Theatre was always meant to be live. In a world consumed by screens, it remains among the last few bastions of entertainment that relies on a live audience. Yet, every now and then that deserves a change. The latest attempt by Alfaaz Theatre and Harkat Studios to take the experience online makes for an interesting experiment. The former theatre group premiered the play on their website for a virtual audience from May 13. And we decided to participate in the experiment.

The play — Age of Prison, written and directed by Ankit Verma — is an absurdist three-act performance that hinges on the dystopian but relatable idea of imprisonment in an authoritarian society. Two prisoners (Verma and Rashmi Mann) find themselves trapped in a black room for reasons unknown even to them. The imprisonment is conditional to ‘good behaviour’ says the faceless jailor. Thus, it sets the tone for the examination of interplay between human behaviour and authority.