Shubhankar Mishra, co-founder of Backstage Playmakers, one of India's most innovative fringe theatre groups, thinks theatre matters more than ever in the age of AI and doom-scrolling.

And he makes a compelling case for why. In this conversation, we cover:

• Why theatre is the one creative profession AI cannot replicate
• The case for theatre as a tool for stress relief and escape, even for those who can't afford much else
• The shot play: Backstage Playmakers' experiment in performing a full play in one uninterrupted take, shot for the digital frame
• Whether theatre can actually pay and what financial sustainability looks like for independent theatre makers in India today

Shubhankar is an actor, writer, and director whose work sits at the intersection of live performance and digital storytelling.

Backstage Playmakers has performed across multiple cities, including Bengaluru, and continues to push the boundaries of what theatre can be and where it can live.

This is part of an ongoing series of conversations with writers & creatives on The Read It Right.

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