Kerala theatre revival provides a ‘healing stage’

Aishwarya Johnson, a Thiruvananthapuram-based startup founder, will vouch for that. She initially turned to theatre “simply to kill time”. But her experience became an emotional breakthrough.

Her role required crying, something she struggled with during rehearsals. “It opened up something inside me that I hadn’t been able to access,” she recalls. “I didn’t do the play seeking healing, but it was amazingly rewarding.”

Theatre’s intrinsic play with emotional dynamics makes it an impactful medium for transformation, according to experts. “Theatre ensures that you are conscious of your emotions. A participant may feel sad but has to act cheerful. When you act, you control your emotions. This can teach emotional regulation,” says Dr T R John, a senior psychiatrist at Aster Medcity.