A trilogy on stage

Trident!ty, by MISF!T telling three stories in different time frames will be staged in Bengaluru on June 22

Trident!ty directed by Venkatesan Vaidhyanathan and Vishal Nayer, premiers in Benglauru this weekend. Staged by MISF!T (My Interest Stays Firmly in Theatre), the play is a trilogy, says Venkatesan over a call from Koramangala amidst rehearsals.  

Tridenti!ty is a multi-genre play, says Venkatesan. “It is set in three timelines — the 1940s, the 1980s, and 2010 and connected by a single thread. The first story is a period comedy, the second is a tragicomedy, and the third is a black comedy.”

Venkatesan has been involved with theatre since his school days. “Vishal is also a serious theatre practitioner, and both of us have worked with Ratan for nearly 18 years.”

The first story centers around a young girl whose life is drastically altered during Partition, the second focuses on the tumultuous relationship between a couple and deals with the anxieties of the time (patriarchy, regressive thoughts and identity fixation), while the third is set in in an office and highlights office politics, power struggles, and societal pressures on career and personal growth.

Venkastesan, who is a part of MISF!T, gives credit to its founder, the late Ratan Thakore Grant. “Ratan was a theatre personality who dazzled the audiences as an actor, choreographer, writer, director and as a teacher. He believed that anyone can act with proper guidance and to implement that he started MISF!T in 2001.”

Grant started by conducting acting workshops, says Venkatesan. “He staged original plays. Over a period of time, he taught thousands. The original material is the USP of MISF!T. We believe our country has a rich and diverse culture, with so many stories, that can inspire us to write original plays rather than doing pre-written Western plays.”

MISF!T is now managed by Grant’s students, which includes Venkatesan and Vishal. “We manage the studio and also conduct acting programmes and plays. All the actors chip in to create a story, script and direct. We have theatre practitioners with us aged from 16 to 62 years. ”