Theatre for Youth is a continuing area of interest for Nisha. Apart from writing and directing plays for them, she also conducts workshop programmes in storytelling, writing and theatre as well as develops pedagogical interventions that use stories and theatre in education.
At Schauburg Theatre in Munich, she will be exploring the formative role that myths play in culture and identity building through the medium of plays, both classic and contemporary, across languages and culture.
As a municipal theatre, Schauburg has its own performance space, repertory team, and supporting infrastructure and staff. I walked in to a theatre that was immersed in creating work with and for young audiences – it was exciting to be able to discuss content and craft with directors and dramaturgs, pedagogues and playwrights who have the same preoccupations as I do, and the same regard for the young as an audience.
Two Degrees, a play that addresses the problem of climate change to an audience of 12 plus years was birthed here. There was a public reading of the play at the end of the residency.
There were some good shows on at Schauburg during my time there. Some were experimental, mostly new writing and there was even a beloved classic… plays for an audience ranging from 3 months to 18 years, new writing and the classics, performed at their auditoria as well as site-specific work.
I returned also with a greater patience with the ways of working back home. I am more appreciative of some of the things we take for granted – our ease with flexible ways of working, our alternative performance spaces and creative ways of ensuring their sustenance, and the rather minimalist approach to theatre making.
