A Seed Story

Sonali Kadam has a vision for her country: the ambitious biochemist wants to give the whole of India access to high-quality food.

To this end, she is conducting research in the laboratory of her genetic engineering start-up “Soma-Terra” into a “super rice” designed to deliver a reliable yield even under the most adverse conditions. Together with her business partner Raza Azmi, she believes in the benefits of genetically modified seeds – provided they are developed responsibly: for the public good, on a regional basis, and in consultation with the farmers who will later use the seeds.

But as its success grows, the start-up finds itself losing the ability to adhere to its ethical principles. Sonali becomes increasingly doubtful as to whether her research is in the right hands. And so she hatches a far-reaching plan.

With “A Seed Story”, the Berlin-based game theatre collective machina eX tackles a topic that is relevant across the globe but is often addressed in different ways: the question of how food security can be ensured against the backdrop of the climate crisis.

Does genetic engineering offer a chance to make crops more resilient?

For this new theatre-game, machina eX is collaborating for the first time with the Indian theatre group Tadpole Repertory. The result is a play about genetic engineering in India: about concerns over health and environmental damage, but also about mistrust of the profit-driven nature of international companies.

In recent years, thousands of smallholders have been driven to ruin by the use of genetically modified seeds. At the same time, hunger remains a pressing problem for the population, even in an emerging economy like India.

In “A Seed Story”, twelve actors in Berlin meet two performers in New Delhi. They distil the international discourse on genetically modified crops into a fictionalised setting. Using video links, robots and duplicate props, a fast-paced game of cat and mouse unfolds, in which performers and actors share a common experience across two rooms far apart.

(IN ENGLISH & GERMAN)