A​s the world takes new shape, so must theatre. The realm of theatre turned upside down this year, with the advent of the ongoing pandemic and theatres are no longer inhabitable. But, as the saying goes, the show must go on, so it has taken an increasingly virtual turn. Rangaai Theatre Company, a Mumbai-based troupe specializing in immersive sensory theatre, contends with these newfound circumstances with resilience. They bring to you, via Zoom, ‘#Gargikand’, a virtual interactive murder mystery cine play that spans two evenings, over 24 hours.

The first of its kind in India, #Gargikand is inspired by the interactive and performative elements of murder mystery dinner parties and escape rooms. It is designed in a way that allows audience members to not only experience the urgency of a murder investigation but also participate as investigators through roleplay.

About the Show

The play revolves around the murder of an unidentified victim found at the house of Gargi Sharma. It has been 4 days, and she’s nowhere to be found. There are two parallel investigations around this situation: one led by Sr. Inspector Gaitonde, an accomplished officer from Crime Branch India; and the other is led by Detective Anamika of the Secret Society of Sleuths, a private detective organization.

An intensive experience on the whole, audience members spend the next 24 hours not only interacting with the various characters of the story, but are also tasked to collect clues and solve puzzles that will get them a step closer to answers.

Process

The cast and crew of #Gargikand achieved the finesse of executing a tight-knit murder mystery with over three months of rigorous preparation: the first few weeks were spent in understanding the nuances of how one is to be written, they all wrote their own dialogues and spent months honing the details and structure of the plot. What’s more commendable is that the group’s spirit is never deterred by any obstacle, technical or otherwise, and remains in sync while working from different places: Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, and Nagpur, to name a few.

After two test runs and multiple revisions of the scripts, based on inputs from within the team and audience members, the group is finally set to go live.

About Rangaai Theatre Co.

The word Rangaai is used to refer to the Goddess of Theatre; as our mother who gives birth to and nurtures the artist in us throughout our lives on stage. With this in mind, the Rangaai Theatre Company is dedicated to ushering experimental and artistic pieces to its audience. They do this by means of introducing both new and old theatre techniques from around the world, but not restrict themselves to the theatre alone.

Audience Reception

“T​he show was very descriptive and well planned and well made. The script play was on point, it seemed a real case and I really felt like a real-life detective. Well deserved applause. It was a refreshing weekend. Thank you for the effort.”

“Amazing interactive experience. A unique concept executed so well.”

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