SouthAsianPlaywrights.org

Synopsis: Men and women from an ‘unnamed country caught in political violence’, arrive by boat in Canada. They do menial jobs that other Canadians refuse to do, yet get labelled as job-stealer. This fast paced one-act picks up crucial aspects of challenges, hopes, and conciliation of immigrant work-force.
Setting: Canada
Time Period: [...]

with co-author Steve Orlov
Synopsis: This one act play was written to mark the first anniversary of shooting death of Anthony Griffin, an unarmed black teenager, at the hands of a Montreal policeman.  The play is fast paced and uses elements of Indian street theatre.
Setting: Montreal, Canada
Time Period: Anny time
Cast Size: 8
Casting: [...]

Synopsis: In lyrical and poetic refrain, an anguished soul in The Man of Man searches for forgiveness for his sin of primal homicide. Man has committed the ultimate sin of killing “the man of man,” a divinity figure, and also killing his Woman in a fit of jealous rage. In a choreographed and lyrical exploration [...]

Synopsis: A salesman comes knocking on a cold and snowy night. He doesn’t recognize Cristina to be the ex-fiancé he ran out on a decade ago. As the past is gradually revealed, Seve tries to use the past as leverage to make his sale. The conflicts in the relationship between Devinder “Dave” and Cristina also [...]

Synopsis: Sheela, newly-wed and newly-arrived to a big town, overcomes her alienation and loneliness by getting hooked onto the daily lessons of the TV TUTOR. Her husband, Govind, is an engineeer who is busy with work and busy with his pals.
The TV TUTOR is somewhat magical in its interactions with Sheela, and she gets herself [...]

Synopsis: Very old, wheel-chair bound parents are losing their memories, with no one to take care of them. They don’t even remember if they ever had children. Their children are angry at the  parents for not remembering them. It ends in violence.
Cast Size: 5
Casting:
MOTHER
FATHER
CHILDREN (3)
This Play is: Unpublished
Production History:

Les Theater Festival, Theater for the New [...]

Synopsis: A poor homeless woman and her young nephew at the Ganges River, waxing nostalgic about their artistic heritage. A sad and poetic fable of day-dreaming about your past glory.
Setting: The Ganges River
Cast Size: 3
This Play is: Unpublished
Production History:

Les Theater Festival, Theater of the New City, New York, NY
Sacramento College (Student staged reading)

Synopsis: A poor performance artist visiting California from New York wants to say hello to Arnold Schwarzenegger so that he can put her up in his mansion.
Cast Size: 2
Casting:
ARNIE: a white male of European descent
A South Asian female artist.
This Play is: Unpublished
Production History:

Les Theater Festival, Theater of the New City, New York City, NY

Synopsis: In lyrical and poetic refrain, an anguished soul in The Man of Man searches for forgiveness for his sin of primal homicide. Man has committed the ultimate sin of killing “the man of man,” a divinity figure, and also killing his Woman in a fit of jealous rage. In a choreographed and lyrical exploration [...]

Synopsis: Sarah, a suburban housewife, befriends her gay neighbor Mike when he loses his longtime companion in a motorcycle accident. The two form a strange bond when Mike learns that Sarahâ s first husband was also killed in a car accident. They spend their nights mourning their lost loves in their own unique way until [...]

Synopsis: The household of a noblewoman is thrown into romantic chaos when her secret love letter is mis-delivered making and breaking up couples with each exchange.
Setting: An Italian villa and surrounding countryside (a courtyard, a garden, a forest, a road).
Time Period: 16th Century Italy
Cast Size: 4W/ 4M
Casting:
Duchess Alambria       An affluent, single woman [...]

Synopsis: This collection of one acts are generally comedic and philosophical in their nature.  A few are short and lighthearted such as A Play for my Dentist, a ten-minute which traces the (sweet but not saccharine) emotional relationship between two dentists of different ethnicities through their research and collaboration in dentistry. Others are bit more [...]

Synopsis: The accidental murder of an Indian freedom fighter at a Saville Rowe Tailor shop. Or the history of Indian independence, as seen through posh suits.
Setting: London.
Time Period: 1940’s and Present Day.
Production History: performed at Asian-American Writers Workshop, Manhattan Theatre Source- in NYC, Edward Albee Theatre Festival – Alaska

Synopsis: Madhu, an aging South Asian woman is convinced that Nigel, an aging British man, is important to her life. As they share their stories, Nigel is persuaded that he indeed is.

Review Quotes:
““Instant Recall,” is funny and compelling, playing cleverly on the concept of immigration by placing a South Asian newcomer on a cruise ship, [...]

Synopsis: Kali, a South Asian American woman comes face to face with the perils of not disclosing to her daughter Devi that she was conceived of a South Asian egg donor.  Only when Devi brings home her new boyfriend and shares their joyous news does Kali learn of her daughters half-sibling.
Time Period: 2020