Aruna Ganesh Ram's production Under Pressure questions our endless consumerism

By tying poetry, movement and puppetry together, theatremaker Aruna Ganesh Ram's Under Pressure is a hard-hitting performance on climate change induced by our endless consumerism
A still from Aruna Ganesh Ram's Under Pressure, an immersive theatre on climate change induced by our endless consumerism
A still from Aruna Ganesh Ram's Under Pressure, an immersive theatre on climate change induced by our endless consumerism

Artistic Director of Bangalore-based performance company Visual Respiration who works extensively with the immersive form of theatre, Aruna Ganesh Ram brings to Mumbai her latest production Under Pressure - a hard-hitting performance on climate change induced by our endless consumerism. Tying poetry, movement and puppetry together, the production brings forth perspectives from various stakeholders - from a policymaker to a ragpicker, from an old tree to extinct birds - as it explores the relationship between humans and the environment. Ahead of the show, the 31-year-old theatremaker talks to Indulge about the artistic process behind devising this piece, choosing the environment as the theme and the reaction of the audience towards the play that raises questions on our behaviour. Excerpts:

Q: What compelled you to design Under Pressure?
Aruna Ganesh Ram:
About two year ago, I was oblivious to climate change until I read The Great Derangement by Amitav Ghosh on the recommendation of my husband. Around this time, I also happened to listen to a podcast, The Intersection, where Amitav was interviewed and in that conversation, he pointed out something that inspired this performance. He indicates human’s priority by pointing out the contents that fill the front and last pages of our newspaper and this made me think about my own work over the years. Barring a small school show about Chipko Movement, I hadn’t done anything around climate change and at that point, I decided to create some work on the environment.

<em>A still from Under Pressure</em>
A still from Under Pressure

Q: How long did it take you to devise it? Take us through your creative process - from idea to bringing it to the audience.
AGR:
It started sometime in June last year when I began educating myself about the environment. I watched documentaries, read articles, talked to environmentalists and people passionate about the environment and my first realisation was - the environment is really a wide topic, what is it that I want to talk about? It is then that I realised that the environment is about perspectives - of those involved and uninvolved. This led me to come to the conclusion that the performance has to be around various perspectives, including that of an 8000-year-old tree. In July, the performers and I got together to begin the devising process and we pursued a central question - How does an individual's choice affect our collective relationship with the earth? We would begin every day with a different starting point in the process - an image or a poem or a movement or music and then we would gather more material in that direction, which we later worked upon and put together as a sensory montage. The design was integral to the process. Our design collaborators Natasha Sharma and Manush John along with Artist Anandaperumal (Upcycling Artist) started exploring ways in which we could bring this performance alive.

<em>Aruna Ganesh Ram, Artistic Director of performance company Visual Respiration</em>
Aruna Ganesh Ram, Artistic Director of performance company Visual Respiration

Q: Tell us about the themes you are exploring with this performance. 
AGR:
There are three parts to the performance: Earth, which is about nostalgia, going back in time and reflecting upon our relationship with nature; Human, which highlights the consumerist life that we lead today without realising the footprint that it has on the universe; and Polymer - the miraculous material that we have unleashed into the ocean.

Q: You have also included narratives from a policymaker to a rag picker to an environmentalist to an 8000-year-old tree and extinct birds. How essential was it to have multiple perspectives in the story?
AGR:
Everyone has a story to tell and each one of us is on a different eco-journey. Some of us compost and try to live plastic-free lives, while some of us believe in biodiversity and conservation. Do we protect the air, water or the forests? These choices are critical and they brought the idea of bringing perspectives into the performance.
 

<em>A still from Under Pressure</em>
A still from Under Pressure

Q: Tell us about all the tools of immersive theatre that you are bringing in this production.
AGR:
Intimacy and proximity are the first aspects that we are considering. We want to trigger an environmental consciousness through this performance. We are also playing with material, texture and the way the props interact with the audience. Besides, we are using upcycled sets and props that aid the immersion.

Q: How important is immersive theatre when you are telling a story that features pressing concerns and issues like climate change?
AGR:
I think we have seen enough posts on social media that show dead whales and turtles with stomachs filled with plastic. Did we do anything? We move on in our lives and forget that climate change is real until we encounter the next video. Despite seeing hundreds of videos of plastic floating in the ocean and yet, we don’t think twice before buying a packet of chips or a bottle of coke. I believe the live medium will be able to look at the audience in the eyes and trigger that consciousness.
 

<em>A still from Under Pressure</em>
A still from Under Pressure

Q: What are the questions that this performance would raise?
AGR:
It will ask several questions like - How did we get here? What can an individual do? How do we go about the future? How do we want to be remembered?

Q: How has the audience reacted to this performance so far?
AGR:
The audience has engaged with the performance in myriad ways. While some showed anger, others got emotional and felt helpless and yet optimistic at the same time. In the process, they have also raised larger questions around environmental action.

Watch Under Pressure tonight and tomorrow (June 28 and 29) at The Cuckoo Club, Bandra. The shows begins at 8 pm.

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