Sometimes the monotony of everyday life can leave you feeling down, bored or pensive as you are going through the motions. If you are waiting for a creative opportunity to break out from this emotional and physical sludge, look no further than Storyflect.
With a degree in Advanced Theatre Practice from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London, and claiming to be the first to introduce immersive drama in India, Aruna Ganesh Ram elaborates on the new, unique day-long workshop. “Immersive theatre is high impact because it’s centred on the senses like how well you can use taste, touch or smell as part of the production. But this workshop pushes you beyond your senses to create performances based on personal narratives.” After ditching her corporate job in 2012, Aruna pursued theatre to the hilt and eventually became the artistic director of theatre company Visual Respiration. In 2014, she conducted a successful theatre workshop which led to 35 performances in Chennai and Bengaluru. This June 25, she sets forth on another similar venture.
Talking about the power of self discovery, Aruna says that in last year’s workshop, people shared stories about broken marriages or being harassed on the street and even brought things from their living rooms and homes as props. In the past, Aruna has worked with scores of people from different domains through this distinctive form of storytelling. “Entrepreneurs, behavioural trainers, teachers who work with differently-abled kids, corporate professionals and homemakers – this workshop has worked for everyone. We even had a magician once who told us how he now uses these storytelling skills in his craft and better interacts with his audience at close proximity.” As a new mother, Aruna finds these skills helpful even while telling her son bedtime stories. She hopes that people will be able to take away a new confidence from this workshop that they can apply to their own practice and day to day lives.
“I’ve seen people in corporate companies who have attended my workshops and use the skills of storytelling in selling products, advertising, pitching ideas. There is a sense of power once you share your story with the rest of the group. I’m aiming for a maximum of 10 people so that the workshop can stay intimate.” Aruna has watched how participants have overcome initial inhibition, earned the trust of one another in the room and made ground-breaking pleasant discoveries about themselves. Participants have also become emotional while reminiscing about stories from their childhood. “One time, a man shared a story about how he used to write poetry as a boy and at the end of the workshop, he actually brought this diary and read out his own writing.”
Speaking of nostalgia, Aruna mentions a special theatre exercise called ‘Memory Triggers’ used frequently in her workshops. Rather than talking about landmark memories in a person’s life, this exercise encourages one to find the memories that don’t lie on the surface on the mind. By using a variety of visual, oral and other sensory objects, participants are stimulated to get in touch with a moment from their past. Aruna believes that exercises like this can be intensely therapeutic and gratifying for a person in learning more about themselves and crafting their own stories. A great advocate of experiential theatre, she is currently attending rehearsals for an upcoming immersive play based on different personality types.
Attend Storyflect on June 25 from 10 am to 5 pm at Lahe Lahe, Indiranagar. Register at www.visualrespiration.com . Tickets at ₹1,000.
