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Jay Nagjee

@jaynagjee

1.1K

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🎬 High-Octane Creativity
Storyteller | Writer | Director
12+ Years of Storytelling
📍Dubai, 🇦🇪 | 🇮🇳 | 🇺🇸

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We shot an improvised commercial for an improvised play. With no script, no planning and no preparation.

I started acting on stage since I was four, and I’ve studied improvisation for years. The one distinction that’s stayed with me is this: The more you get in your head and plan - what you’re going to do, what you’re going to say etc., the more out of sync you become with your scene partner. The beauty of Improv is to create ideas on the spot and stick to the discipline of doing so.

Sometimes staying flat, on the surface and in the present is where the most powerful ideas form. The restrictions force you to invent, and you end up surprised by what you’re actually capable of.

Cinematography by: @madebyxfilms
Featuring: @baselyafii @menshoff taken in Dubai, UAE - دبي ألاِمارات by @jaynagjee

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5 months ago

“HOW WE GOT HERE” - An interactive, audience driven play - made up on the spot.

@baselyafii called me, asking for a story for his improvised play with @menshoff . So I told him why do we need one? Let’s improvise the commercial as well, and let the story shape itself.

I kept throwing scenarios at Basel and Nikita until we landed on the story that worked. The entire plot was made up on the spot.

Check out the commercial to How We Got Here on our page.

The show takes place for only one night on 31 May in Dubai. Together with the audience, they take inspiration from real audience stories and bring it to life.... with a twist.

Go watch them and see YOUR story on stage.
Tickets available on District.ae

31st May, 8pm
The Junction | Alserkal Ave, Dubai

PROMO & BTS:
Director @jaynagjee
Cinematographer @madebyxfilms
Gaffer @hasnainaurraza
Edit and Color Grading @madebyxfilms
Produced by @hungerhousestudios

Special thanks to @junctiondubai

#brandfilm #commercialdirector #dubaicreatives #dubaitheatre #behindthescenes taken in Dubai, UAE by @jaynagjee

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5 months ago

Everything you’ll see on stage will be completely improvised on the spot.✨
No script, no preparation, just 2 performers and your stories.

🗓️Sunday 31st May
🕗8PM
📍The Junction, Alserkal Avenue

Tickets link live now in my my bio and on @districtuae app🎟️

Video 🎥🎞️ by the insanely talented
@jaynagjee
@hungerhousestudios
@madebyxfilms

Supported by: @grigoriitrubkin taken in Dubai, United Arab Emirates by @jaynagjee

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5 months ago

LIMITED SEATS - THEATRE FESTIVAL - LINK IN BIO

50+ PLAYS
6 WEEKS
10 MINUTES EACH
1 WINNER

X FEST DXB

🎟 Get Tickets Now - on Platinumlist & District
🔗 Link For Tickets In bio

📍 The Junction, Alserkal Ave, Dubai
📅 April 18– May 24 | Every Weekend

🎬
Written & Directed by Jay Nagjee
Produced by Hunger House Studios @hungerhousestudios & The Junction @junctiondubai
Cinematography by Mo X Akthm
Cast: Satyen Chandiramani, Sarah Potter, Esraa Zaaki, Antonios Agiovlasitis, Nikhil Asnani
Production Assistant: Akash R
Gaffer: Hasnain Raza
Edited by: Mo X Akthm & Jay Nagjee

@satyen17 @sarahpotter48 @ezra_candids @agiov77 @clutchless_moto_ @hasnainaurraza @madebyxfilms @jaynagjee

#XFestDXB #DubaiTheatre #TheJunctionDubai #LiveTheatre #alserkalavenu taken in The Junction by @jaynagjee

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6 months ago

It’s here!!! I poured my heart into Speechless and now it’s yours.

Speechless isn’t just a song for one day. It’s a reminder that our fight for visibility, for dignity, for truth, isn’t over after the music stops. It’s a voice for those still finding theirs. We rise every day, not just for ourselves, but for a future where no one is made to feel small or silenced

🎥 The official music video is now live on YouTube — watch it through the link in my bio.

Big thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey:

Music video director & editor: @jaynagjee
Composed and mixed: @stoyanstoyanovofficial
Camera Operator: @kalpit_khatri
Assistant Director: @clickbaitnik
Gaffer: @umeshchandra___
Make-Up: @enaartist.dxb
Assistant Make-Up: @riribeautyy
Production Designer: @why_tahlia
Art Team: @teatachavi , @indiee.s
Color Grading: @step2.color
BTS Video Photography: @vittotia_f

Cast:
@neme01
@raisatheroof
@ryandurandacting
@jade.ida
@marinalospirito

#newmusic #musicvideo #indiepop #pride #lgbtq #speechless #spotify #pop #newmusicfriday #queer taken in New York, New York by @jaynagjee

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a year ago

…It’s getting real 🤯😱😍
3 DAYS.
The silence breaks this Friday.

