In this year's message for World Theatre Day for the International Theatre Institute, Pakistani playwright Shahid Naedem writes, "Theatre has a role, a noble role, in energising and mobilising humanity to lift itself from its descent into the abyss." A day ahead, Makarand Deshpande and wife Nivedita Pohankar are reading aloud Peter Shaffer's dramatic work, Equus, to each other. There is no audience and there will be none this time. As theatres in the city lie desolate in wake of the lockdown, save for a ghost light, a rare beacon of hope and a promise of return. Theatre doesn't stop, they tell us; it changes forms. "We are all living theatre at the moment and improvising each day. It's like performing on stage except for an audience of one. In this case, my husband," says actor-director Trishla Patel who is keeping a lockdown diary, documenting her days. "Every day looks the same but isn't," she says hoping to use the material for a script in the future.

Inspiration in isolation

Patel isn't the only one using the lockdown for inspiration. Rupesh Tillu, clowning expert, is already brainstorming for a devised piece that will feature a clown duo in quarantine. "Artistes are a product of their environment. The writing process is therapeutic and the laughter, a release from the emotional turmoil we are all going through at the moment. We will begin rehearsals when we can finally get together. For now, it's the phone and WhatsApp groups," he shares. Akarsh Khurana of Akvarious Productions echoes the sentiment suggesting it is great fodder for a production. "Only yesterday, we were discussing an idea based on a couple in lockdown and the toll it takes on their relationship. But, we don't know how unique it will stay by the time this is over," he says. While the premiere of a new play at NCPA stands postponed, Khurana is working towards a theatre festival in December to mark 20 years of the theatre group.