This World Theatre Day, Thespo is celebrating by launching its very own youth-led podcast, The Thespo Audio-Torium! A culmination of Thespo’s first audio-storytelling initiative, the podcast will launch with a month-long showcase premiering SIX exciting new audio productions by emerging artists under the age of 25, every Wednesday and Saturday, March 27th onwards. In the mix, are stories from across India and the world, and productions that span across genres. Go on a journey from the hinterlands of Maharashtra to the depths of the Trinidadian rainforests, from the outskirts of virus-ridden cities, inwards into the minds and lives of young people from across the world.
THE THESPO AUDIO-TORIUM PODCAST, featuring…
27 MARCH 2021
Vyatha Suno Re Logo (Pune)
The story of a poet, his ektara, and the battles he raged against.
Hindi, Marathi
गोळी घालून ठार करणं… खूप सहज मरण आहे. मात्र त्या इतक्याशा गोळीचा भार झेलायला अनेक हात लागतात. पण तेच हात नकळतपणे लागले असतील तर? तर, तो भार अनावर होऊन जिवंतपणी येणारं मरण माणसाला सुन्न करुन जातं. इतरांची उमेद असलेलं त्याचं व्यक्तिमत्व खचवण्याची, त्याद्वारे संपूर्ण समूहाची हेतूसिद्धी करण्याची आणि त्या माणसामागच्या प्रेरक स्रोतांचंही खंडन करण्याची ताकद असते त्या एका गोळीत. तिचं लक्ष्य अपराधी नाही, तर कमकुवत लोक असतात, असंच असावं कदाचित. अशाच काही गोळ्या ज्याच्या मृत्यूचं निमित्त ठरलं, तो एक शाहीर होता. तो त्याच्या माणसांना वाचवू शकला नाही आणि त्याची माणसंही त्याला वाचवू शकली नाहीत. त्या माणसाची गोष्ट सांगतो आहोत. ऐकताय ना?
Created by Imagine Arts
Written by Purva Londhe
Directed by Amey Sakhare
Performances by Amey Sakhare, Anaya Pendse, Ninad Joglekar, Tanmay Bhagwat, Sakshi Mokadam, Stimit Sane and Swapnil Ware
Sound design & music by Tanmay Bhagwat
Special thanks to Kshitij Bhatt
Listen to the trailer here.
31 MARCH 2021
Estimated Time of Arrival (Delhi)
A five part audio series about a woman who is trying to shut out the world, and still be part of the rat-race.
Hindi, English
Nandini has no time to stop and stare, except for the brief moments of quiet she finds on her commute from work. Between a large-scale work project and family expectations, she is struggling to find her pace. When, on one of her late-night cab rides back home, she meets a mysterious stranger, she is pushed to choose what she wants the most: friendship or success. Join Nandini as co-passengers on her daily transits back home, as she anxiously estimates her estimated time of arrival.
Written, directed and produced by Aishaanya Tewari
Performances by Aakanksha Kulkarni, Abhas Sharma, Aishaanya Tewari, Bhupesh Wankar, Eeshta Malhotra, Jaskaran Lamba, Kritika Sharad, Prajwal Kulakarni, Pratyakshaa Tewari, Ritul Singh and Yamini Batra
Music & Background Score by Anirrudh M B
Sound Design & Edit by Keerthan Berny & Tony Joppan
3 APRIL 2021
COVID & The City (Delhi)
Not all stories need words, some can be felt by their soundscape.
Non-verbal
Hush. Rush. Hop. Stop. Lock. Lock. Lock. Up? Sup? Down. Drown. Town. City. Pity. City. Pity. Me. See? Who? You! Me? We! Me? Lock. ock. ck. k. We live in spaces, urban and rural. These spaces have sounds. Whether or not we choose to listen is up to us. This abstract audio piece tells the story of the pandemic: the noise before it hit, the silence it brought and the ways in which the spaces around us healed… or did they?
Created by Nimish Nanda
Listen to the trailer here.
10 APRIL 2021
Trick to Walking Backwards (Trinidad & Toronto, Canada)
A story inspired by Caribbean folklore, where humans and spirits co-exist.
English
Exactly a year after her sister’s tragic death, Demi wakes up to find a strange figure in her room. It runs out the house and into the forest, and Demi takes off after it. Thus, a trick is played, the bait is taken, and Demi is plunged into a hidden world deep within the Trinidadian rainforest where folklore characters live and spirits roam. To break free from the trap, she must retrieve what she lost. So begins her perilous adventure.
