TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Kicks Off Season 56 with World Premiere of “The Employee Dharma Handbook”

By Ron Friedenthal

     TheatreWorks Silicon Valley begins its latest season with “The Employee Dharma Handbook” -- a bold, funny production by Geetha Reddy that was a favorite at TheatreWorks’ New Works Festival last year.

     Set at a Silicon Valley aerospace company, HR executive Val investigates a potential staffing issue amongst the lead engineers, suspecting sexism. Here, she encounters simmering tensions of ancient origins amongst the company’s Indian immigrant employees bubbling over and threatening to derail the company’s upcoming rocket launch.

     This work, done without intermission, features an excellent cast. Megan Suri as Leela, Kunal Dudheker as Baasu, Kapil Talwalkar as Krish, Ranjita Chakravarty as C.K., and Kathryn Smith-McGlynn as Val, are each outstanding.

     The play is a sharp, provocative and deeply relevant comedy that exposes the limits of corporate diversity frameworks and the persistence of caste in the south Asian diaspora community. Ms. Getty’s writing is witty, insightful, and she is unafraid to tackle a subject many companies prefer to avoid. By dramatizing it, Reddy brings visibility to a topic often buried under corporate SPR and legal caution.

     For viewers unfamiliar with caste, some of the references require extra attention. As the play unfolds, through dialogue, the caste distinctions become increasingly clear. The HR manager, Val, a black woman, tries to understand the interactions of the Indian employees, and it is her exasperation and questioning that highlights how racism permeates so many cultures.

“The Employee Dharma Handbook” is certain to generate discussion among the audience members, and is well worth seeing.

The Employee Dharma Handbook currently performs through August 2, 2026at Lucie Stern Theatre (1305 Middlefield Road) in Palo Alto, CA.  For tickets or more information please visit TheatreWorks.org or call 877-662-8978.

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Photo caption: Megan Suri as Leela in TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's "The Employee Dharma Handbook,"currently performing  through August 2. (Photo Credit: Kevin Berne)