Theatre…the word conjures up actors in costumes,
an elaborate setting on stage
and hush amongst the audience. What if there was
some form of theatre where all conventional forms
and structures were done away with. Well, to all
skeptics, Playback Theatre has come as an
answer. And those who witnessed the first ever public
performance of the Playback Theatre in Bangalore
at the Alliance Francaise de Bangalore, will
whole-heartedly agree with the above.
The performance was absolutely delightful. Imagine
entering a hall to the smiles of 25 young people.
Those smiles definitely set the mood for the evening.
And imagine the audience's surprise when the cast
suddenly started singing, which could have easily
passed off as incantations. There were a few amused
people in the audience. So when the conductor,
Rajesh P I, started asking the audience
how they felt that day, the amused few definitely
made themselves heard. The cast not to be outdone,
took up the emotion, interpreted it and formed a
tableau of it. The audience was in splits and they
sat up for an entertaining, fun filled evening.
From
the tableaus, the performance progressed to enacting
the stories. A couple of people volunteered some
stories. Not much can be said about the stories,
but hey, the performances were fun. The stories
went something like this - an event when
one was in college, a prank that was played during
a party and a rather annoying experience at one's
dramatics club meeting. The fact that the audience
is made a part of the performance right from
the development of a script to the review of the
performance, is what makes Playback theatre unique.
There isn't anything better than having one's
story played out and to top it all, to customize
it to one's liking. Now that is something! From
there, the performance progressed to fluid sculptures
and pairs. Yet again, the audience was asked
about any conflicting emotions they experienced.
In response, the audience thumped theirs hands in
a show of appreciation.
Another amazing thing was the chemistry between
the actors. After each story was narrated, there
were no discussions as to who would assume which
role. A moment was taken, and then the actors came
up one by one assuming a particular role. It was
amazing to see that kind of a co-ordination. Sibu
Vaz, the director has obviously done a very
good job with his young actors. Though amateurish,
their performances were good and, above all, entertaining.
Playback theatre has great potential to become very
popular. The fact that its flexiblity allows it
to adapt to any environment is its biggest advantage,
unlike mainstream theatre. Way to go Sibu Vaz! Playback
theatre will definitely go places!
12:10:15 AM 
stage
and hush amongst the audience. What if there was
some form of theatre where all conventional forms
and structures were done away with. Well, to all
skeptics, Playback Theatre has come as an
answer. And those who witnessed the first ever public
performance of the Playback Theatre in Bangalore
at the Alliance Francaise de Bangalore, will
whole-heartedly agree with the above.
From
the tableaus, the performance progressed to enacting
the stories. A couple of people volunteered some
stories. Not much can be said about the stories,
but hey, the performances were fun. The stories
went something like this - an event when
one was in college, a prank that was played during
a party and a rather annoying experience at one's
dramatics club meeting. The fact that the audience
is made a part of the performance right from
the development of a script to the review of the
performance, is what makes Playback theatre unique.
There isn't anything better than having one's
story played out and to top it all, to customize
it to one's liking. Now that is something! From
there, the performance progressed to fluid sculptures
and pairs. Yet again, the audience was asked
about any conflicting emotions they experienced.
In response, the audience thumped theirs hands in
a show of appreciation.
