BENGALURU: An NRI couple living in the USA is setting up their recently-purchased home theatre system. The scene plays out, making one believe that the duo is probably planning to watch a movie or the latest TV show...
Until the final revelation shows a live stream of one of their father’s funeral. This is just one of the sketches Yours Truly Theatre is staging as part of their production Sputnik Moments, which looks at how technology impacts our lives.
"We are not judging technology as right or wrong. We just want to show how it has integrated itself into our lives," says Nandini Langeveld Rao, co-founder and artistic director, Yours Truly Theatre.
One of the factors the production focuses on is the futuristic aspect of technology, which it explores through sketches like two brothers who employ Artificial Intelligence powered butlers to communicate with each other, men going on a date with Amazon’s Alexa and more. "There are lots of pieces on the overuse of technology and its future," says Pranav Pathak, one of the actors of the play, who has also directed a sketch.
Given the nature of the theme, the play also influenced the lives of the cast members and crew, with Pathak even admitting that his phone usage has come down from five hours to less than an hour. “I mainly just use it for calling and GPS today.”
Comprising 10 sketches in total, varying over 4-10 minutes long each, the play also looks at the disconnect between people’s online and offline personality, along with the numbing effect an overload of news and information causes. “Climate change and influence of tech on humans are need of the hour topics. They’re bigger than issues related to borders or religion,” says Rao.
Sputnik Moments will be staged at Ranga Shankara on February 2, at 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm