As The Queer Arts Community prepares to present their theatrical piece ‘AeioQ++’ on June 25 and 27, NT BUZZ learns more the group and how this performance came together
KALYANI JHA | NT BUZZ
Although Goa has been accepting of the queer community, with many queer spaces around the state, Smriti Parhi believes that many of these focus on parties.
“There wasn’t anything really that focuses on arts or a sense of having a community. Hence, we thought of coming up with the Queer Arts Community with a focus on visibility and representation of LGBTQ+ lives,” says Parhi, who co-founded the non-profit organisation ( yet to be registered) along with Antara Bhide in 2023.
Their first play under this organisation was ‘Ek Chutkula’ performed in 2024 during ‘Rang Mand’, at the Sunaparanta Goa Centre of Arts in association with theatre group Abhivyaktee.
“We were asked if we could come up with a performance related to queer. So three of us – Daksha (Shirodkar), Smriti and I – came up with this concept where Smriti and I tell stories of queer individuals but through poetry,” says Bhide.
Their new play ‘AEIOQ++’ is also built from original poems and stories, in an attempt to create and bring in more awareness of the queer identity and lived experiences The poems are based on the founders’ personal experiences, as well as other people’s experiences.
“Through all the five pieces, (four poems and one story) we try to tell the stories of different stages of queer lives, experiences of gender dysphoria or caste-based discrimination or language and how goal-setting for queer people is a little different from how milestones are set for straight people,” says Bhide.
Shirodkar, who has directed the Hinglish act states that the expressing of the poems in performance has been kept simple
on purpose.
“What matters is that the stories need to reach the audience and have to be analysed in a very simple and effective manner. So that is why the style and the form of the performance is quite raw and genuine. There are subtle metaphorical elements in every performance, whether it is Smriti’s or Antara’s storytelling, which keeps rolling throughout the piece,” says the National School of Drama (NSD) alumnus.
She adds that the stories do not follow a linear narration. “But they do revolve around establishing the entire idea about gender identity and sexuality and boldly talk about the rights of queer community,” says the director. She states that the previous performances of this play have been well received by the audience. “Also, both performances were placed in a platform where there’s a critical audience,” she says. “There are people who are not even knowing what queer is. So performing in front of them was a new thing for both of them as well as for me. There were certain good observations which came up,” she says.
According to Shirodkar, for creating awareness about the queer community, art is one of the ways and more people must attend such shows to watch and understand what exactly the community want to say about themselves.
“Goa has been very friendly towards this community and there are a lot of queer people living here. They feel safe here. So I think it’s the right time for the community as well as me as an artiste to speak about their lives, because it’s something that a lot of people don’t choose to speak about,” she says.
Hence, the organisation is trying to take their performance to as many places as possible. Following the performance at Ravindra Bhavan, Sankhali on June 25 under the monthy ‘Yaa Angannat Mazya ‘programme, they will next be performing at Sadhana Dell ‘Arte, Merces.
(‘AeioQ++’ will be staged on June 25, 8 p.m. at Ravindra Bhavan, Sankhali and on June 27, 7 p.m. at Sadhana Dell ‘Arte, Merces)
