WOPA Winter Festival to open with Lillete Dubey’s Autobiography

Pune: Theatre lovers in the city are in for a treat as the second edition of the World of Performing Arts (WOPA) Winter Festival opens with Autobiography, an English-language play directed by Lillette Dubey.True to WOPA's signature approach, the festival prioritises intimate and idea-driven theatre, foregrounding reflection over spectacle and complexity over easy resolution in the city.
"Pune audiences have a deep-rooted passion for theatre, which is among the best in our country. WOPA's mission is to nurture that passion, inspire audiences, provoke dialogue, and foster a vibrant theatre-going culture. This festival is one step toward keeping that engagement alive and continuous," said Parul Mehta, co-founder of WOPA.The opening performance will be staged at 6.30pm on Jan 11 at the Creaticity Amphitheatre in Yerawada. Featuring Dubey herself alongside Denzil Smith, Suchitra Pillai, and Sarah Hashmi, Autobiography promises layered storytelling and sustained engagement with difficult emotional truths.At its heart, the play explores memory's instability and the impossibility of a single, definitive truth. "Everyone fashions the truth in their own way," Dubey explained. "We remember things in a way that feels comfortable to us. The same incident can be seen very differently by two people, and both perspectives can be completely valid. There is no absolute truth."This philosophy shapes both the structure and emotional arc of the play. "What audiences seem to enjoy is that every perspective carries validity. Nobody is entirely right, and nobody is entirely wrong. We all justify our behaviour to ourselves, because otherwise we couldn't live with it — and the play reflects that honestly," said Dubey.Adapted from Atmakatha by Mahesh Elkunchwar, one of the most influential figures in Marathi theatre, Autobiography holds a personal resonance for Dubey. She first staged it in the mid-1990s but shut it down abruptly. "I always knew I wanted to return to it. It was far too good a play to be left unfinished," she said.Revisiting the script decades later confirmed its relevance. "It had aged beautifully. It's a sophisticated, non-linear piece, moving seamlessly between time, memory, reality, and fiction — between the truths of the protagonist, her husband, and her sister," Dubey said.This shifting perspective keeps the audience actively involved, but at its core, Autobiography is a story of fractured relationships shaped by betrayal and the passage of time. "At its heart, it's a fractured love story. An affair leaves emotional scars that last for decades. These aren't extreme emotions; they're familiar, which is why the play resonates," she said.Working with long-time collaborators did not soften Dubey's expectations."Comfort should never mean complacency. I like to push actors, whether experienced or new. Everyone stretched themselves, and the results are beautiful. It's a piece I want to keep alive and evolving," she added.