Interview: Director Stafford Arima and A BEAT OF OUR OWN at McCarter Theatre

The brand new musical comedy will be on the Princeton stage from 10/2 to 10/25

By: Marina Kennedy Jul. 01, 2026

Interview: Director Stafford Arima and A BEAT OF OUR OWN at McCarter Theatre

From the Tony Award-winning producers of Hadestown comes A Beat of Our Own — a brand-new musical comedy that pulls you straight into the pulsating rhythms, kaleidoscopic colors and raw energy of competitive bhangra dance. It will be performed at McCarter Theatre Center from 10/2 to 10/25.

Directed by Olivier Award nominee Stafford Arima and featuring choreography from Rujuta Vaidya, music and lyrics by Sam Willmott, and a book by Rehana Lew Mirza and Mike Lew, this hilarious, heartfelt show is a proud celebration of what happens when a fractured community finds common ground through the power of dance, creativity and understanding.

Broadwayworld had the pleasure of interviewing Stafford Arima about his career and the upcoming show at McCarter Theatre Center.

Stafford Arima is an award-winning director who is currently the Artistic Director of Theatre Calgary in Canada. For over thirty years, he has directed award-winning productions in six countries on three continents. In 2015, he became the first Asian Canadian to direct a musical on Broadway – Allegiance starring George Takei and Lea Salonga – and, in 2004, he was the first Asian Canadian to be nominated for an Olivier Award as Best Director for the West End premiere of the musical Ragtime.

On Broadway and Off-Broadway, he has directed Allegiance, Ragtime: 25th Anniversary Reunion Concert, Altar Boyz, Carrie, The Tin Pan Alley Rag, bare, Saturday Night, Seussical (Associate Director) and A Class Act (Associate Director).

His regional credits include Bhangin’ It (World Premiere, La Jolla Playhouse), Dial M for Murder (World Premiere adaptation, The Old Globe), Candide (San Francisco Symphony), Poster Boy (World Premiere, Williamstown Theatre Festival), and Abyssinia (World Premiere, Goodspeed Musicals).

Internationally Arima has directed Forgiveness (Stratford Festival, Best Director, Tyrone Guthrie Derek F. Mitchell Artistic Director’s Award, and the Betty Mitchell Award for Outstanding Direction), Bhangra Nation (Birmingham Rep., UK), Ragtime (West End premiere), The Secret Garden (Tokyo), Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (Stratford Festival), Altar Boyz (Korea), Broadway Dreams (Moscow), A Christmas Carol, and Mary and Max - A New Musical (Theatre Calgary).

Arima is a graduate of York University, and the recipient of the Dean’s Prize for Excellence in Creative Work; an adjunct professor at UC Davis where he was awarded the 2013 Granada Artists-in-Residence; and a founding Board member of the Canadian Guild of Stage Directors and Choreographers.

What first influenced you to become a director?

A professor of mine at York University named Ron Singer guided me towards directing versus acting. Up until that point, I had wanted to be an actor, and I had focused on that dream until Professor Singer, bluntly said to me one day: "I think you would make a helluva director." He went on to tell me that during our conversations in his "Acting for Directors" class, he felt I was approaching the character from a director's lens as I spoke about the scene being part of a larger tapestry that included design and staging.

Tell us a little about your directorial debut.

I believe that actually happened when I was auditioning for my high school's production of Guys and Dolls. I was not a singer, so I thought that Lt. Brannigan would be the perfect role for me. I told the director that she needed to cast me because I would play Brannigan with a thick Irish brogue, and, since I identified as an Asian person, I thought that would be hilarious -- an Asian person speaking with an Irish accent. Well, she cast me, and on opening night, after my first line, the audience couldn't stop laughing and I stopped the show. When I look back at that suggestion, it was, for me, my very first directorial instinct in casting that, perhaps, signalled what was to come. As for my "on the boards" directorial debut, I would say that it was Altar Boyz. I had the honor and pleasure of collaborating with a stunning group of theatre artists on the NYMF production in 2004, and then on the Off-Broadway production that opened in September 2005 and ran for almost five years. As Harold Prince was my first professional mentor, I was primarily interested in new and original works, which Altar Boyz was. I was deeply involved in the various drafts that the show explored before bringing it to the stage. I don't consider myself a writer, but I have strong instincts when it comes to dramaturgy. In many ways, I thank Altar Boyz for helping me cut my teeth on a new work and all the complexities that go into taking a work from page to stage.

