Sustainable Theatre Practice

Sustainable Theatre Practice A Four-Day Workshop by Pratiksha Khasnis and Kalpesh SamelMonday to Thursday, 23rd to 26th November, 4.00 p.m. - 7.00 p.m.Points to NoteYour place in the workshop will be confirmed only after payment and final selection. If you are not selected, the fee will be refunded.If you are selected and attend the entire workshop, the fee will be refunded.If you are selected and there is a no-show, or if you attend only part of the workshop, there will be no refund.About the WorkshopThis is an interactive workshop that draws from different experiences of running and touring with an independent theatre company. Through theatre games, group exercises, improvisation and practical discussions, participants will explore ways of creating, producing, touring and sustaining a theatre with limited resources. The workshop will look at audience-building, working collaboratively, mobility, and developing practical models that are both artistically meaningful and financially viable.About the FacilitatorsPratiksha KhasnisPratiksha Khasnis is a theatre artist, facilitator and cultural practitioner from Maharashtra. Her work lies at the intersection of performance, storytelling, education, and community engagement. Over the last decade, she has worked extensively with children, young people, educators and artists, exploring how artistic processes can create spaces for dialogue, imagination and collective learning.She is the co-founder of Tiny Tales Theatre Company, through which she has travelled to hundreds of schools, villages and public spaces, developing performances and participatory arts programmes. Her practice draws from theatre, music, puppetry, oral narratives, and local cultural traditions, often blurring the boundaries between performance, pedagogy and everyday life.Pratiksha is particularly interested in how stories are created, shared and remembered within communities. Her current work also includes building the Earthian Art Foundation, an artist-led rural space in the Sahyadri region dedicated to artistic exchange, research and collaborative practice.Kalpesh SamelKalpesh Samel is a theatre practitioner, actor, director and acting coach based in Maharashtra. He graduated in Theatre from Lalit Kala Kendra, Savitribai Phule Pune University, and has been working in theatre for over a decade.In 2018, he co-founded Tiny Tales Theatre Company with Pratiksha Khasnis, building an independent, travelling theatre practice that brings performances to audiences across rural and urban Maharashtra. His work explores theatre beyond conventional performance spaces, engaging with different communities, languages and cultural contexts. Through Tiny Tales, he works across acting, directing, storytelling, theatre education and the creation of performances that bring together music, puppetry and folk traditions.As a director, his works include Kadekot Kadelot and Meeri Saheli. His practice involves exploring the actor’s craft, physicality, storytelling and different approaches to performance. He is interested in developing a theatre practice that remains artistically rigorous while being accessible to audiences beyond established theatre spaces.He has received the Rang Setu Fellowship from Maharashtra Cultural Centre and the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre’s State-level Yuva Rangmanchiy Kalavishkar Award in 2024 for his contribution to theatre.Through his work, Kalpesh continues to explore how theatre can travel, adapt to different spaces and build meaningful connections between performers and audiences.Note for ApplicantsThe workshop is interactive and participation-based. Participants should be comfortable taking part in theatre games, discussions, and group activities. Participants are encouraged to come with an openness to experiment, collaborate, and share ideas.EligibilityAge: Between 18 and 40 yearsExperience: Basic experience of theatreAdvisory Clothing: Comfortable clothing is recommended for movement-based activities.Participants should carry a bottle of water.About the FestivalPLAYINTERPLAY is a theatre festival with a difference. It celebrates 50 years of the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation, bringing together its theatre awardees and scholars to show their work, share their experiences, skills and learnings, and converse on matters of common interest.PLAYINTERPLAY presents plays that are new to Bengaluru. What is different, however, is that it looks back as well as forward, featuring a work of theatre that has been specially revived for the festival and readings of plays that are still to become the finished article.PLAYINTERPLAY does more: it forges connections between its constituent parts — performances, workshops, conversations and experience sharing — emphasising the interplay between thought, learning and practice.See the plays! Apply for the workshops! Join the conversations! Soak in the magic of theatre.About the Artistic DirectorAnmol Vellani is the founder and former executive director of India Foundation for the Arts, the first independent philanthropic organisation in India devoted exclusively to supporting the arts. He is also the co-founder of Toto Funds the Arts, which nurtures, encourages and rewards new voices and emerging talent in the arts.Anmol did not, however, aspire to become a professional in the field of philanthropy. His early fascination was with the arts, especially theatre and music, and also philosophy, which he studied at the Universities of Poona, Oxford and Cambridge. He taught ethics, logic and the history of philosophy at Elphinstone College, Mumbai, in the 1970s.His writing and talks — on arts entrepreneurship, the creative economy, cultural policy, the role of grant-making foundations, culture and development, arts collaboration and the performing arts, for example — have reflected on the insights he has gleaned from his long engagement with the arts and philanthropy.Anmol has been associated with nearly 50 plays as a director, designer or actor. He has directed theatre productions in different languages and cities. His last two plays — Innocence (2024) and Apne Ghar Jaisa (2022) — have been lauded for their sharp and critical look at contemporary social and political realities in India.