The Dipika Guha play runs through Aug. 26
Fromleft, Caitlin McDonough-Thayer (Cecilia), John Shuman (Priest), and Chad Hoeppner (Simon), in "The Betrothed" at Chester Theater Company through Aug. 26.Playwright Dipika Guha’s “The Betrothed” is featured as the final installment of Chester Theater Company’s Uncommon Love Stories season.
The play follows the life of a Simon (Chap Hoeppner), a young American man named Simon, played by returning actor, Chad Hoeppner. This young man has been betrothed since birth to a women he has never met. The play starts with Simon’s journey to the Old Country, to meet his betrothed. Simon does not end up finding the youthful beauty he dreamt of and what follows is an existential comedy with a fairy tale heart.
’The Betrothed’ was written by up and rising playwright Dipika Guha. It will be directed by Byam Stevens. The play, which opened Wednesday runs through Aug. 26.
Stevens, who has been Chester’s artistic director since 1998, said he is excited to be working with Guha on “The Betrothed.”
In many ways the play is about cultural differences, said Stevens.
This playwright knows all about cultural differences and often explores them in her plays. Guha was born in India and raised in Cochin (now Kochi), London and Moscow before she made her way to The United States for her studies. She is a recent graduate from the Yale School of Drama and has done work at both Brown University and Harvard University. She was part of the Young Writer s Workshop at the Royal Court Theatre in London.
“I have no sense of audience. I never feel like I target a specific audience because I’ve gone through so many cultures. I like to work as openly as possible,” Guha said.
Guha said she explores themes that audiences can understand in her plays. Some themes that stick out are the ideas of home and how one forms identity, history and how we learn from our past, and language, both what is said and what isn’t said. This work, though exploring heavy themes, comes out as a comedy.
When a playwright works with a new director and actors on a play, some aspects are subject to change, Guha said. With this play, Guha said she intentionally left certain things open ended. This way the play changes from what it originally was and takes on a life of its own. Both Guha and Stevens say they are excited to see how it will all pan out.
“There’s a lot of magic realism in it. It isn’t bound by what we typically think of as reality so, it makes it magical. I think it is an alive, funny, and deep play,” said Stevens.