BENGALURU: The soul of theatre is its ability to connect with a physically present audience. Before March 2019, people would have scoffed at the thought that a day would come when people would watch plays on screens, hold workshops online... All, as a matter of fact. But many in the world of theatre have, in fact, done just that, and to great effect.
Writer and director Divya Karanth, for one, started the online series Nota-Nataka to discuss various aspects of theatre – from writing and direction, to attitudes to women in the arts. She invited popular personalities from the world of arts and theatre to talk about their lives and even touch on issues that affect the profession.
The response to the show was so good, that she’s back with season 2, with the first episode inviting senior theatre artiste S N Seetharam. “Season 1 turned out to be informative for many people, so I thought, ‘Why not come up with another season?’ The second one is more elaborate where the same guests now touch on different topics,” says the founder-director of Bengaluru- based Sarvam Theatre.
Last year, Karanth’s guests included movie actor Babu Hirannaiah, theatre actor PD Sathish Chandra, singer-actor MD Pallavi, and others. The shows are available on Sarvam Theatre’s YouTube channel. “Season 1 of the show explored many topics like the past and present of theatre, technical aspects such as audio production, and even gender issues that female theatre directors face.
And the series was highly appreciated,” says Karanth. The second edition of the show comes when Karnataka is back under lockdown a year on. The last episode was on May 27 featuring film actor and Kannada film writer Rajesh Nataranga who touched on muscle memory in actors. Karanth, who wrote and directed My Wife, Mrs Gandhi some years ago, says she doesn’t want to overdo things on a particular subject. The two seasons of Nota-Nataka are separated by other work such as Goodness Exists. The online series featured small skits on spreading positivity, a much-needed thing as the past year has been tough for all, particularly those who are marginalised.