Theatre has always been seen as one of the greatest artforms. To rekindle and bring back the charm of theatre, a unique technique of playback theatre has been conceptualised by Organizational Theatre. The theatre performance by six actors, involves improvisation of all art forms — music, acting and art! In a candid interview, the facilitator, Ranji David, tells us more…
Dissolve, a unique form of social improv theatre, takes stories from members of the audience, which will be performed and painted, impromptu by the actors! “Merging playback theatre and spontaneous painting has never been done in India before,” says Ranji David, the man behind the concept.
“The performers will be wearing white clothes and performing on a white canvas,” he goes on to explain about the L shaped stage. The idea, he says is strong because “there is no better script than a personal experience or anecdote. It gives rampant opportunity for people who want to share experiences and connect with others based on similar experiences shared.” The evening will be divided into the parts – Charcoal, Paint and Rangoli, using the same to depict stories and emotions of the audience.
Also doubling as a painter, Ranji has conducted a series of workshops all around the world, and the idea came to him at a workshop in Serbia. “I love painting and have been doing it for a long time now, and decided to combine the two as it has never been done in India before,” he says.
Also a TEDx speaker, Ranji feels that acting out instances, will help make a difference to the restless and commotion, people experience in the city. And apart from the imagery of monochrome to colours, music too is going to be impromptu!
“The live music and lights will be different at every moment and flow with the pace of the actors paintings. The momentum, and theme of music will differ and be created right at that spot,” says Ranji, who has had 16 years of theatre experience so far and conducted similar workshops involving painting and theatre, in Serbia.
To give a little more context to the upcoming show, Almas Kotadia, one of the actors says, “Acting out situations on the spot requires a ton of experience and also the ability to think on your feet.”
The actors of the performance have been specifically chosen based on their painting abilities. “We started off right from the basics – with sketching, drawing lines and circles and then finally moving to body paint,” confirms the artiste before clarifying, “We don’t want the paint to splash and splutter on stage. The paintings are meant to connote various things which resonate with the audience.”
Doesn’t sound like an easy job! But what can people take back from the show, we ask Almas. “It will be beautiful to watch painting instances and stories while acting them out and being drenched in the stories of the audience. And they should most definitely look forward to the catharsis,” she sighs in conclusion.
