BANGALORE: The ‘Fourth Wall’, in theatre parlance, is an imaginary ‘wall’ that exists between actors on the stage and the audience.
The artistes pretend that they cannot hear or see the audience and the audience gets to enjoy the play by being a mere spectator.
Although most forms of theatre shy away from acknowledging the existence of the audience, in recent years, a new technique has emerged that invites them to not only interact with the actors but also become a vital part of the play.
This form of theatre called ‘Forum Theatre’, derived from theatre director and writer Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, democratises theatre and allows the audience to actively participate in the play.
Nandini Rao, artistic director of the group Yours Truly Theatre explains, "While the actors express their emotions and creativity on the stage, Forum Theatre also allows the audience to get involved in the play. They are given a chance to intervene and position themselves in the play to suggest different plots and thereby change the course of the play.”
Hence, a member of the audience is not a ‘spectator’ but a ‘spect-actor.’
Elaborating on the way this works, Nandini says, “Each play has two parts to it. The first part is called the ‘Anti-Model’. Here, the actors portray problems that they have experienced in real life but do not offer solutions. Once the actors enact a scene, it is repeated for the audience. At any point, the audience can stop the performance, often a scene in which the protagonist is being oppressed, become the protagonist and suggest a course of action. They have the power to change the outcome of the play.”
She goes on to talk about a play that the group had recently staged called Ramayana Remix which narrated the story of Ram and Sita.
She recounts, “At important junctures like the moment of the Agni Pariksha, the members could stop the play. They could take on the role of Ram or Sita and continue the play the way they wanted to.” Another play that the group is currently working on is called Boys don’t cry, challenging the manly perceptions.
Talking about this play, she says, “Men are not supposed to breakdown and are not allowed to express themselves in the way they want to.
They cannot take up careers which are even remotely considered feminine like being a dancer, a nurse or a steward. Even the way they handle different roles, comes under scrutiny most of the times. We will be breaking these perceptions that the society has created about how men should behave and invite the audience to share their point of view.”
Forum Theatre is like a ‘Rehearsal for Life’ where the audience is stimulated into action and allowed to experiment with their ideas. “We portray realistic scenarios, be it class issues, gender-related issues, domestic violence or regionalism. The audience can identify a solution that works best and learn how to confront them in real life,” Nandini states.
She cites an example of how forum theatre can help with the problem of bullying. “A person being bullied will probably not have the courage to fight his bullies on the spot. But when an actor bullies him, he can confront the actor on the stage and learn different ways to tackle the issue, which he can replicate in real life.”