The AOTP Symposium 2025

An annual meet-up of Designers, Technicians, and Managers featuring livewire themes on challenges and opportunities in the live performing arts and events sectors across India and the world.

Join the Art of the Possible Symposium & Reimagine Production Arts in India




The Art of the Possible initiative kicks off with a full-day symposium at the Experimental Theatre, where professionals, creatives, and experts will come together to explore the future of production arts, event management, and technical training.

Supported by the British Council and Godrej Agrovet, the symposium features speakers from:

  • The National Theatre UK’s Skills Development Centre – Leaders in Theatre training
  • Tait – Global live event specialists behind Coldplay`s India concerts
  • Haworth Tompkins – Renowned architects shaping the next generation of performance spaces

 

The Big Questions at the Heart of the Symposium

  • Can India build training spaces that don’t just meet global standards but set them?
  • What happens when the industry values hands-on apprenticeships as much as degrees?
  • What do we need—funding, policy shifts, new collaborations—to stop playing catch-up and start leading?
  • How do we create a future where Indian designers, technicians, and managers are sought after worldwide?

This is where ideas meet action. Where questions turn into blueprints. Where the future of India’s production arts takes shape.

 

Collaborators

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Symposium Schedule

Wednesday 19th January 2025

9:15 AM - 9:45 AM | Registration

Welcome Address 

9:55 AM – 10:05 AM 

A welcome note along with an insight into the aims and vision of Art Of The Possible (aotp). 

Bruce
Guthrie

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Reimagining Production Disciplines Training in India 

10:05 AM – 10:15 AM 

Introducing the need for innovative live performances, events, technical and design educational programmes and facilities. 

Rashi
Jain 

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Navigating Today’s Landscape in India 

10:20 AM – 11:35 AM 

Discussing the current employment opportunities for designers and technicians in the live performance and event industry, including the current level of skillsets and how to close the gap between local & global expectations.

Rashmi
Dhanwani

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Suraj
Dhingra

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Brian
Tellis

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Vivek
Rao

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Shruti
Sharma

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Building for the Future – Making the Possible, actual.

11:50 AM – 1:00 AM 

A presentation of examples of training facilities that are delivering courses globally, and a discussion regarding if an ‘Arts Academy’ type of institution would be the most suitable model or could there be alternatives to best suit the training needs across India? 

Yuki Elias

Yuki
Elias

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Asad Lalljee

Asad
Lalljee

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Chaitanya Chinchlikar

Chaitanya
Chinchlikar

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Dr Priyanka Pathak

Priyanka Pathak

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Shruti Sharma

Shruti
Sharma

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David-F-1

David
Filshie

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Global Perspectives – Spaces & Technology 

2:05 pm – 3:15 pm  

A view to the creation of spaces and events from outside India and how this thinking and methodology can be universally beneficial.  

Bruce
Guthrie

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Roger Watts

Roger
Watts

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WhatsApp Image 2025-02-18 at 16.54.03

Toby Van
Hay

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Mark Dakin

Mark
Dakin

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Macro & Micro Courses 

3:30 PM – 4:45 PM 

What are the pros and cons of a recognised degree courses or an industry apprenticeship model, and what level of skillsets are required to facilitate the needs of productions and events today and in the future? 

Do we need to reinvent the wheel, or can we use similar models from existing courses worldwide and incorporate into India? 

Shruti
Sharma

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Saatvika
Kantamneni

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Vivek
Madan

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Chaitanya Chinchlikar

Chaitanya
Chinchlikar

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Carmel Macaree

Carmel
Macaree

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Nishith Mehta

Nishith
Mehta

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What Now?  

5.00 PM – 5.30 PM 

An open brainstorming session that considers the suggestions and ideas offered at the symposium, allowing for realistic and achievable plans to be implemented that can make positive and productive changes across the industry now and in the future. 

Brian
Tellis

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Rashmi
Dhanwani

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Website Launch 

5:35 PM – 5:50 PM 

Official launch of the AOTP website 

Rashmi
Dhanwani

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Thank you! 

