Dial-in Performance Theatre 'Lifeline 99 99', an interactive theatre performance that takes place over a phone call at home

 

 'Lifeline 99 99', an interactive theatre performance that takes place over a phone call at home.

This is an experimental performance that brings one audience member and one performer together, so there are many moving parts to this.

Staged as part of the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival's online section, It's a unique performance that connects one audience member to a living, breathing character on the other end of the telephone for a conversation. 

You can experience any or more out of the seven dial-in performances available. One of them is called Mritunjay (English: one who triumphs over death). Performed by Vanshika Verma. Here is a short synopsis of this story: 
You pick up the phone and hear the emotionless, straight-laced voice of a life insurance agent. Meet Anjali, who is here to introduce you to a new life insurance scheme called Mrityunjay, which literally translates to ‘one who triumphs over death’. Whilst she introduces and outlines the different terms and conditions of this new insurance plan, which includes assessing your Human Life Value using pre-defined parameters, something seems off about this life insurance agent. It could be the fact that she’s calling you from the afterlife or one of the many thought-provoking questions around mortality, death and the value of life that she leaves you with – including a phone call she wants you to make on her behalf. 

LIFELINE 99 99 - Summary of Experiences

Experience 1 - “Cab Ride to Infinite”

You pick up the phone and hear a peppy, upbeat voice speaking to you in a strange,

almost-human-yet-not-quite language. Meet 4 to the power of 42, an intergalactic cab driver who has been tasked to pick you up from Earth and

transport you to the Infinite. The Infinite is a place where time has stopped existing because the people

who live there have stopped believing in time. However, for you to be able

to go there, you have to completely empty your mind and think about nothing

(yes, absolutely nothing!). It may not be as easy as you think it is... 

 

Experience 2 - “Welcome To Sensuality”

You pick up the phone and hear a sultry, seductive voice on the other end.

Meet Johnny, experienced telephone sex line operator whose business has

been booming but he’s facing a slump. However, you’re his 10th caller in the

row and he is having difficulty in… performing. He drops his act and talks to you

as his real self, what made him get into the business and the kind of people that

call him up every day with very peculiar kinks and isolation-related requests.

You’re asked to imagine this sort of intimacy online and whether it’s something

that you’d be up for, you know if you were to be into these sort of things…

 

Experience 3 - “Mrityunjay”

You pick up the phone and hear the emotionless, straight-laced voice of a l

ife insurance agent. Meet Anjali, who is here to introduce you to a new life

insurance scheme called Mrityunjay, which literally translates to ‘one who

triumphs over death’. Whilst she introduces and outlines the different terms

and conditions of this new insurance plan, which includes assessing your

Human Life Value using pre-defined parameters, something seems off about

this life insurance agent. It could be the fact that she’s calling you from the

afterlife or one of the many thought-provoking questions around mortality,

death and the value of life that she leaves you with – including a phone call

she wants you to make on her behalf. 

 

Experience 4: “EGAL Network”

You pick up the phone and hear the rough, heavily accented drawl of Murugan,

a middle-aged telecom agent whose distrust in the government is exceeded only

by his contempt for capitalism. His day job as a telecom agent at the EGAL

network – a company that differentiates itself from other global telecom

networks by offering subscription plans based on the customers’ economic class,

language, heritage and propensity to whistleblow wrongdoings of the

authority – is the reason why he’s calling you. But what’s more troubling

is that you are Murugan’s last call and you are the only one who can complete his legacy.   

 

Experience 5: “When Art Calls”

You pick up the phone and hear the slow-paced, soothing voice of Srijan who is

calling from a small publication house in an even smaller sub-urban town.

He is excited to tell you about a new book written by Ramswaroop Desai – a

Hindi pulp fiction author and Srijan’s long-time friend – that can truly be called ‘art’.

However, you seem to find an uncanny resemblance between Srijan and the stories

in this book. Is Srijan himself art, personified? He gives you a few ways to confirm

your suspicion, leaving you with the question “What comes first, the art or the artist?”

Experience 6: “SCAM: Silly, Confusing, Annoying, Malicious”

You pick up the phone and hear the fast-talking, sneery voice of Sandeep aka

Sandy, a former telephone scammer (and now ethical scammer) who is dedicated

to educating everyday callers about how to avoid fraudulent calls and text messages.

Whilst Sandy has given up his former life of extravagant scams and chances to make

quick money, he is currently grappling with some problems in his family and can use a

distraction. His habit of talking to strangers endlessly might just be therapeutic enough

for himself and for you, as he invites you to play a few games with him to pass the time. 

