YBY ep 304: Anisha Pucadyil is dedicated to sharing her passion for the Arts with others!
This week on Yes But Why, I speak with performer and arts organizer, Anisha Pucadyil.
Anisha Pucadyil is an Improviser and Playback theatre performance artist with citylamps and True Heart Theatre. Anisha’s earliest connection to the Arts was through school choir and college theater. Inspired by her mother, Anisha is committed to infusing the Arts into organizations for children and young adults. She has been working toward that goal for over a decade.
It wasn’t until the pandemic pushed the Arts online that she found improv and playback theater. Originally from India, Anisha is now currently transitioning her artistic life to her new home in the UK. She is part of Citylamps Playback Theatre in Bangalore as part of their zoomprov team; and she performs with True Heart Theatre, a playback theater in London.
In our chat, Anisha tells me about how her mother taught her to connect with culture and history through the Arts. She talks about her mom’s passion for theater and examining “how your heritage affects you.” It was clearly her mother who led Anisha to her love of teaching and performing theater.
Despite being exposed very early on to theater and performance, Anisha speaks about how she battled with stage fright for many years. Instead, she leaned into her talent for organizing and spent many years helping others connect with the Arts before she herself got involved.
Now, Anisha is part of the larger community of playback theater performers from all over the world. She is currently a member of Citylamps, a playback theatre troupe from Bangalore, which she trained with in person and now performs with online. Playback theater is an improvisational form that creates a show based on a story told by a guest speaker. Playback theater is all about honoring the storyteller and connecting with the audience. Anisha muses on her love of the artform and its community.
Anisha talks about the benefits of using art to process grief. We also discuss the current globalization of the improv community and how it has provided us both with opportunities to examine our own cultural blindspots. Anisha mentions how lucky she has been to connect with such amazing artistic circles throughout her career.
Anisha and I really connected in this conversation. So much so that now we are taking an online workshop together with Katy Schutte! Improv is magical!
Support Anisha Pucadyil by checking out her improv and playback performances all over London and online.
In London, check Anisha out at True Heart Theater and London Playback! It is also through True Heart Theater that she is working on the project we talk about documenting the stories of volunteers of the Olympic Games.
Online, you can see Anisha perform with Citylamps Playback Theater, ACT (a playback team that was formed online by Joke Rood), Roadtrip Online (a UK based online show featuring women performers), Toothfairy Conspiracy (an all women identifying troupe with Queen City Comedy), and Tiny Dinos (an online improv team created by Nursery students).
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(production notes: recorded zoom meeting via Rodecaster on 1/28/2022; posted on 2/28/2022)
Anisha Pucadyil is an Improviser and Playback theatre performance artist with citylamps and True Heart Theatre. Anisha’s earliest connection to the Arts was through school choir and college theater. Inspired by her mother, Anisha is committed to infusing the Arts into organizations for children and young adults. She has been working toward that goal for over a decade. 
Anisha talks about the benefits of using art to process grief. We also discuss the current globalization of the improv community and how it has provided us both with opportunities to examine our own cultural blindspots. Anisha mentions how lucky she has been to connect with such amazing artistic circles throughout her career. 