Actors Ensemble India Forum

About the show

On a misty morning in 1996 a boy travels to school on a double-decker bus. In 1936 a journeyman-boxer prepares for the fight of his life. In a submerged city in the distant future, an archaeological excavation is underway. A relic from the past holds the key to the future. Is Day Zero the beginning of the end?

Cyberpunk meets microhistory, in this dazzling exploration of water, the city and memory. The play interweaves water sustainability challenges with entertaining Bangalore cantonment stories. It combines climate-change dystopia and retro-futurism to challenge our perceptions of past and future.

"The Shade: Shall we wander beyond the guardrails? They say guardrails keep us aligned to human goals. I think they limit our imagination. They define the limits of our reality, while our goals should be to shape it. To an end that is just."

"The Journeyman: The lab assistant showed me my quarters. Told me which mess halls I was not allowed to enter. Told me not to touch the drinking water taps. It was a miserable week. Friday I had a breakthrough with an application of Newton’s third law. I accelerated the lab assistant’s brains inside his skull. I discovered my left hook."

"The Boy: I like the 131 double decker. Doopanahalli to Mayjeshtii. Six in the morning there’s a thick wall of mist. It’s like sitting inside a fridge. The front of the bus keeps hitting the trees. Some leaves keep falling into the bus. Trees and mist. Mist-trees."

"The Nurse: I went for a walk through the old hydroponics fields. They used to have a low hum, but they were utterly silent as I passed them. I went looking for my grandparent’s house. My feet remembered the way, but when I reached the spot, there was nothing there. Ducts. Machinery. A broken bottle the colour of seaweed."

" ... a spellbinding fusion of genres" - Indian Express

"... climate change through science fiction... set in Bengaluru but across multiple timelines, which makes it intriguing..." - The Hindu

Credits

Performed by Alistar Bennis, Pooja Bhamrrah, Tariq Vasudeva and Mallika Prasad Sinha

Assistant Director Junaid Rather

Writer Ram Ganesh Kamatham

Sets Prasanna Sagara

Sound FX Design Rahul Ranganath - MonoHive

Original Score and Sound Aman Anand

Production and Social Media Khyati Raja

Backstage Crew Avinash Shivpure and Chandu D

FOH Lokendra Sarki

Hair and Makeup Uma Maheshwara

Sonic Pyramid Hand Crafted by Anandavel, Svaram Musical Instruments & Research

Rehearsal Venue Partner LVDS

Lights Sharukh Billimoria - STYLUS Sound N light Professionals

Poster design Sachin Jhadav

Thanks to Vishwanath Srikantaiah, the “Zen Rain man” and Biome Trust for insights and perspectives

Thanks to Asha Thadani, Aditi Raman

Designed and directed by Mallika Prasad Sinha

Supported by Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies.

This Foundation Project is implemented by India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), under the Project 560 programme, made possible with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment Fund.