Please tune in to watch "Mira, Royal Detective” (Disney+), “Starbeam” (Netflix) and “The Baker and The Beauty” (ABC). I’m honored to have had the opportunity to work on these shows and I hope you’ll enjoy!
Guest Lecturing for Pomona College's Playwriting Course!
"Dharma" named Finalist by Illinois State University Playwriting Initiative
Crossroads Project’s Diverse Voices Playwriting Initiative at Illinois State University has named Dharma as one of finalists. The Diverse Voices Playwriting Initiative grants a stipend and an invitation to Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal, IL for a one-week new play development workshop, culminating in a public staged reading. The playwright may also be invited to offer guest lectures/colloquia.
Ensemble Studio Theatre LA Presents WinterFest 2020
“Slut” has been selected for EST’s Winterfest Festival. EST/LA is the West Coast offshoot of The Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York, the membership company founded by Curt Dempster in 1968. Founded in 1979, EST/LA is currently in residence at Atwater Village Theater. The company has a strong portfolio of developmental programs, produces multiple plays every season and presents lively off-night and late night programming.
https://www.estlosangeles.org/winterfest
SLUT TO BE PRODUCED AT MARBLEHEAD THEATRE IN BOSTON
Marblehead Little Theatre is producing Slut as part of its 2020 Diverse Voices initiative. Slut will run April 17-20th. Tickets will be available after 2/20/20 at https://www.mltlive.com/tickets/
NYC's Athena Theatre Selects DHARMA for its Reading Series Program
I am delighted to share that DHARMA has been selected for the Athena Theatre’s play reading series. This initiative was developed to explore original works for a World Premiere Production and/or New York Premiere Production. Athena Theatre is dedicated to curating, developing and producing NYC Premieres of contemporary plays that challenge traditional stereotypes, work that is visceral and complex, and stories borne out of philosophical conversations.
Athena Theatre is committed to introducing future classics: theatrical and universal pieces that explore issues surrounding modern living and communicate between diverse people and perspectives; works that captivate, resonate, and deepen audience awareness of timeless issues. Athena Theatre actively and responsibly invests in new voices for the stage by nurturing playwrights and promoting original works that highlight the melting pot of humanity.
I AM A FELLOW WITH THE DISNEY ABC TELEVISION WRITING PROGRAM
I have been selected as 1 of 8 participants in The Disney ABC Television Writing Program.
“The Creative Talent Development & Inclusion team is excited to continue expanding the pool of talent with this diverse group of writers on the cusp of breaking through,” said Tim McNeal, vice president, Creative Talent Development & Inclusion. “We look forward to championing their careers as they move up the ranks to join our showrunner and producer alumni in continuing to change the face of Hollywood.”
Created in 1990 with the Writers Guild of America West, the one-year program’s goal is to help participants secure their first staffing assignments via Disney-ABC Television series. While staff jobs are not guaranteed, program organizers say they have a nearly 100 percent hiring rate. This past season, the 2018 writers collectively landed eight script assignments. In addition, two alumni signed ABC Studios overall production deals.
DHARMA IS A SEMI-FINALIST FOR THE BURMAN NEW PLAY AWARD
DHARMA is a semi-finalist for the Barrington Stage Company's first-ever Bonnie and Terry Burman New Play Award. The Company received nearly 500 submissions and Dharma is one of 60 semi-finalists. The winner will receive $25,000 and two runners-up will receive $5,000 each. Now in its 25th season, the Barrington Stage Company is an award-winning professional theatre in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts.
I AM A FINALIST WITH THE SULTAN PADAMSEE PLAYWRITING AWARDS
DHARMA is a finalist with the 2018 Sultan Padamsee Playwriting Awards! There were submissions from around the world and I have been invited to attend the Mumbai Tata Literature Live Festival, November 15 – 18, where winners will be announced and plays will be presented.
I'm a Finalist in the the Adi Shankar script contest for The Simpsons!
Filmmaker Adi Shankar is crowdsourcing a “cure” to The Simpsons’ Apu problem, asking fans to write their very own episode.
Last year, comedian Hari Kondabolu’s The Problem With Apu documentary looked at the problematic nature of the Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, arguing that the character perpetuates a racial stereotype.
Indian-American filmmaker Shankar has now launched a contest for a “screenplay centering on the character Apu set in the world and canon of The Simpsons that takes the character of Apu and in a clever way subverts him, pivots him, intelligently writes him out, or evolves him in a way that takes a mean spirited mockery and transforms him into a kernel of truth wrapped in funny insight aka actual satire”.
Shankar has promised to “take the winning script to The Simpsons writers’ room and Fox Broadcasting Company, to make it an official episode of The Simpsons‘ upcoming season, and recommend that they hire the winning writer into their room for the next season”.
“If The Simpsons writers’ room rejects the episode,” he adds, then Shankar himself will “finance the winning script and produce it as an unofficial fan film that looks identical to an official Simpsons episode”.
