This Ramadan, let Rosnah accompany you – online, that is. The Necessary Stage is streaming its 2016 production from now till May 25, free for all. The one-woman show by Siti Khalijah Zainal is one of the theatre company's plays by resident playwright and cultural medallion recipient Haresh Sharma.
Rosnah is a monodrama of a Malay-Muslim woman in London as she journeys through youth and womanhood to discover her own voice. Follow her as she navigates her new environment with determination, and forges new connections with friends of different personalities, race and religion. The choice is hers, would she be able to balance tradition and liberal ideas without losing her identity?
First staged in 1995 at Tampines Regional Library and The Substation's Guinness Theatre in 1996, Rosnah starred Aidli 'Alin' Mosbit and was performed in Melbourne in 1997 to critical and popular acclaim. The play was revived in 2006 as part of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, directed by Mosbit herself while Young Artist Award recipient Siti Khalijah Zainal took on the titular role. The Necessary Stage's rendition, performed entirely in Malay, is directed by Cultural Medallion recipient Alvin Tan (Founder and Artistic Director of The Necessary Stage). If you don't understand Malay, don't fret, there are English subtitles you can refer to.
And if you've enjoyed the performance, don't hesitate to donate to The Necessary Stage to show your support and help them tide through these turbulent times.
Rosnah is streaming for free on Vimeo.