Overview
Behind the facade of a model immigrant story are cracks from which simmering resentment rises to the surface. Questions about a woman’s place threaten the flow of lives governed by patriarchal norms that affect both women and men.
A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen created a sensation when it was first staged in 1879, as the play confronted deeply entrenched patriarchal norms.
“The fact that we still need to confront patriarchy close to 150 years after the play’s first staging shows us how entrenched these societal norms are,” said playwright Basab Pradhan, who wrote a fresh, modern adaptation for the Bay Area Drama Company (BADCo), where he serves as Artistic Director and co-founder.
This contemporary Indian-American adaptation of A Doll’s House is funny, sharp, and quietly explosive – a play about money and power, devotion and control, and what it costs to become your own person.
Instead of 19th-century Norway, the play is set in the world of tech startups – Torvald is now a founder named Tarun chasing VC funding for his company, “Tesseract.” In a middle-class Bay Area home, Naina and Tarun look like the model Indian-American couple – good kids, a hard-won startup, Diwali around the corner. But a surprise visitor and a single act of desperation crack open the life they’ve built, exposing the bargains behind love, marriage, and honor.
Rita Bhatia will direct A Doll’s House, which will run from June 5th to 12th at Sunnyvale Theater.
“This play captures themes that are truly timeless,” said Bhatia, of the adaptation that comes alive within a familiar setting – an Indian American immigrant family living in the Bay Area. Behind the facade of a model immigrant story are cracks from which simmering resentment rises to the surface. Questions about a woman’s place threaten the flow of lives governed by patriarchal norms that affect both women and men.
“Social conditioning molds men with ideas of what it means to be a man, what family honor stands for. When we move from India to America as immigrants, we carry these gendered norms as deep-seated conditioning within us,” observes Basab Pradhan.
Set in a pristine suburban home, the protagonists, Tarun and Naina, embody Silicon Valley success. The burden of keeping the family together, always mindful of what others will say, falls on Naina’s shoulders. As these silent burdens add up, a slow psychological unraveling plays out unexpectedly, reveals Bhatia.
“Each character feels justified in how they feel and react – the central idea of gendered expectations bubbles up to the surface and raises uncomfortable questions with no clear answers.”
Two casts featuring talented actors Richa Pareek, Basab Pradhan, Ananth Sundarrajan, Sarika Oak, Naveen Suravarpu, Prajvi Malhotra, Krishna Kinnal, Sinchana Hegde, Harish Jayakumar, Sudipta Chatterjee, Shweta Amre, Ayesha Javehrani, and Avyan Tripathi take the stage in this fascinating play, which has stood the test of time.
The play also showcases original dances by acclaimed choreographer Sanjib Bhattacharya that are executed by dancer Prajvi Malhotra.
Since its founding in 2014, BADCo has consistently used theater to create positive change, says Rita Bhatia. “Theater is a very powerful medium to help start conversations in society. As South Asian immigrants, sometimes we tend to push uncomfortable questions under the carpet. Powerful stories and situations expressed onstage can help us confront these questions.”
Basab Pradhan, who also plays the lead role of Tarun, agrees. “To change hearts and minds, theater can be a very effective tool. With the form’s physicality, actors can cause visceral reactions in the audience. We aspire to a form of theater where the message becomes meaningful. So much of what we portray captures grey thematic strands, eschewing simple black and white dualities. We try to invite audiences into those spaces so that they, too, can search for ways of untangling knotty societal questions and dilemmas.”
Over the years, BADCo has produced work that resonates deeply with its audiences. Scheduling talk-backs after a play allows BADCo artists to interact in a meaningful way with audience members who have responded with comments ranging from “thank you for handling this theme,” to “my cousin underwent this same trauma,” to “your play opened my eyes to how I might be contributing to this in the way I live.”
Having watched many a successful BADCo production over the years, I can truthfully say the stage inhabited by BADCo consistently lights up stories with heart. The complexities of the human condition – often rounded and curved, defying neat logical assumptions find space in their powerful theatrical storytelling.
A Doll’s House
Jun 5-12, 2026
Sunnyvale Theatre
550 E Remington Dr, Sunnyvale, CA 94087
More information at www.BADCo.art/doll
tickets@bayareadrama.company for assistance
