“Jaya is truly special. Her warmth, grace and playfulness are instantly captivating. With a heart as vast as the universe, she holds a genuine conviction that anyone, regardless of their background or experience, can step onto the stage and bring a character to life. Since last April, her meetups have been more than just practice sessions. They were a place where everyone felt welcomed, had deep chats, and grew as individuals. What amazed me most about Jaya was how she took the time to understand and help every person, making sure they feel safe to explore and give their best, no matter their experience. Her open invite to anyone interested in theatre wasn’t just about acting; it was about being part of a close-knit community. I initially joined her sessions for the welcoming environment, but to my surprise, I ended up acting in The Axe in the Ceiling as Ayesha. I’m so thankful for this experience and I’m excited to hopefully work with Jaya again.” – Ghawady E.
“Jaya is a theatre alchemist, bonding people together with her gentle playful approach. Creating a safe and creative space for those brave enough to explore. I have felt so supported and seen and am extremely grateful for the experience, always hopeful to work with her once again.” – Joeline G.
“Jaya is an extremely talented artist. As an actor, director, writer, musician she aces in all the departments, she is an amazing person, who truly cares about you. I always wanted to be part of a theatre group and I remember the day I met her first time and was impressed the way she conducted the theatre workshop, she made everyone comfortable and involved. Her Friday theatre workshops were like a stress buster. I used to wait the entire week for this session. In every session you learn something new and grow personally. She puts complete faith in each individual and is very committed to help you in all possible ways. I feel honoured that she gave me an opportunity to be part of her highly ambitious project The Axe in the Ceiling. She is a magician who transformed a bunch of beginners to confident performers on stage. I am eager and looking forward to work with Jaya again.” – Vivek M.
“Conocí a Jaya en Junio cuando buscaba herramientas para mejorar mi seguridad en mi misma y mi inglés como segundo idioma. Siempre he visto en el arte una herramienta de sanación integración de la complejidad del ser humano en su totalidad. Entonces me emprendí en este trabajo con Jaya y lo amé completamente. Es hermoso trabajar al lado de esta persona con tanto carisma, amabilidad y amor por ofrecer, además de su profesionalismo y talento que tanto me ayudaron a caminar un proceso muy enriquecedor para mi vida. Para mi fue un honor trabajar al lado de Jaya, pues el talento que tiene es maravilloso, creando ni solo una obra inolvidable sino uniendo personas que no teníamos experiencia en el teatro, completamente desconocidas y nos volvió amigos, un equipo y el resultado, una exitosa obra llamada ‘THE AXE IN THE CEILING.” – Ana V.
“I met Jaya in June, when I was looking for tools to improve my self-confidence and my English as a second language. I’ve always seen art as a tool for healing and integrity, the complexity of the human being in its entirety. So, I embarked on this journey with Jaya, and I absolutely loved it. It’s beautiful to work alongside this person with so much charisma, kindness, and a love to offer, in addition to her professionalism and talent, which helped me navigate a very enriching process in my life. For me, it was an honour to work with her because the talent she possesses is marvellous. She created not only an unforgettable piece of art but also brought together some people who had no prior experience in theatre, were complete strangers, and turned us into friends and a cohesive team. The result was a successful play called ‘THE AXE IN THE CEILING’.” – Ana V.
“I have had one of my best times in contributing to Jaya’s production, The Axe in the Ceiling. She is an absolutely amazing person, mentor and director that one can ever wish for. I am so grateful for this experience and the the space that Jaya has created for us to grow as a community and an individual. She is truely an inspiration and I’m looking forward to working with her again.” – Karnika J.
“I was new to Australia, only 3 months in Melbourne when I found out about Jaya’s theater group sessions. I was quite nervous before walking in, a lot of thoughts about what it actually is and how I would actually fit into a random group of strangers. I walked in and there she was, a star with a beautiful smile and dimples beneath her oversized rectangular frames, almost hopping her way to welcome me with such a positive energy. And such was her way of life, always making the others welcomed, heard, appreciated, loved. She had not changed a single bit even for a moment throughout the journey of the last 5 months. With a bunch of wonderful humans from different walks of life, who showed up and said yes we can, we went on to create a unique version of Jaya’s beautiful script The Axe in the Ceiling. Jaya’s direction never felt like being directed, she allowed ourselves to express what we felt with every word and dialogue. I didn’t ask for any of this but Jaya and this wonderful bunch of people gave me everything, friends for life, trash talks, deep conversations, orgasming food hunts, martinis and so much more.
Thank you Jaya, and love you team Axe.” – Sai V.
“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.
“Jaya is a great director and possesses strong interpersonal and team skills. She is very intelligent and experienced in the performing arts. Her sessions are so well managed and every person feels welcome, included, and comfortable to perform thanks to Jaya’s community building skills and leadership in holding the space. She is a brilliant creative person, teacher of complex ideas and concepts and a talented facilitator. Jaya is amazing!” – Philip K.
“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.
“… an incredible experience always leaving you inspired and wanting more. I’m really thankful to you for making it as accessible as it is with a no-audition policy for people like me who have always wanted to get involved in theatre but weren’t getting the opportunity… very grateful for the safe space that allows one to be themselves with no fear of judgement… I have also thoroughly enjoyed the texts that we have explored. I feel you’ve given a piece of yourself into those texts in some way and that makes it so relatable and connectable at so many levels. For me this has been an enriching and growing experience not only in theatre, but also as a person.” – Anupa A.
“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 