We have been getting a lot of calls lately, possibly because of an online service that listed our name as one of the top 4 theatre groups to join in Pune. These calls and at times WhatsApp messages invariably start with a variation of the question “How do I join your group?”. This is a valid question, a pertinent one even, however, not every creative collective will have a simple answer to that. We certainly don’t. And though it is fun to receive interest and see the enthusiasm for stagework in the city, there are certain things that should be considered before making that call.
So here is a little guide for anyone who wants to join our group:
- Orchestrated Q’Works is a Company, a Theatre Company. We’ve worked very hard to get ourselves registered.
- A lot of our work happens in English, but we are not an English Theatre Company. Language is not what defines our creative practice.
- We use process-based approaches to create new work for stage. This means that we start with a concept in mind and work together using text, movement and drama to explore it. This exploration can go in many directions and often what comes out as a performance in the end is not really what anyone imagined in the beginning. Yes, there is room for actors here, there is room for dancers and movement people, for musicians, visual artists, live art-makers, researchers and writers – but it is all process-based.
- We work with Community Theatre. This means we work with non-actors or individuals who are drawn to our central theme and want to be part of a creative process. Our current initiative on this is Project Beard. Do read more about it.
- We also work on the professional level, creating work with (mostly) full-time, professional performers and artists. This work feeds in to long-term academic understanding and evolution of single concepts. For example, our latest professional endevour looks at the intersections of women, labour and beauty though the lens of the beauty parlour. Read more about it here.
- If you want to be part of these two areas of our work, do know that it may not be a performing part. Like most theatre companies struggling to survive and make new work, we expect all stakeholders to contribute to things like marketing, fundraising, social media, PR and other associated areas of work. We do not ask anyone working with us to pay us for letting them work with us.
- Before you get in touch, think about what you want to do in theatre. Do you want to act? Are you working and looking for a weekend hobby? Do you want to get over stage-fear and improve your presentation skills and confidence levels? Or do you want to make theatre? Do you have a throbbing idea that you want to see come alive on stage? Do you want to use theatre to create a dialogue for change in this world? Once you know this, you’ll be able to understand if we are the right space for you. For example, OQ is generally not a great place for people who want to act in scripted plays for the commercial stage. Our work is usually bold and intimate. We like pushing boundaries and exploring new territory. Read about our past work and that of our Founder and Artist Leader here.
- And lastly, it doesn’t matter if you’ve never done “theatre” before or if your voice and accent aren’t perfect (what is perfect anyway?). Your age, gender, sex, sexuality, experience, language, region etc does not affect our choice. As long as you believe in the power of ideas, feel the magick of stories and are willing to push past inhibitions to explore uncharted territory, OQ will always be a space for you.
So, you want to join our company, do a little homework and then fill in this Google Form!
Orchestrated Q'works 