Off Kendrik Brings Show On Immigrant Experiences To Burlington

BURLINGTON, MA — Off Kendrik, an experimental theater group, is bringing its Voices 2024 show to Burlington in March presenting stories about South Asian immigrant experiences.

The show will be Saturday, March 2, at 6 p.m. and Sunday, March 3, at 6 p.m. at the Academy Creative Arts at 12 A St. Burlington, MA.

Tickets are available through Off Kendrik's website. You can also find out more at the group's Facebook page or go here to watch stories from the past five shows.

This is the fifth iteration of the storytelling show, which is in the tradition of The Moth and launched in 2016.

"Shows are produced every other year by Off Kendrik, a theater group that performs experimental street theater in Bengali (India), often from original scripts penned by the artistic director, Dr. Sankha Bhowmick," according to Off Kendrik. "They are staged in professional venues on two nights with a cast of 6 to 8 tellers and shows are often sold out."

Past shows have covered a wide range of experiences that explore what it means to be an immigrant from South Asia, according to Off Kendrik.

One storyteller spoke of the unexpected hilarity of placing a simple sandwich order when he was new to the country (watch here).

Another, a teenage dancer, shared her experience of being brought up with mixed identity (watch here).

The horror of witnessing a miscarriage and figuring out how to help in a strange, new country was the moment when one storyteller finally grew up (watch here), and another spoke of the eventual acceptance of his inherited Islamic culture through a harrowing ordeal (watch here).

This year's cast members come from India, Pakistan, Tibet, and Sri Lanka and their stories range from coming-out to a conservative society, implicit bias, parenting and work culture wars, a disastrous hike that taught a teacher leadership, overcoming abuse, unexpected kindness, and others.

"With this broad range of stories we hope Voices will continue to help us - as a society - move beyond stereotypes while entertaining and building a sense of community.

"It's not easy speaking of sexual abuse, suicide, one's own bias and to come out of the closet; these voices need to be freed, to be heard."