Priyanka Shetty is an award-winning actor, playwright, and director based in Philadelphia. As a creator of original works, Priyanka is focused on making art that is a reflection of our times. With humor, insight, and raw energy, her plays pose critical questions about contemporary issues, engender dialogue, and call for solidarity and collective action.
Her critically acclaimed one-woman show The Elephant in the Room has toured extensively across the U.S. and internationally, with performances at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Yale Schwarzman Center, and the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe which led to a subsequent tour across Scotland. Priyanka recently premiered her second solo show, #CHARLOTTESVILLE, at The Keegan Theatre in Washington, D.C. The production went on to achieve a completely sold-out run at the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where she received the prestigious Scotsman Fringe First Award for Outstanding New Writing. The production continues to expand globally under the helm of Olivier, Tony, and Emmy Award-winning producer Richard Jordan. Priyanka's work has been featured on BBC Radio’s Front Row, The Guardian, The Scotsman, The Washington Post, TimeOut, Vogue, and The New York Times. She has been commissioned to write and awarded a National Endowment of the Arts grant for The Wall, the third and final play in her Triptych of Solos, following The Elephant in the Room and #Charlottesville.
Priyanka is an alumna of the prestigious Kennedy Center Playwriting Intensive. She has served on the jury of Open Screenplay's MFilm Lab in Canada and as a mentor for emerging screenwriters of South Asian descent, and most recently on the jury for the Atlanta Indian Film Festival. Priyanka earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from the University of Virginia and has served on the faculty of the University of Virginia’s Department of Drama.
Support Priyanka
As an independent artist, I create bold, socially engaged work that amplifies underrepresented voices and stories that challenge the status quo. Every performance, workshop, and new play is made possible through the generosity of individuals who believe in this mission.
You can support my work by:
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Making a one-time or recurring tax-deductible donation
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Sponsoring a new project or production
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Partnering as an institutional or corporate supporter
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Purchasing merchandise that supports my independent productions
#CHARLOTTESVILLE
A tour-de-force solo performance about the power of witnessing, constructed from firsthand accounts, court transcripts, and news reports, #CHARLOTTESVILLE captures the aftermath of the deadly 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. This play is an urgent and personal exploration how the town—and the nation—grapple with white supremacy, racial tension, and identity, in modern day America while drawing parallels to the rise of nationalism and racial division in other parts of the world.
The Scotsman Fringe First Award 2025 for Outstanding New Writing - Winner
Completely Sold-out smash hit of the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
2025 Holden Street Theatres Edinburgh Fringe Award - Finalist
2025 Eugene O'Neill National Playwriting Conference Semi-Finalist
Helen Hayes Awards Recommended for World Premiere at Keegan Theatre, Washington DC
Directed by Yury Urnov, Helen Hayes and Tony Award recipient, Co-Artistic Director at the Wilma Theater
Produced by TONY, EMMY, and OLIVIER Award-winning Richard Jordan Productions.
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
"One-Woman Wonder" Priyanka Shetty's The Elephant in the Room is a witty, dark comedy about just your typical Indian metalhead and software-engineer-turned-actor who must navigate life as an immigrant arriving in Trump's America. When Priyanka makes the bold move to defy her family by quitting her IT job and moving to the US to pursue an acting career, things don't quite turn out how she imagined. Watch Priyanka's real life story unfold as she transitions from her deeply embedded roots in India to find context and common ground in America. Gear up for a funny, tumultuous ride through immiscible cultures, unforgettable love, irreparable loss, and the desperation of not belonging anywhere.
Sold-out run at The Kennedy Center, NYC’s 59E59 Theaters, and the Yale Schwarzman Center.
4 stars and Voted Most Popular by The Scotsman.
Winner of "Edgy as Fuck!" Award at the 2023 Orlando Fringe.
Winner of 2020 Broadway World Awards for Best Play of the Decade and Best Performer of the Decade.
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