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Premiering April 2026 at the National Centre of Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai, India, The Monk & The Warrior is a cross-cultural epic written by acclaimed Indian playwright Mahesh Dattani (Sahitya Akademi Award), conceived & directed by Jonathan Taikina Taylor of The SuperGeographics (USA), and with music composition by Eero Hämeenniemi (Finland). A love story spanning space, time, and culture, audiences follow Bodhisattva and Alexander through a surreal journey which weaves Indian and Western queer histories. The play traces the conflict between ambition and transcendence, opening with the historically accurate encounter of Alexander the Great and a Bodhisattva monk, and the dream of a relationship that follows. Classic tales—from the Monkey and the Crocodile, Chandravati and Malavati, Shams and Rumi, to the goddesses Fortuna and Jyotish—are revisited through a queer lens to weigh the cost of loving across cultures. With a fierce mix of curiosity and desire, they navigate a magnificent tapestry of stories that redefine what it means to accept and understand one another.
By hypothesizing queerness and colonization as opposites the play reimagines this meeting of India with colonial power through curiosity, plurality, and equality. Their ensuing relationship is uniquely queer, reframing familiar folk tales and mythologies through a new perspective and asking, ‘Can queerness offer an antidote to oppressive political power?’ This type of reframed storytelling is a vital building block in the ongoing construction of our global interrelationships which uplift diversity and a multiplicity of culture.
We have built the play through a series of cross-cultural collaborative workshops between 2020 and 2025. One artist creates something within their practice, they then hand it off to another to be transformed within theirs. The objects of the play multiply through their circulation between artists, across time, space and culture, colliding in the rehearsal room to make something completely unique. In this larger political moment, non-hierarchical methodologies and agreements as ways of making art and, by extension, of building community are incredibly important to research and create in cross-cultural context. This play, process, and work group seeks to unravel these inherited hierarchies based on old systems and hard power to offer new paths towards cross-cultural collaboration.
THE TEAM
Written by
MAHESH DATTANI (INDIA)
Mahesh Dattani is a playwright and stage director based out of Mumbai. Penguin Randomhouse, India, published his plays in three volumes. In 1998, he received the Sahitya Akademi Award, one of the highest literary awards in India. His plays include Dance Like a Man, Tara, Thirty Days in September, Final Solutions, and Gauhar. His film credits as writer-director include Mango Souffle (2000), awarded best motion picture at the Barcelona Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and toured the UK as part of the London Gay and Lesbian Festival. His works are produced in all major cities of India and elsewhere.
Conceived & directed by
JONATHAN TAIKINA TAYLOR (USA)
Jonathan Taikina Taylor is an actor, director, and movement artist based in Brooklyn. Under his direction, The SuperGeographic’s work has been seen across The US and in Sweden, Chile, Peru, and India. Jonathan has directed for The SITI Company, The Getty Villa, and The Spanish Embassy in DC among others. He has performed with Anikaya Dance, En Garde Arts, and The SCOT Company of Japan under the direction of Tadashi Suzuki.
Music Composition
EERO HÄMEENNIEMI (FINLAND)
Eero Hämeenniemi has composed four symphonies, ballet music for the National Opera of Finland and theatre music for the National Theatre. He has performed and recorded as an improvising pianist with his NADA-ensemble, touring Mexico, The U.S., India and many European countries. He has collaborated with many Indian musicians, like Bombay Jayashri and Guru Karaikudi Mani. He has also worked with the playwright Mahesh Dattani.
Caitlin George is an actor and theatre-maker based in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. Drawn to theatre by its collision of the possible and the practical, her work is driven by a compulsion for gender equality and a love for the explosive potential of language. Her performance credits span New York, Melbourne, and regional Australia, including work at The Malthouse Theatre, La Mama, Dixon Place, and the SITI Conservatory. A founding co-director of The SuperGeographics, she is a graduate of Federation University's Arts Academy and the SITI Conservatory.
Cast
CAITLIN GEORGE (AUSTRALIA)
Cast
HARSH THARAD (INDIA)
Harsh Tharad is a Mumbai-based actor originally from Kolkata, working across theatre, short films, advertisements, and film. He has performed at Prithvi Theatre, NCPA, and Rangshila, and has been part of international creative collaborations. Trained under Barry John at Freebirds Collective and at Actor Prepares, his process balances emotional truth with rigorous preparation. Multilingual and adaptable, he brings nuance and versatility to a wide range of roles. A professional hip-hop dancer, his movement background lends dynamic physicality and expressive precision to his performances — grounding his work in both discipline and authentic storytelling.
Cast
JUAN DIEGO BONILLA (CHILE)
Juan Diego Bonilla is a Chilean actor and director with a Master's degree in Documentary Cinema. His acting credits span international festivals and companies including Tercer Abstracto, Darshan Teatro, and Monstruos de Autor. With The Supergeographics, he has appeared in The House of Cards (2018) and Parsley (2025). He directs theatre company Cia de Subsuelo and has participated in residencies at Lincoln Center Theater, Watermill Center, and Universidad Mayor. Co-author of the book Entre actuar y performar, he also premiered his documentary Casatrans at the Amor International Film Festival.
