image0011After a month-long break during the festive season, the Mandala Theatre Nepal, in the Capital, has resumed staging plays with the premiere of Milk Tea. The play which opened at the Theatre on Friday, is written by Sulakchhan Bharati and is adapted and directed by Srijana Adhikari. Milk Tea is Srijana Adhikari’s debut directorial, which Rajan Khatiwada, the artistic director of the Mandala Theatre Nepal, views as an important transition in Nepali theatre. “Mandala Theatre has been embracing the leadership and narratives coming from the young artists,” Khatiwada states, in a press note issued by the Theatre, “We hope to keep up with this democratic exercise (the handover of leadership to the youth) in the days to come.” Milk Tea is a play based on struggles of single woman who wishes to live her life on her own terms and her own wishes. Shrijana Adhikari, director of the play, plays main character in the play. The play is full of conflict due to contradictions of opinion of a single woman living in a society. The story really speaks to the audience and tries to show the real problems faced by many single women who wish to live independently, without restrictions. Milk Tea also highlights confusion of male counterpart who can’t take a firm decision and never accepts his mistakes. The man thinks he has high regard for women’s independence but shows his objection and confusion when his long-time partner decides to give her own name to their baby. He doesn’t object her decision to give birth to their baby but his main concern lies with the fact that the baby will be born out of wedlock. The play features actors Looniva Tuladhar, Sulakchhan Bharati, Prebarsha, Renuka Karki, Rear Rai, Anup Neupane and Ashish Ghimire. The staging will continue through December 18.