For her first show in Chennai, Radhika Jain envisions a room brimming with stories. The co-founder of Bengaluru-based First Drop theatre and a PhD in Molecular Microbiology will be directing a performance in a playback format, for an intimate audience at Backyard this weekend.
Playback is an interactive format where members of the audience share their stories and the team of actors, along with a conductor, perform it on the spot, says Radhika to a clearly clueless me, who is confused as to how this format differs from an improv session.
She explains, “Playback is social improv, it’s not dependent on one word or idea or situation throw at the actors, from where the story is developed. Here, you make it personal and let the audience know that you want to listen to them.” Heads You Share, Tales We Hear, is one such experiment that invites audience members to share their stories that will be enacted by performers, who will not interfere with the narration in any way. This would, in turn, translate to “sharing within the community”, encouraging more people to connect with each other.
“When the person who has shared the story sees his/her own story being enacted, there is a certain form of reflection that happens. They get a new perspective. On the other hand, people who listen to it feel connected, and that leads to more sharing,” continues Radhika.
The form, which was initiated by Jonathan Fox in 1975 in the US, has a therapeutic angle to it. Though it is not used solely for therapy, it still tends to leave a cathartic effect. In India, not many theatre groups experiment with this genre. Sharing a story is in itself therapeutic for many, says Radhika, who along with Bejoy started First Drop owing to the training they received in interactive theatre.
Bringing people together
“It’s also a beautiful way to get the community together, in these times when we are all so disconnected. Watching a scripted play is an individualistic experience. Strangers finding a connection and sharing — how often does that happen,” observes Radhika.
The word rehearsal is not usually appropriated for playback. “We have sessions that usually happen once a week. They are about the team coming together. The team should be comfortable enough with each other so that there is this unsaid connection. We do a lot of sharing too. In our sessions, we discuss our personal lives — one of the actors’ will be sharing and the others play it back,” says Radhika, adding that these sessions concentrate on spontaneity exercises, and on how to lead and follow, the latter being a crucial part of playback.
“It’s not based on ‘yes, but’; it’s based on ‘yes, and’. Just follow, and the story will emerge. We don’t add anything that is not warranted. Actors will never give their perspective. If the story is sad, we would reflect it like that,” concludes Radhika.
Heads You Share, Tales We Hear will be performed in Backyard, Adyar on October 27, at 3.30 pm and 6 pm. Tickets are available in bookmyshow.com.
