It was the morning after the brutal attack on 23-year old Jyoti Singh Pandey aboard a bus in Delhi in December of 2012, that Yaël Farber began the process that would become ‘Nirbhaya’; the searing and poignant new work from the writer/director, challenging the stigma of silence around sexual violence against women.
Laws forbid naming the victims of rape in India, and so until she succumbed to injuries so horrific they claimed her life, Pandey was known only as Nirbhaya; the Hindi word for fearless. Farber has taken the notion of that word and elaborated on its theme with this ensemble piece, casting away the idea of shame, that so often silences victims.
Guarding the integrity of the story was at the forefront of the project, and as Farber delved further into the process, she says it took on a life of its own.
“Overwhelmed is a word in every theatre maker’s lexicon,” Farber says, when reached by phone. “There wasn’t a minute in five weeks (of pre-production) that wasn’t spent soaked in adrenaline.”
Collaborating with Poorna Jagannathan, a Mumbai-based actor, Farber travelled to India and armed with the gift of shared experiences from the women who responded to her call, she began to write. An incredibly talented cast from India, including Jagannathan, bring these stories to the stage, a process Farber describes as ‘extraordinarily generous’ considering for some, this was the first time they spoke openly about their experiences.
“I remember thinking it was that silence that had resulted in allowing this to happen again,” Farber describes.
Much has been made of the Indian government’s decision to ban the BBC documentary India’s Daughter, based on Pandey’s story, and for a variety of reasons. However, the result is further stifling the voices of those who are fighting for the culture around rape in India, to change.
On the graphic nature of the piece, Farber says, “audiences arrive to be entertained, but I have always felt my goal has been to move them; survival stories are not always pleasant, but they’re compelling.”
“With material of this tender delicacy, they deserve to receive the piece powerfully.”
Nirbhaya opens Nov. 3 at York Theatre, and runs until Nov. 14. Tickets are available at Tickets.TheCultch.com
