Theatre reflects life
Raghav Ramful
By Raghav Ramful
Published on 4th July, 2008
Theatre is an artistic expression that reflects truthfully some aspects of life. It can project shortcomings and raise awareness about issues affecting the society. It might not necessarily solve society’s problems, but it can definitely stimulate thoughtprovoking ideas.
Theatre is otherwise sheer entertainment. With the ongoing National Drama Festival in some 10 languages and theatre groups from other countries visiting Mauritius on and off, Mauritians are surely and steadily waking up to this unique art form.
Simon Ingram-Hill, Director of the British Council in Mauritius, told News on Sunday that theatre, through the medium of language and actions, is an act of communicating ideas in a powerful way which gets people to think and react which is at the same time very different from cinema.
“Theatre draws people in and gets the audience to interact. You feel energised and elevated after watching a play. You feel like sharing what you grasped from the play with others. It might be an idea about climate change, slavery, or any other thing.
Theatre can take various forms that bring in various interpretations of any one subject or issue,” he says.
In Mauritius, there are wonderful platforms for theatrical performances like the Port Louis Theatre, the Plaza, which are among the oldest ones in the southern hemisphere, and the Serge Constantin Theatre.
Ingram-Hill says that it would be interesting to see more people coming to watch plays and realise the relevance that theatre might have in their lives.
He adds that it would be wise to promote theatre through drama clubs in schools, and maybe through local groups that already exist.
“There are quite a lot of theatre people out here but there is a lot more that could be done to encourage people into theatre. Interaction between performers from other countries and local ones could result in sharing of ideas for mutual gain,” says Ingram-Hill.
Cause-based theatre may not necessarily and directly change society. It can pave the way for a change; change people’s opinions. It can sensitise people to stand up for many issues.
Theatre is a democratic approach that can usher in progressive social and political changes.
Mojisola Adebayo, theatre performer, writer and director who recently performed in Mauritius in a play, ‘Moj of the Antarctic’ explains that theatre has the capacity to explore the big themes or the big issues in life ranging from conflict in the family to climate change.
“It is the most natural art form of all art forms to debate human issues. The potential to really have an interaction with the audience also offers a lot of scope to communicate and send clear messages,” she says.
As in forum theatre, says Mojisola, one can quickly see instant changes in the audience - often with this kind of theatre when people come up to you after the play and make comments and see a subject from a completely different perspective.
However, she says it is hard to measure change among people in general but a lot easier to measure change in one’s own personal life as an artist. “If theatre can change my life as an artist, it can certainly bring change in others as well,” says Mojisola.
Simon Ingram-Hill, Director of the British Council in Mauritius, told News on Sunday that theatre, through the medium of language and actions, is an act of communicating ideas in a powerful way which gets people to think and react which is at the same time very different from cinema.
“Theatre draws people in and gets the audience to interact. You feel energised and elevated after watching a play. You feel like sharing what you grasped from the play with others. It might be an idea about climate change, slavery, or any other thing.
Theatre can take various forms that bring in various interpretations of any one subject or issue,” he says.
In Mauritius, there are wonderful platforms for theatrical performances like the Port Louis Theatre, the Plaza, which are among the oldest ones in the southern hemisphere, and the Serge Constantin Theatre.
Ingram-Hill says that it would be interesting to see more people coming to watch plays and realise the relevance that theatre might have in their lives.
He adds that it would be wise to promote theatre through drama clubs in schools, and maybe through local groups that already exist.
“There are quite a lot of theatre people out here but there is a lot more that could be done to encourage people into theatre. Interaction between performers from other countries and local ones could result in sharing of ideas for mutual gain,” says Ingram-Hill.
Cause-based theatre may not necessarily and directly change society. It can pave the way for a change; change people’s opinions. It can sensitise people to stand up for many issues.
Theatre is a democratic approach that can usher in progressive social and political changes.
Mojisola Adebayo, theatre performer, writer and director who recently performed in Mauritius in a play, ‘Moj of the Antarctic’ explains that theatre has the capacity to explore the big themes or the big issues in life ranging from conflict in the family to climate change.
“It is the most natural art form of all art forms to debate human issues. The potential to really have an interaction with the audience also offers a lot of scope to communicate and send clear messages,” she says.
As in forum theatre, says Mojisola, one can quickly see instant changes in the audience - often with this kind of theatre when people come up to you after the play and make comments and see a subject from a completely different perspective.
However, she says it is hard to measure change among people in general but a lot easier to measure change in one’s own personal life as an artist. “If theatre can change my life as an artist, it can certainly bring change in others as well,” says Mojisola.
Audience participation
Unlike other theatre approaches which follow a one-way message delivery mechanism or collect feedback after the performance, Forum Theatre follows a live and runtime feedback mechanism that allows viewers to express opinions during the play and for characters to change their roles according to public reaction. This unique characteristic of Forum Theatre was explored at a workshop with Arts Officers from the Minstry of Arts and Culture conducted by Mojisola Adebayo last week.
Each play begins with a story on a local issue and in the local language. The first performance ends with a negative conclusion followed by an interactive discussion on the problems. Then the same play is performed again, but this time the audience has an opportunity to interrupt during the play, protest or demand changes in the roles of the characters. Audiences have to justify with substantive reasons their demands for change and final decisions are taken based on group consensus.
Finally, it is the audience that gets to determine the end of the story and in most cases the negative story becomes a positive one.
The workshop participants discovered that the importance of this kind of approach is two fold: first, it reminds people of existing local negative practices; secondly, it raises awareness about how things could be changed positively.
In Mauritius, says a participant, audiences are very passive but this is changing gradually with the new forms of theatre to which they are exposed. “If the actors on stage do not incite us to shout or sing along, we would not give in because we are a shy lot. Even as actors, we have a tendency to be very meticulous and have everything pre-planned. We are not spontaneous as such, and this is fading gradually. We as actors have to be bold enough to take the initiative and bring change in our plays that would draw our audience to think more, and more importantly to react to our performances,” she says.
She concludes that theatre has to keep trying to change the world even when results aren't evident. We, as a society, need to speak out and theatre is the best way to get people to listen, identify and not feel alone.
Each play begins with a story on a local issue and in the local language. The first performance ends with a negative conclusion followed by an interactive discussion on the problems. Then the same play is performed again, but this time the audience has an opportunity to interrupt during the play, protest or demand changes in the roles of the characters. Audiences have to justify with substantive reasons their demands for change and final decisions are taken based on group consensus.
Finally, it is the audience that gets to determine the end of the story and in most cases the negative story becomes a positive one.
The workshop participants discovered that the importance of this kind of approach is two fold: first, it reminds people of existing local negative practices; secondly, it raises awareness about how things could be changed positively.
In Mauritius, says a participant, audiences are very passive but this is changing gradually with the new forms of theatre to which they are exposed. “If the actors on stage do not incite us to shout or sing along, we would not give in because we are a shy lot. Even as actors, we have a tendency to be very meticulous and have everything pre-planned. We are not spontaneous as such, and this is fading gradually. We as actors have to be bold enough to take the initiative and bring change in our plays that would draw our audience to think more, and more importantly to react to our performances,” she says.
She concludes that theatre has to keep trying to change the world even when results aren't evident. We, as a society, need to speak out and theatre is the best way to get people to listen, identify and not feel alone.