2016 was a special year for us. We turned 18 and we got our own new space to further explore our puppetry encounters. Our space is at the Southern border of Delhi, 12 kilometers from the city centre. The population around is dense and semi urban.
2016 was a special year for us. We turned 18 and we got our own new space to further explore our puppetry encounters. Our space is at the Southern border of Delhi, 12 kilometers from the city centre. The population around is dense and semi urban.
These are the programs the space is currently supporting or planning to support
Mentorship Program -
In December 2017 we kick start our artists mentorship program with the mentoring of young directors from across India by the Director of Helios Theatre in Hamm, Germany, Barbara Kolling. Barbara will mentor 5 young Indian directors in creating 5 new performances using material only.
These are the programs the space is currently supporting or planning to support
Mentorship Program -
In December 2017 we kick start our artists mentorship program with the mentoring of young directors from across India by the Director of Helios Theatre in Hamm, Germany, Barbara Kolling. Barbara will mentor 5 young Indian directors in creating 5 new performances using material only.
Community & Peace-Building Projects: 2006–Present
UDAAYA SAMVAAD PROJECT with Population Council
2025
Katkatha received a grant from the Population council to create a project on gender and masculinity for children, particularly aged 11–17 years of age to focus on particular themes of gender stereotypes, violence and health that emerged during the Population Council’s census survey over eight years in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The project included creating interactive tik tok style videos and short audios using puppets to talk about difficult or taboo issues around gender and sexuality. These videos were used to initiate discussions among children and youth facilitated by Frontline workers like teachers, youth leaders, NGO workers who were trained by team Katkatha online.These videos are now available online as free source gender workshop materials.
Click the link- samvaad.projectudaya.in.
KASHMIR PROJECT
2006
Supported by WISCOMP, this project took place in Kashmir, in the village of Beejbehara, near Srinagar where 25 young women aged of 18-25 worked with team Katkatha using masks and puppets and writer B.Gauri for 7 months to explore personal stories of growing up and living in Kashmir through the conflict years and the poetry of sufi poetess Lal Ded (whose shrine lies in Beejbehara). The process culminated in a show by team Katkatha, scripted by B Gauri and titled Kashmir Project which premiered in 2007.
Gender
MUJHE BHI GINO
2009
This roadshow with a difference included 20 young women from Jharkhand and UP who travelled with team Katkatha on the back of a truck to use giant puppet heads and puppets at public spaces, like market places and village sqares, to celebrate and tell the story of local women achievers and to enable their own communities to look at women with a different lenses.
GENDER TAMASHA
2013
A three-part performance called Gender Tamasha was created with the support of Pravah. These performances and films explored the idea of safe spaces for women at work, on the streets and at home. Using giant puppet heads these non verbal pieces explored the everyday gender realities of India asking people to stop oppression based on gender by speaking up. The project is still running online as the MustBol campaign.
Health
Community Health Project in collaboration with World Bank, CHEALSEA and Make Arts/Stop AIDS
2005–07
An HIV/AIDS awareness program that ran for over 8 years and spanned 5 states of India included the play Virus ka tamasha that performed over 150 shows, a project called Khel-Khel Mein with teenagers from 5 states of India, who had been infected or affected by HIV or AIDS. The group made a puppet performance for their peer group based on their own stories and ICTC material and these were replicated in 2000 Do-it-yourself puppet kits distributed by NACO across 5 states of India.
Education
ACROSS THE SEA
2013
With the National School of Drama Theatre-In-Education Repertoire. This was an eight-week process of exploring arts and education with the repertoire actors. This included the training of actors to play puppets and improvising with material and puppets. The process culminated in a non-verbal show with giant puppets. This show for children has been performed two hundred times across India, in schools and children’s festivals.
1..2..TREE
2019
With Sandbox Collective, this six-week workshop process yielded a performance based on Climate Change and the world that may be in 2050 if we don’t change our ways. The collaboration included training Bangalore based performers to play puppets, create puppets and create through improvisations a performance for children.
Read about this production: