The SEPY Story
How did SEPY come about?
SEPY was born from brainstorming ideas to involve young adults in interactive thought exercises. And in tandem with SEPY was conceived a new practise in applied theatre. The theatre organization Osage and friends would then begin to explore a methodology by means of which young people would think aloud about social problems and seek to understand where they took root. Further, they would seek ways to resolve them, at best, or to understand the many facets to it, at the least.
What is the core philosophy of SEPY?
Social Engagement Program for Youth (SEPY), and its philosophy can be condensed into four words : Identify, Explore, Question, Present. Identify the roots to a social problem. Explore the many causes and implications. Question the prevalent conditions. Present the discourse in the form of a play and initiate debate.
What is SEPY Phase One?
Phase One of SEPY was to explore how a play could become the basis for exploring social issues. In order to prove concept, a repertory of young actors was created, in which the participants not only trained in theatre techniques, but also studied issues ranging from peasant movements across the world in history to the human predilection for war.
The theme selected for exploration was an adaptation of King Lear. The play was reverse engineered to lay bare some of the core issues in the original, such as vanity, deceit, just and unjust war. The play titled Flipsides called for audience participation in critical moments, and aimed at getting the audience to think about the questions raised by the actors in the play. A discussion followed each performance and spectators took an active role in analysing moments of the play and whether the play had succeeded in achieving the goals it had set for itself. Flipsides was performed at two venues, on June 1 and July 26, 2015.
How do students and colleges feature in SEPY?
SEPY is all about the students. Essentially it is about a generation of future citizens. Even as the repertory rehearsed the play, Osage invited students from several colleges, including Mount Carmel College, Acharya Institute of Graduate Studies, MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology, NMKRV College, Jyoti Nivas College and Surana College to witness the process, allowing them to understand the SEPY philosophy and paving the way for SEPY Phase Two.
What is SEPY Phase Two?
SEPY Phase Two took off with Osage working with several college teams using the core philosophy of Identify, Explore, Question, Present.
By the beginning of October 2015, students from constituent colleges of MS Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences had enrolled and by month end a team had begun to rehearse at Mount Carmel College. Soon after, a team comprising students from Sheshadripuram College and Vijayanagar First Grade College began rehearsals at Kala Grama, in the backyard of the National School of Drama. Osage identified and assigned experienced and dedicated young theatre practitioners to mentor the teams.
Does SEPY Fest 2016 comprise plays from the above colleges?
Yes. All teams have evolved their themes and performance scripts based on SEPY Philosophy and workshops in which breathing and body language as well as team proxemics for theatre were rehearsed.
What are the plays about?
SEPY Fest will showcase six plays that will explore themes ranging from farmers’ migration to cities, the dangers posed by current models of development to the earth’s ecology, the meaning of idealism and pragmatism, the limiting idea of patriotism, issues surrounding language chauvinism and of life in autumnal years.
What are the future plans for SEPY?
Lots! Osage will take SEPY to more colleges within Bengaluru and to other cities in the country, with Mysore being the next destination. We hope to see SEPY expand into all the major cities of the country within the next five years, leveraging the uniqueness of its philosophy and methodology.
How will that happen?
We will work with students from more colleges towards future productions. We will also support the students in the existing groups to form SEPY Clubs that can sustain the practise in their college on an ongoing basis, create multiple groups and further the mission. We will take it to institutions in multiple cities. We will enable the students to perform plays that can travel and do not require the proscenium stage, instead can be performed for audiences in rural areas or places with limited resources. We hope to seed a movement! With grit, spit and your support, we hope to aid in the creation of thinkers and revolutionaries.