To the layman, going to the theatre entails sitting back in your seat and watching a story unravel on stage. And through it all, we search for bits that relate to our own lives, rejoicing in these similarities. Playback theatre, one of the most complex versions of the art form, gives you a story that's completely yours. Here, you're no mere spectator but the source of the story itself. What results is actors putting their chops to the test as they enact personal stories that have been thrown at them by the audience. "It's an interactive format where the audience is the director and the actors listen and improvise their stories by adding their own touches to it," explains Dr Radhika Jain, co-founder, First Drop Theatre.
Radhika, who comes from an academic background - she did her PhD in molecular biology in Germany - began First Drop Theatre in 2016 with her husband, Bejoy Balagopal. He juggles two worlds, writing and directing plays for his theatre group and doing his day job as a senior project manager at InMobi.
Radhika, who entered academic research never could give up on her old passion and spent her weekends watching plays. She couldn't contain this restlessness too long and in time, quit her job to follow her passion full time. She met her husband through their interest in improve and interactive theatre. "The first drop of rain always holds the promise of something new and fresh. Our journey to the arts is a lot like this, hence the name," says Radhika.
First Drop Theatre accommodates both scripted as well as improv theatre performances. Their last improv (playback) performance, "If I could…" garnered a wonderful response. Recently, during a performance at the Bangalore Hospice Trust, an old nurse came forward to talk about a relationship he had shared with an old patient. "He was taking care of this man all through but one morning, he came to work to find the patient had left with his son, without so much as a word of goodbye. It was a difficult moment for him and he re-lived it that day with us. He was very touched to see the performance," Radhika says.
Through these playback performances, First Drop Theatre is trying to create a space where people connect with others and themselves through stories. "In a world where we so easily get lost in the rat-race, playback helps people to switch away from their virtual screens and connect with other people," said Radhika as she tells about the diverse backgrounds of the members of the group. "All of them are not from theatre backgrounds; more than performers I would say most of them are listeners who like to engage with people."
With the upcoming performance they will recreate the stories of unbelievable luck, coincidence and possible blunders as they tell stories filled with nostalgia and learning. "We often hear the phrase, 'can you believe it'? We all had those moments of joy, fear, sorrow and anger - now they bring us together."
