A two-actor black comedy about life, death, and everything in between.
A successful female executive is ready to commit suicide by jumping off a roof when a male cab driver saves her, leading to the collision of two completely opposite worlds and sparking a conversation about life, death, and everything in between.
Commissioned by & premiered at
Synopsis
Jump is set on the rooftop of a building in a city. A successful female corporate executive is standing on the edge of the roof, ready to commit suicide. Just in time, a male cab driver intervenes and saves her. This sets the stage for a collision between two completely opposite worlds, personalities, circumstances, beliefs, and perspectives.
Despite their contrasting socio-economic classes, backgrounds, and lifestyles, this unusual encounter leads to a night of pure and simple human connection.
Will the man be able to truly save her, or will she be back to jump again?
The play explores the themes of suicide, depression, loneliness, happiness, love, having or not having a purpose in life, and ultimately death, creating an emotionally complex and thought-provoking experience for the audience. Jump delves into the human psyche, showcasing the struggles, challenges, and aspirations of two very different individuals who would never meet in normal circumstances but find a unique connection in the most unexpected of places and in their shared humanity.
Director’s Note
Apart from being an actor and director, I’m also a professional mountaineer. In October 2022, I was part of an advanced mountaineering course where we were trying to summit a mountain in the Himalayas. An avalanche came, and we lost 29 people out of a batch of 53 people. I somehow survived the incident and escaped death. The incident changed me, my core beliefs, and my perspective on living life. For the first time, I felt depressed and tried therapy. The incident left me with a lot of questions. Questions, which I’m still trying to answer.
WHO recently declared loneliness a ‘global public health concern’. In India, 1 in every 5 individuals suffers from some form of mental health illness, and over 2.6 lakh cases of suicide occur in a year. Given these alarming numbers, mental health is still at a very early stage in India.
In a post-pandemic world, the alarming rise in suicide, depression, and loneliness rates around the world shows that our pursuit of success and materialistic goals doesn’t lead us to genuine happiness and fulfilment. In the world of social media, because of personal, sociological, political, and geographical reasons, we feel disconnected more than ever before. We often witness instances where seemingly successful and happy individuals suddenly take their own lives. In spite of the number of self-help books, motivational speakers, and influencers preaching about finding life’s purpose, a significant portion of us are just trying to survive.
The essence of Jump lies in the collision of these two contrasting characters, identities, perspectives, lifestyles, and worlds within a highly unusual situation.
Performances
Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa, Dec 2023
Veda Kunba Theatre, Mumbai, Feb 24
Rangayana Festival, Mysore, March 24
Ranga Shankara, Bangalore
Bangalore International Centre
Cast & Crew
VIDUSHI CHADHA
Cast: Female
An actor, coach, filmmaker, and spoken word artist from Mumbai and LA. MFA in Acting from the California Institute of the Arts
SANDEEP SHIKHAR
Cast: Male
Actor & Writer with over 30 years of experience. Studied acting at the Sri Ram Centre for Performing Arts, New Delhi.
MANEESH VERMA
Writer & Director
An actor, creator, and adventurer, exploring stories across media, theatre, and design. National School of Drama, New Delhi, graduate.
AKHSHAY GANDHI
Dramaturg
Theatre artist, storyteller & facilitator. SITI Company (NYC) ambassador & was artist-in-residence at Gesseneralle, Zurich (with TENT School),
associate director & lights Vishal | production manager MONIKA GUPTA | scenography MANEESH VERMA | scenography consultant DHANENDRA KAWADE | sound Sahil Vaid | theme song producer KAIZAD GHERDA | theme song lyrics & music ASIF ALI BEG | theme song singer SHAZNEEN ARETHNA | produced by COLLECTIVE MADNESS STUDIOS
special thanks KALYANI HIWALE, HARSH KHURANA, TUSHAR PANDEY
inspired from “Umbrella” written by LARRY PONTIUS | commissioned by SERENDIPITY ARTS FESTIVAL 2023