Cast
MANJARI K (INDIA)
Manjari K (they/she) is a queer feminist theatre-maker, director, and facilitator seeking meeting points of form and affect. Rooted in anti-oppressive, movement-based practice, their work explores dissonance, intimacy, gender, sexuality, and memory through a personally political lens.
Cast
PRETHORA
Prethora is a nomadic body, attuned to folk dance and martial art forms from the Indian subcontinent. They translate desires with sound, poetry, body fictions and visual imagery. Their recent projects have been a mix of audiovisual archiving, somatic singing and collaborations with the violin.
Cast
SACHIN RAVINDRAN (INDIA)
Sachin Ravindran is an actor, singer, theatre facilitator, and Kalaripayattu practitioner, recipient of the Inlaks Theatre Award 2024. An architect turned artist, he holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Acting and Theatre Making from Drama School Mumbai. Trained in Carnatic music, he has been studying Thullal under Kalamandalam Suresh Kaliyath. He has performed with Indianostrum Theatre, Pondicherry, and Our Theatre Collective, Bangalore; including the Therukoothu production The Tragedy of Abhimanyu (26+ performances) and the children's musical Just Hiss. Also a budding screen actor, Sachin dreams of building a space that nurtures artists.
Musician
TOMÁS CARRASCO GUBERNATIS (CHILE)
Tomás Carrasco Gubernatis (Chile, 1989) is a woodwinds performer, composer and educator whose work weaves together musical traditions from the Andes, Europe, Middle East, South Asia, and beyond. He has studied diverse instruments including bansuri, turkish ney, bulgarian kaval, and duduk with master musicians such as Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia and others. Currently based in South Asia, he teaches at the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory and co-directs the Gyan-Residency at the Katjazz Festival. With over 25 albums and collaborations spanning classical, jazz, folk, and contemporary genres, his artistry stands as a dialogue between cultures where ancient wind traditions meet modern improvisation.
Musician
PRASOON BHARGAVA (INDIA)
Prasoon Bhargava is a Mumbai-based theatre artist specialising in acting and percussion. Originally from Gwalior, he holds a Master's in Performing Arts (Theatre) from Raja Mansingh Tomar Art & Music University and an 8-year diploma in Tabla, with additional training in Pakhawaj. He has performed at the World Culture Festival 2015 and represented at the National Level Youth Festival. He has collaborated with directors including Manav Kaul, Leena Yadav, and Vijay Kumar, among others. Known for weaving rhythmic textures into performance, Prasoon brings a rare percussive sensibility to the stage.
Sceneic Design by
JACKIE FOX (USA)
Jackie Fox is a New York–based scenic and lighting designer whose work spans contemporary theatre, dance, and interdisciplinary performance. She is a company member of The Supergeographics and regularly collaborates with artists who are interested in pushing the boundaries of form, perception, and storytelling. Her design practice is driven by a belief that theatre should be disruptive, subversive, and emotionally rigorous—inviting audiences to confront difficult questions about power, identity, and the inner life. Jackie’s work has been seen in a wide range of professional theatres, festivals, and academic institutions across the United States, including productions of new plays, classical texts, and devised performance. More information about her work can be found at jackiefoxdesigns.com.
Costume Design by
PALLAVI PATEL (INDIA)
Pallavi Patel is a Mumbai-based designer specialising in stage costumes. She holds a Fashion Design degree from NIFT and an MA in Costume Design for Performance from LCF, with a solid foundation for creating diverse, narrative-driven designs. Since 2015, she has contributed to over 80 productions with prominent creators in the city and received a nomination at the Filmfare OTT Awards 2023 for TVF's Pitchers. Pallavi co-manages The Costume Team, a complete costume management company, in collaboration with Anubha Patnaik. Visit: www.pallavipatelcostume.com
Light Design by
VIKRANT THAKAR (INDIA)
Vikrant Thakar began his theatre journey in 2007 and has since built a distinguished career as a lighting designer, director, and actor. A Fergusson College, Pune alumnus, he has been part of over 50 productions across India, working with various theatre groups and dance companies. As a director, his current production is Raja Nanga-dhadanga hai (D for Drama, Mumbai). He is the recipient of the Vinod Doshi Fellowship for Performing Arts (Sahitya Rangbhoomi Pratishthan, 2016–17) and the Best Light Design Award at the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards 2023 for Hunkaro.
Graphic Design by
AKANKSHA BHANDARI
Publicity Design by
SRISHTI RAY
Marketing Coordinator:
SHRAVANI DESAI
Stage Manager:
ABHISHEK PATIL
Production Coordinator:
SUMIT RAWAL
Executive Producer:
RACHIT KHETAN
Line Produced by
QTP, INDIA
QTP is a theatre and arts management company that specialises in unique and engaging experiences for live audiences. For over two decades, they have been producing theatre work as well as touring remarkable international plays from around the world. Some of their home productions include Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace, Project S.T.R.I.P. and Every Brilliant Thing. QTP is also the engine behind Thespo, which started in 1999 and is now India’s largest youth theatre community. They produce numerous events under the Literature Live! banner including The Mumbai LitFest since 2010.
Pre-production developments of the play in India in 2020 and 2022 were co-produced by
Anita Gandhi & Akhshay Gandhi
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