For my Fulbright Student Research grant in Nepal 2022-2023, I researched and documented sati ghatu naach, a traditional Nepalese dance-drama form.

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Sati ghatu naach is a Gurung cultural practice lasting for five days that tells the story of an ancient King Parsuram and Queen Yambawati. Few Gurung societies still perform this complex and mesmerizing dance, though it is both a form of community entertainment and an annual process of respecting their gods.​

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I first documented the performance details and techniques of this fading art form, and then explored how they might impact contemporary theatre and storytelling practices. Through creative, practical research in a rehearsal room with a small group of Kathmandu-based actors, I developed Deurali Daandi: The Last Chapter of Ghatu.

This original Nepalese play portrays an enigmatic village in Nepal’s hills, where there are no more men due to a mysterious epidemic from years ago. The women have long fended for themselves, but when the epidemic strikes again, they must take greater action to prevent their way of life from disappearing entirely. While this play is a celebration of ghatu naach and a study of women without men, it also addresses Nepal’s most pressing current issue – disappearing ways of life due to many Nepalis leaving their homes for economic opportunities. The play was spoken in Nepali language, with an English translation projected at every show.

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Though the Fulbright grant has ended, the research has not. I continue to research, document, and creatively investigate traditional Nepalese storytelling and dance-drama forms in my theatre-making.