Experience 7: “Lost In Transition” 

You pick up the phone and hear the enthusiastic, cheerful voice of Kalpana

who is calling you on behalf of Memcorp to tell you about a new research project

she is working on that explores the possibility of altering and packaging human memories.

As the research subject, you are invited to answer a few questions and undertake some

exercises that would take you down memory lane, quite literally. Between conversations

about the past and those about the present, you might just discover something about your future

Lifeline 99 99 is a one-on-one interactive theatre performance that takes place over a phone call. 

Audience members dial in for a unique experience where they get to choose from seven distinct, live and interactive characters – a conflicted sex chat operator, an aggrieved idealist, a dude alien, a morbid insurance agent, a memory alteration researcher, an ethical scammer or art itself, personified – all telling you something about the times we live in. No two shows are alike as each conversation is unique and personalized. 

Learn more about the show at www.kaivalyaplays.org/lifeline9999

Who is the creative team?

Lifeline 99 99 is presented by Indian performing arts company Kaivalya Plays in partnership with Exotel. It is directed and designed by Akshay Raheja and Gaurav Singh. Performers include Gaurav Singh, Nikie Bareja, Kumar Abhimanyu, Raghav Seth, Rochan Mathur, Vanshika Verma and Ramita Menon. Production management by Saumya Upadhyay. 

What is it about?

Lifeline 99 99 is an absurd telephone line that interrogates a critical question that confronts us today – in the age of growing indifference and shrinking empathy, can one still create a genuine human connection? Audience members dial in for a unique experience where they get to choose from seven distinct, live and interactive characters – a conflicted sex chat operator, an aggrieved idealist, a dude alien, a morbid insurance agent, a memory alteration researcher, an ethical scammer or art itself, personified – all telling you something about the times we live in.

Has it been done before? 

This is the third run of the show, which originally premiered in February 2021. It premiered in February 2021, has seen over 200 one-on-one audience experiences across 5 different countries, creating over 150 hours of audio-based conversations. It was shortlisted for the Re-Connect Theatre Festival (April'21) and is scheduled to perform at the Living Record Festival (Jan'22). An early draft of this project was developed under Thespo's Audio-Torium initiative.

What has been the response so far? Audiences have taken to the new format like never before, with many expressing how much they enjoyed the distraction-free nature of the show and its use of audio only. No two shows are alike as each conversation is unique and personalized to the audience member and how their answers drive the story, which is why we have audience members dial back in multiple times to hear different stories. The show has received widespread attention and has previously been covered in Firstpost, Mint Lounge, New Indian Express, Mid Day, Daily Guardian, Homegrown and Hindustan Times.

How does the technology work? 

The show combines IVRS technology with live storytelling on the phone, for which we have partnered with Indian cloud communications company Exotel.  The show is a distinctly different experience from Zoom theatre and pre-recorded streams that's emerged in India post the pandemic. It is live and there's something real at stake. It is an audio-only experience, making it suitable for not only those with limited or impaired vision, but also those experiencing screen fatigue. Audiences can attend it from the comfort of their beds. 

Press features:

"An example of how theatre has adapted to and thrived in socially distanced times" - Mint Lounge "Lifeline 99 99 shines as an experimental art practice among the evolving theatre explorations in the Indian sub-continent. This is one phone call you definitely do not want to miss." - Firstpost "(Lifeline 99 99) stands out as one of the more innovative forms of theatre which have mushroomed in the post-Covid, socially distanced era." - The Daily Guardian “Perhaps the intent of Lifeline 99 is precisely this, to remind us what it means to be human and what it means to offer our humanity.” - Homegrown "Lifeline 99 99 portrays the urge to connect" - The Pioneer "Necessity is the mother of invention and in these socially-distanced times, it is art and artists who have managed to consistently surprise and delight the audiences with their creative ways. Lifeline 99 99 is one such interesting concept" - Free Press Journal "It's a format born of the pandemic. A new kind of theatrical experience invites listeners to dial in and listen to a story as it unfolds live. If they choose, the listener can also engage with the action, helping to shape the play as it unfolds." - Hindustan Times "Theatre of life over a phone call" - New Indian Express

This show takes place on a phone call, you will require an active network connection, and lasts between 40 to 60 minutes. You will receive more instructions via email and Whatsapp.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

The Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival is a hybrid offering this year, with the online festival curated by interdisciplinary artist Amitesh Grover. With two live digital shows and three offline digital shows that can be experienced at your own pace, as well as five in-person performances in the auditorium and intimate sharings in and around the premises. Learn more about the festival at www.rangashankara.org/theatre-festival-2021/