Basu offers a critical historical study of the early years of theatre-making in colonial India through the life and writings of Joachim Stocqueler, a prolific traveller, journalist, and theatre-maker. Beginning with images of ship journeys as drawing the Empire closer, the chapter moves on to explore how Stocqueler’s twin vocations of journalism and theatre-making offer a much more fluid and mobile view of theatre histories as opposed to rigid post-colonial historiographies. Underscoring the need for exploring the lives and labours of early actresses on the colonial English stage, the chapter offers a close reading of Stocqueler’s own memoirs as a rich primary resource. In conclusion, it brings Stocqueler’s travels, vocations, and voice together to push the boundaries of understanding the life and work of theatre-migrants.