Mumbai’s Harkat Studios is hosting an audience-led experimental performance this Sunday

An audienceled experiment in empathy disguised as a play Sounds interesting right With all safety protocols in place wersquore in the midst of the second Covid19 wave in Mumbai after all Harkat Studios in Andheri is set to host this unique show on Sunday March 28 Titled lsquoUnshared Childhoodsrsquo the show will be simultaneously performed at and livestreamed from a new and bigger studio spaceConceptualised and designed by Mumbaibased directorwriter Tanvi Shah lsquoUnshared Childhoodsrsquo is not a conventional theatre piece ndash it is interactive and entirely led by the audienceDirector Tanvi ShahInspired by a Gabriel Garciacutea Maacuterquez storyShah says it all began in Glasgow where she was studying for her Masters in 2018 ldquoFor a festival of original works I wanted to design a dramatic experiment in empathy I remember Gabriel Garciacutea Maacuterquezrsquos short story lsquoThe Handsomest Drowned Man in the Worldrsquo I was also struck by the inherent dramatic potential of compound adjectives beginning with lsquounrsquo ndash unheard unsaid unwitnessed unloved unsung ndash because they highlight how all desire seems to come from a place of lackrdquo she saysldquoAs fodder for the piece I offered a provocation ndash I requested people from across the world to send me letters that remained unwritten or unsent by them Writing this letter could be an act of imagination of catharsis of redemption or of remembering Its intended reader could be alive or dead known or unknown to the writers That was the first phase of the project ndash collecting letters from across the worldrdquo Shah says ldquoI wonrsquot give away too much about the design but it uses an old teenage game and the romanticised idea of notes in a bottle thrown into the sea It brings audiences to step into the shoes of the writer and their intended recipient It is a game of chance who reads and how it creates great anticipation and excitementrdquoWho wrote the lettersShe says that she received a couple of dozen letters and from that she chose eight ldquoI had shared the concept with some writersrsquo groups on Facebook and got brilliant responses Someone wrote an incredibly emotional letter to her estranged father Some of these are actual unsent physical letters that were in peoplersquos cupboards or email drafts Some people got my message and said they had always wanted to write to someone but hadnrsquot they wrote letter for the projectrdquo says the writerdirector According to her even though these letters are not written by writers yet they have so much dramatic potential especially the things that werenrsquot said Also in the people the people who read them arenrsquot actors All these letters are anonymousEach letter has a themeShah says her team is in the process of ldquocreating the scaffolding for the performancerdquo ldquoThere will be live musicians who will create the base rhythm and the entire atmosphere of the piece We have two musicians ndash Anusha Ramasubramoney and Pushkar Srivatsal ndash who will be lending original music to the piece Each letter has a theme ndash from Marathi lullabies to rockinspired tunes Music is an integral part of the piecerdquo she saysMovement artist Paridnya Kallyanpur a Bharatnatyam dancer will perform lyrical interpretations of each of these letters ldquoEverything is being done to make sure that the people who read out the letters feel supported that they are not in the spotlight and they are not alonerdquo Shah saysSignlanguage supportThis is a multisensorial performance piece and the teams attempt is to make it as homely as possibleThey piece also includes an Indian sign language interpreter Shabina Choudhary She will be performing sign language for the nonhearing community who wish to watch the show ldquoAnd she isnrsquot just interpreting to make it accessible but it is an artistic choice to be part of the actual performance Shersquos absolutely a part of the performancerdquo Shah says ldquoWe are also working with Thotpot Studio who work with the godhadi quilting community and our entire set is a patchwork set This performance piece is multisensorial so there will be food smells in the space ndash the attempt is to seem as homely as possiblerdquoSafety protocolsldquoWe are sanitising the space as much as we can We will be fumigating the space between two shows All audience members will be asked to wear masks There is an eclectic seating arrangement with gaddas and sofas People will not be asked to share seating they will be all given their own spacerdquo says ShahlsquoUnshared Childhoodsrsquo will staged at Harkat Studios and livestreamed simultaneously on March 28 at 430 pm and 730 pm Tickets are available at wwwinsiderin