Space for More

On Thursday evening,the venue of playwright P Chandrashekhar’s play,Kashi Ki Lanka,witnessed some pre-event commotion. Due to confusion on entry time,the venue changed from Phase 3 of Rock Garden to Phase 1. But for Chandrashekhar,the move from the stage to the concrete was effortless. “We only had to walk from one part to another and carry on with our act,’’ smiles the 30-year-old,who is creating a space for alternative theatre in the city,which has no space constraints. His productions are designed to be minimalistic. There are no sets,props,costumes,lights or any kind of recorded music. The emphasis is on a solid script and powerful acting. “There are no marked spaces here and there is room for innovation,’’ agrees Chandrashekhar,fondly referred to as Shekhar ‘Natakwala’.

Based on Kashinath Singh’s story,Kashi Ki Lanka,the attempt of alternative theatre,adds Shekhar,is to present to the audience stories which reflect our times,talk about social,political,spiritual and emotional circumstances that we face here and now. For instance,Kashi Ki Lanka,takes the audience to Lanka,a small town in Benaras and shows its changing face. It also shows how in the process of physical and emotional development,we are losing the ability and need to communicate with each other,except perhaps materialistically. The physical spaces where people sit and get together,get replaced by commercial establishments. “There’s a breakdown in communication between human beings,’’ reflects Chandrashekhar.

Working with folk forms of theatre,with extensive work in Nepal and Bihar,Chandrashekhar,a pass-out of the Department of Indian Theatre,first explored the form of alternative theatre at a seminar at the Vivekananda Study Centre at Panjab University (PU). The seminar was on the concept of development in Indian tradition and Chadrashekhar and his actors performed a play on the same theme in lunch hall. Moving from table to table,the actors created space as they went along with the performance. “It was a sudden play and the actors got up from the audience and played their parts with live music. The audience was simply spellbound,’’ he gushes. The actors rehearsed only for two days and were instructed by Chandrashekhar to “keep it simple and direct.”

“In alternative theatre,the play has space to evolve and it allows one to be innovative,that too on a budget,” quips Shekhar,who produced a play for the Department of Philosophy,PU,as teachers there wanted a theatrical performance,to make students understand the various theories taught to them. They performed a play,Who Am I,which delves into identitiy and weaves relevant themes of philosophy. Chandrashekhar wants to take this play to people’s gardens,terraces,homes,“so they can plan a tea over theatre,” and make it an absorbing evening.

The next show will be held on July 5 at the Community Centre,Phase VII,Mohali