A Performance at an old-age home

Our once-a-month charity performance this month was at Mathruchaya, an old-age home. Tucked away in Banashankari, Bangalore we visited this place on 9th May. ‘We’ comprised a  bunch of newbies to Playback Theatre and a few odd oldies. 

Mathruchaya is run by the welfare wing of Canara Bank. It’s  a beautiful space with a little garden, benches, and very neat single bed room homes. All it’s inmates are old people in the age group of 75 to the oldest inmate who is a sprightly 95. All of them have had illustrious careers and now spend the evenings of their life here.

Umesh was our conductor and the actors included Murugesh, Sumana, Madhumitha, Saraswathi, Parinita and Rajesh. Arif played the music. The fluids ranged from ‘expecting to see a play’ to a very vehement ‘the young don’t respect elders anymore’ to ‘Bangalore has changed for the worse’ to ‘if  at all anything can be learnt from the youth today it is how to make money!’

There was one story where the teller narrated an incident that had taken place in 1948. Apparently although India had gained freedom in 1947, the princely state of Mysore was still under the rule of the Mysore Maharaja till 1948 and the teller was witness to his friends from school going on a strike to protest the Mysore rule. The police were very violent and they fired on the protestors. One of his friends died in the shootout. For the teller, till this day, the memories of that horrific day refuse to go away.

At the end of the performance, we had light refreshments with the audience members. They were very happy with our performance. One gentleman who was the oldest at 95, invited us to his home and we were amazed to see how neatly he had organised the entire place. Not a single thing was out of place. He would occassionally cook something for himself on his own.

For us, it was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. We left taking some great memories of this beautiful place.

Performance at Snehasadana

On 14th March we went to an orphanage called ‘Sneha Sadhana’ on the outskirts of the city. Run by an affable priest Fr. Roy, the children were in the age group of 5 – 12. There were close to thirty children in the dining room which doubled up as our performance space.

The performance lasted all of 40 minutes and what was significant here was that they loved the fluid sculptures. They only wanted that. Their excitement slowly died down once we got into the real life stories. I was the conductor and there was one small boy in their midst called Kiran. He had a ready answer for everything. We were all amazed by his confidence and his earnestness.

They shared everything from their favourite food to their film star to their sport to studies to their dreams. During the enactment I observed that they were wonderstruck at the unfolding magic of playback theatre.

At the end of the performance we joined them for evening snacks. We were all a very happy and tired bunch by the time we left that ‘abode of love’.

An inspiring audience

We had our Second Saturday Charity Playback Theatre performance yesterday. The venue was Parikrama in Bangalore. This is a Non-Governmental Organization that works with children from the slums.

To put it mildly, the performance was simply superb. A lot of it was thanks to the great response from the audience.

The group comprised children in the age group of 10 – 12 and some of them were a little more than that. They were slum children but fed, clothed and educated by Parikrama.
The stories, the sharing – were all of hope and about India, about meeting A.P.J when he visited them last year. Here were children who had taken a dynamic leap in their lives. They were absolutely positive and nurtured dreams of taking up careers like medicine and engineering! it was great to see their optimism about their own lives. They were completely in control and knew right from wrong.

There were very many memorable moments – Umesh donning the role of A.P.J and giving a terrific speech, Ajmal as the inspired musician, Nag as the explosive actor, Siddharth with his creative one-liners, Vidya with her boundless energy, Sujitra in her usual creative self, Sumana tying the loose ends together and Rakesh and Zohrab adding to the spice. I had conducted the performance

Truly refreshing, and a great way to start the New Year!

- Rajesh.P.I

A performance for the terminally ill

On 8 December, our Playback Theatre team performed at Karunashraya in Bangalore. This is a hospice for terminally ill cancer patients. Most of the patients are dying and are provided basic treatment with lots of love. The care is mostly free of cost.

At about 4:30 in the evening we reached the venue. The patients were all wheeled to an open space. There was a pool of water close by, filled with fish. A small bird stood there on the steps. We were filled with trepidation, wondering how the peformance would go…

There were about twenty patients. Quite a few of them were bandaged and some of them didn’t utter a word during the show. About 40 of the support staff including the nurses joined to watch the performance. Umesh P N was the conductor and his interaction was primarily in Kannada, keeping in mind the audience.

