Bengaluru Theatre | Vivek Vijayakumaran’s non-verbal play ‘It Is You’ explores identity

Religion, climate change, and human connection collide in It Is You, a non-verbal play premiering January 31 at Ranga Shankara

Our Theatre Collective presents It Is You, a 75-minute physical theatre piece that strips away language to deliver a universally resonant exploration of identity, climate change, and human connection.

The play, co-created by theatre practitioners Vivek Vijayakumaran and Pangambam Tyson Meitei, premieres on January 31 and February 1 at Ranga Shankara, with support from Nirdiganta through the Prakash Raj Foundation.

The genesis of the play is deeply personal and reflective of contemporary concerns. For Vivek, the work emerged from a need to respond artistically to the escalating religious intolerance he observed around him. “The tipping point came in 2022 when I was in Delhi, a week after a Muslim neighbourhood had been demolished. Sitting in a Gurudwara, I began to see images — a bare human body embodying various religious signifiers before returning to its core humanity,” he recalls. This vision planted the seed for what would eventually become It Is You.

The play eschews spoken language in favour of physical expression, a decision born from a desire to transcend cultural and linguistic boundaries. “The moment you use language, you locate yourself in a specific cultural identity. We wanted to avoid that,” says Vivek. Making a compelling non-verbal narrative, however, was no easy feat. Tyson, a veteran of Kalakshetra Manipur, brought his expertise in movement and rhythm to the table. “The challenge was to develop a non-verbal language where the audience wouldn’t question the absence of speech — it had to feel natural,” he explains.

Their collaboration, however, was not without its logistical hurdles. The duo often worked across geographic divides, communicating via calls and emails before coming together in Bengaluru or Manipur for intense workshops. These sessions were as much about exploration as they were about perseverance. “Every meeting brought progress, but it was slow and deliberate,” says Vivek. The team grew organically, with actors from Bengaluru, Kerala, and Hyderabad joining the project at various stages.

Themes of religious identity and climate change are intertwined in It Is You, but Vivek insists the play’s core is human. “What happens when two opposing forces — one bound by systems and the other seeking freedom — confront each other in the presence of a force as powerful as nature? That’s the dramatic core of the piece.”

He credits a workshop by theatre artist Prabhath Bhaskaran for helping him crystallise the narrative. “A tribal song shared during the workshop unlocked the essence of the play for me. It tied together the complexities I had been grappling with.”