AALAP THEATRE

• ALAAP THEATRE
  
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• When I started confronting audience in open air in my performance. they often come forward to take part in some action or participated in some dialogue. We have many outstanding experiences about those thing. In 84,when I got the book of Augusto Boal in my hand, I came to know about almost similar experiences is being done by him also. The book was thrilling. I started realizing, in my theatre what happens some time, not obvious. But in Boal’s theatre its deliberate. It is made to force audience to interact. I decided to work on it. Meanwhile, I saw some of the work of Boals disciples here in India. Those seemed to me just the poor try to copying his work. After seeing this, one can decide not to interact with this form any more. Interestingly, It is not the fault of the form, but the understanding his form. I believe Theatre is very much region specific. It needs to be Indianised.I started working on it. And slowly it started taking shape through trial and error method. Our country is living within Culture of Silence. We are very shy to express our wishes directly. We love to seat on the last bench. We like not to talk first. If I am forced to say, I repeat the former friend’s speech. So, we need a different methodology to force them to talk. Indians are very emotional .And I work in this area. I generally take a social or political issue which has a great concern on our society. My Oppressed person/s are about to take decision of committing suicide. And then, Sutradhar stops it and starts asking suggestions from audience. Among many suggestions, the sutradhar chooses one and asks the actors to improvise the scene. Here within the actors have a secret contract not to solve the problem. And then sutradhar again asks for next suggestions from them. And it continues till it finds a saturation.