A new play asks: If humans were wiped out, would emotions be to blame

Sci-fi meets satire in two-month-old Ethiros Theatre’s maiden production, Future Tense(d).

Picture this: the human race is wiped off the Earth and aliens want to know why. The major suspects are human emotions — Love, Lust, Jealousy, Sloth, Expectation, Disappointment, Anger — who find themselves in a courtroom, trying to prove their innocence.

Ethiros Theatre’s maiden production, Future Tense(d), is a Hinglish play that merges science fiction, satire and music.

“We have tried to give the plot a comic spin, while bringing up serious topics like war, religious intolerance and riots,” says Nishil Kamalan, 24, the director of the play and founder of two-month-old Ethiros Theatre.

An engineer by qualification, a drama teacher by profession and actor by passion, Kamalan has directed the play written by Reynold D’Sa with a cast of 15 actors and musicians.

“Human emotions are vital for survival but may also be the cause of our destruction,” he explains. “The play also explores the inner battles we wage within ourselves.”

Varun Kulkarni, 29, a theatre actor for 12 years, says he was drawn to the script because of its dystopian setting. “I’ve always loved post-apocalyptic stories and this one manages to weave in satire,” he says.

Edward Salve, 38, a basketball coach and theatre enthusiast who has watched the play twice since its debut in June, and now plans to go back with friends, says, “The pace of the story doesn’t dip in its 80 minutes and the tongue-in-cheek humour makes it very entertaining.”