A durational performance piece in which Krishna interviews 100s of participants live on stage in a quest to find Krishna and their partner the “perfect” sperm donor. 

First Trimester was commissioned by Battersea Arts Centre, Roundhouse, Marlborough Productions and supported by Arts Council England. The show toured from London, to Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Denmark and Switzerland. It was nominated for an Off West End Award (OFFIES 2024), under the category IDEA PRODUCTION: Experimental Theatre, nominated for the 43rd Annual Green Room Awards, and won Judge’s Choice Award at Dublin Fringe Festival. 

In Second Trimester, trans performance artist Krishna Istha and his mother, Geetha Shankar, confront pregnancy, loss, gender, and the weight of inherited memories in this cinematic, Bollywood-inspired epic family saga.

Second Trimester has been commissioned by Making Waves Major Commission by Battersea Arts Centre. Made possible with funding by Arts Council England and Cockayne 10th Anniversary Grants for the Arts. Additionally Commissioned by Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts (ACCA), Cambridge Junction, Lowry, Marlborough Productions, SICK! Festival, and Unlimited.

The culmination of this hybrid multi-genre performance film/documentary will present all of the information & research that has been gathered across First and Second Trimester—legal, medical, administrative—that could act as a resource for other queer and trans people who might be looking to start families.