Readings in the Shed is an initiative about the written word. It seeks to explore text that has originated from various parts of the world. It places the same in a performance by an artist who reads these texts through his life experience and perspective. The travails of the word along with the experiences of the artist make the text relevant to all audiences that witness it. Be it Chile or Syria, Britain or Greece, the initiative will travel everywhere through the written word while moving in Sheds across India.

Where is the Shed?

The Shed moves from one place to the other. It has an empty space where a reader tells a story. It has a roof under which audiences listen to the reader. The idea is simple – text travels, readers are added, countries from which the text originates change and thus the shed evolves. And after every reading we look for a shed, a new shed.

What kind of text will be read?

The text may be classic or contemporary. It may be in the form of plays, scripts, short stories, long form, poetry, memoirs, essays, graphic novels…the possibilities are limitless. We choose the text keeping in mind its relevance in today’s India.

Who makes up the audience?

We started off with readings in our living rooms, with people we know. People from different walks of life who brought their perspectives to the discussions that followed. As the shed moves out, more readers connect with the group and the community continues to grow.  Our long term vision is to make the world one shed of readers where texts can freely travel across borders, What we would like to call – a global stir.

Why shouldn’t I just read at home, by myself?

A collective reading experience is very different compared to one done in solitude. Such an activity opens one up to perspectives from others, which adds to the significance of the text. There might be a few insights, some might be novel ones. This is a collaborative reading, which may be followed  up by a reading in solitude.