BWW Blog: Vidushi Mehra - LIVES OF OTHERS - A Play That Invites You To Be a Part of the Process
By: Guest Blogger: Vidushi Mehra Apr. 25, 2017
These are fascinating times to be a theatre artist in Delhi. The city is as famous for its nuances as it is for being the art and culture capital of the country. As a growing number of younger people get inspired and intrigued by performing arts, one finds the city and its stories constantly reinventing themselves too. For an artist, living in Delhi, everyday is a great experience as one comes across a different idea, a unique concept, a historically significant tale to tell and well,its not uncommon to find an engaging audience eager to watch a story told with a lot of love and honesty.
So, this summer if you are longing to experience something different in Delhi or are tired of being sidelined to the role of 'the audience'? Then head to the Oddbird Theatre and Foundation on the 18, 19, 20th of May for a unique theatre experience produced by the dynamic duo who successfully revived Sir David Hare's seminal play 'Skylight' (Dec, Feb 2016-2017) in this nations fair capital to enraptured audiences.
Join the creative duo of Vidushi Mehra and Samar Sarila for a truly special evening in which you will experience a 30-min play titled Lives of Others, written by Samar Sarila , a first ever theatrical collaboration/association with Airbnb , a collaborative piece of work by actors. The collaboration itself has an interesting backstory. As many of you may know that Airbnb is now promoting and selling experiences for their traveler/guest, a first of its kind launched recently in India. A traveler can sign up for an experience under any category of lifestyle: art, fashion, food, music, cinema, walk down someone's old home look at their collection of photos, go to a village with a musician and understand the nuances of folk music . Or take a stroll through a designer's factory to see the journey of a garment from its inception on the drawing board to it's sale point. As long as the the experience is immersive, personal and enjoyable. Similarly Samar my business partner and I presented an idea to Airbnb (as surprisingly they didn't have a vertical in theatre ). We asked them if they would be interested in crafting together an experience with us for their guests. And well, the idea translated into a concept. A concept that will not require the audience to just view and appreciate performances but to be fully involved in the play. After the show, what will follow is a Q&A with the actors and a theatre workshop conducted by one of the actors in the play. The workshop will consist of exercises used by directors at the rehearsal stage of a production: an insight to how a director builds confidence, communication vulnerability in his actors. Audience participation is recommended. Recommended but not obligatory.
The short play which kick starts the evening will demonstrate how light and sound influence an audience's perception of what is being said on stage. An organic, collaborative, narrative experience not to be missed. Come share the experience with others, make friends with strangers, discover a new venue, witness determination and surprise yourself. Come and be moved by one such experiment. Enter with abandonment. Exit with confidence.
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