5:50 PM – 6:00 PM 

Symposium Wrap Up 

Bruce
Guthrie

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Chai and snacks mixer 

6:00 PM – 6:45 PM 

Opportunity for attendees to gather and continue discussions informally 

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Bruce Guthrie

Bruce Guthrie - HEAD OF THEATRE & FILM at the NATIONAL CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS in Mumbai, India

Bruce Guthrie is the Head of Theatre and Film at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai, India.

His directing credits include Sea Wall (Add Art Festival, NCPA Mumbai); Constellations (NCPA, Mumbai); Man to Man (Wilton’s Music Hall, UK tour and Brooklyn Academy of Music); Rent: 20th Anniversary Production (St. James Theatre and UK tour); The Last Mermaid with Charlotte Church (Festival of Voice, Wales Millennium Centre); Lotty’s War (UK Tour); Bakersfield Mist starring Kathleen Turner and Ian McDiarmid (Duchess Theatre); An Incident At The Border by Kieran Lynn (Finborough and Trafalgar Studios); The Merchant Of Venice, Othello and Twelfth Night for Singapore Repertory Theatre (Fort Canning Park, Singapore); Stories By Heart written by and starring multi-award-winning actor John Lithgow (Lyttelton NT).

Among his leadership roles are Member of the Guildford School of Acting’s Advisory Board; Artistic Director of the National Youth Theatre of Wales, directing The Caucasian Chalk Circle in 2015 and Romeo and Juliet in 2016. Concerts and events credits are HRH The Prince of Wales 70th Birthday Celebration SW7: Sam Warburton’s Testimonial Year for NSPCC Wales 2018 and 2019; The Welsh Guards Centenary Celebration in 2015 for the Welsh Guards Charity; St David’s Day Celebration for HRH The Prince of Wales 2013. 

Training: BA Honours in Acting at the Guildford School of Acting. As a Director: The National Theatre Studio and with Howard Davies, Sir Richard Eyre, Deborah Warner and Sam Mendes.

Rashi Jain

Keynote Speaker

Rashi Jain is the Director for  British Council’s West India and lead for education and cultural relations in the geography. With 20 years of experience in international development and banking, she fosters India-UK collaborations in education, research, and arts. Her role involves developing strategic partnerships with government, public, and private institutions, supporting the delivery of Strategic India-UK Roadmap 2030 .With her  expertise in team leadership, business development, and strategic planning. Rashi works closely with the British Deputy High Commission in Mumbai and national partners to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between India and the UK and build partnership between Indian UK Arts and Education entities.. 

Rashmi Dhanwani

Founder & CEO - The Art X Company

Rashmi Dhanwani leads the Art X Company, a strategic consultancy for the cultural sector focused on strategy, audience development and sector research. Prior to founding Art X, Rashmi has worked with NCPA Mumbai, Breakthrough in Delhi, the newspaper Daily News and Analysis (DNA); Kalaghoda Arts Festival, and The Goa Project. She holds a Masters in Cultural and Creative Industries from King’s College London.

She has also been a recipient of the ARThink South Asia Fellowship (2011-12), a participant fellow at ‘The Academy—a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School and the Weill Music Institute’, a scholarship grantee of the JN Tata Trust and Charles Wallace India Trust, and a 2017 Global Fellow of the International Society for Performing Arts (ISPA), New York. Rashmi has also founded Arts Culture Resources India, a network and platform for cultural professionals in India and South Asia. In 2021, the Art X Company was awarded a grant by the British Council to design and develop festivalsfromindia.com, a portal showcasing all arts and culture festivals in India and a platform for festival professionals to learn, network and upskill themselves. Rashmi is the cofounder of this portal.

Suraj Dhingra

SVP Teamwork Arts

Suraj Dhingra is a distinguished global leader with over 19 years of experience in arts management, team leadership, and cultural programming. As a co-producer of the renowned Jaipur Literature Festival, he also serves as the Festival Producer for JLF in cities across North America, including Seattle, North Carolina, Houston, New York, Colorado, Awaken Florida, and The Media Rumble. Suraj’s expertise spans arts, entertainment, and digital content, and he is a Board member at JLF CO. and Festival Producer for the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) and other prestigious international theater festivals. In 2025, he will continue to enrich the cultural landscape with his deep knowledge of Indian arts and culture at META and beyond. 

