The Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust is a travelling puppet theatre company founded in 1998, which frequently collaborates with international puppet theatre companies and festivals, including the World Festival of Puppet Theatres of Charleville-Mézières. One of their key priorities is to develop a professional training programme for the next generation of puppeteers, by providing intensive courses and workshops at their company. Through this residency, Katkatha will enable French artists to explore and experience the numerous and diverse puppetry traditions in India, Delhi being the main but not exclusive location of the residency.
The residency will be divided into two parts: a 10 to 15 days master-class with Katkatha puppeteers, including puppet building, animation and performance, followed by a studio-based mentorship during which the resident will be able to develop his/her own project and eventually present it at Katkatha’s partner venues. Throughout the residency, the French artist will be fully immersed in the company, and when possible he/she will be associated with Katkatha’s daily activities, such as in-house productions and commissioned shows, applied puppetry projects in cultural and educational institutions, and community theatre activities for children.
Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust Studio, Badarpur (Delhi), & Savitri Villa, Mussoorie (Uttarakhand)
Katkatha Studio is located at the southern border of Delhi, 12 kilometres from the city centre. This semi-urban area is densely-populated, and constitutes a large part of the city’s labour force. The rehearsal room overlooks the main alleyway of the district, opening a window to the entire community.
The resident has to be autonomous and must have a working knowledge of English.