Rattlestick Theater is pleased to announce the 2024 edition of Global Forms, a festival showcasing the work of immigrant theater artists.
The 2024 edition will take place June 7-9, 2024 at Rattlestick’s beloved home in the West Village, located at 224 Waverly Place. Global Forms will include a bountiful mix of performances, panels, affinity groups, and community events. A centerpiece of the festival will be three in-progress performances of DRAUPADI - AN 18 NIGHTS/ MAHABHARATA PROJECT PLAY by actor and writer Mahira Kakkar, with dramaturgy by Amrita Ramanan and directed by Associate Artistic Director at Studio Theatre Danilo Gambini.
Additionally, micro-grants in the amount of $1,000 will be awarded to five immigrant theater artists based in New York City. Applications open April 5th and close April 30th. Recipients will be given an opportunity to present a sample of their work during the Global Forms weekend.
“Global Forms is an incredible example of using theater to create action,” said Rattlestick’s Artistic Director Will Davis. “It was created as a direct response to the needs of immigrant artists at the height of the pandemic. Over five years, it has grown into a platform that not only showcases work, but fosters community through mentorships and dialogue between different pockets of New York City-based artists.”
The 2024 edition of Global Forms will be programmed and supported by a team of accomplished immigrant theater artists who will bring insight, mentorship, and expertise to every aspect of the weekend. The curators include director Tea Alagic, theatermaker James Clements, costume designer Mel Ng, director Mei Ann Teo, Associate Artistic Director at Studio Theatre Danilo Gambini, and actor and writer Mahira Kakkar.
Global Forms was created in 2020 to meet the urgent, specific needs of immigrant artists during the pandemic. Since its inception, Global Forms has grown to a major annual event that has hired over 150 artists from 50+ countries.
Curation Team
Currently the curation team consists of Tea Alagic, James Clements, Mel Ng, Mei Ann Teo, Danilo Gambini, and Mahira Kakkar.
About the Festival
Panels & Affinity Groups
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A series of panels made up of various groups who can speak to and answer questions about the immigrant artist experience, needs, and hiring practice.
Community Events
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Mixers, parties, and networking events for former and current Global Forms participants to convene and commune.
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As the centerpiece of the 2024 Global Forms, Rattlestick will present three in-progress performances of a selection of Mahira Kakkar’s Draupadi - an 18 Nights/ Mahabharata Project Play. Mahira's play is an adaptation of the classic ancient epic about two feuding royal families in the devastating Kurukshetra War, as told by characters often overlooked. The play grapples with the question - what is it to be human in an often inhumane world? Written as an exploration of Mahira’s dual experience of South Asian and American culture, Eighteen Nights/A Mahabarata Project will have dramaturgy by Amrita Ramanan and be directed by Rattlestick’s former Associate Artistic Director Danilo Gambini.
About Mahira Kakkar
Mahira Kakkar is a Kolkata born, NYC based actor and writer. She is a proud graduate of Jadavpur University and the Juilliard School. As an actor has had the privilege of working on numerous plays, films and TV shows in NYC and around the world. As a writer she has developed scripts with co- writers that have won development grants and been pitched to HBO, ABC and Fox. www.mahirakakkar.com
Seed Grants
Because the Rattlestick Theater building will likely be under renovation, we are shifting the previous festival application from performance slots to Seed Grants for immigrant theater artists. This will ensure that we are still able to provide broad support of theater projects by immigrant artists across the city, while Rattlestick is “on the road”. Winners of the grants will be chosen by a panel of curators who are working immigrant theater artists and who will also provide mentorship to the grantees.
Applications have closed.
Mission
The mission of Global Forms is to create opportunities, visibility, and community for international and immigrant artists. This group of artists is drastically underrepresented and underserved in our industry. Since its inception in 2020, the festival has collaborated with 300 artists from over 40 countries.
All of the artists involved in Global Forms are paid, and the festival does not ask for any form of payment for participation. The festival is funded solely through sponsorships, grants and donations contributed by government agencies, foundations, organizations, and individuals. This year, the festival will maintain hiring collaborators who are immigrant artists, making this the very first festival with 100% immigrant artists employment.
Global Forms is made possible by the Ford Foundation and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. To join them in supporting our immigrant artists, you can donate at the link below.
*by immigrant artists, we mean: artists working under F, J, O, EB, or other forms of eligible Employment-Based Immigrant Visas.
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