Professor Deepan Sivaraman is a renowned theatre director, scenographer, dramaturge, curator, and educator. He is a scenography postgraduate from Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design, London and the founding Artistic Director of Oxygen Theatre Company (Kerala) and Performance Studies Collective (Delhi). He has taught at leading institutions, including Wimbledon College of Art, Central Saint Martins, National School of Drama, and Ahmedabad University, where he is currently a professor.
With over 25 years in theatre, he has directed and designed 70+ productions across India and Europe, showcasing his work at prestigious festivals like Avignon, Wuzhen, ITFOK, Prithvi and Bharat Rang Mahotsav. He has received numerous accolades, including the Kerala Sangeet Natak Academy Award (2012) and the Mahindra Excellence National Theatre Awards (2010 and 2018). His acclaimed works include Khasakkinte Ithihasam (2015), Spinal Cord (2009), Dark Things (2018) Peer Gynt (2010, 2023), Ubu Roi (2012, 2023) and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari among others. Routledge's 21st Century Performance Reader discusses him as a key contemporary theatre practitioner contributing significantly to the language of theatre.
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If her travels in India and globally and all her experiences are an indicator, Neena Naishadh’s biography is a rich tapestry of her myriad interests. A culturalist and an ardent art lover, Neena is a proud denizen of ‘Amdavad’ and holds a golden key to its nuanced culture. In promotions and talks that she organises for travellers to go exploring with her, this shows up as creative explorations of art, crafts, textiles and heritage always recounted with love and knowledge, and an immense desire to share and enrich others with her own experiences. She believes that Ahmedabad deserves a global stage and works to promote it with a connoisseur’s attitude through the stimulating medium of art, cuisine and culture.
Neena is an engaging conversationist and a compelling crusader who attracts young talent to help build Ahmedabad’s heritage, art and cultural identity. Neekoee Foundation, her not for profit foundation was formed to expose the city to top quality media productions and art exhibitions from India and around the globe. The foundation’s vision is to ‘change minds though Arts’ and she builds impact and influence through discourse, debate and discussions with stalwarts from the creative world. From films to art, book clubs and travel, Neena has invited quality theatre, film and art shows to exhibit in Ahmedabad. In the past years they have initiated Neekoee Artist Grant for the young minds, a unique initiative where the grantees are mentored through the program and motivated and encouraged to think out of the box. She was a part of the production of two critically acclaimed films by Amol Palekar and continues to build content for children to promote art and aesthetics in the city.
Belonging to a family who were traditionally into textiles, Neena’s insight into the textiles of Gujarat
and knowledge of private collections is something that she shares with travellers and enthusiasts.
Neena runs a Travel Management Company Uniglobe Perfect Connections for corporate travel and
Indians travelling in India and abroad and has been a past chair for CII IWN.
Neekoee Foundation: www.neekoeefoundation.com
Kathyayini Dash is an art practitioner, musician, and researcher. She is Assistant Professor in Theatre at the Performing and Visual Arts Division, Ahmedabad University. She has submitted her PhD in Theatre and Performance from University of Cape Town. Her research and artistic practice adopt multi-disciplinary approaches, focusing on affect, embodied knowledges, and histories emerging from artistic research methodologies. She has presented her work across various platforms, including the Re-Centering Afro Asia Project Conferences and Performances, Cape Town (2020-23), and others. She has collaborated on and performed in trans-continental theatre productions such as Dark Things (2018) Sea Drift of Songs (2020) and Gabriel’s Odyssey (2021) and musical ensembles like the Insurrections Ensemble and Afro-Asia Ensemble (2019-24) and has shown her work most recently at the Mardin Biennale, Turkey (2022) and Centre of Theatre Dance and Performance Studies, University of Cape Town (2023).
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