Nayanathara is a Berlin-based actor of Sri Lankan origin. She holds a BA in Acting from Catalyst Institute for Creative Arts and Technology in Berlin. At Catalyst she developed original theatre and screen-based work with a strong focus on cultivating an independent artistic voice.
Being raised in Sri Lanka and having lived in five different countries, today she brings that lived experiences, maturity, cultural perspectives, and grounded intensity to her work in Berlin. She seeks roles that explore complexity and emotional truth and she reflects a strong commitment to queer-inclusive storytelling.
Drawing inspiration from both Sri Lankan cultural traditions and contemporary international performance practices, her work often blends emotional realism, humour, music, and visual atmosphere, creating performances that connect with audiences across cultures.
Alongside acting, Nayanathara writes original performance material and develops independent creative projects across theatre and film. Her wider artistic interests include dance, poetry, travel, and collaborative interdisciplinary work.
In 2026, Nayanathara was awarded Best Actor of the year at Catalyst Cattie Awards.
As an artist, I am interested in creating emotionally honest and culturally grounded work that connects personal experiences with wider social and human themes. Through theatre, film, writing, and performance, I explore ideas of identity, memory, displacement, belonging, emotional survival, and human connection.
My work is often inspired by the relationship between individual emotion and collective experience. I am drawn to storytelling that combines emotional vulnerability, humour, visual atmosphere, music, and cultural specificity while remaining accessible to diverse audiences. Drawing from both Sri Lankan cultural influences and contemporary international performance practices, I aim to create work that feels immersive, emotionally resonant, and socially reflective.
I believe art has a responsibility beyond beauty or entertainment. I am interested in creating work that speaks about injustice, historical memory, emotional survival, and human resilience. Although my work often contains fictional characters, it is rooted in the realities of colonial history, migration, cultural erasure, and generational memory.
I am particularly interested in stories that examine power structures, resilience, and the emotional realities of people living between cultures or environments. Whether working in theatre or film, I see art not only as a form of expression or entertainment, but also as a space for reflection, empathy, and the catalyst of change.
My goal is to continue developing interdisciplinary and collaborative work that is emotionally impactful, visually engaging, and meaningful across cultural boundaries.