CCA to Broadcast Play that Unearths World of Mumbai Trash Pickers

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

May 12, 2015 Arts

“Behind the Beautiful Forevers,” a gripping play about people living in a slum in Mumbai, will be broadcast live from London to the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 28.

David Hare’s play is based on the unflinching book of the same name that Katherine Boo wrote after she recorded the lives, dreams and devastations of residents in the makeshift settlement for three years. “Behind the Beautiful Forevers” won the National Book Award for nonfiction.

In the shadow of ritzy hotels surrounding the gleaming Mumbai airport, people who live in a slum next to a sewage lake are part of Mumbai’s informal rubbish collecting industry.

Zehrunisa and her son, Abdul aim to recycle enough rubbish to fund a proper house. Sunil, 12 and stunted, wants to eat until he’s as tall as Kalu, a scrap metal thief. Asha seeks to steal government anti-poverty funds to turn herself into a “first-class person” and her daughter, Manju wants to be the slum’s first female graduate. But their plans are fragile. Injustice and corruption reign. A global recession threatens the garbage trade and one slum-dweller makes an accusation that will destroy herself and shatter the neighborhood.

Since 2009, NT Live has transmitted the best of British theatre live from London to cinemas and venues around the world. The broadcasts are filmed in front of a live audience, with cameras positioned throughout the theatre to ensure cinema audiences get the best-seat-in-the-house view. Productions are transmitted via satellite to the CCA, then projected onto a 40-foot high-definition screen — one of the largest in the state.

For tickets, which are $18 for adults and $8 for students, visit collinscenterforthearts.com or call 581.1755, 800.622.TIXX.