नेहा & Neel (Neha and Neel | नेहा और नील) by Ankita Raturi at Seattle Public Theater

Hit the Road with Pratidhwani and Seattle Public Theater presenting

नेहा & NEEL (Neha and Neel / नेहा और नील ) by Ankita Raturi

SEATTLE, WA – Pratidhwani, a Seattle-area based organization of South Asian performing artists, and Seattle Public Theater present the Seattle premiere of नेहा & NEEL (Neha and Neel / नेहा और नील) by Ankita Raturi. After our award-winning co-production of House of Joy, we are back to bring another impactful production. Directed by Agastya Kohli, & Neel (Neha and Neel | ) is a road trip comedy about how our families and our values evolve from one generation to the next. A summer trip to visit colleges could be Neha’s last chance to pass her language and culture down to her seventeen-year-old son. If she could just get him to visit the historic Hope Diamond and witness a piece of Indian history for himself, everything will be better, or so she thinks. & NEEL (Neha and Neel) will run at the Seattle Public Theater from October 16 through November 8.

“From the moment I read this play, I knew we had to stage it here in Seattle. This is as widely relatable a story as you can find! Not only is every Indian, or every immigrant going to see themselves in this play, I believe every parent of a teenager, and every high school age teenager will also see their life reflected on stage.” said Agastya Kohli, Director of & Neel (Neha and Neel | ), “We are also pleased to return to Seattle Public Theater for another co-production. & NEEL (Neha and Neel) is a very different play than House of Joy, and we hope this will become a crowd favorite.”

Performers:

Neha | Manisha Advani

Neel | Ankit Madhira

Arnav and Avatars | Varun Kainth

Artistic Team:

Director | Agastya Kohli

Stage Manager | Bella Stotts

Assistant Stage Manager | Sreeja Alapati

Lighting Designer | Jacob Viramontes

Scenic Designer | Robin Macartney

Props Designer | Swati Srivastava

Sound Designer | Evan Mosher

Costume Designer | Pallavi Garg

About the Playwright

Ankita Raturi (she/her) is currently a Queens-based writer and teaching artist who grew up in capital cities, pediatric gastroenterology offices, and the bisexual closet. She writes hyper-theatrical works in English, Hindi/Urdu, and sometimes Bahasa Indonesia about living between cultural identities and contending with the ongoing legacies of colonization. 2024 Winner of the Los Angeles New Play Project Award. 2022 Winner of the Bret Adams and Paul Reisch Foundation’s Ollie Award. New play development: Theater Mu, Playwrights’ Center, New York Theatre Workshop, Roundabout, Ma-Yi Theater Company, South Coast Repertory, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Playwrights Realm, Berkshire Theatre Group, Cygnet Theatre, Artists at Play, The COOP, Atlantic Pacific Theatre, Theater Masters, Hypokrit Theatre Company, New York Shakespeare Exchange, Pete’s Candy Store, Natyabharati, Wesleyan University. Devised work with Charlotte Murray: Fresh Ground Pepper, Corkscrew Theater Festival, Dixon Place. Teaching artist with CUNY’s Creative Arts Team and Lincoln Center Theater's LEAD Project. B.F.A. in Drama: NYU/Tisch. M.F.A. in Playwriting: UC San Diego. Third-year Kathak student: Maeri Dance.

About the Director

Agastya is a Seattle area based actor, director and producer. He has led the Drama Wing of Pratidhwani since 2005, and has directed and produced many shows in Hindi and English for Pratidhwani. Directorial credits include Yoga Play by Dipika Guha (2026) at As If Theatre, Ten Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith by Yusef El Guindi (2024) at CenterStage Theatre, House of Joy by Madhuri Shekar (2025), Washer/Dryer by Nandita Shenoy (2019), Queen, also by Madhuri Shekar (2018), Dance Like a Man by Mahesh Dattani (2015), and I and You by Lauren Gunderson (2018), all for Pratidhwani. He has also directed for Penguin Productions, 14/48 Projects, Live Girls! Theater, Infinity Box and SIS Productions. Acting credits include Not/Our Town at Pony World Theater, Mandala of Sherlock Holmes (audio play) and Brothers K at Book-it Rep, Happiest Song Plays Last at Theatre22, and Money & Run at Theater Schmeater. By day, Agastya works as a Telecom Engineer for the second largest wireless service provider in the US.

Press: For tickets and information about reviewing, and interviews with the artists and creative team, contact marketing director Nick Bringhurst at nick@seattlepublictheater.org.

Box Office: boxoffice@seattlepublictheater.org

Online Box Office: seattlepublictheater.org

Quick Link: https://www.seattlepublictheater.org/nehaneel

Social:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seattlepublictheater

Instagram - @seattlepublictheater

Website- https://www.seattlepublictheater.org

Tickets are now available on a sliding scale from $10 to $100.

Purchase tickets at https://www.seattlepublictheater.org/nehaneel

About Pratidhwani

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. They do this by creating opportunities via their own productions or discovering and encouraging performing opportunities for South Asian artists with other local production houses. www.pratidhwani.org

About Seattle Public Theater

For over three decades, actors, directors, and audiences passionate about exceptional theater have found a home at Seattle Public Theater. On the shores of Green Lake in the historic Bathhouse Theater, Seattle Public Theater is one of Seattle’s leading mid-sized professional theater companies. Established as a 501(c)(3), Seattle Public Theater strives to create an inclusive community that actively engages with ideas and people.