Drama on wheels

(From left) Anthony Rutowicz and Julio Hanson at a rehearsal

Ever since they arrived on Mumbai's theatre circuit in 2020, the Bombay Theatre Company has been pushing the envelope while creating online productions. After curating a nationwide theatre festival on Instagram, and then collaborating with theatrewallahs in New York City (NYC) and London, founder and director Raveesh Jaiswal is set to stage his upcoming virtual production, Ride Home, with three Los Angeles (LA)-based artistes.

Raveesh Jaiswal

Keen to engage with artistes from NYC and LA, considering they're the centres of theatre and entertainment in the US, Jaiswal had reached out to a friend, who connected him to playwright Julianne Jigour around two-and-a-half months ago. They pored over a couple of scripts, before zeroing in on Ride Home, a short play which revolves around two friends - actors Julio Hanson and Anthony Rutowicz - driving home one night. "There's this guy, Fred, who's gone on a date and once he's done, he calls his friend Billy for a ride home at night. The interesting thing about Fred is he's scared of bridges and the play revolves around what happens when they reach the San Francisco Bay Area. Fred doesn't want Billy to take the bridge, but Billy, who is usually considerate, is adamant on taking the bridge," shares Jaiswal, adding that the abstract comedy explores friendship, elements of romance, fear and hope.

The entire play takes place inside a car - except both the actors will be essaying their roles from their respective vehicles in LA, and connecting over Instagram Live. Jaiswal tells us that he picked this play because he felt the execution would be interesting. "It's been fun to experiment with both the actors sitting in their respective car seats, playing around with camera angles and gestures to suggest that they're in one vehicle," he reveals.

On harnessing the power of social platforms such as Instagram, Jaiswal notes that they've worked hard to attract followers and viewers who have grown to enjoy virtual theatre. "In a way, over the past year, we've been able to help our audience to mature enough to watch and enjoy plays on Instagram, although the concept is still relatively new," he signs off.

On: July 18, 10 am (IST)
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