Away from the spotlight, playback theatre gains popularity in private

This form of theatre helps develop a deeper sense of community, and allows people to share things they may not have addressed before

Not long ago, in a small room dotted with people, a man got up and came forward. He talked about how he’d regularly take a tunnel that connected the hospital where he worked with his residential quarters. It was dimly lit, but kept him away from the city’s heavy traffic. A tiff with some bikers in the tunnel one day, however, left him with a broken nose. The man, a Bengaluru-based mental health professional, said he had since begun to feel unsafe and now preferred to stay indoors.

 Minutes after he shared his story, five actors played it out before him