BENGALURU: University life is supposed to be the most care-free time of our lives. A dramatised reading of the play, Peer Pleasures, traces the life of six students struggling to figure out their lives.
“Youngsters may not have any big responsibilities at that age but they navigate insecurities, relationships, seek stability and are looking for the right path to becoming a full-fledged adult,” says director Karen D’mello. She adds, “When I first read the play, it felt a bit superficial because no character said anything profound. They have everyday colloquial conversations. But by the end of reading through the whole script, you would have got a glimpse into various issues they face.”
A translation of a German play, the story has five characters who talk and a sixth who doesn’t. Their
performance will be less of a play and more akin to a dramatised reading. Something “in between a script reading and a production,” according to Karen.
“Relationships become the central theme. Young adults are constantly searching for love and to be loved. They yearn for something permanent and there is a feeling of, ‘if I don’t do it now, I never will. The audience will be left with the question, do you really have to figure it all out now?,” Karen, artistic director and co-founder of KathaSiyah theatre company.
This is one of the four readings in the fourth edition of German Spotlight, organised by Sandbox Collective in association with Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan. The aim of the event, is to help discover that people around the world have more in common than we think, adds Karen.
If the college-going audience responds well to the 55-minute performance, the group plans to take it to colleges. While practising, the director urges her team to not judge or think of the youth as immature.
“I asked the actors not to be dismissive or think of students as superficial. This means we believe we have matured. However, everyone is insecure, does not want to be lonely and is figuring out their purpose. It’s just that we think we have matured with age,” she shares.
The team consists of Honey Raza, Nisha Abdulla, Pranay Pandey, Sneha Ram, Vishnu Narain and Sunayana Premchander. The event is on June 30, at 7 pm in Max Mueller Bhavan. Entry: Free