From May 7th - June 7th, we hosted 8 interns from Christ University, Bangalore studying in the Theatre Studies, English and Psychology program. Over the duration of the internship, the students were paired up and given extensive responsibilities on different projects for Kaivalya Plays. As much as we hope they gained from the experience they gained, we learned far more about what these young minds aspire to be and do in the future. We wish all of them success in completing their degrees and luck in the projects they will create as professionals. Here's a bit more about each of them:

Auman and Samarjit started by focusing on our working in marketing and community engagement. Both helped us understand how to engage with our communities more effectively by sharing challenges, cutting trailers and working across multiple platforms. They also focused on documenting and learning stage management for online events. They worked on India Improv Sxene with our Ensemble and guest teams and, also, conceived and inaugurated our new KP Talkies panel, to discuss mental health issues faced by young minds. Both their contributions will be applied and continued beyond their time with Kaivalya Plays.

Jayasoorya and Divakaran gave us insight into the work of Kerala theatre practitioners to understand safety practices. Drawn to our work in safety in the performing arts they offered to help facilitate conversations with theatre makers and organizations in Kerala, including traditional performance forms like Kathakali. These conversations would not have been possible without Jayasoorya and Divakaran's proficiency in Malayalam and ability to document and translate the interviews back to English. Their findings will be included in our research into safety practices in the performing arts.

Vaishnavi and Sofia worked together the create costume and set designs for a digital version of the play Ollantay, our latest collaboration with the Embassy of Peru. Ollantay is set at the height of the Incan Empire and required extensive research into the aesthetics of the time period as well as creative choices for how to adapt the presentation to an online environment with limited access to materials. The play will premiere in July and Vaishnavi and Sofia's contributions have been invaluable.

Flora & Asmi worked on our podcast series on Mental Health. Theatre practitioners from all over the world spoke with Kaivalya Plays about the intersection of theatre and mental health. Flora & Asmi handled all logistics, worked on the questions, edited the podcasts, and even helped select the speakers. "Safe. Sound. Spontaneous" will premiere later this month.

P.S. If you'd like to invite us to your college dramatics society for a workshop — acting, physical theatre, stage production, direction, improvisation — get in touch with us at contact@kaivalyaplays.org