Theatre Meanderings Up Close & Far Away Part 3: Virtual Creativity & The Power of Art
April 14, 2020 5:27:09 PM IST Deepa Punjani
In India and around the world, artistes are finding ways to keep in touch with their art even as many are going through a period of upheaval and hardship. New ways to connect virtually are being explored and new rhythms are being set. Naturally, these cannot be substituted for the physical contact that artistes need to work and create together, or for the essentially live experience that is intrinsic to and definitive of the performing arts. But in these times, the online outlet, patchy, uneven, and hurried as it can get, is perhaps more about sustaining the artistic community, while offering some form of creative nourishment and respite.
In Parts 1 and 2 of this series I spoke of select online resources for theatre and performance ranging from websites to podcasts. In this part I bring you some digital initiatives of creativity and solidarity from the UK and from India.
Also included is a heart-lifting essay about the power of art to overcome a pandemic, taking inspiration from Boccaccio and Shakespeare, among others, and not least from Steven Soderberg's heavily streamed film Contagion.
To begin with...
Gareth Malone's THE GREAT BRITISH HOME CHORUS
Choir singing ranges from the professional to the amateur. As a form of communal singing, choral ensembles reinforce a sense of community and kinship, which is also why they are recommended as activities for mental health. British choirmaster and broadcaster Gareth Malone came up with the idea of a home choir that singers from around the UK can participate in from their homes by following some simple tech instructions. Filling up as an idea for rehearsal spaces that can no longer be accessed the guided sessions led by Malone begin with warm-ups followed by more detailed instructions but which keep up the spirit of engagement and collaboration. This is the first of its kind virtual choir that is being hosted by Decca Records on YouTube.
Personally, this is a great takeaway idea for even theatre artistes, especially voice trainers who can formulate similar sessions to help actors. An online rehearsal space can be created for a production team to work simultaneously together, at least as a stepping board to read and ideate, if nothing more ambitious.
Rain or sunshine, war or pandemic, and any other binary you can think of, there is always Shakespeare. Robert Myles, actor, writer, director, has initiated live streaming of dramatised readings of Shakespeare's plays using the more-than-ever popular app Zoom with actors mainly from the UK and the USA. All of Shakespeare's plays will be read with weekly readings scheduled on Wednesdays, 7 pm British Standard Time and 11 am Pacific Standard Time, which would be around 11.30 pm, Indian Standard Time. The readings are preceded by introductions of the cast and a good introduction to the play. Viewers are encouraged to pick on the characteristics and tropes familiar to Shakespeare's work. The performances are a mixed bag but the initiative certainly presents itself as an opportunity to present Shakespeare in a manner that is collaborative and accessible.
CORONAVIRUS THEATRE CLUB by Sam Neale, Brian Lonsdale and Michael Blair
You can find the Coronavirus Theatre Club on Twitter. Meant to encourage writers, actors and directors to continue to work and create, this online venture by artistes from Newcastle, has been receiving a good response since it has been formed. The club live streams five monologues every Sunday at 7 pm British Standard Time (around 11 pm IST) and is contemplating doing more than monologues.
The monologues like the Shakespeare readings above are recorded and can be accessed after they are streamed.
21 DIN, 20 RAAT by Studio Tamaasha
Studio Tamaasha's "21 Din, 20 Raat", is a carefully thought-through digital initiative on YouTube that has collated material from actual interviews during the lockdown and has dramatised the content in a 6-part docudrama format. The performances are solid and the content engaging as well as telling of the times we find ourselves in. Two episodes of this series are already up for viewing. Writer-director Sapan Saran is working with project head Sunil Shanbag and editor Satyam Sai for this initiative.
CORONA THEATRE by Yugandhar Deshpande
This initiative on Instagram has performers reading poems, narrating stories, singing songs, etc. Watch actor-director Sudeep Modak read out O'Henry's short story 'The Cactus' and actor Ajitesh Gupta sing a famous bhajan by Tukdoji Maharaj. Interestingly, Ajitesh is not a native Marathi speaker. And, there's more to explore.
AALAAP CONCEPTS by Aalaap
Aalaap is a Chennai-based arts consultancy and management organisation. Founded by Akhila Krishnamurthy in 2013, Aalap mainly works with classical dancers and musicians. Aalap collaborates with artistes in multiple ways and talks to them through its editorial initiative The Q's. Aalap Concepts on Instagram has featured music and abhinay sessions.
Finally...
The essay by Canadian writer Heather O'Neill that all artistes and all those who care for art must read:
*Deepa Punjani has been writing on theatre and reviewing it over two decades. She represents the Indian National Section of the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC). As a professional lawyer, she is focused on media and entertainment law. Her freelance journalism also includes legal journalism.
