Flashpoint. Broad Gauge is currently staging two shows directed by Mukherjee, Death Before Dying and I Am S.A.A.M. (South Asian American Male), at the Capital Fringe Festival. The shows have flaws in their execution, but present a fresh addition to the the local arts community.
I Am S.A.A.M. (South Asian American Male) is a multi-media presentation of short vignettes designed to describe the travails of South Asian men in our nation's capital. Some of the scenes rely heavily on nudges and winks that only South Asians will understand, but most of the play is accessible to a wider audience. The cast is comprised mainly of amateur actors, but the women of the troupe, Carol Jacob in particular, have a surprisingly natural stage presence.
Image courtesy of Broad Gauge Entertainment
Mukherjee's writing is uneven, but not without winning moments. Her strengths are on display in one absolutely charming scene that portrays a young immigrant couple in the early throes of love. But another scene involving a South Asian man who is in a relationship with a transgendered African American woman does not have the nuance to prevent the scene from feeling contrived.
Death Before Dying is an ambitious dance production that features both Eastern and Western dancers as well as a live band playing Hindi pop music. During Saturday night's performance, the 10 piece band, which featured three rotating vocalists, was tight, for the most part, but there were instances when certain instruments, especially the guitar, were overpowering. Certain segments utilized recorded music instead of the live band, and while this is generally the less desirable of the two options, the show maintained a much more steady flow during the recordings. Having a live band is a great concept, but it also raises the technical and logistical demands of a dance performance.
Of the two groups of dancers, the Western dancers were the more trained and it showed during the performance as their movements were more athletic, expressive, and cohesive. But if the two sets of dancers were in a fashion contest, the desi performers would definitely come out on top. The unison choreography was a bit loose, but we are not talking about a Janet Jackson video and it was as good as one could expect under the circumstances.
I Am S.A.A.M. runs through July 29 at the Goethe Institut, tickets are $15 and can be purchased here. Death Before Dying runs through July 28 at Warehouse, $15 tickets here.