The symposium navigates the phenomenon of post-pandemic contemporary Indian theatre through an open, interactive space for theatre viewing, conversation, Q&A and a focus group discussion. In keeping with the festival theme—The Power of Vulnerability—we have gathered a unique and fascinating cohort of speakers whose experience and scholarship reflect these concerns. We invite their perspectives on the theatrical zeitgeist as well as on the possibilities and challenges ahead. We invite your conversation with them.

Day 1

18th October

10:00 AM

 Keynote Speaker Dr. Anuradha Kapur in dialogue with Kirtana Kumar 

Moving on: What are the markers of Contemporary Theatre on the Subcontinent?

Followed by Q/A

10:45 AM

Focus Group Discussion led by Vivek Madan

Scene Change: Decentralisation, Venues, Curatorial Authority 

11:45 AM

Dr. Abhilash Pillai

My Circus, My Monkeys: Cultural Appropriation vs Cultural Collaboration

Followed by Q/A

1:15 PM

Dr. Amanda Culp

Resisting the Classical/Contemporary Binary: Afterlives and Resonances of Sanskrit Theatre

Followed by Q/A

Day 2

19th October

10:00 AM

Dr. Brahma Prakash

On Theatre Topography: When theatre is missing from Resistance

Followed by Q/A

10: 45 AM

Dr. Christoph Lutz-Scheurle

Getting Involved!: Social Theatre in a War Torn World   

Followed by Q/A

3:00 PM

Responses to Nazar ke saamne and Bhaagi hui Ladkiyan by

Dr. Brahma Prakash, Dr. Christoph Lutz-Scheurle, Dr. Abhilash Pillai- Mediated by Dr. Amanda Culp

Followed by audience interaction 

Day 3

20th October

10:00 AM

 Markus Kubesch in conversation with Kirtana Kumar

Decolonising the Rehearsal Process

Followed by Q/A

10: 45 AM

Deepan Sivaraman

The Aesthetics of Change: Explorations Towards Expanding Notions of Theatre 

Followed by Q/A

3: 00 PM

Responses to wepushthesky and Notion(s): In Between You and Me

Markus Kubesch, Dr. Amanda Culp and Vivek Madan

Followed by audience interaction

About the Speakers 

Dr. Anuradha Kapur is a theatre director and professor of drama. She taught at the National School of Drama (NSD) for over three decades and was its Director for six years (2007–2013). She was also Chief of the NSD Repertory Company. Currently, she is a visiting professor at the School of Culture and Creative Expressions, Ambedkar University, Delhi. Between 2016–2017, she was a Fellow at Freie Universitat, Berlin. Her awards include the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2004) and the J. Vasanthan Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Theatre (2016). Her work as a director is noted for its open and interactive nature. Kapur is a Trustee of the Sher-Gil Sundaram Arts Foundation.

Vivek Madan is a theatre actor and producer based out of Bombay. He is the founder-director of Bhasha Centre, a theatre organisation whose interests lie in building capacity and resources within and for the theatre ecosystem. He is the recipient of the Shankar Nag Award 2021 presented by Ranga Shankara, Bengaluru.

Dr. Abhilash Pillai is a director, pedagogue, and scholar of contemporary Indian theatre. His approach aims to engage and connect with civil society and the state, producing works that challenge audiences to think deeply about human existence and the science of making man. His book, C.N. Sreekantan Nair—A Vision and Mission of a Theatre Activist, has been published by Central Sahitya Akademi. His awards include the Sanskriti Award, Manohar Smirit Puraskar from the National School of Drama, and the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award. He has previously served as the Dean of Academics at NSD and is now Director of School of Drama and Fine Arts at the University of Calicut in Thrissur, Kerala. Additionally, he serves as the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Kerala.

Dr. Amanda Culp is a dramaturg and performance historian who specialises in the theatrical afterlives of Sanskrit drama. Her writing has been published in Theatre Journal, Asian Theatre Journal, The Routledge Companion to Scenography, and The Wiley Blackwell Companion to World Literature. As a dramaturg, Dr. Amanda is especially interested in work that explores the challenges of theatre as a local art form operating in a global cultural economy. She is one of the program directors of the One Year Lease Theatre Company International Program and an Assistant Professor of Drama at Vassar College.

