Event
'Unshared Childhoods' at Art Village Karjat
Saturday 12th July 2025 | 9:00 AM to 4.00 PM | 45 spots only
What happens when untold stories find a space that listens?
Jaan Theatre’s Unshared Childhoods, a moving, immersive performance built from real, unsent letters, is coming to Art Village Karjat — a home built for art, community, and moments just like this.
Nestled in the Western Ghats just 90 km from Mumbai, Art Village Karjat is not just a venue — it is a living, breathing space crafted with earth, memory, and intention. Designed using sustainable, vernacular techniques, the village has always welcomed artists, dreamers, and storytellers to pause, create, and belong.
Amongst jacaranda trees, parijat blossoms, petrichor-laden grass, and patchwork godhadis stitched with care, Unshared Childhoods will unfold. This experience is not just theatre — it’s a quiet conversation between emotion, live music, movement, Maharashtra’s monsoons, and the warmth of shared meals.
Schedule for the day:
- 9:00 AM – Arrival & Welcome at Art Village Karjat
- 9:15 AM – Breakfast under flowering pink champa trees. Ussal pav, omelettes, kanda poha, tea, coffee, & more will be served.
- 10:15 AM – Prelude to the performance with a musical concert
- 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM – Unshared Childhoods performance for folks over age 16. The performance is in English and runs for roughly 90 minutes with no interval. A parallel pottery or printmaking workshop for children between the ages of 7 – 15 will be conducted separate from the main performance.
- 12:00 – 12:30 PM – Post-show conversations between the audience and the artists
- 12:30 PM onwards – A soulful village lunch based on the childhood favourites of the chefs working in the Art Village kitchen. The menu includes jowar and rice bhakri, pitla bhaat, arbi leaf sabzi, val sabzi, aloo vadi, lal mirchi ki chutney, meethi dhokli, makka ka doodh, and a haldi ginger sharbat.
- Post-lunch – Leisure time to swim, walk, horse ride (for children below 50 kilos), and explore the Ayurvedic forest and farmland.
- 4:00 PM onwards – Departure
Important note:
This experience is designed as a continuous journey. We request all participants to be present from start to finish — this is not a tap-in, tap-out event. The show gently builds its intimacy with time, and we ask that you honour its rhythm.
Only 45 seats are available. ‘Unshared Childhoods’ has consistently sold out across Mumbai, this is your chance to witness it in a space where it truly belongs.
Age policy:
- Adults over 16+ can attend the performance
- Children between 7–16 will attend a parallel creative workshop in pottery or printmaking (separate from the ‘Unshared Childhoods’ performance)
- Children below 7 will not be permitted for this curation
FAQs – Art Village Karjat
📍 Location: Google Maps
Art Village Karjat, Hatnoli village, next to ND Studios, Chouk, Maharashtra 410206.
There is a dedicated parking space on the premises for guests coming by car.
The closest train station is Karjat Station. It takes 20 minutes by auto / taxi / bus to reach Art Village Karjat.
The closest bus stop is ND Studios, a mere 1 minute walk to Art Village Karjat.
Art Village Karjat has six rooms for overnight stays, for those who wish to turn this day trip into a longer getaway. For more information, please click here.
Early check-ins and late check-outs are available upon request, subject to availability, and are chargeable.
- The food is based on seasonal local produce. Menus are pre-decided.
- Jain, vegan, or special meal requests must be shared at least 2 days prior.
- Art Village Karjat is immersed in nature. It is not liable for bites, stings, or injuries on the premises.
- It does not provide lockers or storage for personal belongings.
- AVK is pet-friendly, but no pets are allowed from June to mid-October due to monsoon conditions.
- Open from 7 AM – 7 PM (except during art activities).
- Swimwear and caps are mandatory. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
- Swimming is at your own risk.
- Drivers may wait in the car. Meals can be accessed at a restaurant 10 minutes away. Art Village Karjat does not provide accommodation or food for drivers.
- Nannies / support staff accompanying the children will be charged as additional guests and not permitted for the performance.
- Please carry mosquito repellent, rain-appropriate footwear/clothing, and comfortable attire for the day.
- Participants must be fully present for the duration of the experience.
FAQs – Jaan Theatre’s Unshared Childhoods
Premiering in Glasgow in 2019 as part of a call for original works created for intimate spaces, Unshared Childhoods has been conceived, designed, and directed by theatre director Tanvi Shah, and is presented by her company Jaan Theatre. The piece has had 39 (largely sold out) performances in Bombay’s living rooms, art galleries, rooftops, farmhouses, and other unconventional spaces, in line with Jaan’s desire to bring theatre to the people instead of bringing people to the theatre.
Unshared Childhoods is an immersive theatrical experiment in empathy. Audience members sit around a handmade patchwork quilt to bear witness to words left unsaid, dive into our individual and collective pasts, and share food in an experience that feels like a family reunion. While the piece is interactive, people who don’t wish to interact are under no compulsion to do so.
Unshared has been seen by people aged 16 – 89, from a wide variety of demographics and professions. It is for everyone who believes that to love is to bear witness, and to bear witness is to love. We strongly recommend bringing senior citizens if they are keen! The premises are wheelchair-friendly.
Here is a trailer link: ‘Unshared Childhoods’ Trailer. For a peak behind the scenes before the show, follow @jaantheatre and director @provocauteure on Instagram!
For overnight stays at the Art Village Karjat please click on the link below:
www.artvillage.co
We can’t wait to share this space, this story, and this stillness with you.
Unshared Childhoods × Art Village Karjat
Where memory finds breath.
Likely to sell out soon, book below!