Trident Moon has been playing at the National Arts Centre (NAC) since April 2, with widespread acclaim by both critics and audiences alike. This moving play, set amid the chaos of a newly divided Hindustan, and just a few years after the end of the Second World War, is written by the equally acclaimed playwright Anusree Roy.
While this is an intense story that explores religious violence, there are also moments of familial resilience. Roy says that this story was largely inspired by her own family’s story of survival.
Mirza Sarhan, Zorana Sadiq, Imali Perera, Afroza Banu, Muhaddisah, and Anusree Roy. Photo by Dahlia Katz.
“The story has been a big part of my family in the sense that my father’s side survived the partition, my mother’s side survived World War II, which was literally five years before,” she says. “I grew up hearing these incredible, resilient, courageous stories of survival, sisterhood, love, hatred, loss, belonging, and they were always a part of me.”
Commissioned by Nightwood Theatre in Toronto, they asked if Roy could create something really weighty with a large cast. Through Roy’s practice of prayer, Trident Moon slowly emerged.
“As a writer, I have a really strong practice and belief of not interfering, not getting in the way of what’s coming — to step out of the way,” she says. “So I stepped out of the way and then, kind of just sat and listened to the story. And this play emerged.”
The emotional story of turmoil and families being torn apart is balanced by the sometimes humorous characters on stage.
Sahiba Arora, Afroza Banu (standing), Zorana Sadiq, Michelle Mohammed, Prerna Nehta, Sehar Bhojani (lying down), Imali Perera (standing), Anusree Roy, and Muhaddisah. Photo by Dahlia Katz.
“I do think that humour is very easily accessible in my plays. My characters just end up being funny people who have levity and who have something to say,” says Roy. “And again, because I’m so disciplined about allowing the characters to take the shape that they want to take, and not get in the way, I often find that really interesting things happen as a result of that.”
Roy has travelled all over the country for various projects — whether that’s performing some of her original works, or teaching playwriting or creative writing at major universities. Roy has been to Ottawa before for some of her solo works, but this is her first time working with the NAC.
“The NAC audiences are so incredible,” she says. “They’re so supportive, and also lots of South Asian people have come to see the show, which makes me very happy — to be able to share the work with my own people, it’s been really lovely.”
Anusree Roy. Photo by Dahlia Katz.
In many ways, Ottawa audiences have shown Roy how much they appreciate her work in return.
“One of my favourite things is people coming up and telling me, ‘Oh my God, that was my grandmother’s story,’ or ‘Oh my God, this is exactly what happened to my family’. That’s been really wonderful,” says Roy. “It’s amazing how similar the stories that people want to tell me about their family are to what’s actually happening on stage.”
You can still catch Trident Moon playing at the NAC until April 12. You can get your tickets online. For more information on the show, or NAC English Theatre’s programming, visit the NAC’s website here.
