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The play Not Guilty, based on the novel Sabiti by Nepali litterateur Jagadish Ghimire, is set to be staged at The Tank Theater in New York. The play, written and directed by Bimal Subedi, will feature Bollywood film Lootera actress Swachhata Guha in the lead role.
The play will also feature Nepali-origin American actor Nawal Rai and renowned American actor Jad Meyers, who has worked in more than a dozen Hollywood films. Raj Khatri is assisting Subedi in direction, while casting direction has been handled by Ayusha Kshetri Sanjel.
The play, which has been repeatedly staged in Nepal and India, has been rewritten and adapted to suit the New York context and its audience. While the original novel presents the story through a poor male protagonist, the theatrical adaptation retains its essence but creates a new perspective through a female character. The play advances women’s voice and empowerment while critically questioning socially constructed institutions.
A graduate in design and direction from the National School of Drama, Bimal Subedi is staging the play in collaboration with the Nepali-American community leader Amit Pratap Shah’s Aapan Foundation and The Tank Theater. The Consulate General of Nepal in New York is also promoting it as a form of cultural diplomacy.
According to Subedi, Sabiti is being staged regularly at the prestigious theater company The Tank Theater, just like other American plays. Located in the heart of New York City, it usually takes about seven months to secure a slot at this theater. However, the theater’s director Meghan Finn arranged the staging sooner after watching Subedi’s work at the Battery Dance Theater Festival. Subedi says that Jonathan Hollander, founder of Battery Dance Company, also played an important role in making this possible.
Internationally renowned artist and founder of Battery Dance Company, Jonathan Hollander, said—
“I was very impressed working with Bimal during the festival. I felt that American audiences should also experience his creation. In today’s complex global context, this play is a new beginning of cultural diplomacy between Nepal and America.”
Active in the United States for the past two years, Subedi staged an off-Broadway style musical ‘Hitler Is Coming’ last year, featuring Nepali actress Barsha Raut. However, this time, Subedi’s effort has added a new and proud chapter to the history of Nepali theatre, says Dadhiram Bhandari, Consul General of Nepal in New York. According to him, “Giving space to a Nepali play based on Jagadish Ghimire’s story in a mainstream theater is a historic achievement. It will present our potential on the global stage and further strengthen Nepal–US relations.”
Subedi himself is excited about this historic beginning. He believes that performing in the United States is itself a major achievement, and staging a play in a theater located in the heart of New York is a matter of pride for Nepali theatre. However, Subedi sees this staging as a solid starting point to connect both American and Nepali audiences. He says, “There are many Nepali students in New York, but the theater scene here has not yet fully embraced Nepali plays. If this play succeeds, that situation may change.”
According to Subedi, the play will be staged in two phases. The first phase will begin on April 26 and run for one week, followed by another staging in May. After that, there are plans to perform the play in other states as well.
Meanwhile, the film ‘Hiuko Geet’, produced in the United States under the direction of Bimal Subedi, is also preparing for release among Nepali audiences and in the global market by the end of this year.
