BY SONAM MIRPURI
As Artistic Director of East West Players, Snehal Desai, 36, hopes to accomplish all the goals he has set out for himself. His aspirations for the present and the future are to continue to bring about social change through the platform of storytelling, establish a more visible presence of South Asians, as well as cultivate...
As Artistic Director of East West Players, Snehal Desai, 36, hopes to accomplish all the goals he has set out for himself. His aspirations for the present and the future are to continue to bring about social change through the platform of storytelling, establish a more visible presence of South Asians, as well as cultivate...
South Asian stories and experiences. Desai started off as Literary Manager and gradually has been making his way through the ranks. Now, he has finally made his way to the top position. “I started working with East West Players in 2011 and have been officially employed for three years,” said Desai.
Originally, Desai got involved with the East West Players through a conference which he attended - the Asian American Theatre Conference. It was a place where he felt like he fit in. “First time I felt like I belonged, it was a community of like-minded artists,” said Desai. A man of many talents, Desai partakes in a wide range of theatrical aspects. In the beginning he was a writer and performer then gradually he got into directing as well.
At the start of his career, Desai had done a solo show tour. The title of that play was ‘Finding Ways to Prove You’re Not an Al-Qaeda Terrorist When You’re Brown.’In this play Desai was a writer as well as a performer. ‘Finding Ways to Prove You’re Not an Al-Qaeda Terrorist When You’re Brown,’ was a post September 11 coming of age story and what is was like to be South Asian,” said Desai as the summary of the play. Continuing his journey, Desai took part in the Evoke Festival as a solo artist. This time the play was titled, ‘Trials with Brownies,’ focusing on South Asian artists and their stories which narrated the history of South Asians in the United States.
“I wanted to tell stories and reflect South Asian experiences,” said Desai as to his inspiration behind `Trials with Brownies.’
After being part of every aspect of theatre, Desai finds that his favorite part is being director.
“I like all aspects but I love to direct most, because every angle has its own unique enjoyable perspective,” said Desai.
With the work that Desai has been doing and continues to do, he hopes to lead the discussion on diversity, inclusion, and equality. Additionally, he aspires to bring controversial topics to light.
Previously, Desai directed ‘A Nice Indian Boy,’ which was a comedy about love and marriage. The two main characters were Naveen and Keshav, two boys who share all things Indian; including the difficulty of being gay in Indian culture.
Currently the East West Players theatre is presenting ‘Free Outgoing,’ a play based on how modern technology and old-world values collide. By depicting what happens to a middle-class Chennai based family who are torn apart by an indiscreet cell phone video that has gone viral. Desai’s upcoming projects read along the same lines. One of his future projects is, ‘Widow of No Importance,’ in which a young Indian woman becomes widowed and not allowed to remarry.
Another of Desai’s forthcoming plays is ‘Washer Dryer,’ in which an Indian girl is engaged to a Chinese man and how the boy’s mom plots and schemes to break them up. All of Desai’s previous, current, and future projects strive to achieve his goal in bringing the community together, telling their stories, and creating a better more well-rounded representation of South Asians.
Originally, Desai got involved with the East West Players through a conference which he attended - the Asian American Theatre Conference. It was a place where he felt like he fit in. “First time I felt like I belonged, it was a community of like-minded artists,” said Desai. A man of many talents, Desai partakes in a wide range of theatrical aspects. In the beginning he was a writer and performer then gradually he got into directing as well.
At the start of his career, Desai had done a solo show tour. The title of that play was ‘Finding Ways to Prove You’re Not an Al-Qaeda Terrorist When You’re Brown.’In this play Desai was a writer as well as a performer. ‘Finding Ways to Prove You’re Not an Al-Qaeda Terrorist When You’re Brown,’ was a post September 11 coming of age story and what is was like to be South Asian,” said Desai as the summary of the play. Continuing his journey, Desai took part in the Evoke Festival as a solo artist. This time the play was titled, ‘Trials with Brownies,’ focusing on South Asian artists and their stories which narrated the history of South Asians in the United States.
“I wanted to tell stories and reflect South Asian experiences,” said Desai as to his inspiration behind `Trials with Brownies.’
After being part of every aspect of theatre, Desai finds that his favorite part is being director.
“I like all aspects but I love to direct most, because every angle has its own unique enjoyable perspective,” said Desai.
With the work that Desai has been doing and continues to do, he hopes to lead the discussion on diversity, inclusion, and equality. Additionally, he aspires to bring controversial topics to light.
Previously, Desai directed ‘A Nice Indian Boy,’ which was a comedy about love and marriage. The two main characters were Naveen and Keshav, two boys who share all things Indian; including the difficulty of being gay in Indian culture.
Currently the East West Players theatre is presenting ‘Free Outgoing,’ a play based on how modern technology and old-world values collide. By depicting what happens to a middle-class Chennai based family who are torn apart by an indiscreet cell phone video that has gone viral. Desai’s upcoming projects read along the same lines. One of his future projects is, ‘Widow of No Importance,’ in which a young Indian woman becomes widowed and not allowed to remarry.
Another of Desai’s forthcoming plays is ‘Washer Dryer,’ in which an Indian girl is engaged to a Chinese man and how the boy’s mom plots and schemes to break them up. All of Desai’s previous, current, and future projects strive to achieve his goal in bringing the community together, telling their stories, and creating a better more well-rounded representation of South Asians.
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