Honourable Mention for the Voaden Prize
An old woman in a white sari sits on a deserted train platform, burdened by a decaying suitcase and an old jewelry box. She has missed her train. Suddenly a young girl appears. “Can I sit beside you?” she asks the old woman. “I’m going with you.” Every second counts in this powerful play about connections and moments of departure. Rukmini’s Gold features ten stand-alone yet interconnected scenes set in geographically unique train stations around the world. Through the eyes of the matriarch, Rukmini, the play tracks the passage of one South Asian family, crossing continents and spanning a century. Exploring themes including love, class and caste, women’s struggles against patriarchy, colonialism, and the global movement of labour, Radha Menon’s cast of characters take us on life journeys where trains are missed, opportunities are squandered, and family members are separated in space and time.
News & Reviews
“A work of graceful eloquence, Rukmini’s Gold is a Fringe play that’s a must-see.” —Hamilton Spectator
“Supporting these performances was a gorgeous script by Radha S. Menon that shifted gracefully between hilarity and heartbreak. Every character Menon has written is given a chance to prove themselves beautifully complex as they explore their connection to their family and their culture, their hopes and their regrets. It is a witty and honest commentary on the way our cultures meet and change, and how family pushes us apart but ties us together.” —Mooney on Theatre
About the Author
Recipient of the City of Hamilton’s 2020 Arts Innovation Award and the 2016 Theatre Award, animal fanatic Radha S. Menon began performing in British theatre and television in her youth. Stateless until age seventeen, Menon emigrated to Regina, Saskatchewan in 1995 where her performance career abruptly ended, and her writing career began. Her plays, which have been produced at theatre festivals in Canada, the U.S., U.K. and India, include Blackberry, Sita’s Revenge, Ganga’s Ganja, Rukmini’s Gold, Rise of the Prickly Pear, The Circus, and The Washing Machine. In addition, Menon is a filmmaker and production designer for art house films, including Nayan & The Evil Eye, (Design Award, Here Be Dragons Int. Film Festival 2015). Menon is tickled pink to be a finalist for the Cayle Chernin Media Award for a magic realism short film, The Sail Tree, currently in post-production. Radha is currently developing a Devi Tripytch and writing her first novel, Death Cry of a Peacock. Menon holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. She is based in Hamilton.
Also Available at
