theatre workshops

the company theatre devises and conducts theatre workshops that are specific to the requirements of a vast range of clients; corporate bodies, educational institutions and various other organizations. these workshops are not intended only for actors, rather, they are aimed at individuals from any métier interested in theatre and performance culture in general. with a series of theatre games and exercises, these workshops enable participants to experience the finer points that constitute the dynamics of the theatre. although various skills and talents are tapped through these workshops, the stress is on participation rather than on performance.

our workshops include tasks that inculcate, hone and sharpen the use of the body's apparatus and vocal skills, mimetic skills, imagination capabilities and character study. the workshops aim to lead participants to new physical experiences and sensations through a process of self-awareness and discovery and finally create a common vocabulary based upon shared experience, resulting in spontaneous interaction with other participants.

intercultural exchanges and collaborations

participation in:
'vivarta', dance-theatre festival, london, leicester, uk. 1991
'new directions in indian dance', toronto, ottawa, canada. 1992
‘measure for measure’, shakespeare, sacramento theatre company, california, usa. 1994
‘the immobile voyager’ compagnie philippe genty, paris, france. 1995
phacama project, south africa- children's theatre and aids awareness. 2000
‘train fou’-axel gauvin, theatre du grand marche, reunion island, france. 2001

artists invited to collaborate with tct:
rene migliaccio, a franco-american theatre director, to direct indian actors in bombay. 2002
‘dos a deux’, gestural theatre, in extremis productions, paris-france, in bombay.1999
manuel aguilar from spain/france for a musical creation with rajasthani artistes, all india tour 2002
compagnie paco decina, a show of contemporary dance ‘lettre au silence’, bombay. 2003
alexander vaughn, an upcoming cellist from new york, to play live in the theatre production “lady with lapdog”. 2002-2003

tct performers have worked and trained with many different international companies like compagnie philippe genty (france), ton und kirschen (germany), royal court theatre (uk), big telly theatre company (ireland), and the royal academy of dramatic arts (uk).

tct represented india at the international network for cultural diversity between 2000 and 2003. incd is an international network that acts as a counter-force to the growing influence of homogenization caused by globalization. it is particularly concerned with the constraints created by international financial institutions and trade agreements to cultural policies and cultural protections. tct organised an international conference on cultural diversities, “vividha” in bombay in december 2003.

tct organised the “making space for theatre” a conference at prithvi theatre, bombay 2002, which focused intensively on various aspects of design and facility of theatre performance spaces in india. the edited proceedings of the conference will soon be published. the conference investigated, analyzed and reflected upon extant approaches to the creation of performance spaces and set the agenda for discussion about the future of such facilities.

the company theatre was launched in 1993 when it organised the prithvi international theatre festival in new delhi. the participating theatre companies came from belgium, germany, japan, france, england and india. since then the members of the company theatre have participated in and helped organise many subsequent prithvi theatre festivals, mumbai.

tct was instrumental in organising the opening of rangashankara theatre and its first theatre festival in bangalore. tct recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with a theatre festival at prithvi theatre, mumbai. amongst the theatre festivals that tct has participated in, some are:

mauritius international theatre festival.
reunion islands theatre festival.
lahore arts festival, pakistan.
the other festival, chennai.
bharangam, national school of drama, delhi.
kala ghoda festival, mumbai.
bandra festival, mumbai.
bombay festival, mumbai.
the hindu theatre festival, chennai.
ranga shankara theatre festival, bangalore.
mahindra excellence in theatre awards, delhi

theatre at home

“if people do not leave homes to go to the theatre, we shall take theatre into their homes”

the company theatre started performing plays in people's drawing rooms, terraces and gardens since february 2002 in bombay. these are short plays in different languages directed by different directors.

the company theatre organises an evening of theatre at someone's residence, where an audience of 35-40 people is invited and the show is performed with lights, music, costumes, makeup and minimal sets. the performance is followed by an informal meeting session where drinks are served and people from different walks of life interact with each other and the artists.

“ A stately living room transformed into a makeshift stage with painted backdrops, borrowed props and portable lights. The audience sprawled on the floor or propped up by cushions.
And to end the evening, a round of discussion, poetry reading and impromptu music sessions. Theatre is certainly going places.”