About the Workshop: Once you’ve decided to Write a play

Once we’ve decided to write and found the subject of a play, how can we find our own way of telling a story? How can we allow the subject of our play to influence our style and form of writing? How can the world we inhibit and the places and conditions in which we write influence our form? What are the ways in which we can think of research? How can we think of writing as a collaborative process rather than as pensive isolated efforts? What are some of the often followed rules and what are the ways we can explore rule-breaking more thoughtfully? These are some of the questions that have stayed with me over the years and I’ve found new ways to engage with them with every play. With the intent to encourage and provoke writers to think about the relationship between the writing process and their subjects more intimately, this interactive sharing will complement the regular writing program at the university.

Swati Simha is a playwright and researcher based in New Delhi. She graduated with a MA in Intercultural studies from Shanghai Theatre Academy in China and is currently pursuing her PhD at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her thesis tries to understand identity formation in the Kannada public sphere and her research interests include political theology, intellectual history and literary theory. Her plays have been performed in Kannada and English and has previously written plays for the Royal Court Theatre, London and the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. She won the Toto award for her play ‘Echoing Chamber’ in 2018. She has been appointed as the youth ambassador for cultural diplomacy by UNESCO- International Theatre Institute.  Swati Simha is a FLAME alumna.

Zoom Link:  https://flameuniversity.zoom.us/j/97151089427