South Asian Playwrights Festival

ASDS AT Pace University and EnActe Arts present an inaugural South Asian Playwrights Festival from May 17th -19th at the Actors Studio Drama School, 80 Greenwich, New York, NY.

Staged readings of three original plays will be presented in this inaugural South Asian Playwrights Festival. 

These three plays are the finalists of a competition with over 100 submissions by South Asian playwrights from around the world that was launched as part of the South Asian Artistic Initiative at Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, PA. 

Each play was read and evaluated by a panel of mentors including award-winning playwright Rajiv Joseph (“Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo”), Christian Parker (former Associate Artistic Director of The Atlantic Theater Company), Anne Cattaneo (former Dramaturg of Lincoln Center Theater), Kiran Merchant and Playhouse producers Goodman, Fraser, and Fiedler. From the audience responses, the producers and mentors will choose one play that will get a full workshop on their stage in September 2024.   

Inaugural Festival Opening Reception  – May 17th at 6:30pm 

American Hunger by Nikhil Mahapatra – May 17th at 7:30pm 

Co-Directed by Rajiv Joseph and Kiran Merchant

Two Asian restaurants vie for culinary dominance in their rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of  Crown Heights, while their children begin to question the choices that will make—or break—their prospects as a continuation of the ambitions of their immigrant parents. 

Tea for Toofi by Ravi Kapoor – May 18th at 7:30pm 

Directed by Kiran Merchant 

Based on Molière’s Tartuffe, Tea for Toofi by Ravi Kapoor is a mad-cap farce set in 1980s Orange  County, CA, and tells the story of a retired computer engineer who invites a Hindu priest into his  home to put his godless family to rights.

A Muslim in the Midst by Anand Rao – May 19th  at 4:00pm 

Directed by Vinita Sud Belani 

Set in India, during the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, A Muslim in the Midst is  an intense play that unravels the inherent contradictions and universal conflicts of our time. A  chance encounter between two couples turns an act of kindness into a dark journey, fueled by the media, into each other’s prejudice, guilt, fear, and ignorance. 

Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University, New York offers MFAs in acting directing and playwriting.

The Actors Studio Drama School MFA program at Pace University offers students the authenticity, continuity, and authority of the Stanislavski System and the Method. Uniquely modern in its approach, the School is an ideal conservatory for aspiring actors who want to be prepared to tackle a broad range of both character and leading roles, and for budding directors and playwrights looking to develop their expertise using the collaborative Actors Studio philosophy and tradition.

EnActe Arts is an 11 year old theater company with offices in Houston, Bay Area, and now New York.

EnActe has a twofold mission: 

- To embrace Eastern and Western traditions of storytelling by developing and presenting thought-provoking stories that put South Asian voices in a global context

-To act as an inclusive platform for developing diverse talent in the performance arts.

The EnActe School of Drama runs innovative theatre based K-12 afterschool programs and workshops and classes for adults.

Collaboration is built into the EnActe DNA. More than 75% of the work EnActe does is in collaboration with other theatre companies, dance companies, museums, community organizations, and high schools. 

Bucks County Playhouse is a year-round, nonprofit theatre that has grown to a $8 million producing organization with an annual audience of more than 80,000. Founded in 1939 in a converted 1790 gristmill, Bucks County Playhouse quickly became “the most famous summer theatre in America,” featuring a roster of American theatrical royalty including Helen Hayes, George S. Kaufman, Moss Hart, Kitty Carlisle, Angela Lansbury, Alan Alda, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters, and Liza Minnelli.

In 2014, Tony Award-winning producers Alexander Fraser, Robyn Goodman and Josh Fiedler took the helm of the Playhouse, and today the Playhouse has reclaimed its reputation of attracting Broadway and Hollywood artists. 

Attendance is free and open to all, ages 15 and older.