18th June, 2020 Online Performance 'Towards a New Horizon New Beginnings. New Challenges.' We have been in the midst of an unprecedented global lockdown, in response to a pandemic that has swept across the planet, spreading fear and anxiety. The world as we have known it, has changed forever! We are facing a new set of challenges that are redefining the ways in which we interact and express ourselves, both socially and professionally. The buzzwords everywhere seem to be Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity – VUCA! How are we expected to cope? What will be the new “normal?” How will we navigate through completely unchartered waters and respond positively to opportunities that come our way? At The Yuva Ekta Foundation, our effort during this lockdown has been to reimagine the way we express, interact and engage with each other. Now more than ever, the Arts are becoming integral to re-establish this sense of human connection, as they offer new ways of listening to our voices and our stories, finding meaning to a common lived experience. One of our tools that has adapted beautifully to the digital platform has been Playback Theatre– a form of improvisational theatre in which audience or group members tell stories from their lives and watch them enacted on the spot. As the ‘new normal’ continually evolves, this shift from a physical space to an online platform has given us a chance to interact and connect, interact with each other. One after the other, stories find their connections as experiences gain a collective meaning. The Yuva Ekta Playback Theatre Groupis thefirst active playback theatre group registered in Delhi. It has a team of over 15 talented and dedicated artists from diverse backgrounds, who meet every week to train and explore the craft further. On June 18th, 2020, we conducted a Playback Theatre performance online, titled ‘Towards a New Horizon– New Beginnings, New challenges’with team members of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) – an organization that works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the development of India, partnering with Industry, Government, and Civil Society, through advisory and consultative processes. Our intent through this performance was to explore how the CII Team from different departments were responding to the new “normal”? Were they more productive working from Home or did they miss the “office environment” – the center of their professional life for so many years! Was the instability around them, the unpredictable, rapid changes happening constantly, make them feel insecure, unsure of which route to take? Do the challenges of the VUCA world demand new orientations, a fresh approach to leadership, management and strategy? Beautiful stories of resilience, strength, solidarity and hope emerged in the session. One team member shared the strength she has got from her newly found Buddhist practice, that has moved her into a space of gratitude for all she has in her life. Another participant shared her sense of pride at how the CII family came together to support one other during this time, providing a collective strength for everyone to move forward with hope and solidarity. This encouraged a member to open up about the co-working spaces she and her husband have shared with their children! In her eyes, children around the world have emerged as the ‘real heroes’, taking on the immense challenge of the lockdown with understanding and maturity. A touch of humour came from a member who shared how technologically challenged she had been before the lockdown, whereas now, being forced to navigate through various online platforms without the IT Cell by her side, her self-confidence skyrocketed through the roof!! This is the power of Playback theatre – creating a community platform to bring down walls of isolation and fear, even as the medium encourages us to share stories and begin our process of healing. “Wonderful ! Great efforts at bringing us together” - Anushree Kaushal, HR Team “The performance was very good, I liked it a lot! All the actors and the main moderator were very good. Keep up the good work” - Surbhi Bhalla, Deputy Director, FACE To know more, get in touch with us at office@yuvaektafoundation.org