Dial a story

A significant part of the information we have all consumed last year has been the numerous helplines that have sprung up in response to COVID19 guiding people through all sorts of problems mdash from tackling positive patients in the family to taking care of onersquos mental health in these troubled times And yet another lifeline offering five distinct services is now available for you to dial up except it promises to take the caller on a theatrical journeyA behindthescenes glimpse of how the cast members coordinate remotely during the showDirected by theatremakers Akshay Raheja and Gaurav Singh Lifeline 99 99 is a oneofakind play that blends Interactive Voice Response Service IVRS technology with live storytelling over the phone Presented by the Delhibased performing arts company Kaivalya Plays the production was originally inspired by their prelockdown project Agyaat ldquoIn SeptemberOctober when we realised that the pandemic was here to stay we decided to change the form While theatre artistes were trying to deliver the live experience to the audience from their home we were particularly interested in lsquolifersquo in theatre mdash how theatre can exist in every human interactionrdquo shares Raheja The makers then felt that a phone call could be an intimate way to capture the lifelike nature of theatre as the audience would have to participate tooGaurav SinghThe directors and the ensemble cast of Nikie Bareja Raghav Seth Kumar Abhimanyu and Ramita Menon have been remotely developing the show for six months working across time zones The play supported by Thespo is inspired by the many lifelines and helplines that wersquore all resorting to in this hour of crisis the lsquo99 99rsquo part of the title denotes that one thing thatrsquos missing in all our lives says Singh ldquoIn our digital and analogue lives 99 has a special significance mdash for instance the anxiety of a file loading 99 per centrdquo he illustratesRaheja explains that the audience is given a phone number which when they call during the show time directs them to Lifeline 99 99 ldquoan absurd telephone line that interrogates the greed and alienation of human experiencesrdquo The caller is then asked a few questions and given a preview of the five stories through an IVRS voice Once they choose an option they get a callback from the performerAkshay RahejaThe five stories are set up as helpline services ldquoIt includes a cab ride to infinity where time has stopped existing a conflicted sex chat operator a telecom operator selling his network based on certain Communist principles a bookseller in Kashi selling a Hindi writerrsquos pulp fiction novel and an insurance agent who is probably no morerdquo Singh revealsThe audiencersquos interactions are a crucial part of the 30to50minute performances which comprise a fair bit of improv the duo inform us ldquoFor instance the term insurance guy will introduce you to policies and ask you about human life values and that will add to the narrativerdquo Raheja adds The directors promise an engaging time and a chance to build an emotional connection with a strangerrsquos fictional story just through a voice So take a break from all that screen fatigue and tune inOn March 6 7 20 21 April 3 and 4 different time slotsLog on to insiderinCost Rs 250 onwards five audience members in each time slot