Proof: Aadin brings David Auburn’s Pulitzer-winning play to Bengaluru
Director-actor Aditya Joshi talks about the making of Proof, ahead of its shows at Vyoma Artspace and Studio Theatre on October 12 and 13
By Reema Gowalla
American playwright and theatre director David Auburn’s play Proof won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play in 2001. The plot dabbles in volatile emotions, complex human relationships and mental health. Cut to 2024, Pune-based theatre group Aadin Productions worked on this acclaimed piece in an Indian setting. After premiering at the Symbiosis Literary Festival earlier this month, the play is now set to be staged at Bengaluru’s Vyoma Artspace and Studio Theatre on October 12 and 13. The piece is directed by Aditya Joshi, who is also essaying a lead character in it.
The cast also includes Tamanna Mannan, Bishakha Thapa and Kiran Patil. Proof follows the story of a troubled young woman Catherine, who has spent years caring for her brilliant yet unstable mathematician father, Robert. Upon his death, she must face a difficult situation with her estranged sister Claire and her father’s former student Hal.
In a quick conversation with TheatreRoom, Aditya talks about what fascinates him about Proof the most, making the play for an Indian audience and more. Excerpts:
Q. Tell us about your journey with Proof. Would you call it an adaptation?
A. I had first directed this play when I was at the New York Film Academy, and that’s where I fell in love with the script. I wanted to bring the play here in its original setting. I didn’t feel the need to adapt it because there aren’t many references in it that the Indian audience won’t understand. There are mentions of a few streets in Chicago and that’s about it. So there’s no adaptation as such. The play is performed as is. Just that the play is staged with an Indian cast. The playwright’s lines and vision are kept intact. Proof premiered in Pune, and it was quite well received. So, I am confident that ethnicity doesn’t really matter, as the play’s messaging is universal.”
Q. How would you describe the plot of Proof?
A. Proof is the story of a young woman named Catherine. The story begins on the eve of her father [Robert’s] funeral that takes place over the weekend. Robert was a mathematical genius, who had revolutionised the field. There is a book that the daughter and her potential lover, Hal, find. The play focuses on the notion of whether Catherine, who hasn’t received any formal education, could have written the ‘proof’ [about prime numbers]. People know that she is a genius. But since her father also suffered from mental illness, the question remains how much of her father’s genius and mental instability she has inherited.
Q. You are the director of the play and you have also acted in it. Was it difficult to juggle the responsibilities?
A. Not really. I have been very lucky to have a brilliant cast. Whenever I am doing a scene, the actors pitch in to ensure that the flow is right and things are falling in place according to the script. The making of Proof has actually been a very collaborative project. Even though I was tasked with directing the cast, they have helmed the play just as much.
Q. What inspired you to bring the play to the stage?
A. There’s a lot of humanity in Proof. There is the father-daughter bonding; there’s a closeness between two sisters; and then there’s the connection between two potential lovers. The play also highlights a lot of social problems, particularly how women have to face gender discrimination and work harder to prove their worth. The narrative concentrates on whether or not Catherine has written the book. Just because she never went to school, no one’s willing to believe that she can come up with something relevant and worthwhile. There’s no acknowledgement of her genius whatsoever. Why I chose to adapt the piece is because I felt the play is very relatable. Most of the things that the characters go through within the premise are similar to the circumstances that a lot of people face at different stages of their life.
Q. What, according to you, is the biggest takeaway for the audience?
A. At the end of the play, the audience will be left with a better understanding of different relationships as well as how trust works. A character that speaks is often presumed to be in the right, while the one who is silent is thought to be in the wrong. That said, when the silent character starts speaking, you kind of start rooting for them instead. The play touches upon these themes of human behaviour and complex relationships.
Catch shows of Proof at Vyoma Artspace and Studio Theatre on October 12 (7pm) and October 13 (8pm). You can book your tickets here.
