I love introductions. And small talk. Describe myself in 150 words? No problem. Easiest task in the world. I could write a book about it. Maybe these are the opening lines of the book. I also like to digress.
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About me. Indian woman, now in America. The typical run-of-the-mill software engineer turned actor who loves heavy metal. I wrote a one-woman show about my journey from India to America. Fifteen-hour flight. That's the three-word flash fiction version. The whole thing's an hour-long, but you didn't really miss anything.
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No one gave me a word limit so I'm gonna keep going!
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I'm Priyanka Shetty - an actor, director, and playwright based in Philadelphia, PA. I graduated from the University of Virginia with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting, and I also served on the faculty at the University of Virginia's Department of Drama. I'm a certified teaching artist of Tectonic Theater Project's Moment Work. I love coaching and mentoring and offer private and group lessons in Acting, Public Speaking, Voice & Speech, Solo Performance, and Playwriting.
The most (only) interesting thing about me is that I'm a solo performer. I write and perform original one-woman shows that have been produced and presented at several venues in the country such as The Kennedy Center in Washington DC and I made my NYC and Off-Broadway debut at the Drama Desk award-winning 59E59 Theaters. I've toured internationally with The Elephant in the Room including performances at the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe as part of the Assembly Festival followed by a Scotland tour, as well as my very first Canadian Tour in 2023.
I'm currently working on my triptych of solos:
The Elephant in the Room (a funny, yet tumultuous story of my transition from deeply-embedded roots in India to finding context and common ground in America), #Charlottesville (a play about the white supremacist "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville VA constructed verbatim from interviews with local residents) and lastly, The Wall (which explores the immigrant experience in America.) This triptych will have a coordinated nationwide premiere across multiple cities in 2025/26. Stay tuned!
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