Ramith Ramesh

Ramith Ramesh is a Kutiyattam practitioner, theatre actor, drummer and poet from Kerala. He has been active in the arts for 17 years.

From 2008 to 2016, Ramith trained at Kerala Kalamandalam, studying up to undergraduate level in Kutiyattam, Chakyarkoothu and Sanskrit under renowned master teachers such as Padmasree Sivan Namboodiri and Guru Rama Chakyar.

His theatre experience includes work with Ariana Mnouchkine in 2016. For the screen, he has worked on two short films as assistant director. Coming to ITI has enabled Ramith to hone his skills as a performer and further his training in traditional and contemporary theatre. 

As a Kutiyattam and Chakyarkoothu performer, Ramith has presented over 250 performances across India, France and Singapore, including at major national festivals such as Nila Dance and Music Festival, Shimoga Festival, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy Festival, Parinithy Festival and Yoga Parv. He has taught Kutiyattam in several theatre companies in India, and has been a judge on the panel for Kerala’s state arts festivals for five years.

Ramith’s awards include the Achutha Kurup Endowment for being the top Kutiyattam student at Kerala Kalamandalam (2012–2013); the title of Natyasri for his dedication in promoting Kutiyattam (2017); and national awards Natya Sreshta Puraskar and Natwar Gopalakrishna (2017).

With fellow alumnus Prajith K Prasad, they formed the VOiD Ensemble in 2021, a collective that aims tocreate unique performative experiences through experimentation with form and content.

Read his Q&A here 

Recent works: 
1. Instructor, The Imaginative Body acting workshop (2021; River Bourne Centre) 
2. Instructor, Finding the Form through 'Actions' workshop based on Kutiyattam and contemporary theatre (2021; Trivandrum) 
3. Performer, Kutiyattam performance as part of the Vajrajubile fellowship Thrissur District (Kerala Cultural Department) (2021; YouTube) 
4. Instructor, Fundamentals of Navarasa masterclass (2021, Mandala Arts) 
5. Performer and Co-creator, Territory (work-in-progress presentation) (2021, VOiD Ensemble; Cameo Light House (Trivandrum, Kerala) & Online) z
6. Instructor, Finding the Form through 'Actions' workshop based on Kutiyattam and contemporary theatre (2021, Online)
7. Instructor, Kutiyattam workshop (2021, Escuela del Actor (Actor School, Uruguay); Online) 
8. Instructor, Kutiyattam workshop (2021, ACS International School of Singapore; Online) 
9.  Instructor, 5–day theatre workshop on Kutiyattam techniques (2021, Across The River Collective; Bangalore) 

Last updated: 19 January 2022