“Jaya is a phenomenal director, scriptwriter and a wonderful artist to work with. The activities that take place during the entire build-up is so much fun and helps create the strongest and most positive of bonds between the actors. This workshop is a stress-buster. The experience keeps getting better and bigger every single time. The kind of ideas that the director brings to the table and urges each actor to explore are just so profound and special. Jaya makes it easy for any level of actor to bring out their best!” – Tejesh S.
“Right from the time when it begins till the time we temporarily say goodbye, the journey is always full of excitement, challenges, bonding, care, introspection, love, discovery, friendship, anxiety and self-exploration. These workshops have become platforms for me to explore myself, my body, and my mind. And that is one exhilarating experience. Other than the theatre, the learning also takes place through the exhaustive interaction that takes place between the participants. This workshop and the previous ones have brought me in touch with so many people coming from diverse backgrounds. I cherish both the diversity that happens in these workshops as well as the learning that happens through this diversity.” – Yasir A.
“… the best decision of my life. I learnt the art of storytelling, the art of performing on stage, how teamwork makes great shows, how letting go of inhibitions becomes the most rewarding experience, and what euphoria truly feels like, in a span of five weeks. From a person who had never acted on stage, I became someone who looked forward to performing again and again. It’s the comfort, acceptance and inclusion that one experiences at the workshop that makes one wants to come back again and again. You’ll feel more comfortable than you would feel with your closest friends. You’ll make memories that you’ll never forget. You’ll make bonds that you’d never want to break. And you’ll have the time of your life with a bunch of misfits like yourself.” – Aishwarya P.
“Jaya not only focuses on technical aspects of improving acting by focusing on voice and projection and understanding our body and its position and role in conveying the character, she also creates an environment where all the actors and actresses feel part of the troupe. A true sense of community and camaraderie developed over the 5 weeks and that for many of us is far more important. It allowed us to support each other as we put ourselves on the line in front of the audience and feel comfortable and non judged by our peers. She is kind and fun to work with and truly loves the interaction with every one of us.” – Nima A.
“… one of the most honest things ever I have experienced. Honest: because it lets you be honest to yourself. It doesn’t ask you to pretend, and it doesn’t judge… Jaya gives me a sense of belonging in a world that is otherwise very chaotic. Her understanding of the art is deep and mindblowingly abstract. It lets you find your own meaning. It challenges your psyche even. But at the end, you feel everything summed up great and you were a part of a journey of many destinations.” – Yashu G.
“Jaya’s workshop, very unannoucingly, unfolded to be an extremely thoughtful, well-crafted, and comforting journey into self discovery. The first two weeks were packed with interesting processes that were engaging and insightful into our own instincts. I was introduced to improv which was one of my favorite parts. The other favorite part was reflecting on our experiences. I loved how Jaya had created a safe space where we could all unwind and be ourselves. The last three weeks focused on the play, which was a completely new and refreshing experience for me. From script reading, to learning to grow into characters, to watching the play come to life, I enjoyed every moment of it. Jaya ensured that she gave personal time and attention to each character and scene. Jaya is a brilliant director as well as a wonderful human being.” – Aeshna S.
“It’s a place to explore yourself, to be yourself. No one judges anyone else or oversteps boundaries. The positivity of working with this group is unimaginable. The trust that we develop over just five weeks is massive. Jaya is a wonderful writer, composer, and director, who also knows how to get people to “level up” on stage – there is a major difference between where we start out in rehearsal and what we finally perform on stage. If I’d missed this workshop, I would have really missed out on something.” – Sumit K.
“Jaya is the best director a beginner like me could hope for. I would look forward to each of the weekends with crazy excitement. She is an expert and puts her hundred percent in conducting the workshop, gives individual feedback to everyone and is so genuine and encouraging with her words.” – Richa P.
“I was blown away the by the people I met there, so incredibly talented, humble and funny. Jaya is a great instructor who is very serious (in the most fun way) and dedicated to the craft of theatre. One learns to respect the art of theatre and the hard work that goes into preparing for a good show. The practice space develops an aura of its own because of the individuals and the teacher-student relationship that is dedicated towards a destination which is the final show. One innately identifies the importance of this relationship and tries to give their best contribution to the process. In the end, everything that happens in these workshops is extremely unbiased, funny and committed to putting on a great show.” – Aditya C.
“The possibilities to be creative in Jaya’s online theatre workshop are infinite, her method is so refined that it can be contextualised for any format. Often when I read the text she shares with us for a monologue for the first time, it gives me goosebumps because of what she has written resonates so deeply and brings me joy… I will always remember this group as my first theatre workshop and it will always remain my theatre sandbox where I can go explore, play, learn, be silly, and just cocoon in this safe space and come out with amazing discoveries, ideas, and techniques. Jaya is an absolutely amazing facilitator, actor, director, and an even better person.” – Piyush J.
“… a weekly safe and respectful space for people to create, explore and experience theatre. There is much learning, laughter and play, which ultimately improves confidence and acting ability. This group is definitely, no absolutely necessary, in an actor’s journey!” – Al Amak
“I’m so glad that I found this theatre class. Jaya is a very kind person with a lot of patience and the willingness to make everyone feel at home, safe, free, happy. During the class, we always learn a lot, challenge ourselves and share feelings. I’m grateful to be able to practice/learn one of my passions and to be part of this group of beautiful people. Thank you!!!” – Cecilia V.
“Jaya you have been an immense source of positive energy and knowledge. I want to give you millions of thanks for everything that I have learnt with you. Your workshops have been full of excitement, enjoyment, constant discovering of myself and others. You have ALWAYS been available to help me understand and learn the craft. It makes me feel great that I know someone who is not only versatile actor, director, singer, writer – but most importantly a great human being. Thank you for everything.” – Hem T.
“It feels obvious that if you keep working on a skill you’ll get better at it, but it’s really good to come to a place where you actually do it. And you don’t just know it in your mind, but you feel it and it helps you believe it.” – Link J.
“Jaya has this immensely positive force, both intellectually and emotionally, and I just love working with her.” – Belinda P.
“Who would have thought that theatre online could be that fantastic! We can really feel all the emotions and the proximity. And what I love as well is that because we have a small group, you become really close to the people… the trust we have with each other, the support we have with each other, makes it very special.” – Cecilia V.
“I did a theatre workshop with Jaya years ago. Since then, Jaya has helped me with my writing. She has given me direction, her creative critiques have helped me tremendously. Her group sessions are full of energy and help build team spirit. She is very sincere and is totally dedicated to her work. I would highly recommend her workshops if you want to gain confidence in public speaking, if you want direction in your writing skills or any other creative field.” – Prerna J.
“The workshop was an enriching experience which acted as a stress buster for myself and my team as well. It was great to see how the exercises increased the compatibility among my team members. The joy of completing tasks together motivated my team and elevated their spirits. Looking forward to the next workshop.” – Shikha G.
“The workshop was organized in a very effective manner. We all just eased in to doing things which we normally wouldn’t have done. It was a fun experience where we learned something new not only about others but ourselves too. The key takeaway was that everyone has an artist in them.” – Tanubhav V.
Jaya Berged 