Rini Tarafder is a PhD Candidate in Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies. Her work examines intermediality in contemporary theatre in India. She studies collaborative theatrical practices that interrogate theatrical conventions by mixing multiple languages, artforms and artistic practices, media, and folk and modern forms of performance. Her research and practice interests include Indian theatre, South Asian literatures and cultures, postcolonial theatre, Parsi theatre, Indian Ocean theatrical touring circuits of the late 1800s, collaborative playwriting, translation and adaptation, caste and performance, stage management, and theatre pedagogy.
She received her MPhil in Comparative Literature from Jadavpur University, Kolkata in 2015, and her MA in 2013 from the same department. Her MPhil thesis looks at adaptations of European plays into Bangla theatre in colonial Calcutta.
Rini is involved in the practice of a theatre as a playwright and stage manager. Her short play, “Rishi’s Grocery List” was part of the Rotate Theatre Mini Fest in June 2023 in Madison. She was also the stage manager for the show.