One Day in the Season of Rain

press release: The Center for South Asia at UW-Madison is pleased to announce  a costumed dramatic reading of One Day in the Season of Rain, a play by the Indian playwright Mohan Rakesh, translated into English by Professors Aparna Dharwadker and Vinay Dharwadker (Department of English, UW-Madison). This public event will be the final performance at this year's annual Conference on South Asia, and is scheduled for 8 pm on Saturday, 19 October 2019, at the Play Circle Theater in Memorial Union, 800 Langdon Street. It is directed by Joshua Thomas Kelly (PhD candidate in Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies), and features trained actors from Interdisciplinary Theater Studies and the Department of Theater and Drama.

Since its publication in 1958, Rakesh’s play has been recognized as a foundational work in post-independence Indian theater, and a classic of postcolonial modernism. Dealing with the troubled life of India's best-known classical Sanskrit author Kalidas, and Mallika, the muse he abandons in a futile pursuit of literary and political ambition, the play is also the only kunstlerroman  of its kind in contemporary world theater.

The performance is free, but seating at the Play Circle is limited. To reserve tickets, please email Professor Aparna Dharwadker (adharwadker@wisc.edu) as soon as possible. Tickets will be sent by email between 16-18 October.