Brian Tellis

Aadyam, Mahindra Blues Festival, Fountainhead

Brian Tellis is a pioneer in the events, experiential and entertainment industry with a career that spans over 3 decades. He co-founded Fountainhead Promotions and Events, one of India’s most successful experiential marketing agencies and is also a founding member of EEMA, where he served as its president for 2 terms. 
 
With a passion for the performing arts, Brian is an accomplished emcee, musician, actor and radio host, having anchored shows since the inception of FM Radio in India in 1993. He was also a Jury Member at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. 
 
Currently, he is a consultant for the Aditya Birla Group and the Founder of Radioactive Ventures which launched The Chinwag Collective (a podcast that explores the worlds of media, arts and entertainment through panel discussions with industry stalwarts) and The Indian School of Protocol, which designs and conducts workshops and courses on soft skills, professional development and corporate etiquette.  

Vivek Rao

QTP

Vivek is an Executive Producer at QTP, overseeing in-house productions and line producing shows like Still Dancing, Monsoon Wedding The Musical, and Sing India Sing. He has brought international productions to India, including Helios, Lives of Clay, and Going Viral. A mentor to Thespo – A Youth Theatre Community, he is also part of the core team running Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest. Since 2020, Vivek has expanded QTP’s reach by producing and managing digital webinars and festivals, reinforcing the company’s impact in the evolving world of theatre and the arts. 

Shruti Sharma

Aladdin - Director

Shruti Sharma is a media professional with over 15 years of experience across theatre, film, and event production. Her career is defined by a consistent ability to conceptualize and execute grand-scale productions that captivate audiences and redefine industry benchmarks.

Yuki Elias

Founder Dur Se Brothers

Yuki Ellias is an actor, director and business coach. As an actress, she has performed in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Italy, Hong Kong, Singapore, Zimbabwe and India in leading venues like The Roundhouse, The Sydney Theatre Company, The Lowry and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Her theatre company Dur Se Brothers has produced several shows in multiple languages including the multi-award winning play Elephant in the Room, Hello Farmaish and The Far Post. Her first short film, “Lovely & Tip Top” won the Jury Honorable mention at the Indian Film Festival LA and is being screened at several film festivals globally. Yuki is the founder and director of the company “The Next Stage” which designs and delivers business coaching programs for global leaders and teams across industries

Asad Lalljee

SVP Avid Learning & Curator ROH

Asad Lalljee is SVP, Essar Group, CEO of Avid Learning, a public programming initiative and creative platform under the Essar Group, and Curator, Royal Opera House, Mumbai. Prior to relocating to India, Asad worked for 14 years as one of the ‘Mad Men’ advertising executives on New York’s Madison Avenue. Asad has transformed Avid Learning into India’s leading cultural hub through international collaborations and partnering with the biggest art platforms in the country. As a distinguished member of FICCI Art and Culture Committee since 2018l, Asad has convened multi stakeholder conferences in Mumbai and Bengaluru to democratise the arts. His is a story of drive, intent and fearlessness. Since the restoration of the Royal Opera House, Asad’a curatorial programming has re-established its reputation as the city’s cultural crown jewel. He is also serving on the Kala Ghoda Association’s Executive Committee and the advisory board of the Mumbai Urban Art Festival for 2022-23. In the midst of the pandemic (April 2020), Asad pivoted from AVID to AVID ONLINE, presenting 240 programs in a year. An early technology trend adopter, he takes a special interest in new media curating programs around NFTs and the cyberfuture. Asad holds a B.A. in Economics from St. Xavier’s College (Mumbai) and an M.A. in Global Marketing Communications from Emerson College (Boston). 

Chaitanya Chinchlikar

VP & CTO Whistling Woods

Chaitanya has had a multi-faceted 2-decade career in the Film, Media & Entertainment industry. He is currently at Whistling Woods International – India’s premier Film & Creative Arts institute, in the capacity of Vice President & Business Head. He also serves as the Chief Technology Officer for the institute and heads its Emerging Media initiatives.

