Made in India by Satinder Chohan

Set in a clinic in Gujarat, Made in India is a tender and moving investigation into the moral and political issues surrounding surrogacy. Satinder Kaur Chohan presents the heartrending case of Eva, an English client, for whom surrogacy is a final bid to have a child of her own. However, Eva's desperation is matched by Aditi's, her chosen surrogate. For Aditi, this is the only way she can hope to lift her two existing daughters out of a lifetime of poverty. For Dr Gupta who owns the clinic, this is purely business and unfortunately Aditi's implantation is scheduled just hours after a surrogacy ban is introduced by the government. Ultimately the three women decide to break the law to save what matters most to them, a dangerous action that complicates this transaction and inextricably binds them together.

The most fascinating thing about this text is that as a reader, or audience member, your allegiances continually change. Although Eva's cause is compelling, it is hard to ignore the huge contrast in financial and social circumstances. Though Dr Gupta treats her surrogates well, Adita is kept in near isolation, given information only on a ‘need to know’ basis. Translated by Dr Gupta, Adita's words are changed or approximated to hide the truth of her circumstances. We are simultaneously immersed in the plight of these characters and forced to question the morality of surrogacy.

The dialogue feels very real. I can envisage studying selected scenes with GCSE and A level students to explore realism, Stanislavski or Katie Mitchell. The three characters are evenly weighted and offer students a rich background for exploration of relationships, status or given circumstances. Transitions which link the scenes together and deepen the play's connection to the worlds of science and politics, offer plentiful opportunity for design candidates to explore projection, sound and lighting, and the play is a particularly ripe source for classroom discussion.