192. The Cup | Interview with HRH Anand Rajaram (Crosstown)

Welcome back to the 192nd episode of The Cup which is our a weekly (give or take, TBD, these are unprecedented times) performing arts talk show presented by Cup of Hemlock Theatre. With the theatres on a come back we offer a mix of both reviews of live shows we've seen and continued reviews of prophet productions! For our 192nd episode we have a new artist interview. This particular conversation was hosted by our Co-Artistic Producer Ryan Borochovitz and features Toronto-based actor and multifaceted theatre artist, HRH Anand Rajaram, all about his play Crosstown – adapted from Richard Scrimger’s 1996 novel of the same name – recently presented at the 2024 Toronto Fringe Festival and VideoCabaret. Join these two as they have a rigorous discussion about everything from honorifics to hauntology, epic poetry to urban poverty, and the challenges of making socially responsible provocative art. SPOILER WARNING: Though the initial run of Crosstown has come to an end, we sincerely hope that it will be revived by another theatre company sometime in the near future. If you happen to have found this episode shortly before planning to attend one such remount, be aware that this interview contains many spoilers, both for the play and the novel from which it is adapted. We begin with a general non-spoiler section until the [42:20] mark, followed by a more in-depth/anything goes/spoiler-rich discussion. For anybody who wishes to avoid spoilers, we recommend you stop watching after that point, or at least proceed at your own risk. CONTENT WARNING: This interview contains a detailed discussion about abortion – the morality, politics, and literary/theatrical representation thereof. It also includes references to infanticide, sexual assault, implied incest, alcoholism, loss of family, genocide, and colonial violence. These conversations predominantly occur during the spoiler section, if you would like to avoid such topics. Viewer/listener discretion is strongly advised. Revisit our review of Crosstown from our Fringe Review Roundup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDKw_MDJLEY Follow Anand – All platforms: @hrh_anand_rajaram Follow Cup of Hemlock Theatre on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter: @cohtheatre If you’d like us to review your upcoming show in Toronto, please send press invites/inquiries to [email protected]