Intimacy at Play

A STRONG breeze kept disrupting as the set for Q Theatre Production’s Nostalgia Brand Chewing Gum was being put up. On the Saturday evening,by the time the play was performed,marking the opening of Temperance Rooftop Theatre,it had become a lot gentler. It was pleasant enough to keep the 80-odd people cool in the absence of fans and air conditioners and focus on the actors.

At Temperance,a four-storey culture hub in a posh Bandra neighbourhood off Carter Road,the city’s theatrewallahs found a new venue to showcase their work. In the middle of the terrace,a stage was demarcated by white tape. It was surrounded by two rows of viewers on chairs and some more on mattresses. The setting was intimate. And if a comparison is to be made,it was more intimate than the sought-after Prithvi Theatre. The actors had moved closer to the viewers. Such proximity was enough to arouse a bout of guilty pleasure when Siddhant Karnick aka Bob from the play took off his tee — revealing his muscular body. Each time Freishia B,who played the role of Natasha,had her wine glass refilled,one could smell its tempting aroma. The frustration of Tariq Vasudeva,too,became much more palpable.

The line between the audience and actors further blurred when Quasar occupied a corner table to operate the lights,or when the actors retreated to a little wing enclosed by black curtains,which served as the backstage. The audience had become part of the performance. And from my vantage position,I could watch the expression of most viewers. Inadvertently,I found myself scanning their faces in between scenes.

Summer might threaten the plan of having regular shows on this rooftop. From what we hear,they are planning to host a season of plays once the monsoon is over. In a city where space for theatre is pitifully limited,this can be a feasible alternative,especially if one plans to draw the crowds that gather at Carter Road in the weekends. Theatrewallas can chew on that.