GROWTHESQUE to Play United Solo Festival in November

Fresh from its acclaimed debut at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, GROWTHesque, a unique play about a Sri Lankan teenager's coming of age in a country spiralling into crisis takes centre stage at Theatre Row, New York City on November 5 at 4pm as part of United Solo 2022.

Featuring beautiful original songs, dynamic fusion dance, and daring political commentary, this 45-minute-long multiple character show with multi-media elements is a powerful, culturally enriching rollercoaster ride through its young author's lived experience.

With Sri Lanka undergoing a devastating economic collapse and severe political turmoil in 2022, GROWTHesque provides unique insight into the country's serious crises through the paradoxically comedic, unpredictable, and entertaining story of its teenaged protagonist's coming of age.

Having watched the play during its debut 6-night-run at the Edinburgh Fringe as The One TEEN Show this August, Olivier Award Winner Hiran Abeysekera (Best Actor for Life of Pi) said: "The show is a must see. Hilarious, heart-breaking, and yet incredibly hopeful, it will inspire you and uplift your spirits!"

GROWTHesque is written and performed by 20-year-old Leeth Singhage, whose credits include Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group's touring production of Sound of Music, the British television series The Good Karma Hospital, the award-winning Sri Lankan satire Grease Yaka Returns, and his own solo play about the teenaged lockdown experience, QUARANteen.

Leeth, having just entered Stanford University on a generous scholarship, said: "performing in the land of opportunity has been a lifelong dream, and I am super excited that it is happening through this play which has an important story to tell-not only about the universal experience of growing up, but of doing so in a country going through so much. I hope GROWTHesque will not only help raise awareness about Sri Lanka's crises, but also introduce new audiences to the unique culture of our beautiful country and the resilience of its diverse people".

Presented by Sri Lankan entertainment company Kehelmala and Leeth's company SarongHoodie, GROWTHesque features original compositions and musical arrangements by Murandu Music in addition to Leeth's own songs, choreography by Umeshi Rajeendra and Asela Rangadewa, and video content by Dulina Chandrasiri. The show's dramaturg and producer is Nishantha de Silva.

Tickets for GROWTHesque are now on sale and available via the United Solo website.

Kehelmala is a Sri Lankan company whose purpose is to inspire and sustain audiences through creative storytelling that pushes past boundaries, embraces diversity, and provokes thought. www.kehelmala.com

SarongHoodie is an eclectic entertainment company that aims to fuse genres, break artistic boundaries, and redefine the norms of entertainment in this new era. www.saronghoodie.com

United Solo features several dozen shows from across the USA and around the globe and is the world's largest solo theatre festival now in its thirteenth season. www.unitedsolo.org