European stories connect with Bengaluru audiences

Stories from Europe came alive recently in Bengaluru as Marina Popovic and Freya Sif Hestnes were in the city, with their sound technician Daniel Fogh, to perform There is a Noise, an intimate theatrical performance, presented by ThinkArts. In a conversation with Bangalore Times, the duo spoke about their experience of performing in India, using theatre to initiate conversations, and trying out local delicacies.Excerpts:
Making theatre interactive
“There is a Noise is a very intimate piece, where we sit around a big table and have a conversation. It is mainly an exchange between the two of us, but the audiences are very much involved in the production,” says Marina. The basic structure of the play is rooted in dialogues. On stage, it is just two characters. The girls reveal that such a design works to their advantage. “We are more interested in creating the required atmosphere, rather than having a lot of people on stage. I think it is in theatre’s nature that you share space and stories with your audience,” explains Marina.
Connecting cultures through drama
“I think it is the nature of theatre that you are forced to collaborate from the first moment. From the very beginning, when you start coordinating with the production team, and eventually get to working with local sound technicians and artists, everything becomes a part of cultural exchange and contributes to the sharing of experiences,” says Marina. “In fact, the exchange began with the two of us,” says Freya, adding, “We wanted to talk about Marina’s story from Norway and my Scandanavian background. Going to new places and performing our piece is just an extended version of the sharing, and even if we cannot relate to each others’ stories, the way we look at our differences also becomes an important aspect of collaboration.”
Prioritising the sensorial experience above rationality
“We want to make the audience feel what we felt, instead of thinking about it. We are going for the physical and sensorial experience rather than rationality,” elaborates Freya. “That is another thing that we think theatre has the power to do,” quips Marina, adding, “To make people think with their emotions and their bodies and not just their heads. We approach the narrative through our memories.” Their endeavour proved successful, as the girls had a lot of audience members discussing the play with them. “We are overwhelmed by this experience, because we come from a tradition where people don’t really express their feelings. But here people do it straight after the performance. It is so liberating,” say Freya and Marina.
Experiencing the local flavour
The girls planned to catch a Kannada play but rain played spoilsport. Nevertheless, they did manage to catch a puppetry performance in English and replenish themselves with some coconut water. “We had some Ragi Roti too!” they exclaim, cheerfully.