Sunday Feature: Deepali Lindblom on Wake, Butterfly

Thirteen Blocks

by Deepali Lindblom

Deepali Productions was founded in 2010 with the goal to create dance and theatre productions that enlighten, while being entertaining. Since then, Deepali, the company founder, has taught Indian dances to more than 5000 people and given numerous performances including at Just for Laughs, Opéra de Montréal, and Place­ des­ Arts. In 2012, in collaboration with MainLine Theatre, Deepali Productions created its first comedy dance/theatre, Poutine Masala. It was an instant hit and completely sold out. Last year it was chosen to be part of the WildSide Festival at Centaur Theatre. This year, Deepali Productions is presenting Wake, Butterfly at Infinitheatre Jan. 23 - 25.

Bombay. Bustling, busy, bursting. A teenager hurriedly walks down the narrow streets of Kamathipura, India’s biggest red light district. 
1 block gone, 12 more to go...

She squirms inwardly as men make lewd remarks and call her names. Yesterday her friend had come along, filled with fire to volunteer, but today she refused. She said she didn't have the nerve to walk down 13 blocks to Aasha (Hindi for hope), an organization that worked towards education, health and betterment of the sex-workers of Kamathipura.
2 blocks gone, 11 more to go...

The teenager grew up in a small town in Northern India where social norms were restrictive for girls. You did as you were told. So she rebelled. She moved to Bombay, the only city that would allow her to breathe. Be anonymous. Make mistakes. Try Bollywood. That teenager, me, was proud of my newfound independence, until I went to Aasha to hold workshops in street theatre.
3 blocks gone, 10 more to go...

Day one at Aasha. We sit in a circle. About 20 women. Six of them are social workers. The rest are sex­-workers, some of whom look my age or younger. A few, look my kind. Round faces. Almond eyes.There is a round of introductions. Older ones are from outside Bombay. Poor northern states or neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bangladesh. Abducted and brought here. Younger ones were born into brothels.

At the end of my workshop series, my rebellious pride had blurred. My lament at my limited choices. Each woman in the program had been forced into this trade, some as children.Yet despite having no choice, their fortitude and hopefulness was astonishing. 
4 blocks gone, 9 more to go...

Not long after, I moved to Göteborg (Sweden) and then to Montréal. In both cities, I met strong women who ironically seemed also to have no choices.. Too many to choose from, they told me. Thus, this became an idea for a story that I lived with, for the past four years. I called it Journey to Life. 
5 blocks gone, 8 more to go...

Samay se pahle or kismat se jyada, na kisse ko mila hai na milega. A popular Indian proverb that states: Nothing comes to pass before time and destiny. Post Poutine Masala, destiny intervened and I was introduced to Vishesh Abeyratne. I asked him if he would be interested to write the script for Journey to Life. He accepted.
6 blocks gone, 7 more to go...

Several brainstorming sessions ensued. Summer, turned to winter, to spring and then summer again. Finally we had the first draft, now retitled Wake, Butterfly. 
7 blocks gone, 6 more to go...

With script in place, I reached out to Guy Sprung, artistic director of Infinitheatre, with whom I’d collaborated on Satrangi. He offered the space, but four months ahead of what I had in mind. Now a scramble to get a team together. Easier said than done. 
8 blocks gone, 5 more to go...

First things first. Find a seasoned woman director who could dramaturge. I was surprised to have many names thrown at me. Only a couple responded, only to melt away. A month passed and it looked bleak. Maybe it was not time, I consoled myself. But destiny is meddlesome. I found Deborah Forde, who said; “The snake rocks!” and made my day. 
9 blocks gone, 4 more to go...

Thus followed an intense period of reading, re­writing and further writing. Vishesh and Deborah, who couldn't be more diverse, put their hearts and minds together to bring forth the draft that would determine, if it was time. 
10 blocks gone, 3 more to go...

There we were, that day, gathered in my living room. Time and destiny were present too, listening in. Kristina and I started the table read. At the end of it, I sat wet­-eyed and deeply moved. I looked at time and destiny. They smiled and nodded. 
11 blocks gone, 2 more to go...

It is amazing how creativity springs forth, when resources are limited. Sound, light, set, costume. The larva is finally metamorphosing into Wake, Butterfly.
12 blocks gone...

Showtime! The last block to go. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Wake, Butterfly runs January 23 -25