scheduling a team meeting across different time zones or firing an employee sitting at a remote location over a video call is something technology allows you to do today boon or bane that debate can go on but bringing out an entire drama production from the initial talks to the final rehearsals via a telecommunications app looks like a big plunge for the theatre world and thats the curious story behind the bengaluru premiere of american authorplaywrightdirector jeff barons globally popular play visiting mr green a comedydrama that sifts through generations religion culture and sexuality written more than two decades ago this awardwinning piece has had over 500 productions in nearly 25 languages india is the 50th nation to stage the play the play will be staged at ranga shankara on february 1 330 pm and 730 pm in a telephonic conversation from new york jeff spoke to us about the indian adaptation that features veteran theatre personality mk raina as mr green and actor aakash prabhakar as ross gardiner what he finds interesting about the indian audience and more excerptsspeaking through computer screens seemed more intimate than meeting in personambitious as it may sound the fact that i started working with raina and aakash through video calls sitting in my new york city apartment a few months before we met in person was a huge leap of faith for all of us yes technology has made the world a smaller place in many ways but conducting rehearsals online was a unique experience i eventually started working with music composer prashanth srinivas set designer vivek jadhav lighting designer vikrant thakar stage manager jaymin thakkar and assistant director mallika shah as well it felt like working with old friends and colleagues a true meeting of the minds i think virtual communication is the way forward as it can open the door to more transcultural collaborations in theatrewhat makes visiting mr green a relevant watch in india todayvisiting mr green which runs for 1 hour and 35 minutes is a crossgenerational play that has resonated with people from different cultures it is known to promote a certain sense of tolerance across national and societal borders the narrative is basically a conversation between an 86yearold widower and a 29yearold corporate executive who is ordered by the court to routinely visit the former after the latter almost ran over him in a case of reckless driving the play investigates our deepseated religious differences while also addressing questions of sexuality as the tone of the script goes from comic to serious and back the narrative keeps the focus on how people from different generations look at things differently the play is partly autobiographical its about real experiences thus many find it quite relatable too plans are afoot to come up with a hindi translation for the play which will enable us to take the production to more towns and cities across the country the play was earlier staged in greece germany mexico