Sushma Soma is an award-winning Karnatik vocalist. Recognised as one of the passionate ‘youths driving positive change through their actions’, Sushma was awarded the Young Artist Award, the highest honour for young arts practitioners in Singapore. Sushma also won the All-India Radio competition for Karnatik Music. Sushma is currently mentored by renowned violinist and musicologist, RK Shriramkumar.
Sushma has performed in some of the world renowned stages and festivals including The Earthshot Prize Awards, The Madras Music Academy, Esplanade Theatres by the Bay in Singapore, Kabira Festival in Varanasi, Jaipur Lit Fest, amongst others. Sushma’s recent works focus on raising awareness about the environment and sustainability and finding her voice to express the same through her Karnatik training.
Her album HOME, created with American composer and musician Aditya Prakash, received critical acclaim. Reviewed as “One of the finest albums about environment and wildlife…”, tracks from HOME also featured in BBC Radio, Songlines Magazine, RollingStone India and NHK Japan. The editor in chief of Songlines Magazine, Simon Broughton, also called HOME a ‘powerful statement about what we are doing to our planet and our environment.’
The Musical Theatre Writing Residency is a two-week international programme for emerging and established book writers, composers, and lyricists from the UK, India, and the United States.
The residency has been devised by Andrew Panton, Artistic Director of Dundee Rep Theatre, and will include facilitated sessions with Dramaturg Jeanie O’Hare (formerly Director of New Work Development at The Public Theater), Music Supervisor James McKeon (Musical Director: Moulin Rouge! The Musical, London), Donna Lynn Hilton, Artistic Director of Goodspeed Musicals, Connecticut and David Greig, Artistic Director of Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh. Shonagh Murray joins as Associate Musical Supervisor, with Imogen Stirling, supported by Playwrights’ Studio Scotland, joining as Associate Dramaturg.
The creatives will also benefit from networking opportunities and workshop sessions, both in-person and digital, with industry-leading writers, composers, producers, directors, and other theatre practitioners – including Tony® Award-winning director John Doyle, Tony® and Grammy® Award-winning producer Mara Isaacs, Tony® Award-winning producer Rashad V. Chambers, and more.
Presented by Cove Park and Dundee Rep Theatre in partnership with Capital Theatres, Citizens Theatre, Macrobert Arts Centre, National Centre for the Performing Arts – Mumbai, National Theatre of Scotland, Octopus Theatricals – New York City, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, and Traverse Theatre. Associate partners include A Play, A Pie and A Pint, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Playwrights’ Studio Scotland, and Tron Theatre.
