17 May,2017 08:20 PM IST | Mumbai | Snigdha Hasan
A unique form of theatre will bring to life its audience’s experiences of bullying and engage with it to find solutions
A playback theatre performance
Imagine relating a story from your life to an actor you've never seen before. The actor weaves an impromptu performance around it and enacts it, making it accessible to other audience members as well. This is playback theatre, an original form of improvisational theatre conceived in the US in 1975. Popular in Sweden, Finland and the Philippines among other countries, the art form is not too well known in India.
This Sunday, watch members of Rangbhumi, an art-based facilitation group, address the issue of bullying through playback theatre. "A playback performance consists of actors, a conductor and musician," explains Chetnaa Mehrotra, founder of Rangbhumi, who along with Viral Champaneri and Roshan Karkera, has conducted various theme-based workshops. "We will start with a poem or a song, and introduce the concept to the audience. The actors will speak about their experiences of bullying. Next, the conductor will source stories from the live audience, which the actors will perform," she adds.
Chetnaa Mehrotra
The workshop is an initiative of the newly-formed ITC Young Brigade, a life skills programme for children. "Meant for both, children aged between eight and 14 years, and parents, we realised the need for this workshop in our first session on self-esteem, where kids came forward to speak about bullying," says co-founder Samir Gangar. The session will end with an interactive Forum Technique, where the spectator will suggest solutions to the issue through short performances.
On May 21, 2 pm to 4 pm
At Clap Center, opposite Infiniti Mall, Malad (W).
Call 9870011974
Cost '400 onwards
