Do you believe in reincarnation? Ask a theist, and you’ll have a long list of theories, each with its own conditions and stipulations. Somewhere between these contrasting beliefs, you’ll find American novelist Andy Weir’s short story The Egg. “In this universe, it’s just you. You reincarnate till you live as every human being who has existed, or will exist,” Weir writes in the story. Today, a young theatre maker from Bihar will aim to simplify Weir’s philosophy with Shunya, a theatre presentation for those who wish to dive deeper into the subject.

“I was in a trivial argument with my friends about a trip that we were planning in 2022. Halfway through it, I realised that if every person I interact with is in fact just me in a different timeline, like Weir states, I am arguing with myself,” director Siddharth Raj recalls. While the group laughed it off as a life-imitates-art moment, Raj believes it sparked the idea for an adaptation that people could resonate with.