#speechless

#newmusic #song #artist #lgbtq #pride #queer taken in New York, New York by @jaynagjee

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a year ago

THE SHIP MAKES PORT 🏴‍☠️ SEE YOU TONIGHT

📆 May 10–11
📌 The Junction, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai
🎟️ Tickets on Platinumlist

Directed & Produced by: Hunger House Studios x Cross Bronx Studio @crossbronxstudio
Written by: Jay Nagjee
Cast: Jay Nagjee, Madu Capella, Satya Baskaran, Ryan Durand @jaynagjee @capellamadu @satyabaskaran
Assistant Director: @sidthor
Lights: @hasnainaurraza taken in The Junction by @jaynagjee

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a year ago

THE SUN SETS AS THE BLACK FLAG SAILS HIGH 🏴‍☠️

Here’s the official trailer for HORNSWOGGLED! - an original pirate comedy — takes the stage during Week 5 of the Short+Sweet Theatre Festival, the world’s largest short-form theatre competition. @shortnsweetdxb @junctiondubai

📆 May 10–11
📌 The Junction, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai
🎟️ Tickets on Platinumlist

Directed & Produced by: Hunger House Studios x Cross Bronx Studio @crossbronxstudio
Written by: Jay Nagjee
Executive Producer: Satyen Chandiramani @satyen17 🙏🏾
Cast: Jay Nagjee, Madu Capella, Satya Baskaran, Ryan Durand @jaynagjee @capellamadu @satyabaskaran @ryandurandacting
Assistant Director: @sidthor
Lights: @hasnainaurraza
Trailer and Music by: Jay Nagjee

Get your tickets before they vanish like buried treasure! 🏴‍☠️

Available on Platinumlist.net or in my Bio

#theatre #actinglife #dubaiartists #thejunctiondubai #castandcrew #actor taken in The Junction by @jaynagjee

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a year ago

A PIRATE WALKS INTO A TAVERN. A DRUNK LADY SITS GUARDING A MAP. What happens next? You’ve got 10 minutes to find out.

Hornswoggled! — an original pirate comedy — hits the stage during Week 5 of the Short+Sweet Theatre Festival, the world’s largest short-form theatre competition.

I’m acting in this one for the first time in 5 years, and we’re going head-to-head with 10 other powerful plays in a weekend of high-stakes storytelling.

📆 WEEK 5 | May 10–11
📌 The Junction, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai
🎟️ Tickets available now on Platinumlist (link in bio)

DIRECTED BY: The HH & CBS Crew 🤘🏽
WRITTEN BY: Jay Nagjee 🙇🏽
PRODUCED BY: Hunger House Studios X Cross Bronx Studio @crossbronxstudio
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: @satyen17 🙏🏾
CAST: Jay Nagjee, Madu Capella, Satya Baskaran, Ryan Durand
@jaynagjee @capellamadu @satyabaskaran @ryandurandacting
POSTER: Me, I guess I have to start saying: This was 100% not made using AI 🥴

It’s going to be some High-Octane Fun! Don’t miss it 🤘🏽

🔗 Ticket links in my bio.

#dubaitheatre #dubaiartscene #alserkalavenue #theatrefestival #livetheatre taken in The Junction by @jaynagjee

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a year ago

Yesterday was World Theatre Day, and I’ve been thinking a lot about how we tell stories without words.

Swipe to see me choreograph the fights with the cast, the full fights, comparisons of the rehearsal vs showtime and how we had two Romeos, for one story.

For Romeo & Juliet with Cross Bronx Studio, my role as fight choreographer wasn’t just about action—it was about intention. Every clash had to carry motive. Revenge. Loyalty. Love. We built fights like scenes in a script: layered, emotional, and designed to be repeated across four shows, two Romeos.

Then, syncing those fights with a live band playing the music of Queen’s was another layer entirely. Huge shoutout to @sammo_dxb and his band as well as @emilie_rochford for not just rocking it on stage, but elevating everything with their passion and heart.

And to the fighters—@neme01, @ryandurandacting, @ret_575, @satyabaskaran, @raisatheroof, @keemcfdz—your dedication was unreal. Sick days, long shifts, aches and pains, injuries and you still showed up with fire and ideas that made these fights truly live. It was also epic to work with you @baselyafii, @ram__ghanem, @maven_thepoet

To the epic cast - your dedication, enthusiasm, and love towards this project and the people working inspired me more and more to come and give my hundred percent in every rehearsal. @agiov77 @mahmoud_basyoni @theoberoijourney @reemacts @capellamadu @rominasatvat @salmaabdulelah_ @john.shenton @amashutkela

To the crew - 🤘🏽🥂 - @musicalrosedxb @jade.ida @_.livia._565
(And anyone else I missed out 🙏🏾)

Thank you @alex.broun, @satyabaskaran, @lydiainnewyork, @juanmariosilva and @crossbronxstudio for creating the space for me to explore story through movement.

