Element of truth in performing arts: Is it appealing to us?

Reality” is a hard concept to grasp, particularly in the performing arts. It often implies “as close to life as possible”, but acting by its very nature is an artifice; it is fake, imagined, and make-believe. As you work on different styles of productions, the term evolves into “the search for truth of a moment” or “the honesty of a feeling”.

This search for truth has been the preoccupation of every performing artist since time immemorial. Theatre makers have often been plagued by questions like: How do I find something that the audience finds absolutely true and believable? Should we use heightening devices like song and music? And are psychological representations like a warped set or mood lighting that convey a truth of the mind rather than the situation, a better representation of reality? If you look across the older entertainment mediums, cinema has slowly begun to become more and more about fantasy. The ridiculous success of sci-fi franchises, super hero movies and “Harry Potter” or “Hobbit” movies is a reflection of that. Therefore actors are performing more in front of a green screen than on locations. Television started discarding plots and finding reality. First it was about how grim and stark it can be, like the “Survivor” series, but has soon evolved into more airbrushed reality like “Khatron Ki Khiladi” and “Big Boss”. Even on the internet, the videos that go viral are usually ones that have caught a “live” piece of action, rather than an assembled one.

Live theatre, on the other hand, has always relied on the audience to meet you half way. The magic of the medium makes the audience forget that they are sharing the same space as the actor, and allows them to be transported to far-flung regions. An actor can stand on a white bed sheet, shivering, and the viewers will believe that this is Antarctica. Furthermore, the voice is live, the words are immediate, and the actions and conflicts are witnessed in real time. This is the epitome of reality…or is it? As audiences have become more sophisticated they have become more aware of the pretence of theatre.

They are aware that the actors are speaking lines that don’t belong to them but to an unseen playwright. Part of the reason why Stand Up Comedy is so successful, is that it is often the writer presenting his or her own take on life. There is no actor they are hiding behind. So their observations are theirs alone. However, over time, audiences have realised that some of these insights or anecdotes have been manufactured for their benefit and are therefore, not genuine. So, this too fails the “truth” and “honesty” test.

The current rage in urban India is Spoken Word Poetry. Poets appear on stage and recite their own pieces. Some are humorous or painful, others are observational and insightful. It is the authenticity of the shared experience that makes Spoken Word so much more enjoyable. There is very little doubt that they are “true”, and often brutally honest. The selections of words, imagery, or metre, heighten the experience, and elevate it into something special.

The numerous open mics and slam poetry contests that happen weekly in Bombay is proof enough of its growing popularity. It is also becoming the medium of choice for important messages on child abuse, gender issues, and even mental health. Spoken Word poets find an identifiable way to talk about disturbing topics from the pain menstruation to the joy of being on stage for the first time. Just when we were heralding the “death of poetry”, spoken word has emerged to resurrect it and make poems find a relevant place in the world. For truth in expression, Spoken Word appears to be the premiere way…that is, until something new comes along.

Quasar Thakore Padamsee is a Bombay based theatre-holic. He works primarily as a theatre-director for arts management company QTP, who also manage the youth theatre movement Thespo.