Modern Theater: C sharp C Blunt, an experimental Indo-German play

Presented by: Flinntheatre

Directed by: Sophia Stepf

Text Collaborators: Swar Thounaojam &Irawati karnik

German Director and German’s Flinntheatre – an indo-German association that explores the areas of digital dramaturgy. Repetition and user choices to create a new hybrid form of theater which  embraces  performance art. 

Actor M.D.Pallvi  in C Sharp C Blunt play

                                                                                                                                                                                             

Every year I go to Pune, which is a cultural center of Maharastra, to attend the theater festival. A  strong tradition of theater has been established there over a period of time. It seems the people of Pune love theater more than films.  The legendary actor Balgandharva, Marathi singer and stage actor, was from Maharastra.  Balgandharav’s contribution to Marathi theater is enormous and commendable. The actor used to play the role of women in the plays as women were not allowed to take part in those days. The plays of Balgandharav were so famous that every woman of that period wanted to drape saris like BalGandharav and imitate his style. Those plays entertained, enriched and established an audience permanently for theater. Over a period, the people of Pune have developed a refined intellectual taste for the theater. with the genuine interest of playwrights, actors and the connoisseurs theater has achieved a distinction. Eminent playwrights like Vijay Tendulkar, P.L.Deshapande, Elekunchwar and Satish Alekar have contributed to the theater movement enormously.

 In 1880, Annasaheb Kirloskar started Kirloskar Natya Mandali, which developed commercial repertories in Marathi Theater and finally it developed into Natak Company. Since then, Marathi has evolved in all respects.

  

Recently, I travelled to Pune to watch theater festival. There I watched two plays. Of the two plays, one was based on Shakespeare’s Mid Summer’s Night, which I had seen at our place earlier. 

The other one named C Sharp C Blunt was an experimental play based on contemporary mobile phone application. What interested me greatly was the whole treatment given to the play. The techno- based language and the involvement of the audience in to the play as if the audience were operating the application themselves, was appalling and reflected the contemporary life.  C sharp C Blunt, the play is based on the concept of the loop, where an electric musician is seen live on the stage and creates and layers loops from the live sound.  This mobile application Shilpa is a popular application of 2013, a software developed to offer the audience the entertainment in flesh and blood. The application behaves the way men desire their women to behave and sing accordingly.  The hidden sexual desires of the users, and cognitive fluctuations, are reflected, and presented in the play, very boldly. The play is in English language and the techno-based language enthralls the audience and involves verbally too. It was just like using the software right there by the audience.  The talented actor M.D.Pallvi from Karnataka who performed single on the stage nearly for 75 minutes is also a very talented singer. she commendably oscillated between eastern and western style singing with ease and elan, and controlled the stage beautifully. A fine blend of eastern and western music in her rich voice reverberated through the hall .  The play also indicates the predicament of the women entertainers in the present- day entertainment industry. the play was spectacular and ended with standing ovation to the actor M.D.Pallavi.

I loved this play because the content is very contemporary and the approach entirely novel. One must see this play.