The Enchanted Loom

by Suvendrini Lena

Playwrights Canada Press

The Enchanted Loom

by Suvendrini Lena

Playwrights Canada Press

The Sri Lankan civil war has left many scars on Thangan and his family, most noticeably the loss of his eldest son and the crippling epileptic seizures brought on by his torture. As the final days of the war play out, the family bears witness from their new home of Toronto. Thangan’s other son Kanan comes home from a protest, shaken that someone referred to him by his brother’s name. His young daughter Kavitha innocently dances around with a mysterious pair of anklets that she found. And Thangan’s wife Sevi is consumed with feeling responsible for her broken family. Amidst the ongoing trauma, the family is faced with the possibility of Thangan undergoing neurological surgery. Will the surgery give them a chance to heal, or will it cause even more pain?

Presented in both English and Tamil, this poetic play is both medical and mystical, drawing a connection between trauma and memory that creates a stark reminder of loss, hope, family, and freedom.

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Suvendrini Lena is a mother, daughter, sister, aunt and decolonization enthusiast, living in T'karonto. She is also a playwright and staff neurologist at Women's College Hospital. She teaches/learns Neurology and Medicine and Humanities at the University of Toronto (Tkaronto). Her plays include The Enchanted Loom, on the Sri Lankan civil war (Cahoots/Factory Theatre), Here are the Fragments inspired by the writing Frantz Fanon (Theatre Centre) and Rubble inspired by the work of Palestinian poets Mahmoud Darwish and Lena Khalaf Tuffaha (Aluna Theatre/Theatre Passe Muraille).

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