Reflections from ThisGen Fellows: Ghirija Jayarraj
Ghirija Jayarraj knows the precise moment she felt the urge to connect with an audience,
though she didn’t yet know how. She could feel a gap in understanding; white faces looking back at her as she stepped out onto the stage at Forest Chase – the warm wooden floor bouncing underfoot, the hot sun above, and heavy jewelry pricking against her skin. She “felt like a 9 year-old alien in a dance costume”, telling of gods and ancient lands to a crowd who stared back without really hearing the story.
A few years later Ghirija discovered the tool she would use to bridge this gap. She was 12 years old, backstage, readying for an Indian Independence day dance performance. It was an accidental encounter with immersive storytelling.
Naatya Vandhanam, 2005.
“Just before my dance went on, there was an “Incredible India” documentary that was playing in the cyclorama in front of me. I was alone behind it, fully clad in traditional Indian costume.
“It felt as if I was transported through time to ancient India… When it was time for me to perform and go to the front of the stage I felt a burst of energy.”
By 2005 she created her own work, Naatya Vandhanam, blending live dance and documentary. She found acclaim with audiences in India and amongst her home community through her initiative Shastram, working with over 500 artists worldwide in the Indian classical dance space, but still, she struggled to reach the wider Australian community. After 20 years spent developing her craft, Ghirija began to doubt that she was a “real artist” or if she would ever feel a connection to the “normal” Australian.
She was about to give up her artistic venture completely, when she was offered a place among the first cohort of ThisGen Fellows in 2024: Being selected gave Ghirija the confidence she needed to keep creating, while the program gave her the tools to push her work even further. Mentorship and keynote speeches from industry experts helped her better understand her creative goals, industry placement gave her insight into the production process and funding environment, and creative lab sessions inspired her to contextualise her work for a mass audience without sacrificing the Tamil language at the beating heart of her practice.
The Fellows of ThisGen 2024.
“When I wore that sari and danced in front of artists and industry professionals, it was the 9 year-old dancing again. This time, with film accompanying me and adorning my backdrop, I was no longer feeling alien. In fact, I was proud of what I was wearing, and proud of all the work that I had accomplished and the culture I was representing.
“It was a moment of embracing everything I wanted to hide about myself and presenting the raw truth as a CaLD artist.”
“The work I create here, without inhibitions ‘as is’ – with all its diversity, is not only adding to the beautiful tapestry of arts that is flourishing within this land, but is also a way of me creating space for all the people who look like me to be known as Australian.”
Ghirija was one of six Culturally and Linguistically Diverse producers and directors supported by ThisGen in 2024-25. Right now, Encounter is fundraising to continue this vital effort enriching and diversifying WA theatre. ThisGen 2026 is an evolved program, supporting marginalised mid-career directors and cultural leaders. You can read more about ThisGen 2026 here. We know the best way to ensure ThisGen continues long into the future is to get the community involved, and so we’re turning to those who want to join us in building a more vibrant and inclusive theatre space, and asking you to help us make these invisible stories visible.
We’re seeking funding to make ThisGen 2026 an even stronger program. Right now all donations are matched dollar-for-dollar, thanks to plus1 funding from creative Australia. If you’d like to consider giving, please head over to our giving page and find out more.