Nandita Dinesh – författare

Writing in-Between lies at intersections: between theory and praxis; between fiction and non-fiction; between author and reader; between the personal and the political. Beginning with a conceptual glossary that prepares readers for their journey through the book, Dinesh offers two central texts to invite readers to become co-creators. The first, F for _____, is written as an “academic novella” and culminates with an interactive section that is composed of guided invitations for the reader/co-creator. The second text, Julys, takes the form of a “dramatic memoir” and intersperses invitations for readers/co-creators between each of its chapters. Dinesh brings these threads together in an entirely interactive concluding chapter, where her hopes for collaborative meaning making take centre stage. In all of its unique invitations to engage, Dinesh’s readers/co-creators can either choose to craft their creations in personal notebooks or blank spaces in this work’s physical copy, or to engage more publicly via virtual forums that can be accessed via QR codes and accompanying links that are scattered throughout the book. Guided by questions about writing can “do” — questions that have shaped Dinesh’s work as an artist, scholar, and educator for almost two decades — Writing in Between embodies one central tenet: that the significance of performative writing might be most powerfully experienced through a collaborative process of meaning making between a text’s author and its readers turned co-creators.

Writing in-Between lies at intersections: between theory and praxis; between fiction and non-fiction; between author and reader; between the personal and the political. Beginning with a conceptual glossary that prepares readers for their journey through the book, Dinesh offers two central texts to invite readers to become co-creators. The first, F for _____, is written as an “academic novella” and culminates with an interactive section that is composed of guided invitations for the reader/co-creator. The second text, Julys, takes the form of a “dramatic memoir” and intersperses invitations for readers/co-creators between each of its chapters. Dinesh brings these threads together in an entirely interactive concluding chapter, where her hopes for collaborative meaning making take centre stage. In all of its unique invitations to engage, Dinesh’s readers/co-creators can either choose to craft their creations in personal notebooks or blank spaces in this work’s physical copy, or to engage more publicly via virtual forums that can be accessed via QR codes and accompanying links that are scattered throughout the book. Guided by questions about writing can “do” — questions that have shaped Dinesh’s work as an artist, scholar, and educator for almost two decades — Writing in Between embodies one central tenet: that the significance of performative writing might be most powerfully experienced through a collaborative process of meaning making between a text’s author and its readers turned co-creators.

Navarasas, Autoethnodrama & DIY Immersive Theatre is composed of two interwoven texts, each in dialogue with the other.

Part I presents a distinctive autoethnodrama, dramatizing nearly two decades of Dinesh’s experiences as a theatre maker, researcher, and educator in conflict zones. This section offers readers an interactive and experiential way to engage with Dinesh’s ideas and is aimed particularly at emerging practice-based researchers who are considering creating work in/about/within fraught contexts. Part II provides analytical, visual renderings of the evolution of Dinesh’s thinking around the five Ws—Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Drawing on her prior work in Kashmir and her ongoing engagements at San Quentin State Prison, this section of the book delves into the complexities of the researcher-practitioner experience in settings shaped by violence and trauma. By using navarasas, autoethnodrama, and DIY immersive theatre as her conceptual frameworks, Dinesh’s book serves as an interactive guide, preparing future practitioners and researchers for the profound ways in which this kind of work can leave an indelible mark on those who undertake it.

This book will be of great interest to students and scholars embedded in the disciplines of Theatre and Performance Studies: performative writing, dramatic writing, performance autoethnography, or in the case of this book, autoethnodrama.

Navarasas, Autoethnodrama & DIY Immersive Theatre is composed of two interwoven texts, each in dialogue with the other.

Part I presents a distinctive autoethnodrama, dramatizing nearly two decades of Dinesh’s experiences as a theatre maker, researcher, and educator in conflict zones. This section offers readers an interactive and experiential way to engage with Dinesh’s ideas and is aimed particularly at emerging practice-based researchers who are considering creating work in/about/within fraught contexts. Part II provides analytical, visual renderings of the evolution of Dinesh’s thinking around the five Ws—Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Drawing on her prior work in Kashmir and her ongoing engagements at San Quentin State Prison, this section of the book delves into the complexities of the researcher-practitioner experience in settings shaped by violence and trauma. By using navarasas, autoethnodrama, and DIY immersive theatre as her conceptual frameworks, Dinesh’s book serves as an interactive guide, preparing future practitioners and researchers for the profound ways in which this kind of work can leave an indelible mark on those who undertake it.

This book will be of great interest to students and scholars embedded in the disciplines of Theatre and Performance Studies: performative writing, dramatic writing, performance autoethnography, or in the case of this book, autoethnodrama.

What does Immersive Theatre ‘do’?

By contrasting two specific performances on the same theme – one an ‘immersive’ experience and the other a more conventional theatrical production – Nandita Dinesh explores the ways in which theatrical form impacts upon actors and audiences. An in-depth case study of her work Pinjare (Cages) sets out the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of her specific aesthetic framework. Memos from a Theatre Lab places Dinesh’s practical work within the context of existing analyses of Immersive Theatre, using this investigation to generate an underpinning theory of how Immersive Theatre works for its participants.

What does Immersive Theatre ‘do’?

By contrasting two specific performances on the same theme – one an ‘immersive’ experience and the other a more conventional theatrical production – Nandita Dinesh explores the ways in which theatrical form impacts upon actors and audiences. An in-depth case study of her work Pinjare (Cages) sets out the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of her specific aesthetic framework. Memos from a Theatre Lab places Dinesh’s practical work within the context of existing analyses of Immersive Theatre, using this investigation to generate an underpinning theory of how Immersive Theatre works for its participants.