Mata Gee, a play in development
“What stays with me?”
PopUp produced a developmental reading of Mata Gee on August 1, 2026.
Told in seven parts, Mata Gee follows four generations of women from the Partition of India to present-day New York. It is nonlinear and ensemble-driven, blending memory, movement, and humor to explore displacement, inherited identity, and the stories that shape us across generations:
Reading directed by Neeta Thadani; Dramaturgy by Karina Patel
Featuring: Sanjana Taskar; Anvita Gattani; Miraya Burka; Maya Buffomante
From the Playwright:
Miraya Burka and Sanjana Taskar
Mata Gee is a play about my progeny and ancestors, about the treasures we keep, the treasures we bury, and the treasures that are within us.
My uncle, Kapil, was the only one who spoke about life before the Partition. He shared the story of burying his treasures, his marbles, in our ancestral home, expecting to return.
My mother came to the United States and learned to cook her family’s dishes from the limited grocery items available at the time. She became a brilliant cook, and eventually wrote a cookbook of her own.
Visiting India, I remember my grandmother oiling my hair with Amla oil. It was a moment of nurturing that felt primal.
My own journey in the American landscape has been the messiness of exploring personal freedom.
And then there is my daughter, who encapsulates humanity from many regions of this planet, shaped by violence, displacement, and colonialism, and who has become a unique human with a perspective that is a gift.
Ultimately, the lesson of Mata Gee, for me, is not only about the ancestors and progeny who transform with each of our choices, but that home is, ultimately, within us, no matter where we roam.