To stage mime plays is challenging, for reasons obvious. One, you cannot communicate verbally. And, yet you have to convey to the audience what the play is all about. Gestures, facial expressions come in handy. Non-verbal communication dates back to the era when the spoken languages were yet to developed. And, once we learnt to speak and communicate through words, mime became a form of entertainment. Remember Charlie Chaplin’s acts in the era of silent films? 

On stage, there emerged two distinct types — literal and abstract. The former had a plot with characters, usually aimed at creating humorous situation. As far as abstract is concerned, it doesn’t have either. This Sunday, watch three mime plays, which try to adhere to these types, in their productions. The plays namely Plan B, Rabbit Hole and Nakkashi, debuted in Maunaantar 2019, a mime-play competition, held this year. 

Here’s more about them...
THE LOST WORLD
Rabbit Hole, a Maharashtra Cultural Centre (MCC) production, has been written by Manjiri Bhuskute and directed by both Bhuskute and Mihir Oak. Oak, who has been associated with MCC for last year and a half, says, “The things and objects that we have lost in the physical or real world, find their way to a world, where lost objects turn up. The Rabbit Hole is all about what needs to be done to come out of that space. The protagonist of the play is a detective (played by Bhuskute). One incident in her childhood triggers her curiosity to find out where all the lost things land up. Soon she gets a case and goes in search of a lost man and gets ‘lost’ herself. What happens to her forms the crux of the play. Also we have metaphorically related the play to the BrainVita game, where at the end, the player is left with only one marble.” 

It took them a month and a half to work on this play. Bhuskute says, “We experimented with props and costumes in Rabbit Hole since this is an abstract play. In one scene, the actors became the cupboard. We have also tried to create a human maze as well as a human structure of the game Brainvita. We also used foreshadowing flashback techniques, which means leaving hints in the play to indicate what might happen next.” 

IN THE NAME OF GOD
Nakkashi has been conceptualised and directed by the students of MIT - World Peace University (WPU). It has been written and directed by Neeraj Garud, a final year engineering student. 

Garud says, “The play is set in the prehistoric period and is about a female stone carver. She enters a less learned community and teaches them the art form. Her intention is to give a meaning to their life, but the head of that community dislikes it and sends her off. He takes advantage of these people and claims to be their god. The bottom line here is the forceful autocracy created due to misconceptions about god.” 

This play won second position in Maunaantar along with first position for direction and music. 

He adds, “When we were preparing for Maunaantar, we decided to stage the play in an era where language didn’t exist, instead of working on a story and presenting it in a mime format.” The central characters are played by Riya Danve, Ojas Deshpande and Abha Tamhankar.

COMEDY OF ERRORS
Confluence, a city-based theatre group, is presenting Plan B. It has been written by Swapnil Bhave and Shubham Gije and directed by Nilesh Nighojkar. 

Gije says, “The play is a murder mystery but with a touch of confusion that results in comedy. A serial killer with a token name M-16 gets a contract for murdering a girl. The tricks he uses to kill her, entangles more people in the situation. The play reveals as to why it is named Plan B.” 

Gije who wrote eight plays of different genres till date, adds, “We wanted to write on confusion created due to many characters and the comedy it creates at the end. Also, Swapnil, Nilesh and I had never dealt with comedy before and so we thought of trying it this time.” The central characters are played by Gandharva Gulavelkar and Aditi Devlankar.

ST READER SERVICE
The three mime plays will be staged at Bharat Natya Mandir on November 17 from 9.30 am onwards. The event is ticketed