“If only art always imitated life and life imitated art, I'd wish for the world to be a little bit more like ‘Unshared Childhoods’.”

This unique immersive theatre experience – which brings together letters, live music, movement, and food – is back for its 4th season, this time at a farmhouse on the outskirts of Mumbai!

Unshared Childhoods is an intimate dramatic experiment in empathy in which audience members sit around a patchwork quilt to bear witness to real unsent letters from around the world, dive into our individual and collective pasts, and share food in what feels like a family reunion.

For this day-long Pottery Studio Farmhouse Edition, audience members will be treated to:

– a pick-up from Titwala train station in a shared auto-rickshaw to Winding Road Studios

– a hot breakfast in a mango orchard

– a farmhouse performance of Unshared Childhoods followed by time to interact with the artists

– a visit to the pottery studio to recreate one of the oldest forms of writing and carve a clay tablet

– a sumptuous Maharashtrian thali lunch

– a drop-off back to Titwala train station in a shared auto-rickshaw from the farmhouse

More about the ‘Unshared Childhoods’ performance:

In an increasingly more volatile and lonely world, Unshared Childhoods is a collective effort at imagination and un-Othering disguised as a performance, located in the Dead Letter Offices of our minds.

Spurred on by teenage party games, Marquez’s short stories, romanticised tales of messages in glass bottles afloat at sea, and a fascination for compound adjectives, this piece explores the notion that all desire stems from a space of lack... as does all destruction.

This piece is conceived, designed, and directed by Tanvi Shah. It premiered in 2019 in Glasgow as part of a call for original works created for intimate spaces, and has had 21 performances since then in living rooms, art galleries, and rooftop terraces across Mumbai.

More about Winding Road Studios:

Set in the middle of a 21 acre family farm, Winding Road Studios is a teaching and production pottery studio. It is run by Cynthia and Rahul who learned the craft in Himachal before returning to Maharashtra to set up their practice. Surrounded by peace and greenery, it becomes possible to drown out the noise inside you and lose yourself in the rhythm of the pottery wheel or carving a tile. The property also features a four bedroom house for guests, an offloading track and a large rainwater-fed lake for swimming and picnicking.

Schedule for the day:

9:30 am: Pick-up at Titwala Station in a shared auto-rickshaw.

Please plan your trains to arrive at Titwala before or by 9:30 am sharp.

10 am – 11 am: Outdoor breakfast in the mango orchard

11 am – 1 pm: ‘Unshared Childhoods’ in the farmhouse, followed by informal conversations with the artists.

1 pm – 2 pm: Carving a clay telegram at the pottery studio

2 pm – 3 pm: Lunch and goodbyes

3 pm: Shared auto-rickshaws to take everyone back to Titwala train station

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. Can I arrange my own transport to Winding Road Studios?

A. Yes. If travelling by private vehicle, please arrive at Winding Road Studios aka Lewis Farms by 10 am at the latest. Since the farm is quite remote, there is no Uber / Ola service available. Some roads may be closed during the monsoons – please factor this in so that you can plan your journey and arrive on time. Please note that this doesn’t make a difference to your ticket price.

Q. Can I bring my own food to the experience?

A. Your ticket is inclusive of a homemade vegetarian Maharashtrian breakfast and lunch. If you wish to bring your own food, please do so.

Please note that this doesn’t make a difference to your ticket price. In case of any dietary restrictions, please write to unsharedchildhoods@gmail.com.

Q. Which trains will get me to Titwala train station in time?

A. Here are your options:

The 7:26 am Asangaon Fast from CST reaches Titwala at 8:47 am. Major stops: Byculla (7:33 am), Dadar (7:40 am), Kurla (7:47 am), Ghatkopar (7:51 am), Thane (8:07 am), Dombivli (8:23 am), and Kalyan (8:32 am).

The 7:42 am Asangaon Slow from CST, reaches Titwala by 9:24 am. Major stops:

Byculla (7:50 am), Dadar (8:00 am), Kurla (8:10 am), Ghatkopar (8:16 am), Thane (8:37 am), Dombivli (9:01 am), and Kalyan (9:11 am).

Exit on the West side of Titwala station using the foot over bridge on the CSMT (South) end of the platform and gather in the parking lot, where you will be met by a team-member.

Q. Can I still be part of the day’s activities if I'm late?

A. We cannot guarantee that a team-member will be waiting at Titwala station after 10 am, in which case you may have to find your own rickshaw to the farm. Since Unshared Childhoods is a very intimate experience, there will be no entry into the performance once it has begun.In case you arrive after the beginning of the performance, you will be guided to the Winding Road Studios pottery studio, where you can watch potters at work until the end of the show.

Q. Can I be part of the clay tablet carving session if I miss the performance?

A. Yes. Please bear in mind, however, that the experience has been curated to offer you the best of the farmland, the performance, and the pottery studio. Please try to spend the day with us.

Q. What does the pottery session entail?

A. After the performance – which is designed around real letters – audience members will be carving a clay tablet, recreating one of the oldest forms of writing. With a ballpoint pen, individuals will engrave a message or a drawing on a slab of leatherhard clay. The tools are familiar and easy to use, and the experience is wonderfully tactile and satisfying. You can fire your completed pieces in the kiln at an additional cost.

Q.Trigger warnings for the performance

A.The content of the crowd-sourced letters mentions real-life experiences of loss, bereavement, systemic trauma, suicidal ideation, and heartbreak. While the experience is completely immersive and the audience will be guided through the piece, individuals who do not wish to participate are under no compulsion to do so.

CREDITS:

Concept, Design, and Direction: Tanvi Shah

Music Composition and Sound Design: Anusha Ramasubramoney, Pushkar Srivatsal, and Meera Desai

Live Music: Anusha Ramasubramoney and Meera Desai

Movement: Anoushka Zaveri

Moderation: Manish Ruparel

Set Design: The Quilting House at Thotpot led by Tapan Mittal-Deshpande

Project Management: Laya Kumar

Production: Harshini Misra

Dramaturgical Support: Ryan Napier

‘Unshared’ Logo Design: Disha Sanghvi

Words: anonymous writers from around the world