Namrata Mankame-Shanbag

Namrata Mankame-Shanbag joined the Prayas Theatre committee in 2025, having been an active performer and contributor to the company for several years prior.

Namrata has taken on multiple roles in various productions across Tāmaki Makaurau playing the lead female as Mrs Aouda in Howick Theatre’s Around the World in 80 Days (2024), Duchess of York in Richard III at Shoreside Theatre (2024), Anne-Marie in A Doll’s House with Foolish With Theatre (2025) and ensemble work in Tales of a City by the Sea at Te Pou Theatre (2025).

At Prayas she has taken on substantial roles on stage: Madanika / Judge in The Clay Cart (Mricchakatika) (2023), Sindhu Madhwani in Dhaba on Devon Avenue (2022), and Sanichari in the Rudali segment of the 20th anniversary production Pitārā (2025). She also wrote and performed Wicked AMA (Ask Me Anything) — an original theatrical piece — for Tiffin Box at Basement Theatre (2024).

Namrata brings her passion for communication and creative writing to the committee in a marketing and PR capacity, contributing to Prayas’s communications alongside Sudeepta Vyas.