A scene from the play | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

We may have physically recovered from the ravages of the pandemic, but the emotional scars may remain deep for many. While some have learned to move on, for others, it has rocked the boat of their relationships and their spirits. This is what English drama is all about, ClosedDirected by Susanto Banerjee, the film is detailed in detail.

“The script was written during the first phase of the lockdown,” says Susanto. “We were unable to be physically present in the rehearsal space, so we started calling around and asking members of our theatre group for stories.”

Susanto says there was no agenda when they began sharing stories. “It was more like a platform to share experiences. While doing so, seven profound stories emerged and we felt they could be strung together to make a play.”

Poster of the play | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Susanto says the characters were created first. “Then they were divided into stories and scenes and made into sequences. This was later shared with Ruby Lala and Antara Mukherjee, who wrote the play for us.”

Closed It was first staged in 2022. “We looked at the play again and made some edits. We added some more details and reworked it. We are now staging the updated version. Closed It is a crafted play because it has been crafted from the start.”

With 13 actors on stage in a realistic format, the play is a collage of stories and emotions. “I look at the play the way you look at a tree from top to bottom. First you see the leaves and branches. As you go down, you see the trunk, but you can’t see the roots. Still, the shape of the tree and its trunk gives you an idea of ​​how strong and deep the roots are. The play looks at people and relationships in a similar way – first on a macro level and then focuses on deeper issues of relationships.”

Ventures Theatre was started by Susanto and his wife Mahua Sengupta. Susanto started his journey in theatre in 1999 and moved to Bangalore in 2005, took a break for a few years and then founded Ventures Theatre.

Ventures Theatre’s tagline is A platform for theatre and theatre-based education. “We introduced theatre-based behavioural education in the areas of conflict management, emotional intelligence, unconscious bias, team building, verbal and non-verbal communication and more.”

Directed by Susanto Banerjee | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Susanto says the pandemic forced the world to look at online options. “We also started using virtual platforms for theatre, making it a viable option to experience this unique offering.”

Both Susanto and Mahua come from the corporate world, but Susanto quit his job to devote more time to theatre. “I use theatre for practical education, which I take to corporates and am also on the advisory board of a few startups.”

Ventures Theatre’s first play was in Bengali.a lot of kacher was staged only once. The following four productions were in English to reach a larger audience. Most of our plays are set in such a way that they can take place in any city or place. Closed This play especially reminds us of the lockdown, as some of the unique characteristics of that time are present in this play as well.”

Talking about subtitles in plays, Susanto says, “My personal experience with subtitles has not been good. When they appear on the stage screen via a projector, it distracts the audience from the main action and story going on on stage. I believe the best thing to do is to give a synopsis of the play beforehand and then stage the play without any subtitles.”

Closed The play will be staged at the Bangalore International Centre on July 12 at 7.30 pm. Tickets are available on BookMyShow.