Mumbai's theatrewallahs moonlight as bakers, photographers and dancers

Meet some of Mumbai's most famous theatrewallahs as they turn into bakers, photographers and dancers

Part of the Moonlight Café team

Last October, Shivani Vakil Savant of The Odd Hour Kitchen was invited to set up a stall at an event. The stage manager, drama teacher and actor, who bakes in her spare time, realised it was too much to take on alone, so she called upon her friends. "Some of us are associated with theatre but in our free time, we also cook and bake. So, when I got the offer, I thought why not invite some of them too," she says. Their first stall was a hit, and they were tagged the 'dramatic bakers'.

Rahul da Cunha

"I've always been a moonlighter, doing more than two things at a time. We had fun so thought of doing it more often," adds Savant. Thus, Moonlight Café was born. It consists of theatrewallahs - actors, producers, drama teachers - who moonlight as home chefs and bakers. Besides Savant, there is actor and voice-over artist Dilshad Edibam Khurana of Dough Re Mi; actors, producers and voice-over artists Prerna and Preetika Chawla of Pickle Shickle; producer and organic store owner Reetha Balsaver of Tossed & Dressed salad delivery service; and actor, director Shivani Tanksale of The Baking Game.

(From left) Shivani Vakil Savant, Shivani Tanksale, Reetha Balsavar, and Preetika and Prerna Chawla

This weekend will be the first time that this group will moonlight their culinary skills together. They will be joined by other creative theatre people, at an event, titled Moonlighting at Vintage Garden. It will feature the café, workshops, a flea market, a jamming session and special performances.

Expect workshops on nail art, make-up, object theatre, photography (conducted by Digvijay Sawant and Rahul da Cunha), art and expression, rapping, Lavani and even how to upcycle plastic. The performance line-up includes Stand Up: A Serious Play About Comedy, a play by AkVarious Productions, and an act by Improv Comedy Mumbai. Others have approached the group to replicate the idea. "We'd like to make it a regular event with moonlighters from different professions," shares Savant.

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