17/05/2026
YAKADA YAKA is a major milestone in my theatre-making journeyđ⊠I started out writing âsoloâshows out of necessityâduring the COVID-19 lockdowns, the forced hiatus from live performances drove me to create âQUARANteenâ (dir. .de.chickera slide 2) commissioned by which was then filmed because live events were restricted - but while I was planning to take a live-version to Edinburgh Fringe, Sri Lankaâs story changed drastically so I wrote and toured a 2nd solo show, âGROWTHesqueâ(slide 3) with . Since starting college , though Iâd created a 3rd solo play (âLab-Grown Meatâ, dir. ) and a song cycle for a new musical with alongside Stanford coursework, I felt that Iâd fallen short of fully realizing an new production that pushed my own boundaries ~until now.
Iâve been writing YAKADA YAKA since the summer of 2024 inspired by an idea from my father and based on interviews conducted with Sri Lankans whoâve dealt with suicidal ideation and attempts (itâs a dark comedy).
YAKADA YAKA is my longest-form directorial project where I donât also have to act â thanks to my wonderful cast of 11 starring & .eben and featuring many first-time actors from the South Asian community across undergraduate, graduate and post-doctorate departments. Oh and donât get me started on the 10 staff & crew members led by & , and the many angels across & whose praises cannot be contained to this captionâs character limit; lookout for the full credits+special thanks in our showâs program.
Directing this team has been a transformative experience that has also deepened my appreciation for the craft, and Iâm excited for you all to see what weâve been cooking over the past many months.
GET YOUR TICKETS before they run out!
