Play: The Lady of Burma Author: Richard Shannon Actor: Rukmini Vijayakumar Sound Design: Pallavi Arun Lighting: Arun Murthy Director: Prakash Belawadi Troupe: Radha Kalpa & Centre for Film and Drama   Richard Shannon’s THE LADY OF BURMA is a play set in the aftermath of the Depayin attack in Burma in 2003, an assassination attempt aimed to remove one of the greatest surviving champions of democracy in the world – Aung San Suu Kyi. As Desmond Tutu says of her: “She is my pin-up! She inspires me with her gentle determination… Men, armed to the teeth, are running scared of her… She has already won and they know they have lost.”   The Burmese leader survived the attack in which 100 of her followers were beaten to death, apparently with the full support of one of the most brutal military dictatorships in the world. Burma is ruled by fear with over 1,000 political prisoners, child soldiers, slave labour and suppression of minorities with intimidation, rape and ethnic cleansing.   Aung San Suu Kyi has been put under house arrest in Rangoon since 1989, when her party NLD won a landslide victory, against all odds, in the elections. Now in her 20th year of detention, she lives in solitary confinement. She is not allowed to see family or friends. Her phone line is cut and her post is intercepted.   The play itself is designed as a one-actor performance and set in the hospital wing of Insein, Rangoon’s largest prison and is a journey into her memories.   Rukmini Vijayakumar, in the solo designed for speech and stylised movement, is trained in Bharatanatyam from the age of eight, in Western Classical Ballet and in Ballet and Modern dance at The Boston Conservatory, one of the top performing arts schools in the USA. She also has trained in Alexander technique, laban movement analysis, choreography, jazz, tap, African dance and several other movement forms. Rukmini also studied acting at the New York Film Academy.  She has recently starred in lead roles in two Tamil films, gaining acclaim for the delineated characters.   Centre for Film and Drama is always eager to bring to performance interesting and engaging texts from around the world that resonate with context and concerns of our age.  Sound design for the play is by Pallavi Aru. Designed and direction, by Prakash Belawadi. The play is presented by performance group Radha Kalpa.   Performances are at 7.30 PM, on October 6 & 7, 2009, at RANGASHANKARA. Tickets are priced at Rs 150. For reservations please call ANIL RAMACHANDRA - 98456 02265