Over the past 2 decades, he has worked towards strengthening India’s Film, Media, Creative & Performing Arts education landscape, both in higher education & in India’s K-12 education including spearheading Whistling Woods’ initiatives to work with Emerging Technologies like Virtual Production, Virtual Reality & AI by pioneering curriculum development around them. He has also established Tech Development labs & partnership with giants like Sony, Apple, Google, Intel, Foxconn, Reliance Jio and many more.

Dr. Priyanka Pathak

Scenographer & Educator

Dr. Priyanka Pathak is a trained Theatre Director, Scenographer and Performance Studies Scholar. She is a proud alumna of the National School of Drama and an executive committee member of the International Federation of Theatre Research. To make life more difficult, she endured a PhD in Theatre & Performance Studies from JNU’s School of Arts & Aesthetics and a Fellowship at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Priyanka is privileged to be a part of 25+ national and international performances, including Bharat Rang Mahotsav Delhi, Serendipity Goa, Freie University Berlin, Theatre Academy Shanghai, and the Cultural Centre of Korea. Her vision is to help bridge the gap between the diverse global academia in theatre studies and dynamic stagecraft of theatre-making using an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach.

David Filshie

Production - Project Manager

David is a Production/Project Manager with more than 35 years of experience in managing productions and teaching in Australia, Europe, Asia and UAE. He has been responsible for leading and managing teams from concept to completion on a diverse range and scale of productions including festivals, events, classical and contemporary concerts, musical theatre, puppetry, dance, opera, drama and exhibitions.

His recent credits include production managing the world’s first ever all-electric arena stunt vehicle show Elekron in Macau, China after which he relocated to the United Arab Emirates to be part of the senior team responsible for establishing the Sharjah Performing Arts Academy.

Recently, David has relocated back to Asia to continue his freelance career and is looking forward to being part of many new and exciting projects in the very near future.

Roger Watts

Director, Haworth Tompkins

Roger is a director of the studio who has been centrally involved in almost all of Haworth Tompkins’ performance arts projects since joining in 1995. Deeply respected by clients, consultants and the specialist supply chain alike, Roger has built a strong international reputation for designing soulful engaging spaces together with thoroughness and detailed design skills and problem solving. He is one of the world’s top performing arts architects and one of the most experienced and innovative solvers of complex challenges, bringing a calm and concentrated intelligence to all his work.

He has a particular passion for adaptive auditorium design sparked by the seminal 2007 Stirling Prize shortlisted Young Vic project and the Stirling Prize winner 2014 Liverpool Everyman Theatre, he has gone on to design several innovative adaptable auditoria including the Bridge Theatre, the @sohoplace Theatre which together won the prestigious AJ100 Innovation of the year award 2023.

Toby Van Hay

TAIT - VP, Head of Business Development, EMEA

With a career spanning over 20 years, Toby brings an extensive and diverse mix of experience to TAIT and the role. Having studied engineering, Toby started his career in brand events before moving into industry sectors including concert touring, theatre, motorsports, corporate engagements, and cruise ships. In recent years, Toby has used his knowledge to focus on more fixed sectors, including location-based entertainment and placemaking markets across the EMEA region and beyond. 

Joining Brilliant Stages in 2016 as Director of Projects and after 10 years of previous experience working for agencies and production companies, Toby played a pivotal role in delivering projects for prominent clients. Collaborations included partnerships with GPJ and Lexus, as well as impressive projects for Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Rammstein, Take That, Spice Girls, The 1975, Fast & Furious Live, London Design Biennale, and United Autosports. These undertakings encompassed a range of skills such as scenic design, automation, and fabrication. 

In 2019, Toby transitioned to the role of Director of Client Services, and with TAIT’s acquisition of Brilliant Stages later that year, he moved into TAIT’s Business Development team as VP and Head of Business Development for the UK and Europe. In this capacity, Toby led efforts in various sectors, including permanent installations, art, branding, sports, architecture, cruise ships, theatre, and turnkey projects within the TAIT group. During this time, his leadership has contributed to the execution and advancement of projects across these domains. 

In March 2024, Toby moved into the EMEA role, well-timed to further TAIT’s support in the region, working with local leadership to deliver strategies in KSA, UAE, and beyond. Toby now leads a team with exceptional and diverse experience in support of our customers. 

