Some stories demand time. Others derive their power from how little of it they ask for. The Lockup, one of eight productions that make up 2X, an experimental theatre anthology, belongs to the latter. Running for just 10 minutes, the crime thriller compresses psychological horror and shifting power dynamics into a tightly wound confrontation between an investigator and an accused. Co-founder of the theatre collective Nadigan Da, and director Prabakaran R balance a meticulous corporate career as a data specialist with an uncompromising commitment to theatre. Blurring the line between stage and cinema, the production synchronises live performance with pre-shot visuals inside a police interrogation room. Ahead of the premiere, we sat down with Prabakaran to dissect his cross-disciplinary approach and why he believes some stories are most powerful when told with brevity.
Despite its compact runtime, Prabakaran insists the brevity is integral to the experience. “I believe a story like this is most effective when it’s experienced in one uninterrupted burst,” he explains. “The intensity never drops, which keeps the audience completely immersed from beginning to end,” he enthuses. Rather than tracing the characters’ entire journeys, the play isolates the interrogation. “Presenting that single moment allows the audience to experience the tension in its purest form, without distractions,” he says.
The production relies on only two actors inside a single interrogation room. Every pause, movement and confrontation had to be carefully choreographed to preserve authenticity without compromising the actors’ safety. “Finding that balance between realism and safety was a key part of bringing the story to life,” Prabakaran shares.
“I want them to talk about how immersed they felt in those 10 minutes, the tension between the two characters, and the questions the story leaves them with long after the lights come up,” he says.
Having spent years acting while building a career as a data specialist, Prabakaran sees The Lockup as a natural progression into directing. He hopes to eventually expand the story into a short film or pilot exploring the lives of its two central characters beyond the interrogation room.
INR 250 onwards. July 18, 6.20 pm. At Medai - The Stage Chennai, Alwarpet.
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