Play Back Theatre

A play without a script? A cast without a role? Its improvisation on the whole! Does this sound interesting? Well, you should definitely watch an interactive play to get a feel of what I am talking about. A show staged by a group called 'Yours Truly Theatre', introduced me to the concept of 'Playback Theatre'. This is an original form of improvisational theatre in which the members of the audience tell stories from their lives, and watch them being enacted on the spot. 'India's Freedom Struggle' was an apt theme considering that Independence Day was just round the corner.
To begin with the audience and the artists were brought on the same platform, quite literally, where they introduced themselves and interacted with each other. The next part of the show was more like a warm up exercise where the audience could express views on what freedom meant to them. The artists who were listening with keen interest quickly strung an act together based on the narration. The creativity and impromptu nature of the performance was quite stunning.Freedom fighters, Mr Satyavrata and Mrs Lakshmi were invited to the show to share a story or two from their experiences in India's struggle for freedom. It was a chance for them to re-live moments from the past and watch their stories being enacted by the younger generation. Mr Rashid, a famed caricaturist sketched his illustration of the stories narrated by the freedom fighters in no time. The show concluded with a patriotic song by one of the members of the group. Good background music blended well with the above components to produce a captivating show which lasted for two and half hours!
Below are a few photographs from the show which was held at the Nayana auditorium at Ravindra Kalakshetra on August 11th. The pictures are dark as they were shot without using the flash to avoid any disturbance to the performance.

The colours of the curtains setting the tone for the show.



A creative backdrop symbolizing the spirit of freedom.



A conflict expressed by a member of the audience being enacted...



A curtain raiser...



The co-ordination was quite amazing considering there was nothing being discussed before each act.



Mr Rashid's creation depicting the story narrated by Mrs Lakshmi was presented to her as a memento.



A sense of solemn pride filled the air as each of us held the tri coloured candles while the patriotic song 'Yeh Mere Wathan Ke Logon' was being sung.



Freedom fighters Mr Sathyavratha and Mrs Lakshmi interacting with the audience after the show.