Priyanka Shetty

Priyanka Shetty

Priyanka Shetty is an award-winning actor, director, and playwright based in Philadelphia, PA. 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...
Priyanka Shetty is an award-winning actor, director, and playwright based in Philadelphia, PA. 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 her play #CHARLOTTESVILLE at the Drama Desk award-winning 59E59 Theaters’ “East to Edinburgh” Festival in 2021. She was also handpicked for the prestigious Kennedy Center Playwriting Intensive in 2021, and was the 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.

Plays

  • The Elephant in the Room (One Woman Show) by Priyanka Shetty
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: One woman show, one person show + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: One woman show, one person show, solo show, Asian American, South Asian, discrimination, bias, identity, culture shock, microaggressions
    Unapologetically Indian, THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM is a funny, yet tumultuous ride through immiscible cultures, love and loss, issues of race, and the desperation of not belonging anywhere. 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.
  • #CHARLOTTESVILLE by Priyanka Shetty
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: one person show, solo show + 8 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, movement/physical, political
    Keyword: one person show, solo show, verbatim, docudrama, docu-theatre, White Supremacy, racial violence, black lives matter, discrimination, bias
    #CHARLOTTESVILLE chronicles the tragic events of August 11th and 12th, 2017, when white supremacists gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia for the "Unite the Right" rally on the pretext of expressing outrage against the removal of the confederate monument of Robert E. Lee, leading to a violent clash with counter-protesters. Constructed verbatim from interviews with over a hundred local residents,...
    #CHARLOTTESVILLE chronicles the tragic events of August 11th and 12th, 2017, when white supremacists gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia for the "Unite the Right" rally on the pretext of expressing outrage against the removal of the confederate monument of Robert E. Lee, leading to a violent clash with counter-protesters. Constructed verbatim from interviews with over a hundred local residents, court transcripts, and news reports, the play presents a deeply personal exploration of how the crisis affected the community and how they continue to grapple with the aftermath. Through the voices of its interviewees, #CHARLOTTESVILLE explores themes of community, resilience, and the struggle to move forward in the face of adversity. It offers a nuanced examination of the complex issues surrounding race and identity, and how they intersect with the broader political and cultural landscape of the United States of America.
  • #CHARLOTTESVILLE (Ensemble Version) by Priyanka Shetty
    Cast: 
    5–8
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Diverse Ensemble Cast, verbatim + 8 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, political
    Keyword: Diverse Ensemble Cast, verbatim, docudrama, docu-theatre, White Supremacy, racial violence, black lives matter, discrimination, bias, socio-economic inequities
    #CHARLOTTESVILLE is a play about the white supremacist “Unite the Right” rally and the events that took place between August 11-12, 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia. It is constructed verbatim from interviews with local residents impacted by the events and highlights their real-life experiences as they dealt with the crisis and continue to find ways to move forward as individuals and as a community. The play...
    #CHARLOTTESVILLE is a play about the white supremacist “Unite the Right” rally and the events that took place between August 11-12, 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia. It is constructed verbatim from interviews with local residents impacted by the events and highlights their real-life experiences as they dealt with the crisis and continue to find ways to move forward as individuals and as a community. The play explores deep-seated racial inequities that have existed historically in Charlottesville and how it escalated to one of the most terrible manifestations of racial violence in America.
  • Marjorie is Dead by Priyanka Shetty
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    5–6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, farce + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: British farce, comic romance + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, farce, melodrama, period, romantic comedy, satire
    Keyword: British farce, comic romance, comedy of errors, Farce, funny, hilarious, miscommunication, pandemic, virus, award winner
    MARJORIE IS DEAD follows the outbreak of a deadly "coroner's virus" in an unsuspecting British family in the 1900s with convoluted lives and predicaments. The virus is their primary antagonist yet, could also be the only thing that unites them. 2022 Eugene O'Neill National Playwriting Conference Semi-Finalist.