Alex and Lakshmi - The writers of 2 SuitCases
At the heart of 2 SuitCases lies a script rooted in truth, community, and emotional courage. Writers Lakshmi and Alex reflect on how the story was shaped, not just by pen and page, but through dance, music, and lived experiences. In this interview, they share how their writing process responded to movement, embraced silence, and gave voice to those often unheard.
What inspired the narrative or concept behind this piece?
Lakshmi: SAATH is a community-centric organization, and this topic was something that was put forth from within the community. SAATH has always welcomed different perspectives, opinions, and thought-provoking ideas, and given the current climate, this was a very appropriate and timely theme for this year’s show. It is a topic that needed to be addressed and a story that needed to be told.
Alex: This story came from an emotional place. I’ve seen many women, especially immigrants, lose their sense of self slowly, invisibly. The word ‘dependent’ isn’t just a visa classification; it becomes an identity. When the world keeps calling you that, you start believing you are less. We wanted to explore that feeling of how systems, both cultural and legal, can silence voices before they’ve even had a chance to form.
What themes or ideas were most important to you to convey through the script or dialogue?
Lakshmi: Authentic and powerful storytelling has been a hallmark for SAATH shows in the past years. This year’s show, although factual, is steeped in realism, current issues with references to true stories, incidents, and personal challenges facing the community at large. The show explores Immigration challenges layered upon domestic abuse. This is an extremely relevant topic often unseen, unheard, and unspoken. Through ‘real human’ stories I hope to touch an emotional chord and make for an impactful narrative with a resonating take-home message. That is what I focused on most while writing.
Alex: One of the most important themes we wanted to explore was emotional abuse, the kind that leaves no bruises but slowly erodes identity and confidence. This kind of harm is often invisible or dismissed, both within families and by legal systems. We also wanted to show how immigration structures can trap women in those dynamics. When your housing, livelihood, and legal status are tied to someone else, leaving isn’t just hard; it can feel impossible. That intersection of emotional control and systemic power was a story that had to be told.
How early in the process did you begin writing and how much changed during rehearsals?
Lakshmi: The writing process starts almost 6 months before the show is mounted. But it goes through various iterations as it makes its way as a final script in the hands of the actors and directors. During this time, it morphs and transforms quite significantly as it takes shape to align with the overall vision and concept of the show.
Were there any surprising ways the dancers or movement reshaped your writing?
Lakshmi: SAATH has had a history of very creative storytelling through Dance. As playwrights, we include subtle prompts in the script that suggest opportunities for (sometimes entire) scenes to be showcased through movement or dance, that many times are often more impactful than mere words. The final draft of the written play is handed over to the directors and choreographers, who later apply their creative lens to determine what parts might be better represented through these artistic elements.
How do you approach pacing the story when the story unfolds through both movement and dialogue?
Lakshmi: Having written for SAATH for a few years now, I am aware of the signature style and brand that SAATH embodies. This has allowed us as playwrights to storyboard the play with dialogue, scenes, dance, movement, and other artistic elements included. The commonality is that each element propels the story forward, giving audiences a multi-dimensional visual treat of varied art forms performed on one single stage. This year’s show also includes spoken word, live music, and live singing in its repertoire of SAATH's artistic excellence.
Alex: In this play, we made a deliberate effort to let movement carry the story with the same narrative weight as text, so it is a vital thread in the storytelling. Movement allows us to tap into raw emotion, especially in moments of silence, struggle, or transformation. As we crafted each scene, we kept asking: Do we move the story forward with words, or is this a moment to feel more deeply through movement? That balance shaped the pacing. When words needed space, movement stepped in and vice versa.