"With theatre, you have to be ready for anything."
- Willem Defoe
Do you want to know more about theatre but don't know where to begin?
The world of theatre is a fascinating place – with scripts, performances, actors, costumes and sets. Take the first step towards becoming a theatre expert with our three-hour introductory workshop. Our instructor Nayantara Nayar will introduce you to the history of theatre and the components that go into writing a play. Learn how to read, analyze and write plays through a mixture of lectures, games and in-class writing exercises.
Create your own definition and build a life-long relationship with theatre!
Understand how theatre evolved and why it remains relevant today. Create your own definition of what theatre means to you.
2.
Games And Writing Exercises
Participate in fun games and exercises to understand the nuances of theatre and how to turn an idea into a good play.
3.
Read And Analyze Plays
How can we break a play down and understand it better? Read excerpts from play scripts and learn how to analyze the structure, story arcs and characters.
4.
Build Your Theatre Community
Dive into the world of theatre and performance with our recommended reading and watching list. Become a theatre savant!
THE COURSE
Theatre: An Introduction
How did theatre emerge and why do we do it? A introduction to the origins of theatre with case-studies from Sanskrit, classical Greek, and ancient Egyptian theatre. Engage in an active discussion of what makes theatre relevant to this day.
Building Blocks
How are we going to define theatre for the remainder of this session? Learn the components of theatre and create your own definition.
Play Reading: ‘Taramandal’
Analyse: Desire/Goal and Conflict/Obstacles
Build mini-scenes through a game to better understand how conflict is at the centre of all good drama.
Play Reading: ‘Until the Floods’
Analyse: Character and characterization
Learn how to create mood boards and write backstories to build well-developed characters.
Theatre: An Introduction
How did theatre emerge and why do we do it? A introduction to the origins of theatre with case-studies from Sanskrit, classical Greek, and ancient Egyptian theatre. Engage in an active discussion of what makes theatre relevant to this day.
Building Blocks
How are we going to define theatre for the remainder of this session? Learn the components of theatre and create your own definition.
Play Reading: ‘Taramandal’
Analyse: Desire/Goal and Conflict/Obstacles
Build mini-scenes through a game to better understand how conflict is at the centre of all good drama.
Play Reading: ‘Until the Floods’
Analyse: Character and characterization
Learn how to create mood boards and write backstories to build well-developed characters.
Meet The Instructor: Nayantara Nayar
Nayantara Nayar is a writer, researcher, and storyteller based out of Chennai. She has a background in theatre and education, documentary film, and sociology. Her practice looks at how to use playwriting and storytelling to explore larger historical time periods and socio-political issues from deeply personal perspectives. Her most recent work as a playwright is ‘The Body’ commissioned by Rage Theatre Mumbai and EnActe Theatre California. Her previous play, ‘The Lottery’, was long-listed for the Hindu Playwriting Award 2018. It was further selected to be workshopped at UnBlock 2019, conducted by Rage Theatre, Mumbai, and Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. She’s currently working on a visual art+storytelling performance called ‘Limits of Change’ commissioned by the Inko Centre Chennai. Her hobbies include reading, watching too many videos of PBS Eons, and destroying her family at Scrabble.
Get added to a WhatsApp group a day before the class. Receive an email with the class link on the day of the class. Attend the class on zoom
0
Receive Feedback
Receive invaluable instructor and peer feedback on your work.
BOUND TESTIMONIAL
"I've taken two of Bound's writing classes so far and both have been immensely helpful. The kind of feedback you get is very insightful and also gives you a writing community. One definitely comes out of this class a much-improved writer and feeling inspired and driven to continue the writing from where we last left class."
"Bound India’s How to Read Like a Writer facilitated by Tara Khandelwal helped me analyse the works of different authors thoroughly and offered a new perspective on the various aspects of storytelling. I think this workshop is very important for aspiring writers because it helps you hone your skills and experiment with different styles."
"I've thoroughly enjoyed the sessions hosted by Michelle and Tara. Their knowledge and sheer love for books and literature make the classes interesting and interactive. I've had the opportunity to get such different and intriguing perspectives on varying topics from them and aspiring writers. It's been an enriching experience in a short span of time.
The topics for sessions/workshops are intelligently chosen, providing ample opportunities to participants to share ideas, theories and the like. Analysis, reasoning, styling, and editing are some of the active discussions that occur with like-minded folks.
Thus far, I've attended sessions on How to Edit Your Book (Tara), How to Read Like A Writer (Tara), and a 2-Week Advanced Fiction Class (Michelle). Looking forward to many more and a long-lasting relationship with Bound. Happy to have found you."
"Over the past two weeks, Michelle, our instructor, has been very polite and helpful. She made us understand things that we unconsciously know, but often don’t use. I’m an active writer. I participated in this class to improve my writing skills and it was very beneficial. Michelle made us analyse literary texts ourselves so that we write better and achieve the writing goals we've been dreaming about. In each two hour session, participants engaged each other with such intriguing conversations that time really flew by. This class has taught me the importance of living in a community, teamwork, good listening skills and of course, better writing techniques. I recommend this to all writers who want to improve their craft."
"Michelle D'costa's class was like a visit to a friend's house for some green tea. It comforted me and boosted my spirit. The ideas that came from that class jumpstarted my first literary short story in many years."
"I really enjoyed Bound’s fiction writing class. It was well-structured and interactive. I appreciated the quality of the community that participated. The class pushed us to both experiment with styles, and stay true to our own voice."
"In simple words: Michelle is fantastic. I personally went into this class wondering if it was even possible to make me write fiction because it's always been a Herculean task for me. Michelle broke it down into smaller chunks and made it so easy for me. She has a very kind and patient manner of facilitating and is extremely encouraging. I hope to attend more of her classes!"
"The online class was supposed to be a happy escape from the boring lockdown, and instead it ended up being a huge part of my life right now. It was fun to meet so many people, and even more fun to work on all the prompts that Michelle handed out. I'm grateful to Michelle and Tara for organizing this online workshop. I think the online series is going to be easier on people who live in faraway places. The fact that so many people signed up that you had to open a second workshop is testament to how successful your endeavour has been. Looking forward to more classes in the future."
"Michelle's class was a welcome spell for me especially during the time I was facing a severe writer's block. I learnt how to structure my work, analyse stories and the book recommendations were excellent. I also got to learn a lot from my talented peers."
