Glimpses Into Practice: An Inlaks Theatre Showcase

‘Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.’ - Bertolt Brecht

Who better to shape our reality than young theatre practitioners? In a world that often seems without recourse, hope lies in the voices of the young, the stories they decide to tell, and how they commit to act.

aPurpleHeart, Vardhan Deshpande, Janhavi Marathe, Bhavya Rampal, Anukriti Mishra and Pranjal Vaid are theatre practitioners recently supported by Inlaks. They have spent the last year in rigorous training, honing their craft as well as how they think about theatre and its applications.

On 2nd December 2023, at an event held at Harkat Studios, Andheri, we brought them together and witnessed them bring their interpretations of themselves, those around them and the society they occupy. Read on for a brief glimpse into their stirring performances and presentations.

aPurpleHeart
aPurpleHeart’s piece, titled ‘Clown Without a Nose’, was set in a world where unfamiliar things are forbidden, where voices of individuals are not yet formed. In this world a story unfurled – a story of someone who is lost and feels the burden of intellect and knowledge as well as the frustration of living in an environment where vulnerability is feared. She resorted to investigating a lingering laughter of her inner space about all this, and how that path leads her to reform her conditioning and find her way back to herself.

Vardhan Deshpande

While working as a storyteller, Vardhan realized how stories can give hope in times of despair. This realisation about the role of stories sparked further interest in a technique called drama therapy, which deals with healing of traumas, psychosomatic disorders and other diseases with the help of drama, play and theatre. Vardhan’s presentation offered a peek into this technique.

Janhavi Marathe

Janhavi’ s piece, called ‘Jo Aha So Aha’, followed the journey of a soldier navigating their way through their first day at work, curious about the experiences and stories that lay in store for them. As the piece progressed, the soldier waited, longed, observed, questioned and sang about the realisations and reflections which the events of that day offered. As the piece came to an end, the soldier had an ‘aha’ moment, a marvellous discovery about one's life and oneself.

Bhavya Rampal

Titled 'Night Charges', this piece, set inside an auto rickshaw, explored the idea of space. The piece was partially inspired by Ravish Kumar’s book ‘Ishq me Shahar Hona’, which narrates an endearing ordeal of finding space in Delhi, and partially by his own lived experiences. It also drew inspiration from living in this dystopian fantasy which is present day India, where the courts of law offer bestseller material in the 'Absurd' genre. The story followed one such instance of absurdity of a couple constantly looking for space.

Anukriti Mishra

In this piece, Anukriti explored her life in Delhi and Mumbai, her relationship with her mother, and her grief. Through drama and an intelligent use of humor, she painted a poignant portrait of her mother, her relationship with her, and the myriad shades of grief that accompanied it.

Pranjal Vaid

Pranjal’s piece, called ‘Uncle Dance’ was his first solo experiment, where he borrowed from his own personal struggles with patriarchy and with dance. It was an enquiry into the quintessential uncle and the role of power and security in relationships and on the dance floor. The piece also aimed to question whether we are really unlearning the toxic ideas of masculinity or learning to just mask better.

To know more about the Theatre Award, visit our website here.