Staging new beginnings: Storyteller Harsh Shah steps into the spotlight with his new solo show

Harsh Shah

This weekend, city-based storyteller Harsh Shah will perform his new solo show, Stories on Stage. This will be his valediction to the city, before he leaves for Bengaluru. Shah has been instrumental in building vibrant creative communities at The Habitat. Three years ago, when he pitched the idea for a regular show for poets and storytellers to Balraj Singh Ghai, founder of the venue, he recalls, "[Ghai] graciously told me: Don't overthink; just do it." Since then, Shah has helped several artistes share their work every Wednesday at the performance venue in Khar.

He has worked as a videographer and editor at the space for the last eight years. In 2019, when he noticed some empty slots, Shah started hosting poetry shows, each featuring seven-eight performers. After the pandemic, he felt the need to create something more consistent. This led him to start Creative Bloc Party, a platform for performers to test the waters at the monthly mushaira nights, poetry line-ups, storytellers' nights, and kavi sammelans, spread over four Wednesdays.

Although these were non-ticketed initially, he reveals, "We started including tickets at a nominal rate to be able to cover the operational costs." The initiative has provided artistes with opportunities to perform at the city's reputed storytelling festivals, such as Spoken Fest, Gaatha, and India Soul Fest.

Shah has also shared his stories at the events, and now gears up for his own show. "I feel stories come more naturally to me than poetry," he tells us about his choice of form. "During the pandemic, being at home, talking to my parents and my brother, and reliving those memories brought something in me." Most of the stories at his show will be from his real-life experiences - his childhood and school days, time spent with his family, and his first stage performance.

He insists he wants to remember the moment not as an ending, but a new beginning. "I've been in Mumbai for a decade. I thought this would be a good chance to give myself that space to think of storytelling as a career," he says.

The show will be recorded for YouTube for the first time. "This thought has crossed my mind so many times," he admits. However, he's glad he was patient and took his time to work on the material. "I needed time to develop my skills and understand what I wanted to do with it." Now that he's finally put the show together, he believes it is the right step towards becoming a professional storyteller and taking his journey ahead.

On November 9; 6 pm
At The Habitat, 1st floor, Hotel Unicontinental, Road 3, Khar West.
Log on to bookmyshow.com
Entry Rs 349