Dr  Janardan Ghosh

Dr Janardan Ghosh is a performing artist, academic, theatre director, film actor, playwright, performance coach and storyteller (Katha ‘Koli, a new art of storytelling) whose practice includes the use of traditional theories, contemporary performance vocabulary, and interactive media. His research- based work engages the indigenous practice methods in urban spaces exploring the perspectives of historicity, spiritual consciousness, intertextual dialogue, and body-space dynamics of myths, tales and gossips.

Indeed much of his past work has explored the themes of spirituality, myth, gender, sexuality and society. He has completed his doctorate in Performance and Spirituality from the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University. He has trained and worked with several international and national theatre and film directors and is a critically acclaimed contemporary theatre practitioner in Bengal. He has worked with legendary theatre practitioners like Wlodzimierz Staniewski (Poland), Wulfgung Kolneder(Germany), Anjan Dutta(India) and Badal Sirkar(India).

He is Teaching & Research Associate with RKM Vivekananda University, Creative Director of OGLAM & Culture Monks. Have acted in plays, web series and award winning movies. Have been awarded for Performance in Education for Social change by Monash University, Australia and The Telegraph. He is launching his next performance of Katha ‘Koli Storytelling in Rasa Festival, Michigan. He is working on his new research based production on Tagore’s Visarjan. He is also assisting ICCR Durban to produce their show on Swami Vivekananda. Notably, recently, a film where he played one of the leading roles – Kaalkokkho, has been selected for the competitive section of the Busan Film Festival, South Korea, 2021, IFFI, Goa and International Film Festival, Dhaka. He participated in the Global conference on storytelling hosted by IndicA, India.

Soumitro Banerjee

Soumitro Banerjee is one of the important pillars of strength in all the plays created by the team and Rijita chatterjee. He is a freelancing musician- playing a vast range and variety of musical treats. He along with Rijita chatterjee helped theatre enthusiasts to comprehend and celebrate music in theatre- the process and the technique to internalise and perform musicals.

He has been one of the main resource person in theatre workshops conducted by Rijita on behalf of Telegraph and other platforms. He has actively helped students and participants in their process of understanding music. Soumitro is a musician of brilliant range. His treasure being the synthesiser. His musical caliber makes the plays unique in their musical demeanour. He plays in reputed venues with reputed musicians- His philosophy is to never shy away from any kind of musical experimentation.

Rijita Chatterjee

Rijita Chatterjee is an actor, director and theatre trainer of repute with a rich experience in the field of acting and singing. After a substantial experience in Dramatic arts in Kolkata she had been to the University of Surrey, UK, for a special training in acting and theatre. Thereafter, she had been to the premier institute of Music and Drama in London, LAMDA, for an in-depth understanding of musicality and performance. Recently, she had an opportunity to explore Gender in Theatre at the University College Cork in Ireland. She has worked with many renowned directors in theatre, films and tele-seriels.

She is the founder member and director-actor of the popular theatre group, Part Time Lovers. She has worked in some great memorable productions like Nasbandi, Lipsticks and Muscles, Hai Bharat and many others in Academy of Fine Arts, Gyan Manch, and Tapan theatre. Nasbandi, is one of the most liked and appreciated work of the Part Time Lovers performed by Rijita along with Saurav Das. Rijita's performance was considered to be phenomenal by the critics and the viewers.

Recently, she staged another solo piece entitled The Clairvoyant at Gyan Manch on the April 27 that received acclaim from the theatre fraternity and the press. The Clairvoyant was based on internal monologues of a socially molested victim. She is into teaching theatre for more than a decade. She is working with young people from premier schools of Kolkata.

She believes in empowering young minds through theatre. ‘Every minute of time ‘performed’ is every minute of time and beyond spent in learning’ - Her philosophy of theatre is to treat the craft like the most important agent of change and transformation. To her theatre is the very narrative that needs to reach the minds of individuals . She is now working on various modules to make theatre the backbone of school academics and academics beyond syllabus. She teaches theatre as a craft which is interdisciplinary- involving techniques within madness. Rijita aims at creating platforms for young minds for them to be able to nourish their creative goals. She aims at making theatre the tool by which inclusivity gets to be celebrated. The journey is unending and ongoing.

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