South Asians love spicy food and spicy drama. So what could be more appropriate than combining the two? "When we have big desi events, the food is always a concern," says Aqsa Faroouqi, who organized the first desi dinner theater in Decatur, GA recently.
"People get those little boxed lunches and then they don't have a good experience. They feel the show was great, but they weren't happy with the food. Nor did I know how it would work if we had snacks outside."
So Faroouqi decided to host a dinner theater in Zyka Restaurant for about 250 people. The guests saw one play and then picked up their dinner, including Chicken 65 and kulfi, at the buffet table and sat down to watch the second play. "The toughest part was improvising with the stage which was a small wedding reception kind of stage," says Faroouqi.
Faroouqi, who is a psychotherapist, wrote and directed the two plays about domestic violence: Badalte Rishte and Meri Zindagi, Mera Faisla., in which seasoned actors from the community starred. Says Farooqui; " We find a lot of women are staying in abusive relationships because of financial dependency so most of the money goes to scholarships for women living in Georgia who don't have access to financial resources."
She would now like to take the plays and the concept of Desi Dinner Theater to other states. Does she think it might catch on? She says, "A lot of people told us that it was a really innovative idea. They got to eat while they watched and so were entertained and enjoyed themselves."
Yes, the way to a desi's heart is through an all-you-can-eat buffet dinner and the masala of a dramatic play.
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Visitor's Comments
Dalvinder Multani Contact Dalvinder Multani
Sat Jul 05, 2008 Desi Dinner Theatre
Desi Dinner Theatre is an excellent idea indeed. I have been involved with Indian Theater in Washington, DC area for the last 2 decades, and have tried Desi Dinner Theater twice in the last 3 years. The audiences love it. I would love to do it on a regular basis if I can find some financial backing.
