Krishna Istha (born ) is a comedian, writer, and

performance artist Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

based in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. They have performed across the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, and the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

Early life and influences

Istha, who is of Indian descent, is originally from

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

. They grew up in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. Istha first became interested in stand-up comedy after seeing performances by

Zoë Coombs Marr Zoë Coombs Marr (born ) is an Australian comedian, performer and actor. In 2014, Coombs Marr acted in Gideon Obarzanek’s ''L’Chaim'' which premiered as part of Sydney Dance Company's season ''Interplay''. In 2016, her show ''Trigger War ...

and

Hannah Gadsby Hannah Gadsby (born 12 January 1978) is an Australian comedian, writer, author and actor. They began their career in Australia after winning the national final of the Raw Comedy competition for new comedians in 2006. In 2018, their show '' Nanet ...

. This experience broadened their perspective on the potential of stand-up comedy and its inclusivity. Growing up, Istha recalls being a "goofy" child, often engaging in performances to make others laugh.

Career

Since 2013, Krishna Istha has been involved in various artistic endeavors across theatre, opera, comedy, and performance art. Istha’s first solo show, ''Beast'', directed by Zoë Coombs Marr, is a stand-up comedy piece that reflects on their experience being

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

. They've also been part of ''Fck Fabulous*'', a variety show by Yana Alana and have collaborated on a play with Travis Alabanza and Emma Frankland for a company of young trans actors. In 2017, Istha helped establish the Australian chapter of the Cocoa Butter Club, alongside Dani Boi. The cabaret and performance night showcases and celebrates

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

and performers of colour, with events running quarterly at the Melba Spiegeltent in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. The Cocoa Butter Club Australia also staged a sold-out show at

Arts Centre Melbourne Arts Centre Melbourne, originally known as the Victorian Arts Centre and briefly called the Arts Centre, is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the central M ...

as part of the

Midsumma Festival Midsumma Festival is a celebration of LGBTQIA+ arts and cultures held annually for 22 days over January and February in Melbourne, Australia. History and background The festival began as a one-week celebration of LGBTQIA+ pride in 1989. Les ...

in 2018. In 2020, Istha was awarded a

bursary A bursary is a monetary award made by any educational institution or funding authority to individuals or groups. It is usually awarded to enable a student to attend school, university or college when they might not be able to, otherwise. Some awar ...

from

Artsadmin Artsadmin is a UK-based organisation that provides support, resources and advisory services for artists working in the fields of performance, dance, live art and mixed media work. It was founded in 1979 by Judith Knight and Seonaid Stewart, and ...

to support their artistic work. Istha wrote for season 4 of the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series ''

Sex Education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, Human sexual activity, sexual activity, sexual reproduction, safe sex, birth ...

'', which was released in 2023. In 2023, Istha won a grant from

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council o ...

to produce their show, ''First Trimester'', which was performed at

Battersea Arts Centre The Battersea Arts Centre ("BAC") is a performance space specialising in Theater, theatre productions. Located near Clapham Junction railway station in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, it was formerly Battersea Town Hall. It is a ...

. This performance explored their journey to start a family as a

transmasculine A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes persons whose gender ...

person with their partner. The show featured intimate live interviews between Istha and participants in search of a suitable

sperm donor Sperm donation is the provision by a man of his sperm with the intention that it be used in the artificial insemination or other "fertility treatment" of one or more women who are not his sexual partners in order that they may become pregnant by h ...

, focusing on qualities beyond genetics. The performance was also the subject of the documentary short film ''Sperm Donors Wanted!'', directed by Logan Rea, with the help of a Netflix Documentary Talent Fund. In March 2024, Istha appeared in a Netflix comedy special, ''

Hannah Gadsby's Gender Agenda ''Hannah Gadsby's Gender Agenda'' is a 2024 Netflix stand-up comedy special starring Hannah Gadsby and seven genderqueer comedians: Asha Ward, Jes Tom, Alok, Chloe Petts, DeAnne Smith, Krishna Istha and Mx. Dahlia Belle. The show was filmed ...

'', hosted by

and also featuring fellow

genderqueer Non-binary or genderqueer gender identities are those that are outside the male/female gender binary. Non-binary identities often fall under the transgender umbrella since non-binary people typically identify with a gender that is differ ...

comedians Alok, Chloe Petts, DeAnne Smith,

Jes Tom James Setsuo Tom (formerly Jes Tom, born ) is an American comedian, actor, and writer based in New York City. His work explores themes including sex, gender identity, and Asian American representation. Early life and education Tom was born and r ...

, Asha Ward, and Mx. Dahlia Belle.

Personal life

Istha is

non-binary Non-binary or genderqueer Gender identity, gender identities are those that are outside the male/female gender binary. Non-binary identities often fall under the transgender umbrella since non-binary people typically identify with a gende ...

and transmasculine, and goes by

they/them Singular ''they'', along with its inflected or derivative forms, ''them'', ''their'', ''theirs'', and ''themselves'' (also ''themself'' and ''theirself''), is a gender-neutral third-person pronoun derived from plural they. It typically occu ...

pronouns.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Istha, Krishna Living people 1990s births Actors from Bengaluru British people of Indian descent Entertainers from London LGBTQ people from London Non-binary comedians People from Hackney, London Writers from London Indian non-binary actors