Theatre-makers often refer to object theatre as the youngest member of the family. Ask actor-director Choiti Ghosh about its deviation from puppetry and she explains, “Fundamentally, the language and founding principles of the former are influenced by puppet theatre. Both the media work with inanimate objects, but in object theatre, nothing is made for the act; you take what you have— a salt-shaker, a pen or a pair of shoes — and use them as symbols in your narrative. Unlike in puppetry, they are not brought to life.” The founder of Tram Arts Trust clarifies that object theatre, on intention, will remind us of the dual reality of an object; a pen can be used as a character, but you will be reminded that the import is guided by your imagination and it’s only a pen. “The inherent identity of the object is never taken away. It wakes us up to the realisation that an article exists in its own right and doesn’t need to be anthropomorphised,” she ends.

Sannidhi Surop, a theatre artiste in Bengaluru, is excited to present her play, Hunt. She made a slow passage from playback to object only last year and looks to it for inspired release. Hunt retells the story of Red Riding Hood from the viewpoint of the wolf. Although this branch of theatre is deemed contemporary in history and is more familiar with adult circles, Olka Hedayat feels, “Kids know the form by heart by the virtue of their instincts.” A teacher and object theatre practitioner in Iran, Hedayat’s workshop will help children experience ingenuity by exploring materials of daily use. She says, “Children act out life and its concepts in their pretend worlds, they are constantly using objects to make sense of the complexities around them. My main aim, as a facilitator, is to help them enjoy symbolic playing.”

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