FONTWALA, A Solo Play In English, to be Presented at TheaterLab in July

Indian-American actress-writer Shubhra Prakash (शुभ्रा प्रकाश) explores whether a story of a common man turned hero from India would resonate with audiences in America in her one-woman show, FONTWALA, which returns to New York City for its second rendition at the TheaterLab from July 28 - 30 for five shows only, funded by New York State Council on the Arts.

FONTWALA tells the story of innovation, preservation and self-discovery. Shilpi, a South Asian actor in New York City after several unsuccessful auditions for leading parts decides to finally work on her own play and tell the story of her uncle from India who fought many battles to become an artist and then an innovator. Riddled with doubts in her mind on whether she is capable of telling the story, Shilpi musters up the courage to move to India after having not lived there for twenty years. There she begins the narrative of her uncle's work as an aspiring typographer and font designer of Indian languages, who she refers to as Fontwala, all the while rediscovering the country of her birth.

Her uncle's pivotal contribution to the world of typography in the late 1990s emerged in the form of the Anglo Nagari Keyboard, which allowed the typing of Indian scripts on the English keyboard. This pioneering achievement not only revolutionized the way Indian languages were represented in the digital landscape but also paved the way for cultural preservation and accessibility.

As Shilpi delves deeper into the intricacies of her uncle's work, she uncovers the challenges faced by "complex" scripts in adapting to the digital world. Her journey explores not only the survival of scripts but also the complexities faced by individuals with rich histories as they strive to tell their stories.

To write the play Prakash found inspiration in her real-life uncle, Rajeev Prakash, artist turned typographer who did actually develop the first Anglo-Nagari keyboard. She travelled to India to record interviews and write the play.

The play celebrates the beauty of multi-lingualism and the distinct voices that shape our collective narrative, highlighting the importance of preserving languages and traditions in an increasingly interconnected world.

Now FONTWALA exists as a solo play in English and ensemble play in Hindi. FONTWALA presents the intersection of art and commerce, and the search for "home" that so many immigrants face today. Prakash explains, "There is so much in the world today that can divide us, but I am asking the question, 'What can bring us together?' I want to write about things that can unite us. By diving into the story of Fontwala, and doing so by staying in India for the research, I learned how America is viewed by Indians."

Recently, Prakash gained attention from NPR and the BBC as a writer on the educational comic, Priya's Mask. She has participated in the Social Impact Writers Lab, Garage Stories: Cannes XR Challenge, and the Tribeca Film Institute's Immigration Co-Lab. Prakash co-wrote, produced, and starred in the original play, The Music In My Blood, about classical Indian music and Walter Kaufmann, a Jewish refugee to India during WWII who contributed to codifying Indian music. The show has been seen by audiences in New York at the American Theatre of Actors, as part of Natya Darpan's Multi-Lingual Play Festival in New Jersey, and as an invited performance with Natya Bharti in Rockville, Maryland.

Born in India, Prakash has been an immigrant in the US since she was a teenager. She started acting in productions in the San Francisco Bay area, before making her way to New York City. She has worked with the New York Fringe Festival and later co-founded Hypokrit Theatre Company. She proudly became instrumental in putting on festivals that allowed BIPOC artists a platform to perform within dance, theater, music and stand-up comedy.

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