Experiential form of theatre out in the open

At an outdoor performance in a park, two actors animatedly narrate a story to an audience who sit spellbound, even as the grass tickles their feet. In the story, a magic bird suddenly flies out of a bottle. To aid the imagination, one of the actors waves his hand with a flourish over his listeners, who instinctively look up. There is a collective gasp, as two birds unexpectedly shoot out from the tree behind the actors, spiraling above them in a flash of perfect synchrony. Serendipitous moments such as this one in her last production, gives director and theatre teacher Jo Tyabji the motivation to tear down the walls of conventional theatre space in a brave attempt that isn’t short of a potential revolution.

The 24-year-old London-raised Tyabji is the founder of Open Space Theatre, which intends to put up its first production in outdoor, naturally defined performance spaces across the city. Jo has been involved with experimental theatre since her days at the University of Oxford, when she also discovered the activist in her. Her initial participation in the yearlong civil blockade of the Faslane 365 Nuclear Weapons Base in Scotland, which got her arrested, encouraged her to take part in a bigger way by staging a play at the blockade site. She explains, “It’s like what Brecht was doing — making a theatre of provocation, a theatre of the political. But I also believe in plurality, in creating arenas of possibility from the purely experiential.”

It is this latter disposition which convinced Jo to take ‘Momo’, a children’s classic by Michael Ende, and adapt it in a way that is unique to Mumbai. The book is about Momo, a little girl with no family who makes friends with those around her because of her wonderful ability to listen. But then the Men in Grey from the Timesavings Bank arrive, persuading people to deposit their time to earn interest on it, causing them to work harder and move faster, and leaving no time to talk to Momo or enjoy themselves.
Having acted in and taught inclusive theatre in a variety of forms, Jo — who is currently teaching refugee children at The Freedom Theatre in Palestine — believes theatre truly comes alive in collaboration without borders, both geographic and imaginary.

“The story is about a little girl who saves the world. Momo is a street girl. She comes from a place of disadvantage, so I want to get perspectives on that.” Jo will work along with her small ensemble of actors and a group of children from the NGOs Salaam Baalak Trust and the Vatsalya Foundation to create a multilingual play based on the original story. In workshops with the kids, the themes of the play will be reworked to give it a local flavour, both in form and content.

Envisioning Open Space Theatre as a travelling theatre company, Jo hopes to use the lessons learnt from Mumbai to stage the play in London in 2011 using a similar process. “I want to see how the same plot points evolve into something different across continents and cultures, and yet tell the same essential story. As a company, we will learn how to adapt and re-adapt, yet keep that essence,” she says excitedly. For the time being, Jo is eager to find out to what extent she can push the boundaries of space and movement with Momo. She says, “In a show I did a couple of years ago, I managed to get the audience to voluntarily put on blindfolds and walk with the ensemble. I’m interested in seeing what could work in Mumbai, how willing audiences are to being beguiled into joining us... and that would give me more bodies to play with!”
Eventually, Jo hopes that the Open Space Theatre creates a discursive platform which will see theatre evolve, both physically and conceptually, in magical ways that are currently unimaginable in this congested, frequently cynical city.

Jo Tyabji is looking for seven versatile performers (m/f), with a wide playing age for ‘Momo’ that will be staged in June. Ability to speak Marathi and/or play a musical instrument is an advantage. Auditions commence on April 19. Send CVs to joanna@tyabji.co.uk to book a slot.