Country’s 136-year-old theatre company performs online to survive pandemic

Audience reactions are now limited to emoticons and comments

Laughters, claps, whistles, tears and the excitement in the eyes of the audience is what the artistes of Surabhi Drama Theatre, a company with a 136-year-old legacy, are missing these days. The country’s oldest and largest surviving group of traditional theatre has gone online to survive in the COVID-19 pandemic and there is enough uptake for their online plays. Although they are performing just as before, the Surabhi Kaḷākārulu have no access to the most endearing aspect of their life — the ability to revel in the reactions of the audience. And they are certainly sad about missing them! The delightful expressions from the audience have been converted into digital reactions of emoticons and comments.