One person plays are one of the hardest mediums of theatre to pull off. It requires incredible focus from the performer and a riveting script that draws focus and provides the performer with the energy to power through. 

It is of great credit to the Belvoir St Theatre that they are amplifying solo plays that focus on different communities to those traditionally explored in Australian theatre. Nayika, written by Nithya Nagarajan and Liv Satchell, takes on the incredibly important and grossly under-discussed issue of intimate partner violence in minority communities. In a time where intimate partner violence is in the forefront of the minds of the country, it could not be a more poignant period to stage this work. 

The play recounts the story of a teenage dancer in Chennai, told through the lens of two childhood friends seeing each other for the first time in years. As the protagonist (played by Vaishnavi Suryaprakash), who has since moved to Sydney, and her friend begin to reflect on their childhoods, the flashbacks to the trauma that the protagonist has suffered only grow stronger. She reflects upon moving to Chennai alone to pursue her dancing career and proceeding to meet a boy at school who she begins to date in secret. It is only a matter of time before his possessive and coercive behaviours begin to come to the surface, leading to a horrific sexual assault and the protagonist, the victim, needing to flee to Australia. 

What makes this play is the music and the dance, which is breathtaking from the start. Immediately we are introduced to the two musicians Marco Cher-Gibard and Bhairavi Raman who evoke the soundscape of Chennai wonderfully through their score. Suryaprakash’s dance is also magnificent, drawing on the emotion of the story to heighten every moment and facilitate connection with the audience. 

The premise of the story is incredibly important and is one that needs to be told in the Australian community. The play begins to tell the story but in some ways, could have gone into more depth. Notably, the play touches on some elements of coercion but could have gone much further in making a comment on these types of behaviours, particularly on the ability of perpetrators to exert control over victims. Additionally, the lack of reporting structures in India are mentioned (as is the potential for a victim to not only be blamed but held responsible for the actions of others) but this is done in a superficial way that doesn’t quite capture the pervasiveness of these issues. 

Ultimately, Suryaprakash is the star of the show in this play and her acting and dancing allow the audience to empathise with the protagonist’s horrific situation and develop some understanding of intimate partner violence in minority communities. While it perhaps could have gone further in its exploration of the issues at times, there are not many productions that are willing to tackle such complex and intensely personal issues, especially in a multicultural setting and for that, great commendation is due. 

Rating: ★★★1/2

Nayika A Dancing Girl plays at the Belvoir St Theatre until 19^th May. For more information, click here.

All photo credits: Brett Boardman