‘What I like best about Karunashraya is that the nurses and the staff treat us with a lot of love and try their very best to insulate us as far as possible from the pain.’ 
‘If I have another life I would like to serve others just like the sisters and nurses here.’

The stories that emerged were stories of innocense – of childhood. Of copying exams and getting caught. Being sent home by the Head Master and then when the parent pleaded, of relenting and then of the triumph of passing the exam honestly.

For a moment there were smiles all around. The participants enjoying, laughing. Some of them taking in the performance silently. The support staff enjoying every minute of it, celebrating the key moments. The actors performing to their best and ensuring that they did justice to the stories. Arif on the guitar adding to the ambience.

One lady, in a wheel chair, her body ravaged by cancer, her limbs taught, the veins bulging…she probably had very little time to live… She shared a story of her childhood. Her voice filled with excitement as she recounted long lost days of games and bunking classes and care free moments. Her excitement was boundless and as she shared we could see a warm glow in her face. This was a truly beautiful moment.  

One lady who was blind began to get completely involved in the sharing as we progressed. She shared – ‘Your performance has been like a rainbow in our lives…I will never forget this lovely evening that you have gifted us’.

(The performers included Nagabhushana S, Rangarajan, Siddharth Joshi, Sumana, Sujitra, Ajmal Aboobacker, Irada P P & Rajesh P I. Music was conducted by Arif Mohammed. )

- Rajesh P I

A Playback Performance for the Visually Handicapped

14 July – in a quiet neighbourhood, on the terrace of the Samarthanam Trust for the visually handicapped, seven of us gathered to perform Playback Theatre. Performing for the blind – how do we do it? How do we go about it?

As Playbackers, how do we do justice to this audience? How do we weave their stories into intricate patterns of energy, life, rhythm, and art? At the end of the day are we just wasting our times and theirs?

These were questions that we could have normally asked ourselves as Playback performers. Interestingly enough, those were doubts that we had dealt with nearly two years ago when we had first performed for them and the warm memories of that successful performance inspired the group, including the ones (me included) who hadn’t performed then.

Our week long rehearsals which lasted for an hour each session, was focused on the voice and learning to stress more on it for this performance. We knew we had to stress on Kannada (the local language) as most of the audience members were conversant in it. In our rehearsals we hoped that we had got the pulse of the narrative right. We tried various variations, techniques, including one where the teller would keep his eyes closed through the performance and experience it differently. With a shudder we realised that the quality of the experience was enhanced. We wondered if sight was a drawback at times!

The audience settled in on the mats. Each sensing us, our energy, while sitting in an orderly fashion. Theatre has made us reckless, maybe. A little unruly maybe…so much, so that when we assemble anywhere the collective energy is vibrant, rolling, hard to contain and fairly easy to spot.

Umesh the conductor. In his calm demeanour he exudes tremendous hope and comfort for the audience. In his ability to connect with the audience, they respond easily and comfortably.

I think I am going to watch a performance of the Mahabharata.
And the magic unfolds.

I am very happy today as I got my concessional bus pass.
I feel sad as I fell down today while travelling by bus.
I feel great about Mudda Sir, who runs this institution and I want to be like him.

Eager faces, happy faces, celebratory faces, thinking faces…the impact of the performance was evident on the faces of the audience. We knew we were right on track.

The stories emerged of simplicity of everyday situations. In their honesty lay their beauty. I was studying for my Pre-university when I was sure that I would do very well. So confident was I in my abilities when I started paying more attention to FM Radio than my studies. When my results came I had just managed to pass. I was devastated and ensured that I would never take my studies lightly.

Another story of a battle won and the pride of trophy reflecting in the confidence and the leadership of the teller. She was an ignorant 9 year old girl when a lady guided her and enabled her to acquire education and lead her life her way. Today she teaches computers to other visually handicapped people. A story of triumph and about learning to fight the odds.

