Prayas brings you Pitārā – A Box of Memories - Prayas - A South Asian theatre company in New Zealand

As we mark 20 remarkable years of storytelling, Prayas Theatre proudly presents Pitārā, a collection of powerful, bite-sized scenes drawn from some of our most memorable productions.

A Pitārā is an old attic trunk filled with treasured keepsakes and forgotten memories. In this spirit, our anniversary showcase opens that trunk to reveal iconic moments and unforgettable characters from the plays you have loved over the years.

Come celebrate twenty years of Prayas Theatre, Aotearoa’s largest South Asian theatre company. Get your tickets now: →

Featured excerpts include:

Charandas Chor – The Honest Thief

Writer: Habib Tanvir
Director: Margaret-Mary Hollins,
Asst. Director: Nona Shedde
Cast: Bala Murli Shingade, Raj Singh, Mustaq Missouri

Kingdom of Cards

Writer: Nobel Laureate for Literature, Rabindranath Tagore
Director: Amit Ohdedar
Asst. Director: Tushar Kandari
Dance Choreography & Direction: Sananda Chatterjee
Cast: Ayesha Heble, Nikita Varma, Karishma Grebneff

Rudali

Writer: Mahasweta Devi
Directors: Ahilan Karunaharan & Nona Shedde
Cast: Namrata Shanbhag, Gayatri Adi, Socrates Fernandes, Tushar Kandari

Love N’ Stuff

Writer: Tanika Gupta
Director: Sananda Chatterjee
Asst. Director: Namrata Shanbhag
Cast: Mustaq Missouri, Sudeepta Vyas, Bala Murali Shingade, Gayatri Adi, Aman Bajaj

Swabhoomi

Writer: Devised by migrants belonging to the South Asian community in Aotearoa; brought together by Ahi Karunaharan.
Director: Sananda Chatterjee
Assistant Director: Namrata Shanbhag
Cast: Ram Manthry

Dara

Writer: Shahid Mahmood Nadeem
Director: Amit Ohdedar
Asst. Director: Tushar Kandari
Cast: Jehangir Homavazir, Rishabh Kapoor, Roji Varghese, Aman Bajaj

Dreaming The Next 20 Years of Prayas

Prayas Co-founders Amit Ohdedar and Sudeepta Vyas take a trip down memory lane of 20 years of Prayas and speculate the 20 years to come.

Writer: Devised by Team Pitārā and brought together by Ankita Singh
Director: Ankita Singh
Storytellers: Amit Ohdedar and Sudeepta Vyas

Prayas Ensemble

Director: Sananda Chatterjee
Asst. Director: Namrata Shanbhag
Cast: Kamal Bansal, Sahil Goyal, Ram Mantry, Ayesha Heble, Nikita Varma, Karishma Grebneff, Bala Murali Shingade, Gayatri Adi, Aman Bajaj, Socrates Fernandes, Tushar Kandari, Namrata Shanbhag, Raj Singh, Jehangir Homavazir and Roji Varghese

Prayas Band

Music Directors: Moushumi Das and Sayanti Chatterjee
Band: Moushumi Das, Sayanti Chatterjee, Karen Plimmer, Ritesh Vaghela and Vijayendra Bose

The Pitārā Creatives

Producer: Rishabh Kapoor
Executive Producer: Nona Shedde
Production Assistant: Tushar Kandari
Pitara Concept Direction: Ankita Singh
Marketing & Communication: Sudeepta Vyas, Namrata Shanbhag, Ankita Singh and Shruthi Balaji
Costume and Make Up Design: Padma Akula
Costume Support: Mei-Ling Lee
Stage Manager: Arti Kansara
Lighting and Tech: Joseph Noster
Set & Prop Design: Darryl Sang and Mei-Ling Lee