Live! From the Warehouse Q&A at the White Bear Theatre

Live! From the Warehouse Q&A at the White Bear Theatre

Two seventeen-year-old boys. An abandoned warehouse. A stolen gun. A phone that won’t stop filming. Live from the Warehouse is a dark comic thriller about Gen Z, virality and what it costs to be seen.

Written and directed by Shashwat Srivastava, co-founder of India-based drama-in-education company Joy of Drama and its professional production arm, the two-hander centres on classmates Tanmay and Riyan.

Chased by the police and a school drug dealer after a prank reel involving a stolen gun spins out of control, they hole up in a derelict warehouse and turn the camera on themselves. What begins as confession becomes performance. And when the line between content and consequence finally disappears, one of them does the unthinkable. For the perfect shot.

The play is performed, with compellingly high energy and intensity, by 17-year-olds Aryaman Krishna Aggarwal and Vrishab Wig, who have come up through Joy of Drama’s training programmes – the three-year Performers Course in Delhi, multiple Shakespeare summers in the UK, workshops at LAMDA and Shakespeare’s Globe. Live from the Warehouse, which toured in India before this UK premiere season, marks their professional debuts.

Joy of Drama was founded in 2009 on the premise that theatre does far more for young people than put them on a stage. It builds confidence and changes lives.

Following last night’s performance, I was joined by Shashwat, Vrishab and Aryaman, along with assistant director Tom Kane of UK co-producer Mythologyworkshop, to discuss that transformation and to unpick the play and the journey that brought it to London. Amongst the other topics discussed: the power of myths, the dangers of social media addiction and the lessons of professional literacy.

Live from the Warehouse runs at London’s White Bear Theatre until 18 July 2026.

Q&A video

Q&A photos

With thanks to Raymond Whitaker.

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