Water seller Wang begins the play by introducing himself and his poverty-stricken home of Sezuan. Three gods visit the province, met with inhospitable local residents who refuse them keep. All except one, the poor harlot Shen Te (Gyllenhaal), who opens up her home to the weary spirits after brief hesitation. In return, the gods give her a thousand silver dollars with which to become a better person. She uses the money to buy a tobacco shop, returning the gods' favour by giving food and shelter her friends and enemies alike.

"Cora Fabros, from the Philippines, is a veteran activist with the anti-bases, anti-nuclear and peace movement. She is the Asia/Pacific Coordinator of the International Network for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases. The US is on a global war footing and the Asia/Pacific region is of immense strategic significance.This is the region that Cora will be speaking about. In Japan (particularly Okinawa) and South Korea, the huge US presence covers the full range from nuclear warfighting bases to conventional combat bases to a whole variety of spybases."

"Boys are more vulnerable to committing suicide than girls, particularly during the tense and high pressure examination days, say health experts. A rise in the number of suicides among school students has set alarm bells ringing in the health fraternity. March is the time when the crucial Class 10 and 12 board exams are held in Indian schools."