An immersive play calls upon the audience members to solve a murder case
Diona D’Souza plays the girlffriend
Immersive plays started emerging as a new medium to take theatre forward in the middle of the lockdown last year, when the curtains came down on live performances. These online shows engage the audience directly, turning them into actors who are part of the plot. Take Unusual Suspects for example. It’s an immersive play that Mumbai-based group Ethiros Theatre will stage this evening, where the viewers turn into characters tasked with solving a murder mystery, and are given clues that help them get to the bottom of it.
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Nishil Kamalan
Director Nishil Kamalan tells us that the plot revolves around a group of friends who had visited a resort for a college reunion a year ago, only for one of them, Arvind, to be murdered on the occasion. The owner of the restaurant contacts the remaining friends (who are actually the audience members), telling them that he’s now taken the onus of finding out the killer’s identity himself. But for that, he needs the audience’s help. He gives them clues that they will have to solve via a few basic apps that they have to download before the show. Each clue leads to a new facet of Rohit’s life, such as the fact that he had a secret girlfriend who he had had a lover’s spat with right before he was killed. This girlfriend will then deliver a monologue protesting her innocence, leading the audience to other suspects, such as a steward. And so it goes for an hour, the time that the college friends/audience members have to crack the mystery.
Bhagyesh Patil, who plays a waiter’s role
Speaking about the role that immersive plays have played in keeping theatre alive during the pandemic, Kamalan tells us about the feedback he’s received. “People told me that online comedy shows and traditional plays were getting monotonous. But here, they were actively engaged. Plus, there is the group wala funda since the audience is divided into teams. So, there is a spirit of competitiveness that we got brownie points for,” he says. But what will the key takeaway for the audience for Unusual Suspect be? “Well, they will have to use a part of the brain that usually lies dormant.”
On: Today, 7 pm
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Cost: Rs 249
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