I have just spent a week in our nation’s capital, and was struck by the key difference between it and my own maximum city – Space. Delhi is a large sprawling town, while Mumbai is densely packed where real estate is at a premium.
This difference is immediately reflected on the work on offer. Theatre in Mumbai is primarily confined to formal theatres. The only exceptions are the odd staging at a bookstore or Art gallery. Delhi on the other hand, has boasted of some of the most brilliant site specific work in the country. Purana Qila is often used as a venue staging memorable productions of Tughlaq, Andha Yug and many others. Amir Raza Hussain created his magnum opuses — Legend of Ram and The 50 Day War — first in the open grounds of NCR, before moving them to Mumbai. It’s not that Delhi does not have its own share of wonderful formal theatres, but the city’s attitude towards space appears far more “generous”. The managers of these locations seem more open to performances happening there.
This was most evident last week. There were two exciting site specific pieces that were happening almost simultaneously.
In the heart of the city, French Ambassador’s threw open his residence for Gates to India Song (GTIS). A show based on two texts by Marguerite Duras and helmed by French director Eric Vigner. And on the road to Gurgaon, at the idyllic Zorba, The Buddha Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale, directed by Neel Chaudhari and Anirudh Nair was staged.
While GTIS was played conventionally in other metros, in Delhi the action began in the courtyard of the residence; then moved to a beautiful marble room; before culminating in the chimney room, which opened onto the garden where the audience sat. The audience were seamlessly guided from one room to the next by one of the actors. The experience was made even more special since a large part of the action takes place in the French Ambassador’s Calcutta (now Kolkata) residence of the 1930s.
Meanwhile, Winter’s Tale experience used most of the Zorba venue. While GTIS was an indoor experience, Winter’s was an outdoor one; starting in the round before moving to various structures of the campus, making use of the walkways, gardens and even ponds. What was most encouraging was that both shows were in high demand. Although seating was limited (as is the case with most site-specific work), there were plenty trying to squeeze into the venues. Managers of both shows tried desperately to fit in an extra chair or two wherever they could. The same week, two shows in the conventional Kamani theatre decided to use space unconventionally. Bengaluru’s Gasha and our own So Many Socks. Both ignored the formal seating arrangement and put the entire audience on stage with the actors; creating a unique and intimate theatre experience in an otherwise distancing theatre. Despite the uncomfortable seating, both shows were very well received, and the audience seemed more involved because of their proximity to the action. These performances were also packed to capacity.
Clearly this is a new trend, providing experiences that are unique and making use of the fact that actors and audience share the same live space. An old proscenium theatre simply recreates the “cinema experience”, dividing performers and audience; while a show in the round or with the audience on three sides, or with the audience moving is a far more experiential experience. There is greater give and take between the work and its viewer.
Perhaps that is where the future of live theatre is headed: out of formal auditoriums and into newer spaces.