Dr. Brahma Prakash is a writer, cultural theorist and an Assistant Professor of Theatre and Performance Studies at the School of Arts and Aesthetics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He is the author of critically acclaimed books, Cultural Labour: Conceptualizing the ‘Folk Performance’ in India and Body on the Barricades: Life, Art and Resistance in Contemporary India. He has also published in various research journals, and his columns on art, culture and politics frequently appear in online journals.

Dr. Christoph Lutz-Scheurle teaches Film, Theatre and Media Studies at the University of Applied Science and Arts in Dortmund/Germany and has been working as an actor, director and dramaturg in theatre and film. He has published numerous academic articles on the topic of Art, Film and Theatre as well as on the subject of Arts in Education. Together with Norma Köhler and Melanie Hinz he published the edited trilogy: theatre als Soziale Kunst: Biografieren auf der Bühne (Part I; Munich 2020); PARTIZIPATION: teilhaben-teilnehmen (Part II; Munich 2017) and Forschendes theatre in Sozialen Feldern (Part III; Munich 2018).

Markus Kubesch is both a theatre practitioner and researcher. As a PhD candidate at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Markus explores participation in theatre rehearsal processes with children and adolescents ethnographically. As a theatre pedagogue, Markus has collaborated with several institutions like the Schauburg Theatre in Munich. He is a visiting lecturer in Applied Theatre at the Mozarteum University Salzburg and has worked as a director and performer at theatres in Austria, Germany, Greece and Switzerland. He is a proud father to a wonderful daughter and an avid Tom Waits fan.

Deepan Sivaraman, is a theatre director, scenographer, dramaturg and educator. He is the founding Artistic Director of Oxygen Theatre Company based in Kerala and Performance Studies Collective based in Delhi. He has been awarded the Charles Wallace India Trust Scholarship in 2003, The Kerala Sangeet Nataka Academy Award for theatre direction in 2012 and the Mahindra Excellence National Theatre Awards in 2010 and 2018. Deepan served as Artistic Director of the International Theatre Festival of Kerala in 2013 and 2023, respectively. He is presently a professor of theatre and performing arts at Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad.

Kirtana Kumar is an actor, director, and film-maker based in Bengaluru. Her abiding interest is in creating new works with her company, Little Jasmine Theatre Project, with an emphasis on local forms, texts, visuals, sounds and ideas. In India, she has curated and organised two national symposia on “Theatre Pedagogy for Young Audiences” for Ranga Shankara and on“Developing an Indian Dramaturgical Voice” for Jagriti Theatre. “Theatre in Times of Zoom” was an international online symposium she curated at the start of the lockdowns. In 2021, as artist-in-residence, by invitation of the City of Munich, she curated a theatre festival called “GlobalKarnataka”. During this time, she also curated and conducted a series of conversations on Post-Pandemic Theatre.

FAQs

Q: What time do the gates open?

A: The Sunder Nursery is open from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

Q: Is parking available at the venue?

A: There is paid parking available at the Sunder Nursery.

Q. Do the event tickets include entry to the Sunder Nursery?

A. The tickets only include the charges for attending each performance. Attendees will need to buy entry tickets for the venue at the time of their visit. We advise you to account for the time it will take to purchase entry tickets so as to avoid being late for the performances.

Q: Is there a minimum age requirement for the event or is it family friendly?

A: The appropriate age for each performance can be found on their individual pages.

Q: Is the venue wheelchair accessible?

A: Both the amphitheatre and auditorium are wheelchair accessible.

Q. Are there discounted tickets for students?

A. Students can book online without paying for tickets. They will need to carry their institutional IDs for verification on the day of the event.

Q. Are all the events of the festival ticketed?

A. The workshop, lecture demonstration and symposium are free of cost. You can register for these events at their individual pages on the Insider website.

Q. Is food available at the venue?

A. There is a kiosk at gate number 2 where food and beverages can be purchased. Food is not allowed inside the Amphitheatre and the Auditorium.