Reality in outer space

Universal message

Grounded in reality, yet recreating space, were five adolescents from Osage, a theatre, music and publishing organisation. Staged at Rangoli Metro Art Centre, Rangasthala, recently, the play, ‘The Adventures of Luna and Nagesha’, comprised children who traversed the Milky Way reflecting on the drastic consequences of haphazard urbanisation, ecological imbalance and thoughtless development on planet Earth.

The play starts with Luna and Nagesha traversing the universe and trying to find a treasure. It moves to interplanetary travel with extra-terrestrial characters helping them in their quest.

   Through this magical journey in outer space, the play explores the everyday realities and socio-economic problems.

It also poses grave questions such as the superior complex of humans, their destruction towards nature and animals, the question of civilisation and the notion of time-travel.

The objective of the play was to let youngsters peek into the issues that society grapples with. The plot is in tandem with the popular sci-fi book, ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy’, by Douglas Adams. The play has an allusion to ‘42’, a number that is frequently mentioned in the book as an answer to ‘Life, The Universe and Everything.’
The children try to find out the question to the answer, 42, in the play.

 Ananya, who plays the part of Luna, says, “We went through a few courses at Osage where we learnt the tricks of theatre such as scripting, art direction, screenplay and acting.“We were also given certain cues from the book to work with to put this play together, from script, direction and acting, on our own. It was a very
interesting process throughout. We understood serious issues such as the lack of grassroot development and increasing ecological disruption,” she adds. 

To help the plot come alive on stage, the children use high-tech sound and light to bring in the illusion of space. However, the props don’t override their acting as the kids’ performances seem real and professional.
Through a bird’s eye-view of science fiction and magical realism, the play tells the importance of curiosity among youngsters and highlights the idea of making a difference.