Harry Potter Meets The Da Vinci Code In THE CASE OF THE VANISHING FIREFISH From EnActe Arts

EnActe Arts is proud to present The Case of the Vanishing Firefish, a new play both adapted and directed by EnActe co-founder, Vinita Sud Belani. It is based on the original novel, Ayesha and the Firefish written by London-based tech and digital entrepreneur Ajay Chowdhury who was a founding investor in Shazam, and is based on a series of bedtime stories told by him to his daughters. It revolves around a 10-year old girl named Ayesha who seizes the day and attempts to solve the disappearance of bioluminescent phytoplankton in the world's oceans.

Inspired by both Harry Potter and The Davinci Code, the central character is driven by the refrain, "What would Hermoine do?"

Her transnational sleuthing of clues in buildings (and their cultural implications) takes her from a wormhole hosted by Stephen Hawking to meet-ups with a cast of characters that include the Dalai Lama and Gaudi-who supplies code that gives access to another universe-as well as a talking dolphin, along with a snail with a talent for snark and a penchant for chocolate.

In the play, Ayesha lives in London with an overworked hedge fund manager Mom and a former hedge fund manager, now stay-at-home Dad who enjoys Feng Shui and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, leaving the intelligent, intrepid Ayesha free to explore her craving for Hermione style adventure with a complete lack of caution.

"I am thrilled that Ayesha has made it from the page to the stage," says Chowdhury. "Seeing her adventures underwater, in space and in the mountains of India brought to life through these wonderful actors and video projections is, as Ayesha might say, totally awesome!"

Known for their superb production values, EnActe's The Case of the Vanishing Firefish will feature video projections from the renowned production designer and film director, David Murakami, who by his own words describes himself as a "trespasser, questioning the barriers we erect between media and passionately pursuing new technologies as they intersect in film, theatre, and opera." www.davidmurakami.com

The Case of the Vanishing Firefish in EnActe's 2018 - 2019 Season, dedicated to presenting strong female role models - women, and by extension girls-as active participants in their own destiny and identity, whether they are scientists researching Colony Collapse Disorder (Queen, by Madhuri Shekhar) or a stay-at-home widowed mother who stands up to her conservative milieu to defend her relationship with a man 20 years her junior (A Widow of No Importance).

"I became an engineer at a time when less than 3% of engineers were women," say Belani. "I believe that if norms are holding you back, it is your duty to question them, and that is the ethos of what we do at EnActe. For me a play is only successful if it generates robust breakfast table discussion the next morning on the subject matter addressed within."