RIP ROMEO AND JULIET - Feb 14–16 | QE2 Grand Lounge, Dubai

#worldtheatreday
#theatre #fightchoreography #storytellingthroughmovement #performanceart
#dubaiculture #physicaltheatre #behindthescenes #actinglife
#queenband #stagecombat taken in The QE2 Dubai by @jaynagjee

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2 years ago

✨ What if Romeo & Juliet took place in Freddie Mercury’s mind? 🎭

Being the fight choreographer for Cross Bronx Studio’s Romeo and Juliet, directed by Alex Broun was an absolute blast.

My focus was on making sure every fight wasn’t just about flashy moves—it had to tell a story. Mercutio’s fight with Tybalt is playful and competitive. Romeo fights Tybalt out of revenge. Paris fights Romeo to protect Juliet’s honor. Every move on stage is driven by motive, and we had dedicated workshops making sure that came through in every scene.

One of the most exciting parts of this process was collaborating with @sammo_dxb and his incredible band. They didn’t just show up and play—they spent countless hours learning and practicing every song, making sure every beat was synced with the action. The energy they brought to this show is unreal, and it was a privilege to work with them.

Thank you so much to @neme01 , @ryandurandacting , @ret_575 , @satyabaskaran , @raisatheroof and @keemcfdz —you all put your heart into this. Coming in when you were sick, coming after work and after rehearsals refusing to let the choreography be simple, and adding so much of your own ideas and soul to it—this wouldn’t have been possible without you.

And thank you @alex.broun , @crossbronxstudio , and @satyabaskaran for giving me the space to create this 🤘🏽

📅 Feb 14-16 (7:30 PM) | Matinee: Feb 15 (2:30 PM)
📍 QE2 Grand Lounge, Dubai

#theatre #performanceart #fightchoreography #storytelling #theatreindubai #dubaiart #artdubai #dubaiculture #uaelife #qe2dubai #crossbronxstudio #actinglife #castandcrew #behindthescenes #queen #queenband #live #dubailife #dubailive #dubailiving taken in The QE2 Dubai by @jaynagjee

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2 years ago

Over the course of 3 and a half months I created the poster, made the trailer, designed bleeding knife rigs, customized blood packets, a bleeding stake, a smoking crucifix and choreographed the action. Days and days of planing, and nights and nights of executing. Every one in this spent so many late nights to get everything sorted.

A big thank you to Satnam Ji, Happy Ji, Haseen Bhai and Kuldeep Paji for all their love and help to build the props.

I discovered a whole new world from watching and learning from @cinemamakeupdubai who created customized fangs for every character and painstakingly engineered neck prosthetics that bleed out 🙇🏽🙏🏾

Thank you to every single cast member for their immense patience with makeup, action rehearsals, prop testing, last minute additions and help. It really made this whole project a joy: @stoilla @rominasatvat @peachiekeen_and_green @luluschumulu @moehrenkuchen @sheenadogra @saharcazm @luapons @agiov77 @ryandurandacting @keemcfdz

To the most amazing crew, that relentlessly worked backstage to make the show smooth, and especially who had to deal with cleaning all the costumes from my the blood for all the shows🥺🙏🏾 @shortyday @teatachavi @sahmedh91 @hasnainaurraza Akshay Gehi and Markella Pariz.

And finally… Thank You @satyen17 sirrrr for your love, time, generosity, leadership and trust in me. You have often said you see yourself in me, which is a compliment I don’t know how to handle… but I can easily say that I pushed myself everyday to see myself in you. Because your energy and enthusiasm is intoxicating. Creating with you has been a blast because it never felt like I was working for Dracula. Instead it felt like we were working ON it, together. And that, is a feeling I really haven’t gotten for a project that isn’t mine for years. Thank you 👑

Music: HITZ - By Chase and Status Ft. Tinie Tempah Instrumental. Fair use intended.

#draculaindubai #theatre #alserkalavenue #thejunctiondubai #stagelife #performanceart #halloween #theatrecommunity #dracula #horror #actinglife #dubaitheatre #stageprops #propmaking #sfx #TheatreProduction #OnStage #theatregeek #BroadwayStyle #makeupsfx #castandcrew taken in The Junction by @jaynagjee

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2 years ago