The word 'matter' might mean different things to different people. For some it is the physical matter that exists in nature, while for others it might be the matters of mind and heart. For theatre artiste, Anitha Santhanam, it is a combination of both. The co-founder of the theatre group Guduguduppukkari, explores this idea in her play, What's The Matter? that gets staged this weekend in Bengaluru.
The solo, physical theatre piece, devised by Anitha presents the artiste's personal journey and experiences. "The fundamental idea is to look at what matters, what doesn't and who decides what matters. Is it me, you or patriarchy that has decided what matters?" asks Anitha. The narrative analyses what it means to be continuously measured as per society's standards. It questions how the measurement of a particular matter becomes greater than the matter itself.
"Matter has different meanings. There's also the physical matter - your body. The measurements of the body have become more important than the body itself and fitting into a certain measurement that's set by patriarchy has become important," explains Anitha who has used theatre for therapy. This play is a culmination of emotions that Anitha has been through several years. She has taken her personal history as the starting point of the play.
"The audience will be able to relate to being measured through the metaphors that I have used. I have combined themes, ideas and images and the different bodily states during the performance express different emotions," reveals the artiste about her piece. The 70-minute play is also sprinkled with humour, music and dance to give the audience an engaging piece that will provoke them to think.
Rs 200. June 22, 7.30 pm. At Untitled Space, JP Nagar
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Twitter: @aishatax