In the Native State
Encyclopedia
In The Native State is a radio play by Tom Stoppard
. First broadcast by the BBC
in 1991 it was later adapted by Stoppard into the stage play Indian Ink.
The original production was first broadcast on BBC Radio Three on April 20, 1991. It was directed by John Tydeman and starred Felicity Kendal
and Peggy Ashcroft
. It was Dame Peggy's last dramatic performance and Saeed Jaffrey
played the role of the Rajah.
), the sister of Flora Crewe. Elizabeth spent much of her life in India before independence, and is clearly is deeply attached to it. She and Anish clash over interpretation of Indian history and untangle the relationship of Flora and Nirad.
The title contains a pun on "native", either one of the states of India with its own ruler or nudity.
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...
. First broadcast by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 1991 it was later adapted by Stoppard into the stage play Indian Ink.
The original production was first broadcast on BBC Radio Three on April 20, 1991. It was directed by John Tydeman and starred Felicity Kendal
Felicity Kendal
Felicity Ann Kendal, CBE is an English actor known for her television and stage work.Born in 1946, Kendal spent much of her childhood in India, where her father managed a touring repertory company. First appearing on stage at the age of nine months, Kendal appeared in her first film, Shakespeare...
and Peggy Ashcroft
Peggy Ashcroft
Dame Peggy Ashcroft, DBE was an English actress.-Early years:Born as Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft in Croydon, Ashcroft attended the Woodford School, Croydon and the Central School of Speech and Drama...
. It was Dame Peggy's last dramatic performance and Saeed Jaffrey
Saeed Jaffrey
Saeed Jaffrey OBE is an Indian-born British actor, who has done numerous British movies. He was born in Malerkotla, Punjab...
played the role of the Rajah.
Plot
The play takes place in two timelines. In 1930 (the year of Gandhi's Salt March) Flora Crewe (Felicity Kendall), a young poet with a somewhat scandalous reputation, travels to India for her health, delivering a series of lectures on British literary society. She meets an Indian painter, Nirad Das, and agrees to sit for a portrait. Meanwhile in contemporary England another young Indian painter, Anish, goes to visit Mrs Eleanor Swan (Peggy AshcroftPeggy Ashcroft
Dame Peggy Ashcroft, DBE was an English actress.-Early years:Born as Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft in Croydon, Ashcroft attended the Woodford School, Croydon and the Central School of Speech and Drama...
), the sister of Flora Crewe. Elizabeth spent much of her life in India before independence, and is clearly is deeply attached to it. She and Anish clash over interpretation of Indian history and untangle the relationship of Flora and Nirad.
The title contains a pun on "native", either one of the states of India with its own ruler or nudity.