CSS 2: We created a safe space for female artists!
On May 4, 2024, we hosted the second C4E Spotlight Session (CSS), a women-only open mic, presented by Decoding Draupadi!
If this is your first time here, I’ll start with what CSS is.
CSS is a series of in-person events that celebrate the performing arts and the world of entertainment. Run in partnership with our communities around women, films, books, and others, these sessions will bring together performers and patrons.
Through these, we want to support anyone who strives for the Spotlight. Ones who thrive under its hot, burning glory. Musicians, dancers, poets, actors, athletes, anyone, everyone.
It is the first step to realising a big, bald dream we have – to create a physical space (the C4E Base) for people to come together and create magic.
For the second one, we partnered with Decoding Draupadi to host a women-only open mic.
The brief? Create a safe space for women to perform a piece they wrote in isolation, but have always hoped to share with the world.
We had 12 performers who sang original songs + covers, performed stand-up comedy, and recited poetry in English, Hindi AND Marathi!
Melody set the tone of the evening with her melodies; she performed 2 originals about love, and a cover.
Poetry: Chandni performed an original poetry piece called ‘2 pigeons, I think’ for us. If you want super honest and entertaining snippets from the life of a creator (along with her poetry of course), check her out on IG. Aditi recited two pieces, both born out of unabated rage and a voracious appetite. Priyanka shared stories of grief and heartbreak. Khushi “tested” our ability to read between the lines with her poetry. Haritha performed a piece that she believes to be an eternal ode to her twenties and the fact that she will forever be “coming-of-age”. Nandini introduced us to Ziya and Jiya, two women with stories of love and heartbreak. Are they real or not, we’ll never find out. Priyanka Surve recited pieces either written by women, for women, or about a woman – in Hindi, English and Marathi. Ankita came on stage after 11 odd years. And performed with her best friend Jane. A poem they wrote together, as part of poetry seesaw.
Comedy: The room went from slow waves and claps to loud laughs when Aanchal, a stand-up comedian, performed one of her sets. Here’s the full video. Shivani introduced us to the lives of people in South Bombay and what dating looks like in your 30s. Elisha took the stage for the first time but performed like it was her 50th set.
That was all the updates. Well, almost! What didn’t make it to this update are moments and conversations that ONLY happened because it was a room full of women. A safe room full of women!
What’s next?
Well, we want to do more of these. With more artists. For bigger audiences. And in different cities.
Our motivations are quite simple – to build something bigger than us. Touch a billion lives. And have a lot of fun doing that.
The third one happens on May 25 – a Meetup and Screening for Indie Filmmakers. While we plan that, here’s a question!
Do you have friends – musicians, performers, poets, actors, anyone, everyone – who we must invite? Any other interesting venues we could host this at? Which city can we do this in? Would you like to do this with us? How can we do a thousand and more of these events, together?
Write to us at sg@c4e.in.
P.S. While we pose as marketeers and brand consultants in broad daylight, hosting these Spotlight Sessions is one of the million dreams keeping us awake. Big, bald and scary.
Come create this magic with us?