Natak – Theatre Made Together (PE08 Spring)

Everyone has a story to tell. Natak – Theatre Made Together is a welcoming theatre-making course where people from all backgrounds come together to explore lived experiences, traditions, memories and stories – and transform them into an original performance.

What will you learn on this course?

Across the term, you’ll work as an ensemble to creatively explore the experiences and ideas that matter to the group. Through conversation, storytelling, improvisation and devising, you’ll gradually shape these into a performance created collectively by everyone involved.

As a Sampad course, there will be opportunities to draw inspiration from South Asian stories, anecdotes, music, photographs and cultural traditions, while inviting participants of all backgrounds to bring their own experiences, cultures and perspectives into the room.

You don’t need to think of yourself as an actor or performer to take part. This is about sharing, listening, creating and discovering what can happen when different people and stories come together.

Explore different approaches to storytelling, improvisation and devised theatre, learning how personal experiences, memories and ideas can be transformed creatively for the stage.
Working collaboratively with the rest of the ensemble, you’ll experiment with using movement, dialogue, music, photographs, objects, lived experience and other creative starting points to discover different ways of telling stories through performance.

Rather than beginning with a finished script, the group will develop the piece together. You’ll have the opportunity to contribute ideas, shape scenes and characters, explore different perspectives and help develop the material that eventually becomes the ensemble’s original performance.

Along the way, the course will help you develop confidence, creativity, communication and performance skills, while giving you the opportunity to meet and collaborate with people whose experiences may be similar to or very different from your own.

At the end of each term, the group will bring everything it has created together into an original performance to share with friends and family.

Tutors include Bhavik Parmar, Executive Director of Sampad and visiting Sampad Staff and Freelancers.

Who is this course for?

This course is suitable for adults aged 18+ years from all backgrounds and levels of experience.

No previous acting, writing or theatre experience is required. You simply need curiosity, enthusiasm and a willingness to listen, share ideas and create collaboratively with others.

You are equally welcome whether you already love performing, have stories you would like to explore, want to meet and create with new people, or simply want to try something completely different.

At the heart of MAC is a focus on accessibility and inclusion. Please contact us to discuss your specific access needs. The room is wheelchair accessible. A personal assistant or companion must book a complimentary ticket if attending to provide support.

Do you need to bring anything?

Please bring water and wear comfortable clothes. You may occasionally be invited to bring photographs, objects, music, stories or other materials that you would like to use as creative inspiration, but this will always be discussed in advance.

Are there any additional costs?

There are no additional costs.

Who teaches this course?

This course is delivered by Sampad South Asian Arts and Heritage.