Meet the person behind Chaiiwala Theatre Company

Aadit Tandon is a 17-year-old performer/director, and founder of ‘Chaiiwala’ theatre company. A ‘chaiwalla’ is a traditional street tea seller in the Indian subcontinent who prepares, brews, and serves masala chai, often in small shops, stalls, or from portable setups. Due to Aadit’s Indian culture and passion for creation, it was the perfect name!

Aadit is proud to present his latest project- Tick, Tick… BOOM! For him, Tick, Tick... BOOM! has meant returning to where it all began, with Jonathan Larson alone at a piano, performing a raw rock monologue about ambition, fear, and turning thirty.

Before it became the three-actor musical we know today, it was Larson’s semi-autobiographical solo piece, performed in downtown New York as a confessional concert. After his untimely death on the eve of Rent’s first preview, the work was re-shaped by David Auburn into the theatrical version, now staged around the world.

In honouring those roots, Aadit’s production leans into the original’s meta-theatricality, stripping the theatre, revealing its construction, and removing the traditional barriers found in musicals, an homage to Jon’s original monologue. The actors use handheld microphones, physically choosing when to step into song and into Jon’s original concert.The microphone, when lifted, signals that we are entering the inner workings of the mind: intrusive thoughts, private fears, burning dreams.

This is not just a story being performed; it is an existential crisis being amplified. As a young artist, Jon’s story feels deeply personal. His urgency, doubt, and relentless hope mirror the questions Aadit asks himself about what it means to create and to persist.This show is a love letter to anyone who has ever felt time ticking loudly in their ear.

This year in May, Aadit turns 18, officially marking the end of his childhood.  He often questions whether he is ready to be an adult. It is a scary yet universal feeling, and this is what truly drew him to Tick, Tick... BOOM! Aadit is profoundly honoured to help bring Jon’s voice to life, and to stand inside a piece of theatre, reminding us of how human we all are, to accept failure, and to keep going.

Be sure to get your tickets for this very short season production - opening on Thursday night.   Tickets are on sale at iTicket now.  Door sales also available. 

https://www.iticket.co.nz/events/2026/mar/16th-ave-tick-tick-boom