Ratan Thakore Grant’s studio for acting Misf!t gives equal importance to performing from the heart as it does to the technical aspects of theatre. Misf!it, which stands for My Interest Stays Firmly In Theatre, presents Connectologues V2.0-Masks , described as “an abstract weave of unrelated monologues,” on April 27.
About 80 per cent of the monologues have been written by the cast and have been executed by them. Explaining what the play entails, Ratan says: “It’s more to do with the various people that we are. We show one thing, but we feel something else. What comes across through these monologues is that each of us goes through our own pain,” says Ratan, a well-known theatre personality.
The monologues have been set in a common “where”, which is a circus for this performance. The play depicts how in the circus of life, we are “all freaks of life put up on the world’s stage to showcase a carnival”. But when the lights fade and the glitter and glamour loses their sheen, the dark realms within are revealed. “We have connected the monologues in an abstract way. When one monologue begins, another monologue starts simultaneously. We have also created what is known as ‘fourth walls’ that are imaginary, in which the actors will be talking to a particular object, say a mirror or a camera. They will enact it in such a way so as to make the audience believe the fourth walls exist,” says Ratan.
Connectologues V2.0-Masks will inaugurate a new theatre space in the city, sponsored by Paradigm Shift, a Vegan Café in Koramangala. The space is comfortable, conducive for intimate theatre performances. “The audience will feel they are part of what is being played out on stage,” says Vishal, the creative consultant. The audience will be seated on mats. “I find no harm in people sitting on their backsides. A sense of being with the actors is lost if there are chairs,” says Ratan.
Ratan ensures that the actors play an important part in the creative process. Vishal Nair who has been with Misf!t for seven years is one of the “pillars” of the group, as are Venkatesan Vaidhyanathan also known as Venky, who has been involved with Misf!it for nine years and Mahesh Baliga and Ankit Bhardwaj who are co-ordinators.
Deepti Dinesh, one of the actors, says the scripts were written earlier. “We have brought it within the context of the setting,” she says. Speaking about the play, Akshay Datta, another actor, says: “You see people on stage but there is an inner character to them, which is revealed. This holds true in real life too.” Vishal says that the audience will be able to relate to every story. The other actors include Ankit, Mahesh, Tushar Dutt and Archana Shetty.
Tickets for Connectologues V2.0-Masks are priced at Rs. 150. The show is at 7.30 pm. The theatre space is located at Paradigm Shift is located at number 8, third floor, 80 feet road, 4 block, Koramangala. Call 9590669525.
