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 theatre – meets- performances art come together in this play.

Actor M.D.Pallvi  in C Sharp C Blunt

                                                                                                                                                                                             

Every year I go to Pune, which is a cultural centre of Maharastra, to attend the theater festival. A  strong tradition of theatre has been established there over a period. It seems, the people of Pune love theatre more than films.  The legendary actor Balgandharva, Marathi singer and stage actor, was from Maharastra.  Balgandharav’s contribution to marathi theatre 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 wanted to drape saris like BalGandharav and imitate his style. Those plays enriched and established an audience permanently for theatre. Over a period, the people of Pune have developed a refined intellectual taste for the theatre. Continuously, efforts are carried out to contribute to the field with genuine interest from playwrights, actors and the connoisseurs.

Recently, I had been to Pune to watch theatre 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 with the application, 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, 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 how their minds work, 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 actor who performed single on the stage nearly for 75 minutes is also a very talented singer, and this enhances the beauty of the play. Her singing ability also presents a perfect blend of east and west music, a collage, a feature of postmodernism.  The play also indicates the predicament of the women entertainers in the present- day entertainment industry.

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