Radha S. Menon was born in Asia but raised in the West. She worked as an actor and playwright in the United Kingdom prior to relocating to Regina, Saskatchewan in 1995. The Washing Machine, developed at Nightwood Theatre’s Groundswell Playwrights Unit was first produced at the Factory Theatre Studio in Toronto as part of The Next Stage Festival 2012. Menon is the co-founder of Red Betty Theatre. She has also taught the basics of art direction in film production at the Toronto Film School. Menon is a member of Cahoots Theatre’s Playwright’s HotHouse for 2012. Now based in Hamilton, Ontario, Menon is a multi-disciplinary artist, playwright, filmmaker, designer and arts educator. She earned an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Menon was the recipient of the City of Hamilton’s 2020 Arts Innovation Award.
Drama
Rukmini’s Gold
Winnipeg: Scirocco Drama, 2021.
PS8626.E566 R85 2021
Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)
An old woman in a white sari sits on a deserted train platform, burdened by a decaying suitcase and an old jewelry box. She has missed her train. Suddenly a young girl appears. “Can I sit beside you?” she asks the old woman. “I’m going with you.” Every second counts in this powerful play about connections and moments of departure. Rukmini’s Gold features ten stand-alone yet interconnected scenes set in geographically unique train stations around the world. Through the eyes of the matriarch, Rukmini, the play tracks the passage of one South Asian family, crossing continents and spanning a century. Exploring themes including love, class and caste, women’s struggles against patriarchy, colonialism, and the global movement of labour, Radha Menon’s cast of characters take us on life journeys where trains are missed, opportunities are squandered, and family members are separated in space and time.
Drama
The Washing Machine: A Play in Two Acts
Toronto: Playwrights Guild of Canada, 2012.
PS8626.E566 W373 2011
Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)
Isabelle, a bereaved mother and wife, returns to her childhood home in India with a new vision for this banana plantation’s look: out with the scared grounds and barking dogs, in with tennis courts and a fancy new washing machine! But through the influence of immortal gurus, meddling spirits and a tribe of crying monkeys, Isabelle is forced to realize that no spin cycles can wash away the dirty laundry that is her.
Links
Publisher J. Gordon Shillingford, owner of the Scirocco Drama imprint
Publisher Playwrights Guild of Canada
Red Betty Theatre blog