Ashoka’s Wheel – by Kesav Wable
Synopsis: It is present day. Kiran Deshpande, a real estate mogul and chair of a successful charity, â Ashokaâ s Wheelâ , steps to the podium with his wife Ritu, to address the guests attending the celebration of their non-profitâ s tenth anniversary. Kiran will come to learn that his non-profit, an organization that raises money in the U.S. to support developmental projects in India, has become involved in the unseemly underbelly of Indian politics. When the American authorities conduct a random audit of Ashoka’s Wheel, the shady money trail provokes a deeper investigation. Kiran’s attempts to cover-up the organization’s affairs and evade his own past, will have a lasting effect on his entire family.
Setting: Northeast America
Time Period: Present Day
Cast Size: 14
Casting:
Kiran Deshpande: late 50’s -South Asian real estate mogul
Ritu Deshpande: early 50’s -Kiran’s wife, an OB-GYN doctor
Radha Deshpande: early 20’s -their daughter, a junior in a prestigious college in the U.S.
Rizwan Ahmed: early 20’s -Radha’s boyfriend studying abroad in Mumbai, India
Aasif Ahmed: late 50’s – Rizwan’s father
Fatima Ahmed: late teens, early 20â s â Rizwanâ s cousin moving to the states to study
Akaash Narayan: 40’s-50’s -Rizwan’s professor at Mumbai University
Praveen Gopalan: 40’s-50’s -Akaash’s associate
Richard Andrews: late 30’s – an officer with the Internal Revenue Service
INS Officer: late 30’s – an officer with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service
Prakash & Sandhya: a couple at the function
Vikram & Rami: Young Kiran and Young Akaash’s friends
Faisal: The young victim
A Guard
Design Needs: Living Room/Bedroom/Kitchen Area of an affluent suburbian home.
This Play Is: Unpublished
Production History: Staged Readings- Rasaka Theatre Company- Chicago, March 2006 and July 2006 (at Chicago Dramatists)
Awards: July 2006, Chicago Dramatists Many Voices Project Finalist