AARTI BAJAJ
CEO, Wild Dreamer Productions
Up-Close & Personal with Aarti Bajaj
“We literally made history. And no matter how many shows we do from here onwards, the premiere show of Wild Dreamer Productions will always be…” We caught up with Aarti Bajaj, the women behind Wild Dreamer Productions & the sell-out show MEERA to find out what it really means to take a local theatre show to the international stage. MEERAcast now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube
Tell us, how did you bring MEERA to life?
“We literally made history. And no matter how many shows we do from here onwards, the premiere show of Wild Dreamer Productions will always be the most important, not just because of the show, but the way we did it…We created our teams right from scratch from the Gold Coast and Brisbane community – all locals, amateurs and those with an inclination towards the arts, and we gave them one full year of training, work-shopping, and the final product was 4th of November: a full-house show.”, says Aarti Bajaj, CEO of Wild Dreamer Productions and Creative Director of MEERA, the international sell-out stage production now taking on Auckland.
We got to the opportunity to sit down with the Wild Dreamer herself and talk all things theatre, arts, and what it truly means to lead a community-driven stage production to the international stage on MEERA’s inaugural podcast: MEERAcast (available now on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify & YouTube). This comes at a time when Wild Dreamer Productions is putting in their final preparations for their 6 shows at ASB Waterfront Theatre this May/June, featuring local artists and performers from the Auckland community to make this a show New Zealand will never forget! In 2018, MEERA sold out of over a thousand tickets, packing the theatre with a full-house, so make sure to book your tickets soon so you don’t miss out! Discounted tickets are available NOW as part of an early-bird special for avid theatre attendees, so be sure to book now and save! >> Click here to view tickets <<
With Aarti based in the Gold Coast, how is Auckland happening??
Aarti runs Wild Dreamer Productions from MEERA’s home city, the Gold Coast, where a number of key admin personnel for the show are also based – like the photography, marketing and choreography teams. But when asked how the show is coming to life in Auckland, Aarti had this to say: “Our admin team [in Auckland], which is being controlled and managed by Shagun Chowdhary, she is like the soul, the main back-bone, of the production over there. And that girl, she really doesn’t stop, she doesn’t sleep at all! She works 24/7, and the team that she’s created along the way…they’re all amazing, amazing people.
And the outcome of all this? We had our auditions over there and more than 100 people, all real artists – professional artists from the wider community, all came to the auditions….Each one of them was amazing”. Aarti then went on to discuss how the upcoming show isn’t the only thing her production team have been working on. By partnering with local organisations in the Auckland community, Team Meera has also supported Eat My Lunch NZ to help prepare and provide lunches for over 2200 school children. Furthermore, Aarti also describes how the team hosted an exclusive story-telling event, with actors, directors and arts lovers from the local community were invited to introduce them to the international show: MEERA.
MEERA is a show that, over the last two years, has had an overwhelming amount of local and international support. From local parliamentarians and city Mayors, to teams collaborating over distances of almost 3,000km (whilst in different countries all together!), MEERA is setting a precedent for how to integrate aspiring professionals in the arts industry to theatre main-stages around the globe. And now, with sights set firmly on the future, Wild Dreamer Productions is a powerhouse production company leading the charge to an industry-changing approach to the performing arts – with an army of passionate individuals behind it! Now, it’s only a matter of time before we find our what’s in store next for the team.
The ASB Waterfront Theatre is the city’s newest state-of-the-art performing arts facility situated right on the North Wharf of Auckland Harbour, and is MEERA’s home for 2019. Packing an auditorium of more than 750 seats, over one HUGE NZ long-weekend (Fri 31 May – Sat 1 June – Sun 2 June), Wild Dreamer Productions will be presenting 6 shows of the hit stage production: MEERA, immersing audiences in a show like none-other; rich with colour, rich with culture, and completely overflowing with passion from every member of the cast and crew. Get your MEERA tickets now in the early-bird sale and save on your booking – limited time only!
