How can theatre help us encounter histories of enforced disappearances?
Mandala Theatre Nepal, in partnership with the Disappeared Citizens Memorial Park in Bardiya, invites expressions of interest from experienced theatre facilitators to lead a two-week residential documentary theatre workshop in September/October 2026.
This workshop brings together a unique collective: emerging theatre artists, the Memorial Park´s trained “memory guides”, and family members of those who were disappeared during Nepal’s armed conflict.
Using documentary theatre methodologies, participants will work with the Memorial Park’s archive of personal objects, testimonies, and personal histories to explore how individual experiences of enforced disappearance can be transformed into artistic expression. Drawing on objects preserved and curated by affected families and community members themselves, participants will collaboratively develop performative responses to the archive´s materials. These scenes will be shaped into a site-responsive performance presented within the Disappeared Citizens Memorial Park.
The final performance will be professionally documented on film to reach audiences beyond the workshop and contribute to ongoing conversations contribute to broader conversations on memory, accountability, and peacebuilding in Nepal.
Workshop Structure
Week 1: Training & Methodology
The first week will focus on introducing participants to methodologies of documentary theatre. The facilitator will guide participants through approaches to working with:
- testimony and oral histories
- objects as carriers of memory
- archive-based performance
Week 2: Creation & Installation
During the second week, the facilitator will support participants in developing performative responses to the object archive and collectively creating a performative exhibition within the memorial park.
We Are Looking For Someone Who:
- Has strong experience facilitating documentary and/or archive-based devising processes
- Has worked artistically with topics related to enforced disappearances, political violence, memory work, or transitional justice
- Ideally has experience creating performances based on testimony, archival material, and/or objects
- Is skilled in facilitating sensitive and trauma-informed creative processes
- Is comfortable working collaboratively in intercultural and community-based settings
Language
Facilitation in Nepali or Hindi would be ideal.
English facilitation is also possible. We will provide translation.
Logistics
We can cover:
- Facilitation Fee
- Accommodation and full board during the residential workshop period
- Travel from Kathmandu to the workshop location in Bardiya and back
About the Project
Mandala Theatre–Nepal is a collective of theatre practitioners committed to using theatre as a tool for social change. Its work fosters inclusive spaces for dialogue and celebrates Nepal’s cultural diversity. Through a wide range of training opportunities, Mandala Theatre serves as a vibrant creative hub to explore how artistic practice can contribute to peaceful and constructive social discourse.
The Disappeared Citizens Memorial Park in Bardiya is a community-led memorial and archive dedicated to remembering victims of enforced disappearance during Nepal’s armed conflict. The park includes an archive of personal objects connected to the disappeared, curated by family members and memory activists.
This project is realized with the support of the Civil Peace Service (CPS), a program for violence prevention and peacebuilding that supports local partner organizations in strengthening nonviolent approaches to conflict transformation and social justice.
To Apply / Express Interest
If this project resonates with you, we would love to hear from you. Please send:
- A short introduction and expression of interest
- Relevant experience/projects
- CV or portfolio (if available)
to: malin.freytag@giz.de and mpbt@mandalatheatre.com
We are happy to share further details and arrange a conversation with interested applicants.
