Workshop: Exploring Puppetry with Shobhit Tandon

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

Workshop

Exploring Puppetry

Hands-on Journey into Puppet-Making and Storytelling

A two-day immersive beginner-friendly workshop exploring the craft of puppetry through making and performance using paper, glove, sock, and shadow puppets.

Dates: Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 June 2025 Timings: 10:00am to 5:30pm (both days) Venue: NIV Art Centre, Saket, New Delhi (MAP LINK)

Registration: INR 4999/- per participant. Includes cost of materials and supplies.

Register on the Kaivalya Plays website (www.kaivalyaplays.org) or contact 9818925599 for more details.

About The Workshop

This two-day workshop is designed for adults looking to explore the imaginative and expressive world of puppetry. No prior experience is required—just a playful spirit and curiosity to create.

Participants will experiment with three engaging puppet forms:

• Paper Puppets inspired by Bunraku: Learn puppet anatomy, coordinated manipulation, and movement with articulated paper puppets.

• Glove & Sock Puppets: Dive into voice, rhythm, and character-building through quirky, handmade glove and sock puppets.

• Shadow Puppets: Craft cutouts and tell silhouette stories using screens and light sources, exploring contrast, transitions, and spatial play.

The final session culminates in a collaborative sharing where participants devise and present short puppet pieces integrating all learned techniques.

Participants will learn to

• Build hands-on skills in puppet-making and manipulation

• Explore storytelling, character development, and group collaboration

• Understand fundamentals of puppet movement, voice, and gesture

• Create and perform original short puppet pieces

Note: This workshop is open to all kinds of storytellers and those interested in puppets, no prior knowledge or experience is needed. All puppet-making materials and tools will be provided. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and bring a notebook.

Meet Your Facilitator

Shobhit Tandon is an actor, puppeteer, and drama facilitator with over a decade of experience working at the intersection of theatre, education, and social transformation. Trained at Shiv Nadar University in Theatre in Education and Social Transformation, Shobhit uses applied drama as a powerful medium for story-building and holding inclusive, collaborative spaces. A trained puppeteer under UNIMA India, Shobhit has traveled extensively with puppet shows across the country and has also developed a dedicated puppetry curriculum for his organization. His facilitation style is rooted in empathy, curiosity, and co-creation. As an Arts Practices for Inclusion (API) facilitator, Shobhit designs and leads workshops that foster emotional safety, creativity, and social connection. His work encourages participants to explore freely, reflect deeply, and engage meaningfully—with themselves, with others, and with the stories they choose to tell.

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.