The NCPA and Soho Theatre presents:
Good Beginnings - Workshop
Why Your First 1,500 Words Matter… an interactive workshop on how to capture an audience`s attention.
Date: Sunday, January 11, 2026
Venue: Sea View Room
Timings: 9.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Morning Batch)
2.30 p.m. to 6 p.m. (Afternoon Batch)
Conducted by: Max Elton & Pooja Sivaraman
The NCPA and Soho Theatre presents ‘Good Beginnings’ workshop - Why Your First 1,500 Words Matter… an interactive workshop on how to capture an audience`s attention.
Supported by British Council
Anyone who is an aspiring writer, or an experienced writer who would like to re-visit their craft. These workshops will be held in English. Participants must be over the age of 18. Some of the reading material will include harsh language and references to sexual activity.
Max Elton
Director, Dramaturg and Writer; Associate Director (Literary), Soho Theatre
Max Elton’s directing credits include Not Now by David Ireland (Finborough Theatre/Lyric Belfast), listed as #6 in The Observer’s Plays of 2022 and earning him a nomination for Broadway World’s Director of the Year. Other notable productions include Yes So I Said Yes and The Melting Pot (Finborough Theatre), The End of Hope (Orange Tree/Soho Theatre – Off West End Awards nomination for Best New Play), and Big Brother Blitzkrieg (King’s Head Theatre), which he also wrote.
His associate work includes Sheppey (Orange Tree Theatre) and Madame Rubinstein (Park Theatre). In 2023, Max was selected for the National Theatre Directors’ Course.
He is also the Artistic Director of Bitter Pill, a new writing company that champions audacious playwrights who use humour at the heart of their work. From 2020–23, their Painkiller Project developed and produced 33 audio plays featuring Toby Jones, Tamsin Greig, Noma Dumezweni, and Jason Watkins. In 2023, Bitter Pill launched The Painkiller Prize.
Pooja Sivaraman
Creative Associate, Soho Theatre
Pooja Sivaraman is a Bombay-born, London-based playwright and theatre-maker.
She is currently a Creative Associate at Soho Theatre, where she works on the development of Soho Theatre India – a project fostering artistic exchange between London and Mumbai. She has been part of the Royal Court Introductory Writers` Group (2021), the Royal Court Long Form Writers` Group (2023), and the Soho Theatre Writers Lab (2022). Her plays have been shortlisted for the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award and longlisted for the Theatre Uncut Political Playwriting Award.
Pooja is also an alumnus of the CLORE Emerging Leaders programme and works as a freelance theatre-maker and drama facilitator, collaborating with organisations such as Clean Break, Coney, and Attic Theatre Company.
Tickets:
Individual Workshop Registration cost Rs. 300/- (Sea View Room)
Workshop + Reading Combine cost Rs. 400/- (NCPA:Mumbai)
You may also like the following events from NCPA Mumbai:
Also check out other
Arts events in Mumbai,
Theatre events in Mumbai,
Workshops in Mumbai.
