A performance on absurdity of living

About the show:

‘It Is What It Is’ is a hard-hitting portrait of modern life—isolated yet connected, aware yet lost, craving human contact and meaning. It merges content and form through text, movement, and multimedia, where the mobile phone acts as both a window and a prison.

Through a stream of consciousness, a jumble of disconnected thoughts and observations, the main character reaches out to the audience to get hold of an important narrative – his own

It is a play where thoughts become characters, walls speak, time bends, and silence grows louder. It’s a story about trying. Failing. And trying again. About creating something real in a world that keeps slipping through your fingers, all while wondering:
“अगर दरवाज़ा हमेशा बंद रहे, तो क्या वो दीवार बन जाता है?” (If a door is always closed, does it become a wall?)

This one-of-a-kind performance blends text, movement, immersive projections, music, and a touch of creative madness to explore what it means to be alive, to make art, and to question everything—including why you just opened the fridge when you weren’t even hungry.

If you’ve ever stared at your coffee as it went cold, come join us.
Let’s embrace the uncertainty.
Because sometimes… it is what it is.

A note from director:

For me, “It Is What It Is” is a play that’s trying to make sense of itself. A deeply personal journey into the absurdity of being alive. The work began during a phase of deep questioning—what does it really mean to be an artist, and what is art for? I started exploring this unarticulated, this invisible, this absurd feeling in me.

I soon realised that these questions weren’t mine alone; many of my friends, even those not in the arts, were struggling with the same thoughts.

It began with reading Camus—his questions echoed something deep within me. From that emerged a 40-minute, untitled, non-verbal performance. Raw, uncertain, but honest. A beginning. Three years later, that impulse has grown into the work you’re about to witness. This is not just a performance. It’s a continued search.

I’m deeply grateful to everyone who has been part of this journey. I dedicate this performance to my teacher at SITI Company (NYC), whose presence, guidance, and inspiration have remained with me throughout.

Why should you watch this performance?

1. If you have ever found yourself lost in thoughts, this one’s for you.
2. It’s a sensory experience with immersive projection and music surrounding you.
3. Experience humor sitting next to an intense emotion.
4. Watch a play shape itself, in an experimental and innovative expression of self. 
5. The play embraces messiness, search and silence. It makes you feel okay about not having it all figured out.

About collaborators:

Akhshay Gandhi (Writer, Director & Performer)
Akhshay Gandhi is a theatre artist & facilitator. He is a SITI Company (NYC) ambassador, visiting faculty at Lalit Kala Kendra & Drama School Mumbai.  
He has received his theatre training at SITI Company (New York), Odin Theatre Laboratory, (Denmark) and Indian Ensemble (Bangalore). 
His work has been at Stanford University (California), UCLA, Columbia University (NYC), Odin Teatret (Denmark), Spoken Fest (Mumbai), Gesennaralle, Zurich to name a few. Some key accomplishments include, a TEDx talk, IATC Conference Paper, Tata Scholar Grant & BITSAA 30u30 award. more info: akhshaygandhi.com

Gaurav Singh Nijjer (Projection Design)
Gaurav is a theatre-maker, creative technologist and designer whose artistic works explore technology and media in live performance on stage, at home, on the internet and elsewhere. He is one half of the Indian performing arts collective Kaivalya Plays, and also works as a freelance artist and arts manager with collectives in India and abroad, currently as Digital and Web Producer at the Martin E. Segal Theater Center at the Graduate Centre CUNY. He is a former German Chancellor Fellow and a Chevening scholar. He trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. More info: www.gauravnijjer.com

Pratyay Raha (Music & Sound Design)
Pratyay Raha is a sonic arts and music practitioner with a keen interest in ecological transformation, field recording, sound arts, acoustic ecology, soundscape composition, critical sound studies, and ethnomusicology. He aims to develop artistic works that promote awareness, dialogue, and action for the preservation of endangered environments. He holds an MA in Composition and Creative Music Practice from the University of Limerick, Ireland, and is currently pursuing a PhD (Fine Art) at RMIT University, Melbourne
Apart from being a sound artist, he is also a singer and songwriter who explores traditional and new-age composition methods.

Shreeda Patel (Assistant director & Dramaturg)
Shreeda is a multi-disciplinary story-teller, having worked in films, television commercials and music videos as an assistant director and eventually a director, she was a self taught professional until graduating from Drama School Mumbai in Sep 2024.  A perpetual student, she wishes to learn processes of creation by engaging in creating and collaborating. 
She has worked as an Assistant director for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time directed by Atul Kumar, has performed in ‘Die-Sect’ an adaptation of Bertolt Bercht’s – Fear and Misery of the Third Reich; @KattaQueen written by Nikhita Singh and Directed by Atif Ally Dagman and an immersive mime ensemble act, the Army of Waiters at Sultry Mist in Goa.

Anita Gandhi (Creative Producer)
Anita Gandhi adeptly juggles numerous roles with dynamic teams and creative individuals.
An MBA in finance with acute observation skills, she fulfills the diverse roles of host, organizer, cook, coordinator, calendar planner, finance manager and a steadfast support system.
Some of her work includes initiatives to support marginalized artists, producing theatre shows, curating children’s festivals and managing international artists for performances and workshops.

Prashant Tiwari (Production Manager)
Prashant Tiwari is an actor and theatre practitioner, collaborating with artists in various disciplines to create performances. 

Trained in Shakespeare and classical Text. He has trained at various institutions including Scot, Siti Company, Shakespeare & Co, RCS to name a few.

Rohit Bhasi (Creatives)
Rohit is a Bengaluru based self-taught visual artist. His practice is an ongoing journey of exploring connections between ancient narratives and contemporary society. His work explores ideas from local belief systems, ancient myths and folk narratives, and how these continue to influence our evolving societies and mindsets – with a thread of humour and playfulness interwoven.  Rohit remains fascinated by the  human body and its potential for  beauty, creation and destruction. Hence a leaning towards the performing arts and storytelling traditions.  His work can be seen on Instagram under the name ‘Indigoranges’

Ajay kshatriya (Stage Manager)
As a dedicated theatre practitioner, I see the stage as a space for truth, transformation, and dialogue. My journey began with assisting in powerful productions like Kamudi, Thook, and Thread Mill, and grew through collaborations with visionary directors such as Abhishek Majumdar, Akhshay Gandhi, Dayasindhu Sakrepatna, and Sriharsha Grama. I also served as the production manager for acclaimed works like Dum-e-Tasleem by Amit Sharma and a notable production directed by Shivam Vig.

From production management to performance, I’ve embraced multiple roles to understand the soul of theatre. For me, it’s not just art—it’s a tool for social reform, a mirror to society, and a call to reflect and evolve. Every performance is a step toward creating impact, one story at a time.


Contact:
+91-9986994836 | mailanitagandhi@gmail.com (Anita Gandhi)
+91-7829765688 | mailakhshaygandhi@gmail.com (Akhshay Gandhi)