Divya Mangwani. Image courtesy the artist.
Free with RSVP
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*In the event that advance tickets are sold out, an in-person wait list will open at 7 P.M.
Co-Presented with The Bushwick Starr
Since 2010, The Bushwick Starr’s annual Starr Reading Series has cultivated a diverse group of writers at all stages of their careers, who approach writing for the theater in thrilling and unexpected ways. Selected through an invited submission process by a rotating committee of curators, currently Jehan O. Young, Elizagrace Madrone, and William Burke, 4-8 playwrights are selected each year, and receive developmental support for a public staged reading of a new, usually unfinished, work. With The Bushwick Starr’s new permanent home currently under renovation, the 2023 Starr Reading Series will take place at, and is co-presented by, CPR – Center for Performance Research. Now in its second year, this collaboration unites the process-oriented missions of both organizations, and celebrates the incubation of new, experimental work in performance. The Starr Reading Series has previously supported new plays by writers including Whitney White, Clare Barron, Phillip Howze, Jackie Sibblies Drury, Haruna Lee, and many more.
Divya Mangwani: The Nation Needs to Know
New Delhi, India, 1975. The Emergency. ‘Aaj ki Baat’ with Rahoul Raja (RR), government approved and sanctioned, plays on the radio. The only source of news for the nation. But who is Rahoul Raja? Is Rahoul Raja Rahoul Raja? And what does the nation need to know about Rahoul Raja?
Divya Mangwani is a writer and theatre artist from Pune, India, now based in New York. She creates reimaginings that question our perception of narrative truths and shared mythologies.As the granddaughter of Sindhi refugees, she has grown up listening to stories of the Partition and her work focuses on global identity and belonging. Divya was the founder and Artistic Director of Moonbeam Factory Theatre, where she wrote, directed, and produced plays that were staged in India, Singapore and Glasgow. MFT used theatre as a tool for education for underprivileged and neurodivergent students. In New York, she has developed work with UNICEF, Soho Rep, New York Theatre Workshop, Gingold Theatrical Group, Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, Mabou Mines, Hypokrit Theatre, The Flea, Project Y, Astoria Performing Arts Centre, Pipeline Theatre, Theatre East, Rising Sun, LMCC and Governors Island. Selected work: Elements of Change (United Nations Climate Change Week and touring NYC schools), Yes, Uncle (finalist, Leah Ryan Prize), and One, Two, Three (winner of best script, director, play and audience vote, Short+Sweet Festival). Divya is a member of The Civilians’ R&D Group and The New Georges Jam and was a fellow of Soho Rep’s Writer/Director Lab, Gingold Speakers Corner playwright, NYTW 2050 Artistic Fellow, Hypokrit Theatre Tamasha playwright, Project Y Writers Group playwright and Playlab fellow at Pipeline Theatre. Divya has also worked as a journalist and editor for publications like The Times of India, ESPN, Crisis Response Journal, Daily News & Analysis and Janus Education. www.divyamangwani.com
Additional Starr Reading Series programs:
Mon, March 27 at 7:30 P.M.
Marissa Joyce Stamps: Letiche and The [Wondrous] Pursuit of Elvis
Tues, March 28 at 7:30 P.M.
Alba Delia Hernández: I've Been Giving Puerto Rican History Lessons for Free
Mon, April 3 at 7:30 P.M.
Daniella De Jesús: GOOEY’S TOXIC AQUATIC ADVENTURE at Wasteland!™ (presented by amazon)
Tues, April 4 at 7:30 P.M.
Maya Lawson: For Du
Weds, April 5 at 7:30 P.M.
Jesús I. Valles: untitled table play
The Bushwick Starr is grateful to partner with CPR in co-presenting and hosting the annual Starr Reading Series as they build their new permanent home in Bushwick! The grand opening of The Bushwick Starr’s new venue will take place in about a year, but you can be a part of the celebration today! Please consider joining the Starr Giving Galaxy, a community of donors, friends, and audiences making an ongoing commitment to the Starr's future. Your support will help our artists create groundbreaking new performances, and establish a lasting home for the arts and culture in North Brooklyn for all to enjoy.