Madhuri Shekar is a playwright based in Los Angeles. Her plays have been produced or developed at the Alliance Theatre, the Center Theatre Group, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Playwrights Horizons, the Kennedy Center, Victory Gardens, Signature Theatre, and the Old Globe. She is an artistic producer of the L.A.-based comedic theatre ensemble Better Than Shakespeare. MFA: USC.

Plays (selected)

ANTIGONE, PRESENTED BY THE GIRLS OF ST. CATHERINES (full-length; commission) Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, April 2015. Dir: Laura Hackman (World Premiere) IN LOVE AND WARCRAFT (full-length)

WINNER: 2013/14 Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Award No Rules Theatre Company, Arlington VA, January 2015. Dir: Joshua Morgan Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, February 2014. Dir: Laura Kepley (World Premiere) Upcoming productions: Halcyon Theatre, Chicago; Artists at Play, Los Angeles; Custom Made Theatre, San Francisco

A NICE INDIAN BOY (full-length) Rasaka Theatre Company, Chicago, February 2015. Dir: Anna Bahow Playwrights Horizons, New York, May 2014. Dir: Lucie Tiberghien* East West Players, Los Angeles, February 2014. Dir: Snehal Desai (World Premiere) The Old Globe, San Diego, Dec 15 2013. Dir: James Vasquez*

QUEEN (full-length; work in progress) Oregon Shakespeare Festival API 2x2 Black Swan Lab, August 2014.* Center Theatre Group Writers Workshop, Los Angeles, June 2014.*

FRIENDSHIP BETRAYED! (one-act; commission) Adapted from La traicin en la amistad by Mara de Zayas y Sotomayor. Upcoming: Playwrights Arena, Los Angeles, May 2016.*

BUCKET OF BLESSINGS (commission; theatre for very young audiences)

Upcoming: Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, January 2016.

THE FROG GIRLFRIEND (one-act; theatre for young audiences) Fullerton College, CA, June 2014. Dir: Peter Kuo*

* reading or developmental workshop

Film

TITUS AND DRONICUS (web series) A new comedic, Shakespearean web series co-created with Megan Kelly and Seamus Sullivan, produced by our ensemble company Better Than Shakespeare. Launching July 2015.

A NICE INDIAN BOY (feature film) Currently in development with Daisy3 Pictures, San Diego.

REPRESENTED BY Beth Blickers, Abrams Artists Agency 275 Seventh Avenue,26th Floor New York, NY 10001 (646) 486-4600; Beth.Blickers@abramsartny.com madhuri.shekar1@gmail.com

Publications

In Love and Warcraft Samuel French, Inc. 2014 Monologues for Actors of Color: Women Excerpt: A Nice Indian Boy Routledge Press, 2015

Awards and Affiliations

2015 Finalist PlayPenn Conference 2014 Nominated for 2015 Lark PoNY Fellowship 2014 Oregon Shakespeare Festival API 2x2 Black Swan Lab. 2014 In Love and Warcraft and A Nice Indian Boy nominated to the Kilroys list. 2013/14 Winner - Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Award 2013/14 Member - Center Theatre Group Writers Workshop 2014 Finalist Source Festival, D.C.

2013 Member Kennedy Center MFA Playwrights Workshop 2013 Finalist- Princess Grace Playwriting Fellowship 2013 Finalist - Many Voices Fellowship, Playwrights Center 2012 2nd Place- East West Players Face Of The Future Playwriting Contest 2012 Semi-Finalist- Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship

Member: Dramatists Guild, Playwrights Union

Education M.F.A Dramatic Writing May 2013 University of Southern California, Los Angeles M.A./M.Sc Global Communication May 2009 A dual degree from the University of Southern California and the London School of Economics B.A. History May 2007 Stella Maris College, University of Madras, India