Mark Dakin

VP – TAIT

Building on over 45 years of professional theatre experience, working as a Technical Director, Production Director and Project Manager for some of the UK’s most prolific, producing, performing arts organisations including The Royal Opera House – Covent Garden, The National Theatre – London, English National Opera, Theatre Royal – Stratford East, The Young Vic, Cameron Macintosh Ltd and Really Useful Group, his TAIT role works to maintain existing and build new partnerships with Artists, Architects, Designers, Producers and Organisations, to create culture defining experience through continuous innovation, especially (but not exclusively) in the Performing Arts sector. 

 Mark is a dyslexic art school dropout with a proven track record for delivering complex capital projects, innovative, award-winning show making and optimising organisation efficiency; skilled at facilitating high performance in creative environments, with a commitment for building inclusive, equitable and brave places of work and an aptitude for the detailed work of culture change.  

 He is also a Fellow and Trustee of the ABTT (Association of British Theatre Technicians), an Honorary Fellow of RCSSD (Royal Central School of Speech & Drama), a Co-Director of Stage Sight, an Associate at Tangle, a member of the Theatre Artists Fund Advisory Committee, the Industry Ambassador for the MPAA (Mulberry Production Art Academy) and is currently also a Trustee of The Genisis Theatre Design Program and The Bush Theatre. 

Previously Mark has been a trustee at Bristol Old Vic and The Yard Theatre. 

Saatvika Kantamneni

Producer for Akvarious Productions

Saatvika Kantamneni is currently the Producer for Akvarious Productions. She also works as an independent production and stage manager for theatre and live events. She is a graduate of the MA in Collaborative Theatre Production and Design from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London.

She is the Production and Stage Management Mentor for Drama School, Mumbai. She has co-written a theatre producing programme that focuses on creating highly skilled professionals who are also critical and social thinkers. She conducts an introductory stage management workshop and also mentors stage managers.

She has been a Senior Stage Manager for Disney’s Aladdin in India. She has worked with QTP Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. as company stage manager for three years. She has also been the Festival Director of Thespo, a national-level youth theatre festival, for two years.

Saatvika enjoys working in unconventional venues and creating collaborative work that challenges the world we live in.

Vivek Madan

Founder, Bhasha Centre, Actor

Vivek Madan has been involved in the theatre for over 25 years. As an actor, he has over 30 plays to his credit, some performed to acclaim across the country. 
He has also served as the Programming Executive at Jagriti Theatre (2011-2015), the Festival Director for Writers’ Bloc 4 (2016), the curator of the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival 2018, Executive Director of Indian Ensemble (2017-2020) and helmed several other independent theatre projects in India.  

In 2021, he founded www.thedramalibrary.com under the aegis of Bhasha Centre for Performing Arts. He remains the director of Bhasha Centre, where he conceptualises and executes capacity-building programmes (Think Big Think Small, From Anywhere to Somewhere, What’s for Dinner, among others), co-producing programmes (Manch) and numerous other engagements to build capacity within the theatre ecosystem in general, and playwriting and producing in particular, working with a team of theatre enablers across the country.  

 He is the recipient of the Shankar Nag Award 2021, presented annually by Ranga Shankara to a young theatre maker who embodies service to theatre. 

Carmel Macaree

Skills Centre Project Manager, NT

Carmel Macaree is the National Theatre, UK, Skills Centre Project Manager, running the flagship technical training project Young Technicians. She has worked in theatre production, participation and producing roles, highlighting pathways and creating accessible routes into technical theatre.

The National Theatre Skills Centre offers resources, training and professional development, with opportunities available nationwide from entry-level to mid-career. Under the guidance of world-leading experts, our programmes will help to develop skills, open career pathways and access specialist training for a career in the creative industries. 

Nishith Mehta

Assistant Professor, Atlas Skilltech University

Nishith Mehta is a faculty member at ATLAS SkillTech University, where he leads the History course for the First Year Design Studies and conducts a theatre elective that explores performance as a medium for creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. With a background in painting and art history, he integrates theatre techniques into pedagogy, emphasizing its relevance in design thinking and communication. His work spans research, scriptwriting, and the development of MOOCs, bridging history, culture, and performance in innovative ways.