The Women’s Storytelling Salon™
Wed april 24, 2024
6-8 pm EST
KEEGAN THEATre
1742 Church St NW, Washington, DC 20036
This Women's Storytelling Salon™ will feature two outstanding women, Priyanka Shetty and Sangeeta Agrawal, who are not only actors but also directors, playwrights and filmmakers! Register today to listen to stories of their journeys, and to get a glimpse of their work as women of color in this industry. By registering, you will automatically contribute to the Salon’s philanthropic effort (see below).
If you cannot attend the Salon in person, you can register to watch it later; a secure link to the Salon video recording will be shared with you after the Salon has ended.
CURTAIN UP: South ASIAN WOMEN’S STORIES of RESILIENCE and Perseverance in FILM & THEATEr
It’s hard enough being a woman in film and theater in America, so imagine being a woman actor trying to navigate life as an immigrant in a politically charged America! How do you get cast as a woman of color if there are no roles written for you, or because you aren’t the right color for a specific role? Find out how our storytellers became actors and then began to write and direct stories that focus on their own lived experience. Join us to learn about the journeys of these two internationally acclaimed actors, directors and writers! Let’s celebrate South Asian women who are not only emerging, they are arriving!
STORYTELLERS
PRIYANKA SHETTY
Priyanka Shetty is an award-winning actor, director and playwright based in Philadelphia. 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. The show 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 #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 2021 and was the semi-finalist for the 2022 Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. Priyanka earned a MFA in Acting from the University of Virginia and has served on the faculty of the University of Virginia's Department of Drama.
Priyanka will be performing at the Keegan Theatre from June 1-23, 2024!
Sangeeta AGRAWAL
Sangeeta Agrawal is an award-winning actor and filmmaker with 30+ years of experience on stage and film. Sangeeta caught the acting bug in college, winning awards at national level theater competitions. Once in the US, she continued to act in Community Theater. Her first short film, A GOOD MATCH won her the Best NRI Actress Award at the Delhi International Film Festival. Sangeeta made her writing and directing debut with the short, FIVE O'CLOCK SHADOW. She has since won many awards for her performances and screenplays, such as COMING OUT WITH THE HELP OF A TIME MACHINE which screened at Tribeca and Marche du Film at Cannes, and was in the running for Oscars 2022. Her feature film, AMAR COLONY premiered at the prestigious Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Her most recent work is TUITION, a Netflix-funded TV pilot in which she plays the protagonist of the show. Sangeeta is a self taught actor. She attributes her knowledge of filmmaking to the countless talented people she has worked with over the years.
CURATOR:
Nandini Oomman, PhD
Global Health & Development Specialist &
CEO, Sāmya Ventures & Founding Curator, The Women's Storytelling Salon™
THE SALON’S PHILANTHROPIC COMMITMENT and YOUR PARTICIPATION MATTERS!
Proceeds (after operation costs) from this Salon will go to two organizations selected by our storytellers for specific reasons:
Priyanka will be performing at the Keegan Theatre from June 1-23, 2024, so we are delighted to make them a gift for the work they are doing. This is Dupont Circle's Resident Theater Company that takes audiences to the vital heart of the theater experience with extraordinary artists exploring the human condition in an intimate setting. It also creates connections and positive change in our community through vigorous, inclusive, empowering education and outreach.
Sangeeta is a Board Member and current Global Ambassador of Edu-GIRLS, so we are delighted to make a gift to them to achieve their mission for an issue that is close to our hearts. Edu-GIRLS is a non-profit that enables girls living in extreme poverty in India to achieve financial independence through customized, quality education, vocational training and college scholarships. It is one of the few organizations in the world which stays with girls from early childhood to college and on to successful careers.