The Husbands

Its Ayas wedding day. Her third. Her current two husbands arent too fussed. In a society in which there are few women, thats just what happens. But as the household prepares for the wedding feast, a stranger arrives one who threatens to challenge everything they believe in. Against a backdrop of modern rural India, Sharmila Chauhan weaves an extraordinary tale of love and wonder. From the preparation of luxury food and the sacrifice of the lamb to the dressing of the bride and the dance to end all dances, this will be an exuberant, joyful and challenging piece of theatre. In parts of India, polyandry has become a necessity. Gendercide, as a consequence of the ancient preference for boys, the modern desire for smaller families and the increasing availability of ultrasound techniques to detect the gender of a baby still in the womb means that the number of females is declining. I wrote The Husbands both as a response to this but also as an exploration of the complexity of love, intimacy and trust between one woman and three men where gender differences and expectations are amplified. In a sense this play is as much a warning as an allegory for the fate of women in The West today. - Sharmila Chauhan