The conflicts that emerged were every day conflicts –
Should I bunk college and take in the ‘sights’ of the city or should I stay put in college.
Should I opt for a career in Accounts or a career in Management. I can’t seem to make up my mind.

We left promising to return another time.

- Rajesh.P.I

A little wisdom

In the course of the Playback Theatre workshop currently underway, one participant who is a software engineer with GE wrote to me. “I joined the Playback Theatre workshop thinking that I was getting into an extra-curricular and it would help provide some entertainment. The more I do it, I realize that this is all about me..developing an inalienable part of me..something that is beautiful and full of life. This is such a creatively and emotionally satisfying journey.”

I thought what he had to say was very interesting, and completely true. Just a new perspective into theatre which (at least in India) was so far simply relegated to an extra-curricular activity or something of not very much significance.  

Incidentally in our 15 years of working with school & college students, adults, working professionals, home-makers and a lot of other folk,  we have found that theatre gives wings to the human imagination. It fosters tremendous amount of confidence and self belief. It channelises energy and provides a healthy and positive outlook for the person. Theatre is therapeutic and I have personally witnessed many people experiencing tremendous amount of emotional relief.

The Playback Theatre Workshop is not just an option, it is a guaranteed path for personal growth.

- Rajesh.P.I 

The rich aroma of Playback curry

Two Playback workshops are currently in progress in Christ College, Bangalore. The morning batch has an assorted mix of working professionals, the evening batch has a bunch comprising of college students. The enthusiasm and excitement of the participants is contagious. The spontaneity and creativity is taking on new dimensions. For the trainers – Sibu & Rajesh there’s loads to document and observe.

In this interesting journey it is beautiful to see how the participants open up. They come in with a lot of inhibitions, they leave happy and contented. 

On 14th July, we perform for a visually handicapped audience. How does one do theatre for the blind? Well, we have done this once before (about 2 years ago). For those who participated it was a tremendously inspiring experience. Rehearsals in right earnest begin this Monday.

To be a part of the Playback action worldwide, you can log here, and access the nearest playback group near you. See if some of this aroma is tempting you! 

- Rajesh.P.I

Playbacking @ Intel

We performed at Intel yesterday. Avid playbacker Suresh Kumar took on the role of administrator to facilitate this performance. The performance was a hit from the word ‘go’. Sibu was the conductor and he ensured that the audience was comfortable and ready to share their stories.

 The fluids were special with responses like Iam looking forward to be entertained to the latest Rajnikanth movie is a waste of money to Iam thrilled I won a MP3 player after I sang a song on FM radio and the best part is I can’t sing for nuts!

The actors comprising Umesh.P.N, Sumana, Suchitra, Suresh Kumar, Ajmal.P.P & Rajesh.P.I were right on target. Musician Arif Mohammed battling a cold did justice to the tremendous amount of talent he has. 

This was a working day and at 3:30 in the afternoon, we were not sure how the audience response would be, however they amazed us with their participation and spontaneous sharing. One story narrated by teller 1 was when she and her younger sister, in her childhood mistook a frog for a snake. The hilarious presentation had the audience in splits. Umesh – the snake ended the story in one  fantastic croak!  

Teller 2 narrated a story, again a childhood event, wherein he slipped and fell into a well but miraculously stayed alive. This event emboldened him and today he is very comfortable in natural settings and has few fears.

Teller 3 narrated a story of how he alongwith his two friends, during his college days were waiting to travel by train in a Mumbai station. Suddenly, one of the friends decided he was going to travel by another train and the others followed him. This they did, by crossing a few railway lines. At the last railway line, the teller was just about to follow his friends by crossing the railway line when a train just passed right in front of him. Had he been a fraction of second early in getting down, the train would have hit him.  This story enabled him to decide that from henceforth he woul not blindly follow others and make his own decisions. This insight has proved very valuable for him in his professional career.

The conflicts that were shared were – Do I sleep or do I wake up? Do I listen to my heart or do I listen to my head? Do I control myself while driving or do I go with the crowd?

