Corona tales: Theatre artists get dramatically digital

Action doesn’t stop when it comes to performing arts in the Capital. Amid the Covid-19 crisis, theatre practitioners have taken to acting, narrating and even conducting workshops on social media, during the quarantine period.

The lockdown has been extended now, and theatre artists in Delhi-NCR have decided to not wait for the time when their audience can see them take to the stage, again. Joining the bandwagon of the online brigade, to entertain their regular patrons, these performers have taken to act, narrate and even conduct workshops on social media, during quarantine.

Actor-singer Nisa Shetty is busy coordinating for talk series and other events that Delhi-based Akshara Theatre is conducting through its social media, amid lockdown.

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Most theatre artists are dependent on live shows for their bread and butter, and are therefore going through a financial crunch at this time. “Our actors and directors will be discussing about facing this crisis,” says actor-singer Nisa Shetty, who is the director of operations at Akshara Theatre, adding, “We are conducting a talk series with our theatre actors, directors, comedians and others on social media. They will share their journey, experiences, and nuances of theatre. We will also launch a poetry series in both English and Hindi. In addition to all this, there will be live yoga calisthenics, workshops and music as well.”

Theatre director-writer Feisal Alkazi says, “I have been working on two plays, one is from a Pakistan and another is American, and both are women-oriented pieces. Once these are ready, I will be taking them online.”

For some, it’s also the belief of staying in practice that is driving them online. Take for instance Samarth Theatre Group. Sandeep Rawat, it’s founder, says, “For an artist, it’s important to have consistency in his or her performance. We want to be ready once we are back in the field, and it’s for the same that we are conducting online workshops with our group and even others who are interested in theatre. Around 50 theatre enthusiasts join us at any given time, for the free workshop, and it’s the only way to sail through these times.”

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Anurupa Roy, managing trustee, Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust, says, “We are coming up with a five week programme so every weekend we’ll have a performance. We have chosen some of our popular shows that will be showcased and discussed during these five weeks. There will also be webinars and workshops. The webinars have a registration fee, and when people pay for them, that fee will be donated to the communities who are facing a financial crisis.” The details of the shows are available on the group’s social media pages.

To add some international flavour to your theatrical experience, you can also log on to the Facebook page of National Theatre Live, which telecasts full length plays from the West. Have fun, theatre lovers!

Author tweets @ruchikagarg271