The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and Pitlochry Festival Theatre, in association with Naked Productions will present the world premiere of Jaimini Jethwa’s Hindu Times.
Written by Jaimini Jethwa, who’s debut sold-out play Last Queen of Scotland follows a woman growing up in Dundee knowing little about her Ugandan homeland, but haunted by Idi Amin’s expulsion of Ugandan-Asians, Hindu Times returns to Dundee – but this time through the eyes of three Hindu deities.
Vishnu and Brahma have come to Dundee, with an epic plan to restore earth, bring balance, spread divinity, and get Lakshmi back, who’s on her own mission, trapped inside a Dundee lassie called Lakhi…but end up getting right on it in the process!
Playwright Jaimini Jethwa said: “I knew from the start that the deities would deliver, and they did – they’ve got the gift of the gab, big time. The deities taught me that it’s all around you, if you want it. You can see beauty in anything, it resonates in all walks of life. If that’s possible, you never know where it will come from next.
I wanted to explore the duality of man and how it manifests in what he loves and fights for. My family is from Porbandar, the same village as Mahatma Gandhi. I went back there and stood in Gandhi’s house with its portrait of his mother, her eyes steady, fixed on where he was born, with all the gods around. It made me recognise who my deities were, growing up in Dundee – those folks in the schemes. This is where my spiritual home is, Scotland. It gave me the idea to bring the Hindu gods to Dundee.”
Directed by Stellar Quines Artistic Director Caitlin Skinner (Alone and Alone part II, National Theatre of Scotland; Donny’s Brain and Five from Inside, Traverse Theatre; Hope and Joy, Pearlfisher and Stellar Quines), and with original music by Niroshini Thambar (The Girls that Hide and Seek, BBC; Ghosts, National Theatre of Scotland; The Arrival, Solar Bear) and Nik Paget-Tomlinson (chronicles, Project X and National Theatre of Scotland; Vent, Scottish Youth Theatre Ensemble; …starting to see the end, Edinburgh Art Festival), Hindu Times stars Rehanna McDonald (Do You Love Me Yet , Oxford Playhouse and Adam, National Theatre of Scotland); Adam McNamara (Peter Gynt, National Theatre and Black Watch, National Theatre of Scotland) and Daniel Portman (Game of Thrones, HBO and The Last King of Scotland, Sheffield Theatres).
Each performance of Hindu Times includes a different Post-Show Talk:
Friday 28 May: Talk and Q&A with writer Jaimini Jethwa
Saturday 29 May: Talk and Q&A with director Caitlin Skinner and members of the cast
Sunday 30 May: In Context – an insight into the themes of the play with special guests (TBA)
Hindu Times is on Sound Stage 28th May – 30th May 2021. Tickets are available from the Royal Lyceum Theatre or Pitlochry Festival Theatre websites.
