Deepika Arwind, an internationally acclaimed playwright and theatre-maker hailing from Bangalore, has gained recognition for her work spanning India, the USA, and Europe, amassing accolades and award nominations along the way. She is now making her British debut with "Phantasmagoria," a gripping psychological horror tailored for the contemporary era.
In this production, Arwind delves into the perils of divisive politics, populism, and the uncontrolled influence of social media. "Phantasmagoria" skilfully juxtaposes the terror of raising one's voice against the dread of remaining silent, revealing how fear can be manufactured and manipulated, leading to chilling consequences.
In an exclusive conversation with Asian Voice, Deepika Arwind delves into the intricacies of "Phantasmagoria" and its profound themes.
Can you share the inspiration behind "Phantasmagoria" and what motivated you to tackle the themes of divisive politics, populism, and social media in your play?
I was curious about what happens when you're confronted with 'the other', the person you most disagree with in a sense, because this inability to really talk to each other was a worldwide phenomenon that's emblematic of the last 10 years, I'd say.
I think this distance was the effect of the polarisations and threats that have been created for the benefit of certain people. It suits big systems that people are unable to actually have conversations about things that matter without losing their composure or threatening some type of violence. And of course, this has been compounded by social media manifold, where suddenly the echo chambers are so long and winding, and the spread of misinformation and hateful messaging so quick and volatile that we're acting out of our most base psychology, and our nervous systems are constantly in a state of alarm.
This state of alarm can be mild or really heightened depending on where you are located geographically, socially and economically in the world. I wanted to respond to this 'alarmed collective nervous system' in a sense, and that's kind of where the play originates.
How do you depict the manipulation of fear in the storyline, and what message do you hope audiences will take away from it?
I hope audiences truly 'see'. I hope they're able to connect with every single character in the play and recognise the parts of themselves that identify and resonate with the characters. I hope audiences acknowledge their own complexities when it comes to feelings around 'people who are not like them', whether they are immigrants or refugees or people from any kind of minority. I hope audiences get in touch with their own fears and attempt to understand them better. But if audiences have their own inexplicable journey while watching it or experience imperceptible shifts, that is just enough too.
Can you describe the central characters and their roles in navigating the themes of your play, especially in the context of divisive politics and social media?
There is Bina. She is a bigwig in a big political party that is in power in this imaginary country in the near future. She has a specific worldview we've seen espoused globally over the last decade and a half. There is Mehrosh. She is a young activist whose worldview is in a sense, in opposition to Bina's. A lot of how in opposition they are to each other, is also something the news media and social media have hyped up. They're both influential women who have big social media followings, and are now going to go into a live debate. The play deals with the impending hour before the debate, and they walk through it. How each of them feels about the 'state of alarm' I’ve alluded to is very much what moves them through the play. Apart from these two characters, and two others, another mystery character works itself into their liminal space. It's a spectre, something that doesn't quite belong.
How does the title reflect the narrative and its exploration of contemporary issues?
I think the title reflects the ghosts and phantoms we witness in everyday life, especially the part that engages us as citizens of neighbourhoods or states or countries. What ghosts do we choose to see, and those we ignore? Which darkness can we get accustomed to that it starts to feel like a kind of light?
How does your play offer a unique perspective on issues like divisive politics and populism, and what do you believe makes it relevant to current events?
I think in using the idea of the 'theatre of horror' it articulates the themes in the play on a sensorial level. If you've ever thought: What would a conversation with someone who (I think) is completely different than me look like, it sort of does that for you. Who you identify most with, or what aspects of the different characters you relate to is of course to do with your personal experience. What makes it relevant to current events? I think we live in a time of oppositions and dualities, right? The play I think could be about any and all of these things and people in a sense, and it offers different positions that are not just of the two central characters.
How does your play portray the influence of social media platforms and their impact on the characters' lives?
All the characters confront its astounding pace, its ability to mobilise actual physical bodies and its ripples into the 'real world'. The threats, the abuses, the particular strain of discomfort, alarm (I use the word again), urgency and empowerment one feels that has come to characterise it are very much what they have to deal with while also having to live in the present moment. Social media can elevate the tribe, but it can also leave you isolated. The thing you fear is also the thing that is your tool.
As a playwright, what challenges did you face in addressing such complex and timely issues in your work, and how did you navigate these challenges?
The first draft came to me quite 'easily' if there is such a thing with writing. I doubted some of the horror elements in the play, and I hoped that it would be something that would truly create the eerie atmosphere I was hoping to create. I wrote in darkness, but I evoked it? I wrote in the 'state of alarm' but would we hear the bells going off? How did I navigate it? Like I do most things. I put one word in front of the next. I kept writing it and once it was read by people -- friends, colleagues, dramaturges, and they could feel its pulse, I knew that it did do a lot of the things I wanted it to do.
