Understanding Originality
So, I googled it. I googled the word ‘original’ (and got distracted by several ads) and emerged with some interesting results and dual meanings. ‘Original’ can mean that which is entirely new, freshly burst into existence. Conversely, it means root – authentic source material from which fakes, copies and imitations can arise. So, between these […]
My Impressions of Keval Arora: Theatre Pedagogue, Mentor and Man
Editor’s Note: India has a rich history in theatre, but our knowledge about the work our contemporaries and older groups have and are doing, is often limited to the geographies we live in. Driven by a curiosity to know about the work being created across the country, over the next couple of months, we will […]
Marrying Theatre & Tech: Ayesha Susan Thomas, Chanakya Vyas & Ben Samuels on Embracing Technology to Tell Stories
On an average, we humans spend 11 hours a day consuming technology. Technology includes – watching video, listening to audio, working on the computer, engaging with social media, video gaming, or online reading. For us, living in the 21st century, the digital space is one that we’ve come to naturally inhabit, so much so it […]
Unrehearsed Futures (S3) #13 A Lush and Generative Longing: Presence and Resistance on the Threshold
Do you believe Creation desires your devotion Through murder and death We squabble over The pieces of the earth The true beasts are Those who believe in creation Without mother, womb or birth Be simple like the flowers – Lyrics from Me’shell Ndegeocello’s album Comfort Woman Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist Kate Quarfordt’s wish is to […]
Sandbox Collective co-founders Shiva Pathak, Nimi Ravindran on ‘Gender Bender’, building a community and more
Editor’s Note: India has a rich history in theatre, but our knowledge about the work our contemporaries and older groups have and are doing, is often limited to urban centres or the geographies we live in. Driven by a curiosity to know about the work being created across the country, over the next couple of […]
Entrepreneurship in Theatre: Young theatre-makers share how they run a theatre company
For young theatre-makers who are starting out in the field wanting to create their own work and theatre companies, a question that stumps them is: How does one start a theatre company with no money? In an ecosystem that is starving for financial injections, it becomes a task for young theatre-makers to find their way […]
Unrehearsed Futures (S3) #12 Unstable Classrooms: Re-learning practice through pedagogy
As we encounter a world that is perpetually in a state of constant disruption, the question arises that if we were to embrace this feeling of being in a constant flux, where is the moment of creativity, where is the generative capacity. At a recent Unrehearsed Futures (Season 3) conversation, Delhi-based playwright and director, Neel […]
‘I am a Chhara, Not a Criminal’: Budhan Theatre member Atish Indrekar on using theatre for social justice
Editor’s Note: India has a rich history in theatre, but our knowledge about the work our contemporaries and older groups have and are doing, is often limited to urban centres or the geographies we live in. Driven by a curiosity to know about the work being created across the country, over the next couple of […]
Unrehearsed Futures (S3) #11 The Burdens of Witness: writing (by) women in times of crisis
In our first conversation following the mid-season break of Unrehearsed Futures (Season 3), we dove into the chaosmos of writing stories centred around female protagonists and the complicated positioning of women in scenarios of social upheaval and crisis, with US-based ethnographer, storyteller and educator Nikki Yeboah and screenwriter Sarah McCarron. Whether negotiating intimate family dramas […]
Ahead of India’s 75th Independence Day, theatre artists share practices they seek freedom from
India will complete 75 years of Independence this month. Freedom (or Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, as the Government of India calls it) is the word on the street everywhere you go. We wondered, Iin these times, what does the concept of freedom mean to artists and theatre practitioners. To find out, we interviewed some practitioners to […]
Curated Conversations: Nisha Abdulla, Rumi Harish, Krupa on the non-definitions of the body
What is the body? How does the body engage with other bodies to form a community of bodies? What is the body’s first memory of artmaking? How does it connect to wellness, to health? In this edition of Curated Conversations, we had three panellists – Nisha Abdulla, Rumi Harish and Krupa – who spoke about […]
Things We Can Say and Can’t: Jana Natya Manch co-founder Moloyshree Hashmi reflects on censorship, Safdar’s death & making theatre
Editor’s Note: India has a rich history in theatre, but our knowledge about the work our contemporaries and older groups have and are doing, is often limited to urban centres or the geographies we live in. Driven by a curiosity to know about the work being created across the country, over the next couple of […]
A Culture of Care: Talking Mental Health in the Rehearsal Room
I firmly believe artists bring their whole selves to the theatre – their lives, their experiences, journeys and traumas. And in this space of extreme vulnerability, to ensure longevity and stability of performers and crew alike, it is imperative to talk about mental health in the rehearsal room. The work of bringing characters to life […]
Curated Conversations: Indu Harikumar shares how she tells taboo stories and what fuels her art
A self-taught artist, Indu Lalitha Harikumar shared about her artistic journey with the students of the current blended learning batch during the latest Curated Conversations. Indu shared how honest personal connection led her way from a playful 16-year-old playing around with photoshop on her first computer to today, becoming a distinguished illustrator, telling stories about […]
Unrehearsed Futures (S3) #10 Day 127: Ukrainian Theatre Artists Respond to the War
As part of the last session before our mid-season break, we decided to continue our conversation on Ukraine. On Unrehearsed Futures, we engaged with Ukrainian and Russian artists twice (here and here) about the war and the dramaturgy around it. While the news cycle is tiring of Ukraine, we are convinced that Ukrainians, near or […]
The Actor’s Resource: 4 Tips to Help Actors Put Life Into Their Lines
How do professional actors make a scene realistic? Most of us know that the basics involve reading the script, understanding the character within the context, and then putting life into the writer’s words. Of course, this is easier said than done. In this post, we discuss the different ways we can explore the meaning behind […]