Playing as the audience

I got a call from Manoj bhai in the middle of the night a few months ago I woke up understandably startled as you can imagine and answered the phone What he told me was something yoursquod only expect from someone who holds the artform so dearlyrdquo recalls writer Ishaan Doshi while retracing the journey of his new play Third Bell directed by veteran Gujarati theatre maker Manoj ShahA moment from a performance of Offending The Audience in 1966 Pic courtesyYoutubeThe duorsquos new play born from a fleeting idea during a show at Prithvi Theatre a year ago puts the spotlight onto the audiences their conversations conflicts and worries before the titular third bell rings and the show begins In Doshirsquos words itrsquos a tribute to theatre audiences who have played an equally important part in furthering the artformShah over a call gleefully admits to his obsession with theatre and his audiences ldquoA new idea had dawned on me I was at a wedding earlier that day and I imagined how a married couple in a theatre audience would behave Of course I had to make the midnight call to Ishaan at oncerdquo he laughs adding that he has also been visiting commercial experimental regional and foreign language plays over the past year to note their mannerismsldquoMy biggest learning was that across genres two things remain common mdash the audience often has better actors than the stage And most times better stories to tellrdquo shares Shah Echoing this sentiment Doshi adds ldquoIndians make for a unique audience Yoursquoll have a family debating if they remembered to close a water tap before leaving couples using the time to settle scores and a few young faces wondering why they agreed to come to the show at allrdquoManoj Shah and Ishaan DoshiPresented in Hindi English Gujarati and English the duo believes you donrsquot have to be proficient in either to laugh along Shah elaborates ldquoAt one of our previous plays I overheard a family discussing their dinner plans They started in English switched to Hindi soon and when the restaurant was finally decided upon they all agreed in Marathirdquo he chuckles ldquoThe play similarly will be presented in a hybrid tongue that Mumbai audiences are familiar withrdquo he addsAmidst all the humour Doshi reminds us that the jokes shouldnrsquot be confused for mockery He refers to Austrian playwright Peter Handkersquos 1966 play Offending The Audience ldquoHandke was one of the earliest writers to explore this concept However he was critical of theatricality and the audiences We on the other hand arenrsquot judging the audience or looking down our nose at them The play is our attempt to embrace the humour the criticism the mundane and the emotions they bring when they walk into the roomrdquo he concludesON June 16 7 pmAT Experimental Theatre NCPA Nariman PointLOG ON TO ncpamumbaicomCOST Rs 500 onwards