The final responses were - Today is a working day, and I have a lot of things to do, but I felt very relaxed and very happy watching this performance, This is so spontaneous, All the actors were in sync with each other, this is so amazing, Can we have this workshop here in Intel?

 - Rajesh.P.I

Making a smaaaaaaaaall difference – Playback community show

         “And what’s the age range of the children?” I asked. He said, “Up to age 12, they are all very small children really. Some of them are found abandoned outside the gates of the orphanage, other newborns are found in garbage bins. We are glad you want to spend some time with them.”

          Such was the conversation that led our Playback actors to Anatha Shishu Nivasa, a cosy little paradise in the heart of Basavanagudi. When we (Arif, Sunil, Suresh, Ranga, Faiq, Sumana, Swathi, Manjunath and moi – Umesh) went to the venue, we were a little unclear as to how the performance would turn out. We had never performed to an exclusive audience below age 12. Our first glimpse of the audience looked like this – Spiderman (Yeshwantha) peeked in, followed by various brightly costumed versions of Superman, Donald Duck and company, all of whom took a happily noisy five minutes to settle down. The party had begun.

         As conductor I had prepared some “original, deep and meaningful” questions – all were shot out of the window. Not one “meaningful” question stood a chance. The questions became simple, with direct answers. 

Q1- what do you feel about rain? A – happy, joyful, hide in the shade, playful, rain sounds like the way we clap.

Q2 – If you were an animal, which animal would you choose to be? A – lion, tiger, cheetah, elephant and peacock (we could only take 5 animals, because we only had 5 actors)… and so on, with superb support from the actors – they played animals, ice cream eaters, and birds and other ideas with superb imagination and quickness of feet.  

         I tried to elicit a story out of the kids. Yeshwantha – Spiderman, in costume- came up to the teller’s seat, said nothing and went back. Several tries later I got Ms. Prema, a volunteer to share a story. Little Meena (all of age 4, very cute) was playing with Kumar and company. Kumar, a “thunta” (bright eyed, twinkly Kannada word for mischief monger), shoved his hand in a hole – right up to his shoulder. Meena, speaking like only a child can, went up to Prema and said “Kumar’s hand has been cut right up to his shoulder! It’s gone, we can’t see it anymore!” Instant panic caused her to rush out only to see the “thunta” smiling. The story had implications for her as a responsible adult volunteer – it could have easily been something serious. The actors were able to make a satisfactory job of it.

          The show ended with the story, we had no more time left. A hundred children crowded us as we left, each with a little halo atop our heads. The organizers summed it up – “We can only give them food and clothes, but this…it takes special people…thank you for coming.”

- Umesh.P.N

Conducting a rehearsal one fine morning

 

 Rehearsals for the next charity show began with stretching beyond normal physical limits under Umesh’s guidance. Fluids, conflicts and the story for the day. Swati’s greatest moment . Her jump to life with her cousins watching.  While Swati shared the story of her bungee jumping experience, I as a conductor was wondering if there is anything beyond the obvious physical fall. My conducting skills meandered as I asked mundane details of her cousins who she mentioned were not very important to the story. A sigh of relief came when I thought we were able to arrive at the heart of the incident. The teller unveiled the truth that this jump of hers was her step towards conquering the fear of heights. What is the psychological term for it? Whatever…

Swati’s words echo in my mind

 “I wished I had learnt to play the guitar

  Oh I didn’t say goodbye to everybody

  At least I’m seeing a good sunset before dying”

 

As a conductor I get the feeling my…my I’ve got a layer of experience from the teller. Now all the actors have to do is play. The performance was ……ok…not as good as the story I suppose. But then that’s playback. The key conflict for the day was Manjunath’s lifetime decision. Should I leave my 12 year old secure business and jump into theatre as a profession (knowing the field my heart was screaming Noooooo, not now Manjunath, you won’t be able to survive). I brought in Ranga and asked him the same question since he had jumped into his own business ventures after being a successful employee for over 10 years. As a conductor I hoped that the conflict had provided enough dimensions to think for all those interested in getting into the act.

Sibu Vaz

Pic: Swati is all smiles watching her story take shape