Pratidhwani Presents THRICE Three Solo-Performances By Indian Women

Pratidhwani - a Seattle-area based organization of South Asian performing artists, presents an evening of unique theater - Three original stories, created and performed by three Indian women at Taproot Theatre's Isaac Studio in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle. The production will run September 23rd through October 1st, with performances at 7:30 PM on Thursdays through Saturdays, and 2:00 PM matinees on Sundays.

The production comprises of the follow three plays:

The Elephant in the Room - A solo performance by Priyanka Shetty

Flow, Swim, Float!? - A solo performance by Aarti Tiwari

A Labyrinth and its Myriad Mirages - A solo performance by Divya Rajan

The Elephant in the Room

"One-Woman Wonder" Priyanka Shetty's The Elephant In The Room is a witty, dark comedy about just your typical Indian metalhead and software-engineer-turned-actor who must navigate life as an immigrant arriving in Trump's America. When Priyanka makes the bold move to defy her family by quitting her IT job and moving to the U.S. to pursue an acting career, things don't quite turn out how she imagined. The play navigates Priyanka's real-life journey as she transitions from her deeply embedded roots in India to finding context and common ground in America. Gear up for a funny, tumultuous ride through immiscible cultures, unforgettable love, irreparable loss, and the desperation of not belonging anywhere.

Flow, Swim, Float!?
Individual yet universal Flow Swim Float?! is a witty and unapologetic interrogation into the intricacies of fitting into the world of social media. How far is too far and how much is too much! What happens when the lines between real vs reel are blurred? Embark on this thrilling voyage of love, longing, dilemmas and belonging with Leher, a social media influencer as she finds herself into an unforeseen realm - a realm of shared connection, compassion, and truth - a truth that is hers, but perhaps, ours too. Initially conceived as part of Seattle Rep & Macha Theatre Works' A Festival of Personal Stories, Flow Swim Float?! premiered at ACES festival 2023 in Seattle.

A Labyrinth and its Myriad Mirages.

As children, we all wondered. We were all curious. As adults, we require structure and order, not just of ourselves, but of others too. What happens to the wonderment as we grow? They say curiosity kills the cat. Should we save the cat? Or should we endeavor to save our curiosity? Can there be magic even in the mundane, or must we remain trapped by the expectations the society has of us, or we have of ourselves? Divya Rajan invites the audience to find enchantment in the ordinary, and offers a choice to set her, and ourselves, free from the labyrinth in this very theatrical new work.

Tickets are available on a sliding scale. All tickets provide the same access to all patrons, regardless of the price point selected. Tickets available at https://www.pratidhwani.org/thrice

General Admission: $20 This is our default ticket price.

True Cost: $28 This is the true cost of producing this show, per available seat. If we sell every available seat at this price, the production will break even.

Generous Admission: $35 If you are able to pay more, we appreciate your support.

Discounted Admission: $15 For those who need a price point below the default cost.

Design Team and Crew

Scenic Designer, Technical Director: David Hsieh

Lighting Designer for Thrice!: Jacob Viramontes

Original Lighting Designer (Priyanka Shetty): Julie Briski

Sound Designer for Thrice!: Amber Granger

Original Sound Designer and Composer (Priyank Shetty): Heather Mease

Costume Designer (Aarti Tiwari, Divya Rajan): Pallavi Garg

Costume Designer (Priyanka Shetty): Katherine Stefl

Director (Aarti Tiwari, Divya Rajan): Sunam Ellis

Director and Dramaturg (Priyanka Shetty): Theresa M. Davis

Graphic Design: Archna Sharda

Publicity: Archna Sharda, Agastya Kohli, Jay Athalye, Sameehita Mohan

About the Cast

Priyanka Shetty

Priyanka Shetty is an award-winning actor, director, and playwright based in Philadelphia, PA. As a creator of original works, Priyanka is focused on making art that is a reflection of our times. With humor, insight, and raw energy, her plays pose critical questions about contemporary issues, engender dialogue, and call for solidarity and collective action. Her critically acclaimed one-woman show The Elephant in the Room has been performed at numerous venues across the country including The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and was recently staged at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe as part of the Assembly Festival which was followed by a Scotland Tour. Priyanka made her Off-Broadway debut with a sold-out run at the Drama Desk award-winning 59E59 Theaters' "East to Edinburgh" Festival in 2022. She was also handpicked for the prestigious Kennedy Center Playwriting Intensive in 2021 and was a semi-finalist for the 2022 Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. Priyanka earned a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Virginia and has served on the faculty of the University of Virginia's Department of Drama. www.priyankashetty.com

Aarti Tiwari

Aarti Tiwari (she/her) is a multi-lingual actor, writer based in Seattle. Regional stage credits: Hedda Gabler (General Gabler's Theatre), The Pericles Project (Freehold Engaged Theatre), Twelfth Night, The Winter's Tale (Seattle Rep), This and That (Baltimore WhiteFlag Performance Group). She has traveled countrywide in India to various national and international theater festivals with her solo performance, Mansha's Wedding. International stage credits: Three Sisters, Parting with Words, Sultan, Kiss & Tell, Children of Hiroshima, Ismat Manto. Aarti is obsessed with cherry blossoms, poetry, orcas and Nina Simone. IG: @itinerantink

Divya Rajan

Divya is a creative warrior and a performance artiste. Her work is strongly driven by intuition and inspired by storytelling, rituals, healing & spirituality. Divya holds an MFA in Theatre Arts from Towson University, Maryland. She is a student of the Margolis Method and is in the cohort of emerging directors at The Shattered Glass Project's 2023-2024 Incubator/Mentor program. She is also a TAT Lab graduate and teaches storytelling, theater and arts-integrated curriculum to youth in schools and communities. Divya has a penchant for creating non-traditional performances. Salt for the Soul & Tales of Thresholds are two such ritual performances she offers through Epiphany Sutra. She co-devised an interactive piece for Finding Trails in 2022 that was site-specific to a Seattle public park. Her past one-woman performances include adaptations of Tagore's Kabuliwallah and Kingdom of Cards; and Manto's Ten Rupees. She has worked with Theatre Nisha on several multi-lingual productions as a lighting designer and actor. She was the festival director and co-producer of Short + Sweet Theatre Manila (Philippines) for four years. She is also a trained cinematographer, a certified Scuba diver and a Reiki healer. Breaking the fourth wall is her signature performance style. A Labyrinth and its Myriad Mirages is a new solo-work. It is a wholly devised and experimental psychological myth and her second collaboration with Pratidhwani after Two-Minutes of your Time.

Founded in 2003, Pratidhwani is a non-profit cultural organization based in the Seattle area, with a mission to create performing opportunities for artists of South Asian descent. We do this by producing our own shows, or by encouraging other production companies to create such opportunities through co-productions and partnerships. Pratidhwani is organized in four wings - Classical Music, Light Music, Dance, and Drama, celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023. For more information, visit www.pratidhwani.org

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