We previewed Priyanka Shetty’s The Elephant in the Room when it was about to premiere at the South Asian Theatre Festival. In that article, she talked about how this originally light-hearted take on the trials of adjusting to American life “went much deeper,” as she developed it.
Since then, Shetty has refined The Elephant in the Room, graduated from the University of Virginia with an MFA, and lined up a tour for this powerful, personal show. I caught up with her by phone before her return to our town for an engagement at the historic Lincoln Theatre.
Following engagements in Charlottesville, Va, home of her alma mater, Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut, and a return to the Columbus Performing Arts Center, Shetty said, “I’m ready to kick off my Elephant in the Room tour. After [the Lincoln] I’m heading to Richmond and Seattle and have some other cities lined up. I’m really excited by the interest the play has generated.”
We talked about audience reactions to such a personal and specific piece.
“I’ve had audience members come up to me and say ‘This stuck with me,’ Shetty said. “The play has resonated with audience members in so many ways. After that [South Asian Theatre Festival] performance it was great to see the play’s impact on people from my home country and people without as much exposure to India.”
I asked how those reactions from real audience members played into the final, definitive version Shetty is touring. She said, “As I worked on it, [The Elephant in the Room] did get a little shorter and it became more of a play and less of a stand-up routine. There’s humor but the situations [became] more theatrical.”
While Shetty is the only actor on stage, The Elephant in the Room presents multiple voices. She said, “It’s a little meta. [As it starts,] I play myself about to go on stage to perform the play. There’s a little improv in direct interaction with the audience as my scene partner, and I act out other parts in scenes from my life; in a scene with my mother, I play both of us. It’s a good combination.”
So far, interest in the tour has grown organically, with performances booked through the end of 2019, though she’s not opposed to working with an agency. Shetty commented, “Someone from the Lincoln Theatre saw the play at the South Asian Theatre Festival and wanted to bring it to their space. [An audience member] sent word to Yale who has a South Asian student association, and they thought it would be good to present since my play involves my time as an international student, in addition to the story of my transition [into this new society]. It’s the theatre network — if someone likes the play, they tell people.”
Priyanka Shetty bubbled with excitement about what comes next. She’s already completed #Charlottesville, a piece of documentary theatre based on interviews after the tragic riot in the town where she went to grad school, including the character from Elephant in the Room but with six actors. She intends to complete the trilogy with The Wall, in progress, about immigration issues. Shetty said, “They’re intended as a triptych, to be performed independently or together.”
“This is my third time coming to Columbus, and it seems like the final one — I don’t know how long it will be before I come back but it’s gonna be a while,” Shetty shared ahead of next weekend’s Lincoln engagement. “It’s special that [the performance] is happening at the Lincoln, one of the most beautiful venues in town. To show the work’s evolution, I’d encourage anybody [who’s seen it before] to come back again.”
As the promotional release said, “The play navigates the author’s transition from her deeply embedded roots in India to finding context and common ground in America. It is an attempt to find an inkling of a bigger picture and the joining of the audience in this struggle.” Do not miss this chance to see an artist on the rise present an important work in one of Columbus’ most beautiful theatres.
The Elephant in the Room plays the Lincoln Theatre at 5 p.m., July 28. For tickets and more info, visit lincolntheatrecolumbus.com/events.
