Street play OR Nukkad Natak is one of the oldest theatre forms where performers perform in public places without any specific target audience. It is a style of drama performed with music and dance known for its simplicity and creative execution. It acts as an allegory that depicts an image of moral nature that every layman can relate to.
A street play is known for its catchy dialogues, catchy slogans and powerful dramatic elements like tragedy, comedy, mimicry etc. Mainly youngsters come forward to play this style. The primary goal of street theatre is to convey a social message to a large group of people. It helps in creating a sense of awareness in the society we live in. Each street play has a specific public social theme and the performing actor must have the skill to portray and portray the theme well. Dialogues are colloquial and should be delivered monotonously with a clear and loud voice. This type of recitation in loud voice will leave a great impression in the minds of the people.
Street plays are usually of very short duration. It is not an easy task for any actor to perform in a wide ensemble. Most of the time, the actors are dressed alike to bring uniformity in the behaviour, mindset and attitudes of the people. The absence of proper theatre settings to connect with people in real life is an added advantage. This effective technique would force the audience to empathize with the character played.
This style of theatrical performance has evolved into an effective medium to transform society in the 21st century. It unites people from different walks of life breaking the conventions of theatre. Hence street plays have become a popular genre in the theatre world, especially among the youth. Students of schools, NGOs and corporate employees (as a part of CSR activity) chose this important tool to ignite the minds of people to deal with social and political issues regarding their right to freedom of speech.
It is surprising to find that viewers who are moved by the seriousness of the issue donate resources or help raise money for the cause the play has inspired. Change in the society comes with a change in the mindset of the people. Street play can rightly achieve the goal. Let us make a change to make our future genes a positive and healthy place to live.
Performance artists interested in social activism may choose to stage their work in the street as a means of directly engaging with or engaging with the public and sometimes to earn their daily bread. Some contemporary street playwrights have extensively studied pre-existing street and popular theatrical traditions, such as carnival, commedia dell’arte, etc., and seek to present them in a situation closer to their original context.
Whatever the reason for choosing The Street, The Street is a space with a different set of possibilities than a traditional theater space. Sue Gill of Welfare State International argues that a street play performance is nothing less than an indoor performance, nor is it simply what you do on stage and put it out, but with an energy and integrity of your own. There is a form with. Many companies are politically motivated and use street plays to mix demonstrations with protests.
An example would be the Pink Suitcase scenario of Natural Theatre. Several smartly dressed men enter a group of streets or buildings carrying bright pink suitcases. They look for their mates and remember them. In their search, they reach into buses, cabs, shop windows etc. By the time they meet at a pre-determined location with the help of passers-by, the perception of the area has changed and the shopping has stopped. At least for a while. The humor is universal and the piece has been seen in approximately seventy countries. It is usually performed by four or five actors, but has been performed with as many as twenty-five.
Interactive street theater is a combination of two different art forms, street theater and interactive art. Unlike other interactive arts, interactive street theater is performed in a public place and most of the time at festivals. The audience for the interactive street play consists of passers-by who stop by to participate on a voluntary basis. The nature of this type of performance is temporary, typically lasting only a few hours, and is considered more accessible and easier to attend than a gallery or museum, as people who have never been to a theater or museum may be able to attend. You can take part in interactive street theatre.
Some interactive art installations allow visitors to walk inside, above, and around them, or allow them to play with the object of the installation. Another way of doing interactive theater is that the audience themselves become part of the artwork. There are also variants of interactive street theater where the viewer becomes an active part of the show and works closely with the performer to create a spectacular collective art piece.