Workshop: Subtitles and Creative Captioning for Live Performance

Kaivalya Plays, in collaboration with NIV Art Centre invite you to...

Course

Subtitles and Creative Captioning for Live Performance

An introductory workshop on conceptualizing, designing and executing subtitles and creative captioning in live performances.

Dates: Sunday May 11 2025

Timings: 5:30pm to 8pm

Venue: Studio B, NIV Art Centre (MAP LINK)

Registration: INR 1499/- per participant. Register on the Kaivalya Plays website (www.kaivalyaplays.org)

Note: No prior technical experience is required, all kinds of storytellers with all levels of experience in the topic are welcome. Use code KPSUMMER15 to get 15% off on early bird prices until Friday 18th April.

About The Workshop

This introductory workshop offers hands-on training in conceptualizing, designing, and executing subtitles and creative captioning in live theatre and performance. Ideal for theatre-makers, directors, designers, and technical operators, the session explores both technical and artistic aspects of integrating captions into performance design.

What this workshop will cover: 

• Subtitling Basics: Translate and convert a sample script into timed subtitles, ensuring accuracy and readability.

• Software & Execution: Learn to use OBS Studio and other cueing software to design, run, and manage live subtitles during a performance.

• Creative Captioning Techniques: Explore how subtitles can become part of the scenography—experimenting with animated, interactive, and spatial captioning to enhance the visual storytelling.

• Case Studies & Inspiration: Examine Indian and global productions that have creatively used subtitles and captioning as artistic and dramaturgical tools.

• Practical Application: Participants will collaborate to design and cue subtitles for a sample scene, applying both technical and creative techniques.

By the end of the workshop, participants will have practical skills in live subtitling and creative strategies to use captions as dynamic scenographic elements in their own performances.

Note: This workshop is open to all kinds of storytellers, performers, designers and creative souls, no prior technical experience is needed. Participants are required to bring their laptops to the workshop as it will be a hands-on, practice-led learning experience. 

Meet Your Facilitator

Gaurav Singh Nijjer is a theatre-maker, arts manager, and creative technologist with over nine years of experience in the performing arts and cultural programming. He is the General Manager of Kaivalya Plays, where he has produced and presented performances across India, the UK, and Germany, collaborating with institutions such as Goethe-Institut New Delhi, Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi, MediaFutures, and the Moleskine Foundation. A Chevening Scholar (2020-21), Gaurav holds a Master’s Degree in Advanced Theatre Practice from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London, and is a German Chancellor Fellow (2023-24) with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and a Salzburg Global Fellow (2025-26). He has also led arts management workshops for several arts organizations. Gaurav’s expertise spans event management, fundraising, and marketing, with experience in applying for national and international grants. He has previously worked in arts management at organizations like Martin Segal Theater Centre CUNY (United States), The Nursery Theatre (United Kindom), The Little Theatre Group (LTG) Auditorium as well as short-term consultancies with others.

About Kaivalya Plays

Kaivalya Plays is a performing arts and production company led by Varoon P. Anand as its Artistic Director and Gaurav Singh Nijjer as its General Manager. Since 2012, they have built transcultural associations across India and the world. Their artistic work includes original, devised theatre performances that are multilingual, interactive, and hybrid, use technology and media on stage, and are built using techniques of improvisational, documentary, and physical theatre. Through a focus on education, training and community, their work spans diverse offerings of programs across artistic development, language learning, mental health, gender, accessibility, and transcultural collaboration. They have received multiple artistic commissions and grants through their collaborations with Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi, Goethe Institut Delhi, MediaFutures and other cultural partners. Their recent artistic work includes I, Josef (2024), The Pillowman (2024) ABSURDO (2023), Mining Hate (2023), Funes The Memorious (2021), Lifeline 99 99 (2021), Unravel (2019), amongst others. Most recently, they were awarded the Creativity Pioneers Fund 2023 by the Moleskine Foundation. Read more about their work on www.kaivalyaplays.org

About NIV Art Centre

NIV Art Centre, located on the southern edge of New Delhi near the picturesque Aravalli hills, is a creative hub dedicated to advancing plastic arts and new media arts while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and cultural exchange. Providing facilities like artist studios, galleries, theatres, and residencies, it serves as a platform for emerging and established artists to create, exhibit, and engage with audiences. NIV focuses on bridging gaps between creators, distributors, and consumers, supporting artists from underserved regions, and promoting contemporary art practices through a blend of traditional studio disciplines and modern global influences. With a commitment to nurturing creativity and building a legacy for the future, NIV creates opportunities for artistic growth and broader public engagement with art.