Dealing with conflicts

It may be about the inner conflict a call centre couple underwent or the territorial conflict between three people at a park but the plays sure did give an insight into the many emotions of a human being in a satirical manner.

Marking territory is often considered an animal trait and yet, man is the only animal that has created conflicts over territory. Presented by Just Theatre, Park is essentially a comedy about three men in a park fighting for their individual space. The playful banter turns into a serious squabble and questions of space, territory and ownership became fraught with tension as individual needs display traces of larger and more serious conflicts. With powerful performances, the troupe showcased how quest for control remains eternal, it maybe a park bench or a country.

Ganesh Kamatham’s Dancing on Glass illustrates the crazy life of a couple, Megha and Shankar. Unscheduled shifts, long working hours, bad skin, health problems and a monotonous lifestyle that many call centre workers can relate to, was portrayed in this comedy play. In the play, Megha’s boy friend-cum- Shankar’s roommate dies in an accident. The death changes both their lives but in different ways. Megha at first takes the death of her beloved very well. She refuses to react and at the same time she suppresses her true feelings. Making her think that the entire world has gone crazy except for herself. Shankar who looks after everything from the funeral to the well being of his roommate’s family, begins to feel his health deteriorating and begins to feel lonely. The situation makes both of them find solace in each other. Overcoming the death in a city that is constantly on the move plus trying to get out of the mechanical lifestyle is what ‘Dancing on Glass’ is all about. Both the performers, Abhishek Majumdar and Meghana Mundkur provided wonderful performances. The use of the stage, light and sets were well co-ordinated but it strictly caters to the adult audience because of the kind of abusive language used.