Virasat is a generational saga that maps the lives of the Deshpandes of Dharangaon upon the landscape of a rapidly changing India. The play traces the crumbling of a once prosperous feudal household, as shifting social circumstances upturn the lives of the family.

Virasat has been commissioned by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and developed in residence at Black Box Okhla.

Anuradha Kapur is a theatre maker and teacher. Among her acclaimed productions are Nale Wali Ladki (2018), Dark Things (co directed with Deepan Sivaraman, 2018), 409 Ramkinkars (2015), Virasat (2013), Dr Jekyll and Hyde (2012), Jeevit ya Mrit (2011), Centaurs (2006), Pata Shahar Mumbai (2004), Sundari: An Actor Prepares (1997) and Umrao (1993). Her theatre work has travelled widely within India and abroad, and she was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Direction in 2004. Anuradha Kapur served as Director, National School of Drama, New Delhi from 2007 to 2013, where she was also Professor of Acting and Direction. She has held Visiting Professorships at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University Delhi, University of Warwick and University of Cape Town. She is the author of Actors, Pilgrims, Kings, and Gods: The Ramlila at Ramnagar (1990, 2004), and her writings on performance have been widely anthologised.

Deepan Sivaraman is a theatre director, scenographer, dramaturg, curator and educator, and is presently a Professor at Ahmedabad University. He is a scenography postgraduate from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London and has taught theatre making and scenography at various art institutions such as Wimbledon College of Art, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Summer Academy of Art in Venice, National School of Drama in Delhi, and Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication at Hyderabad University. He is the founding Artistic Director of Oxygen Theatre Company based in Kerala and Performance Studies Collective based in Delhi. His work has been invited to festivals abroad, including the celebrated Wuzhen Festival in China and the Alexandrinsky Festival in St. Petersburg, among others. Notable productions by him include The Legends of Khasak, Ubu Roi, Peer Gynt, Spinal Cord and Dark Things. Presently, he is directing Dostoevsky`s novel The Gambler for Moscow Theatre of Nations which will premiere at the Chekhov International Theatre Festival Moscow in 2027.

Mahesh Elkunchwar is one of the greatest playwrights of modern India. His texts range from one act plays to trilogies which have been translated into several Indian languages, staged across India and filmed by directors such as Aparna Sen and Govind Nihalani. His acclaimed texts include Virasat, Holi, Party, Sonata and Atmakatha, among scores of others. His book of essays is also hugely acclaimed, as are his conversations and ruminations on the practice of art making. Mahesh Elkunchwar is a Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellow and has been the recipient of numerous awards, such as the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Kalidas Samman, among others.

Black Box Okhla (BBO) is a performing arts initiative founded in 2017. A laboratory for developing new work, BBO offers long term residencies inviting artists to explore, dream and create.

Crew:

On Stage: Aditi Gautam, Ajeet Singh Pallawat, Bhumisuta Das, Dhwani Vij, Himanshu Kohli, Joy Maisnam, Mann Thapar, Pranjal Vaid, Sajida, Uma Katju, Yash Yogi

Off Stage: Saras Kumar, Sarthak Narula, Petrishia Melodi Dorcas

Sound Designer: Pranav Nigam