Written & directed by Aria Sharma
Performances by Amy Lezama, Aria Sharma, Chelsea Persad, Jabari Brown, Joshua Joseph, Marissa Orjalo, Michelle Mohammed and Shannon Salick
Dramaturgy by Michelle Mohammed
Sound design by Aria Sharma & Marissa Orjalo
Listen to the trailer here.
17 APRIL 2021
Matruvat (Pune)
A tale of sisterhood, sacrifice and hope, and the lengths one will go to to protect what is not theirs.
Marathi
All is bright in the Snehangan Ashram, where Rama, Manu and Mai live. But a dark secret lies beneath that facade of light. What will Rama do when she realizes that this reality is an illusion?
How far will she go to save Manu from this adversity? From the innocent corridors and playful verandahs of Snehangan Ashram, here is a tale of sisterhood, sacrifice and hope – Matruvat.
Created by Kalawant, Cummins College of Engineering for Women (Pune)
Written by Shambhavi Joshi & Shraddha Manore
Performances by Gargi Sambhare, Shambhavi Joshi, Shivani Sukale, Shravani Zope, Siddhi Nalawade and Vaishnavi Thakare
Directed by Shambhavi Joshi
Managed by Gargi Sambhare
Sound Design by Mrunal Dingre
Tech Support: Shivani Sukale, Shraddha Manore
Listen to the trailer here.
24 APRIL 2021
Jason & Nyra (Delhi, Mumbai)
Two complete strangers. One life-affirming phone call. Sometimes, just conversation helps.
English
On a particularly difficult night, Nyra dials a random number looking for a reason to live. Fortunately, Jason answers. This episode follows the two strangers’ tense, emotional, and completely chance encounter.
Written & directed by Sahir Mehta
Performances by Kajol Chugh & Mithil Raj Goswami
Sound design by Dasujou Sai Sanket
Music by Ananda Dhar James
Listen to the trailer here.
Thespo is also thrilled to support Lifeline 99 99, a live, interactive audio experience delivered entirely via phone calls that was conceived as part of the Audio-Torium initiative and is presented by Kaivalya Plays.
Lifeline 99 99 is an absurd telephone line that interrogates the greed and alienation of human experiences. The audience calls a phone number, where they hear an IVRS voice that asks them certain questions and subsequently connects them to any one of the five fictional experiences available. However, do not mistake Lifeline 99 99 to be a service helpline, my friend. It won’t serve to your excessive wants; it will give you a glimpse at human experiences that will not be replicated. In this one on one conversation over the phone, if you listen carefully, maybe you can understand the fate of humanity.
This show was developed with the support of the Thespo Audio-Torium laboratory, an initiative that supports audio-based dramas by emerging theatre-makers.
The show premiered for audiences in India in February 2021 with four housefull weekends and 140+ hours of one-on-one calls. The show was also selected for the Re-Connect Online Performance Festival 2021. The show is currently preparing for a second run in July 2021 for international audiences in the UK and US.
Listen to the preview here.
CAST & CREW
Directed and Designed by Akshay Raheja and Gaurav Singh.
Performed by Kumar Abhimanyu, Nikie Bareja, Ramita Menon, Raghav Seth and Gaurav Singh.
Writing by Akshay Raheja.
Technical Production by Gaurav Singh.
Production Management by Stuti Kanoongo.
About Thespo’s first audio storytelling initiative – Audio-Torium:
The Audio-Torium initiative arose from Thespo’s commitment to keep the spirit of theatre alive through the pandemic. It is designed to encourage and facilitate emerging artists’ exploration of the audio medium, through workshops, masterclasses and mentoring sessions surrounding various aspects of audio storytelling – sound design, writing, recording and editing, production and direction. Thespo also hosted a virtual work-in-progress sharing at which selected participants gave a preview of their projects and received feedback from a panel comprising audio professionals such as Chhavi Sachdev, Darius Sunawala, Fred Greenhalgh, Gaurav Vaz, Nadir Khan, Roshan Abbas, Shernaz Patel and Vivek Madan, to name a few.
The ideas Thespo received from across the country back in August 2020 have translated into six original audio productions by artists under 25. Each presents a new interpretation of the medium. Each brings something unique to the table, be it new writing, innovative sound design or performances. But most importantly, each production is testament to the deep dive young artists were willing to take, into the unfamiliar but fascinating world of audio.
The Thespo Audio-Torium podcast launches on 27 March 2021 (World Theatre Day) on India’s leading listening platforms – Spotify and Gaana.