Are you nervous?" asks Mitasha "Mitu" Bhattacharya. Well yes, Mitu, thanks for asking; you're a stranger in a Calcutta call centre, hired to phone me on a crackly line as a theatrical performance.
The geo-politics is loaded. I'm alone in an anonymous office, and I'm not sure what's expected of me. But I needn't have worried; I'm looked after like a child or psychotherapy client. Told to sit back and "open my shoes", I can just follow instructions - asking questions if I want to - and all will be well.
The script is cleverly crafted. "We've reached scene two," says Mitu. "I hope you're not suffering from any diseases? ... Do you believe in reincarnation?"
Cross-cultural and class assumptions are gently probed as Mitu talks about why she has reason to pity New Zealanders their housework.
The piece questions global atomisation: Mitu is nice and happy. But isn't that because she's paid to be?