What are some of the challenges of directing shows around the globe?

Beyond North America, I have had the luck and joy to direct in various places, including Japan, Russia, the UK and South Korea. Thankfully, theater folk are pretty much the same in all of those diverse countries; although there might be some cultural differences that alter the way one does the work. But what binds us is our love for this performing art we call "theater." That surprised me for some reason. I guess I was expecting that because language (in some situations) was going to be a barrier, that there would be more challenges to confront. The opposite is true. Aside from language, I have found that the vocabulary of a theater artist is very similar no matter where the theater is being created.

We'd love to know a little about your rewarding work as Artistic Director of Theatre Calgary in Canada.

I began my tenure as Artistic Director in April 2017. Having spent 25 years as a freelance director (and 20 of those years living in New York City), I was ready for a new adventure. I was close to turning fifty, and I was anxious about what the next 30-or-so years might be filled with. My freelance years were jam-packed with a multitude of adventures and awakenings, so what was next? Having worked for some of the great ADs within the American regional theater, I never envisioned myself as one of them. Barry Edelstein, the current AD at The Old Globe in San Diego, is an artist and leader whom I've worked for numerous times. He's the real deal! Barry is not only an accomplished director, but he is also a supreme author, educator, and producer. However, now being in the AD role for over eight years, I've realized that my lived and professional experiences in Canada and the United States have brought a unique perspective and skill set to my position at Theatre Calgary. Since becoming AD, we have produced 10 world premieres; moved a production from our theatre company to Broadway; and created a mentorship program that has opened doors for us to inaugurate a future wing at the company called TC Learning.

The new musical, A Beat of Our Own at McCarter in the fall is exciting. How is the process of getting ready to direct the show going?

We just finished casting and have found a sensational ensemble of performers to bring this show to life. Rehearsals begin in lateAugust, and every person connected to the show (including all my new friends at the McCarter) is working tirelessly to prep us for that first day of rehearsals. It's been so incredible to experience the authors (Rehana Lew Mirza, Mike Lew, and Sam Willmott) work on the show and continue to develop the material in stronger and stronger ways. Having directed two previous productions (the first one at the La Jolla Playhouse, and the second one at Birmingham Rep in the UK), I cannot wait to share this new production with an East Coast audience at the McCarter.

Why do you think A Beat of Our Own will appeal to metro area audiences?

At its core, A Beat of Our Own is a universal story about coming together and embracing each other's differences. Our story is told through the lens of university students in Michigan, and what an audience experiences is a layered narrative that deals with culture, tradition, modernity, and personal convictions. Audiences in and around Princeton, N.J. are a beautiful group of people that are globally diverse in many ways. That diversity has contributed to Princeton's rich history and cultural impact, which are two qualities present in A Beat of Our Own.

Have you spent much time in NJ in the past? We'd love to know how you feel about being a part of the Garden State's theatre scene!

This will be my first time directing at the McCarter and I can't wait to soak up all of what the Garden State has to offer! I'm excited to take in the infectious university energy that the campus will offer, while exploring Art@Bainbridge. And I'm looking forward to visiting the Princeton Farmers Market (on my lunch break on Thursdays) as the heart and soul of a community are often found at farmers' markets.

Can you share any of your future plans?

Theatre Calgary will be celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2027/28, so the TC Team and I have been cooking up some exciting ideas for the curation of that special season. Check out theatrecalgary.com for more information. Aside from that, I've been working on a new Frank Wildhorn piece for a couple of years that will hopefully have its World Premiere at Theatre Calgary; and two new Canadian works: one based on a beloved book by Mordecai Richler, and another original musical based on the Canadian visual artist Maud Lewis.

You can learn more about Stafford Arima on his website staffordarima.com and follow him on Instagram: @Stafford Arima

McCarter Theatre Center is located at 91 University PlacePrinceton, NJ 08540. Tickets for all of their upcoming productions i. ncluding A Beat of Our Own, please visit McCarter

Photo credit: Trudie Lee

Arima photographed in the wings of the Max Bell Theatre at Theatre Calgary where he is the Artistic Director

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Interview: Director Stafford Arima and A BEAT OF OUR OWN at McCarter Theatre

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