Previous Events

Earlier this year, British singer-songwriter Lucy Rose took her guitar and backpack around Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, and Mexico, where she played free shows, stayed with fans and recorded her experiences. A documentary and new record "Something's Changing" came from these travels. After a sold out India tour last year, she's returned to share her new music and film with audiences in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

A dark short story written by Samar Sarila and performed by a cast of four (Vidushi Mehra, Sohaila Kapur, Adhiraj Katoch and Samar Sarila), "Lives of Others" captures two stories, two moments in time. The first delves into the familial discord between mother and son, and the fractured emotions brimming at the surface. The mother, in the throes of a crippling drug dependency, is grappling over the past and the present with her son. Almost simultaneously, an equally intense scene unfolds next door. A couple, Ira and Joseph, caught in the midst of a bitter dissension, unable to cope, yet trying to salvage their broken union. Produced by the team behind 'Skylight', audiences can look forward to a unique interactive experience.

Futureproof is set in the last days of circus freak shows. It's about a motley group of traveling side show artists (a great big fat man; an armless, bearded lady; Siamese twins) who have fallen on hard times. What were once considered nature's marvels are now viewed as aberrations. Audiences have suddenly imbibed a new moral code and tastes are changing rapidly. The artists are broke, starving, and the future looks bleak. Hard times call for desperate measures...

Reinventing the 16th-century art of oral storytelling, Fouzia Dastango, one of the first female storytellers of the Dastangoi style, will perform three stories 'Kajari Gaye', 'Pied Piper' (in Hindustani) and 'Natkhat Gadha' for children. This will be followed by a simple craft activity for the children to create something to take home. This performance is ideal for 5-10-year-olds, however, older children and adults are welcome too.

A DJ set is not often regarded as a form of art, but a certain community of artists and audiences are striving to change that. Atish and Praveen fall solidly in that group. Atish joins us from San Francisco and provides an experience that is emotive and ecstatic. Praveen, a prolific producer and DJ from Bengaluru, opens the afternoon with a set filled with musicality, diversity & unpredictability. They will both be interpreting the theme 'Migrations' in their own ways, in what promises to be a great way to wind down the weekend.

What does it mean to approach (a) the inner ‘live’ moving body and (b) the outside world affecting it, in a cinematic way? The facilitators will help bring awareness to the smallest of details in our bodies, zooming in like a camera and bringing attention to fragile sensations. Then will gradually zoom out to a more general experience of the body - moving in space, awakening inner motivation/curiosity/precision and connecting with others through exercises inspired by Budo.

'Tales of Twenty Dodgy Fingers' is a series of Dance-Theatre pieces, transforming the art of cinema, live on stage. Through short episodes of movement, this performance seeks to create cinema-like worlds with their specific visual details and distinct soundscapes. One, a murder mystery, a joyous thriller, inspired by the suspense-filled world of Alfred Hitchcock. The other, a trip to the world of animation; the richness and color of it inspired by Hayao Miyazaki.

Originally based on a short Japanese folktale, this is the story of a young man and his deep, abiding love for a grand old willow tree. A blindfolded artist and his accordion weave themes of man and nature, dreams and spirits, greed and grace. Told through spoken word, rhythm and music, this is a haunting tale of loss and love.

Amongst India's most talented young classical musicians, Sahil Vasudeva is widely credited with bringing the piano out of conventional spaces into performance art. 'The Un-Recital' looks at his journey as a pianist in his hometown. Accompanied by mixed media and an introspective narrative, this performance breaks away from a traditional concert recital to offer classical music within a personal context. The performance will include work by Rachmaninov, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Schumann, and his own compositions.**Produced by Manisha Prakash

Songbird Sessions is an intimate monthly gig series curated and produced by the folks at Pagal Haina Records in association with Oddbird Theatre. The endeavour is simple. To put the focus firmly back on the artists and the performance. The first edition will feature sets by the lovely Chayan & Smiti and a special solo set by Sajid Akbar.

In this solo-performance, Alok explores the sinister sides of visibility: How many facebook likes does it take to love yourself? How many followers does it take to feel less alone? What would it mean to understand the internet -- and the violence it inflicts -- as real? Why must trans people have to be visible in order to be safe? Join for an evening of poetry and performance confronting heartbreak, digital alienation, and the meaning of intimacy in a digital world.

Participants of all artistic backgrounds and disciplines are invited to join us for a guided creative workshop facilitated by performance artist Alok Vaid-Menon. Drawing from Theatre of the Oppressed, experimental performance arts, and spoken word poetry -- Alok will guide participants through a series of exercises taking them from the page to the stage and back again. With an emphasis on trauma, sexuality, legacy, embodiment, and gender we will work together to create art that is both meaningful and impactful. **We would like to keep the workshop accessible to everyone interested. Please do not let your inability to pay, be the reason for not applying. Write us at [email protected].