1) How are commons imagined and negotiated with in developing neighbourhoods? And what role do citizens play in these negotiations?
The genesis for this idea sparked from an incident in our neighbourhood – Sarjapur Road/Bellandur. There is a common pathway that acts as a thoroughfare for daily wage labourers, house help, IT professionals, students and people who mostly travel by public transport or walk to work. One fine day, there was this news about the thoroughfare being cordoned off from one side and that would of course restrict access to people who use it every day. None of us tried to understand why the pathway, which was assumed to be a common patch had suddenly been claimed by someone. Until some of the apartment owners in the vicinity objected and questioned and found out that the pathway is a common area and no one can claim their right over it. The plan was stalled but this incident made us curious about the way that knowledge around land rights and urban commons works in the city. There is a lot of conversation about how we need to question our government and civic authorities but most citizens find it difficult to participate in this process. What are the reasons that make us look away from a civic issue? Is it lack of will, fear of retribution and/or responsibility or just lack of knowledge about the commons? And this led us to think about designing a project centered around the role of citizens‟ civic participation in urban issues.
2) How can theatrical performances examine the relationship between a performance and an audience member? What happens if we break that boundary - geographically as well as conceptually?
As a theatre company, we have over the last ten years created work which is fundamentally driven by an idea, which leads us further to ask questions pertinent to the times we live in. Keeping this as a central approach to our work, this project is in a way a step further in exploring a different form - that of game design, in order to change the way we interact with our audiences. Through this project, we wish to also challenge the way performance is seen as a constructed event in a certain space and a set time. This time, we wish to make the act of playing the game itself to be seen as a performance.
3) Can we challenge the basic notion that a play, while provoking thoughts, cannot actually change the status quo between the audience and the performer?
Having a set of people in a room, who may or may not know each other, but don characters for the express purpose of winning a game leads to certain occurrences and in turn, giving agency to the audience.
- People begin to understand the far reaching consequences of actions and, of inaction, altruism v/s personal ambition.
- People are sensitised to having these conversations. Whether it be conversations with authority,or conversations with people who have needs, there comes an insight into everyone else‟schoices.
- The stakes are low. People will be encouraged to explore. The worst that can happen is to lose the game. Whereas in the real world, reprisals might be more acute.
- People begin to understand the far reaching consequences of actions and, of inaction, altruism v/s personal ambition.
- People are sensitised to having these conversations. Whether it be conversations with authority,or conversations with people who have needs, there comes an insight into everyone else‟schoices.
- The stakes are low. People will be encouraged to explore. The worst that can happen is to lose the game. Whereas in the real world, reprisals might be more acute.