Park, Rangashankara. 3:30, August 23

Park, Rangashankara, Bangalore, 3:30, August 23

There was enough audience for a lazy Sunday afternoon. I noticed that the streets were quite deserted on my way to Rangashankara. I reached in time, and got myself a comfortable spot.

Justifying the title of the play, the props on the stage had just three benches. The first character to walk on to the stage was someone who didn’t look too comfortable with the stage. The next person looked too shabby to be on stage. I was kind of put off by the appearances of the actors and the initial set-up on stage. The third person was a known face and it was relief to some animation and curiosity being developing...

While this whole play was warming up, I noticed someone, a dainty, erudite girl sitting where I was sitting yesterday, with her hands behind her head, just like I had mine. She was seated next an elderly person, wearing Indian traditional wear. The play by now had some element of humor, background music and satire being infused...At the same time it was intriguing to see the response and effect the play had on the lady. I paid close attention to both to what was happening on stage and the response it evoked...It was quite intriguing.

So this play to the erudite girl, who resembled Arundhati Roy and for making me see beyond the presentation and appearance of the actors...

Six Degrees of Separation

Rangashankara, Bangalore, August 22, Six Degrees of Separation

As one of the characters in the play says - I read somewhere that everybody on this planet is separated by only six other people. Six degrees of separation between us and everyone else on this planet.


For me it was after a long hiatus I saw some of the known faces from the Bangalore Theater circuit. Two years back there were more of these amateur theater groups which did a good show often, then their numbers started dwindling...

During the initial fifteen minutes it looked the actors were lost amongst themselves with no attempt to involve the audience, and whatever pretext they did their monologue with the audience, it sounded quite phony. But by the time 'Paul' talks about catcher in the rye and being phony, the characters built their rapport with the audience or at least me from the audience.

Paul in one of the scenes says, I was happy and added sex to it. Is that wrong?
I noticed there was a 'firang' couple well past their youth, and the lady looked into the eyes of the man. She then shyly put her head on his shoulder. I lost two minutes of what happened on stage, but those are rare moments you get to see...

A funny incident happened post the play, I had ordered for an omelet toast, and had gone to answer the missed calls on my phone. The toast was ready, and the guy had been calling out for last five minutes I was too embarrassed to answer his call from the other end of the cafe. By the time I walked to the counter one of the actors from the play, was handed over the toast. That's when the guy spotted me, took the toast and gave it to me, and gave me the look 'why sir'? I was too embarrassed by the whole scene, the other actors who had gathered to have a bite, laughed out loud on the plight of their fellow mate. I just mumbled 'sorry for the disappointment' and walked by....