A quest for life

Somewhat Like A Balloon, presented by Just Theatre, is a devised performance that will give the audience much to mull over

Constructed around the notion of home, its loss, and nostalgia

Somewhat Like A Balloon , Vinod Ravindran’s first directorial venture, is a play that will make your imagination soar.

A devised performance, Somewhat Like A Balloon tells the story of a boy and his search for his father. He wakes up one morning to find his family missing. He leaves his home and heads into the unknown. He encounters people and situations along the way, much like a treasure hunt. His need to return home, however, forms the crux of the play. The play centres around the notion of home, and evokes feelings of nostalgia upon its loss. Will the boy find his father? Will home be the same as when he left it? These are the questions that pervade throughout the play.

Vinod has marked a place as an actor in Bangalore’s theatre world. He has worked with Jeff Teare, Abhishek Majumdar, Ajay Krishnan, Kirtana Kumar, Atul Kumar, Phyllis Bose ,and B. Jayashree. Although he likes working off a script as an actor, as a director he loves the process of creating a play.

Somewhat Like A Balloon , hence, has been an ideal project for Vinod. In a telephonic interview, Vinod says that the play will touch the audience, leaving them with a lot to mull over. “The play is based on a set of images that I had, and I wanted to see how they could be played out on stage.”

Somewhat Like A Balloon , Vinod says, is a collaborative effort among “a super bunch of actors and crew members.” He adds: “The actors, lighting designers, and people responsible for the sound have all played an equally important role. They are very talented and patient. Improvisation is not easy, but the actors have done a great job.”

Vinod explains the attention-grabbing title of the play. “It is sort of like life. It can be full, empty or flat and at times, it can lift you.” The play uses imagery, besides performance, to depict the boy’s often magical quest. “We have tried to create illusions out of objects that we use on stage. These illusions aren’t tricks, but are illusions because they are symbolic,” concludes Vinod.

Somewhat Like A Balloon will be performed as part of the Jagriti Curtain Raisers Festival on February 22 and 23 at 8 p.m. and on February 24 at 3 and 6.30 p.m.

The cast includes Anshul Pathak, Anjali Nair, Rency Philip and Swetanshu Bora. Lighting is by Bharavi, sound is by Ashiqa Salvan, the design is by Fizz and the production head is Sachin Gurjale. Tickets are priced at Rs. 250 and available at bookmyshow.com and at the venue.