A QISSAA with Ishika

A QISSAA with Ishika: Rehana Lew Mirza

Welcome to the 36th episode of A QISSAA with Ishika! My guest today is playwright and filmmaker Rehana Lew Mirza! With a BFA from NYU TISCH and an MFA from Columbia University, Rehana’s prolific career has seen her plays produced at venues across the US. Some play highlights include: Hatefuck (First Floor, Chicago; WP/Colt Coeur, NY); A People’s Guide to History in the Time of Here and Now (Primary Stages Toulmin commission); Soldier X (Ma-Yi); Tomorrow, Inshallah (Living Room Theater; Storyworks/HuffPost commission); Neighborhood Watch (NNPN/InterAct commission, upcoming production: Jackalope 2025) and Barriers (Desipina, Asian American Theater Company.) She founded the award-winning South Asian theater and film company, Desipina & Co, alongside her sister Rohi Mirza Pandya in 2001, where together they produced the popular Seven.11 series. She shares a Kleban Award and a 2016-2022 Mellon Foundation National Playwright residency administered in partnership with Howlround at Ma-Yi with Mike Lew. Together they’ve co-written The Colonialism Project (LJP commission) and the musical Bhangra Nation (originally Bhangin’ It) with composer/lyricist Sam Willmott. Rehana’s short film MODERN DAY ARRANGED MARRIAGE won the NBC ShortCuts audience award, and screened at “Just for Laughs” in Montreal before being acquired by LOGO/MTV. Her feature film, HIDING DIVYA, had a limited North American release and toured to colleges through a grant from the Asian Women's Giving Circle.Her additional accolades include being a WP Resident Playwright, NYFA Fellow, HBO Access Fellow, Lilly Award recipient, CCTP Residenct, Colt Coeur member, and a TCG Fellowship.

A QISSAA with Ishika: Ravjot Mehek Singh

Welcome to the 35th episode of A QISSAA with Ishika! My guest today is Ravjot Mehek Singh, an award-winning Sikh Indian American Film and TV Director and art activist. Many Indian and American media outlets refer to her as one of the youngest female directors in Bollywood and one of the first openly LGBTQ+ Sikh women directors in South Asia. By age 21, she had directed 3 television talk shows for Dish Network through the largest Asian American TV channel Jus Punjabi. She began directing Bollywood music videos and was listed as the youngest female music video director to be launched by T-Series (India's largest record label) in 2021.Ravjot's work in curation and installation art has been featured in major galleries globally including the Guggenheim Museum. Her curatorial debut "Pardafash" gained critical acclaim as one of the only shows in the world to address the often censored struggles Sikhs went through in 1984 in India. As an LGBTQ+ art activist, Ravjot has been featured in Harper's Bazaar and Cosmopolitan magazine, amongst other publications. Her film and art activism work is driven by a passion to create lasting change in the entertainment field and society. www.ravjotmeheksingh.media [www.ravjotmeheksingh.media] www.ishikamuchhal.com-a-qissaa-with-ishika [www.ishikamuchhal.com-a-qissaa-with-ishika]

A QISSAA with Ishika: Sheela Ramesh

Welcome to the 34th episode of A QISSAA with Ishika, Quintessential and Inspiring Stories of South Asian Artists, funded by the California Art Council’s Individual Artist Fellow Grant. My guest is music director, composer, and arranger Sheela Ramesh! She was recently named a “Woman to Watch on Broadway” by the Broadway Women’s Fund. Professional highlights include Broadway (SIX, Almost Famous, Once Upon a One More Time, Merrily We Roll Along, Hells Kitchen); Off-Broadway (Lincoln Center Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, The York, Theatre Row); TV (NBC's Annie Live!); concert (Carnegie Hall, Kings Theater, Town Hall); and regional theater (Berkeley Rep, A.C.T.). She is an Artist Ambassador for the New York Civil Liberties Union, a teaching artist with Lincoln Center Theater, and an Associate at Liz Caplan Vocal Studio. Undergraduate and graduate degrees in music from Carnegie Mellon University and the Royal College of Music; psychology/cognitive science (BS, Carnegie Mellon; MSc, University College London) and law (JD, Yale Law School). She has spent her nonmusical professional life working to ensure that all youth have opportunities to thrive. www.sheelarameshmusic.com [www.sheelarameshmusic.com] www.ishikamuchhal.com/a-qissaa-with-ishika [www.ishikamuchhal.com/a-qissaa-with-ishika]

A QISSAA with Ishika: Sonya Venugopal

Welcome to the 33rd episode of A QISSAA with Ishika, Quintessential and Inspiring Stories of South Asian Artists, funded by the California Art Council’s Individual Artist Fellow Grant. I am so excited to welcome my guest today, fresh off the UK and Asia tour of Life of Pi, actor Sonya Venugopal! A proud Californian, she has lived in New York for 8 years.! In 2023, she made her Broadway debut in Life of Pi as Rani, while also covering the role of Pi. Some of her many theater credits include the Life of Pi (UK & Asia) tour, Come Fall in Love at The Old Globe, Atlantis at Virginia Rep, and Maggie with Goodspeed Operahouse. She has also been a part of readings like MĀYĀ and In Emily’s Words. Sonya also performed in the film Little Boxes and her song evrymee is streaming on all platforms. She holds an MFA in Musical Theater from the Boston Conservatory and a BA in Theater and Communications from Santa Clara University. Outside of performing, Sonya loves searching for the best East Coast replica of In-N-Out and is an avid reader and runner, though the cold weather in NYC this time of year really deters her from wanting to be outside! www.sonyavenugopal.com [www.sonyavenugopal.com] www.ishikamuchhal.com/a-qissaa-with-ishika [www.ishikamuchhal.com/a-qissaa-with-ishika]

A QISSAA with Ishika: Zi Alikhan

Welcome to the 32nd episode of A QISSAA with Ishika: Quintessential and Inspiring Stories of South Asian Stories! My guest today is theatermaker and director Zi Alikhan. Raised in California and based in New York, Zi is an alum of NYU TISCH and programs including TCG Rising Leaders of Color, Drama League Directors Project, Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, Drama League Artist Residency Program, Manhattan Theatre Club Jonathan Alper Directing Fellowship, Williamstown Directing Corps, and Drama League Rough Draft. Zi’s award-winning directing work has been seen across the country. His direction of On That Day in Amsterdam at Primary Stages earned Drama Desk Award and Lucille Lortel Award nominations. I saw Zi’s vision in action in Sanctuary City at Pasadena Playhouse and was floored by the poetic world he built! He has also directed the US regional premiere of The Band’s Visit and a drag-centered reimagining of the Wizard of Oz at geva Theater Center. He was the resident director for the national tour of Hamilton, and he assistant directed the first national tour of The Band’s Visit, as well as Six Degrees of Separation, The Rose Tattoo, and It Shoulda Been You! on Broadway. Zi’s directing work has also been performed at Juilliard, Yale, Pace, Writers Theatre/TheatreSquared, Paper Mill Playhouse, Classic Stage Company, Portland Center Stage, Olney Theatre Center, Playmakers Repertory Company, Prospect Theatre Company, Access, The Pearl, and Manhattan Theater Club. He will soon be directing world premieres of Keiko Green's You are Cordially Invited to the End of the World! at South Coast Rep, Deepak Kumar's House of India at The Old Globe, John Anthony Loffredo's Frou Frou at Boston Court Pasadena, and Julia Riew's ENDLESS in Korea. www.zialikhan.com [www.zialikhan.com] www.ishikamuchhal.com/a-qissaa-with-ishika [www.ishikamuchhal.com/a-qissaa-with-ishika]