Qurrat Ann Kadwani has been winning awards for her play ‘They Call me Q!’.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Qurrat Ann Kadwani is an actress based in New York City, and the younger sister of TV host, actor, model, and philanthropist Obaid Kadwani. Together, the two are at the head of eyeBLINK Entertainment, a non-profit they founded in 2003 to promote social change and diversity in the entertainment industry.
On her own, however, Qurrat is a highly talented stage performer, and is currently touring the country with her one-woman show “They Call Me Q!” in which she plays 13 different characters over the course of just 60 minutes. The play has already won awards for Best Play at the Harvest Theatre Festival in New York and Best Actress for Kadwani at the Maui Fringe Festival in Hawaii.
In an interview with The American Bazaar, Kadwani talks about how she got into acting, where she hopes to go in the future, and the state of Indian Americans in the US entertainment industry. Excerpts from the interview:
Could you please talk about your background? As in, where you are from, your academic history, your passions and interests as a student, and how you first decided to get into the acting and entertainment industry? Was that a difficult decision to come to, both for you and your family?
I was born in Mumbai but I immigrated to The Bronx with my family when I was three years old. I went to elementary, junior high and high school in The Bronx so I was always in a very urban environment. At The Bronx High School of Science, I joined the Speech Team, which is part of the National Forensics League, and I competed in the categories of drama, original oratory and poetry with high school students all over the US. As Captain of the team in my senior year, I realized I loved performing.
When I went to SUNY Geneseo for college, I took every theatre class – history, directing, technical, performance – even though I wasn’t a theatre major. I was nervous because my parents would never be comfortable with that. When I finally decided to declare my major, I had to convince my parents that I wouldn’t be broke! They wanted it to be a hobby, not a career, but they slowly warmed up to it.
When my father came to see me in a play in California, in a 600-seat theatre, I think that’s when he realized where my passion lies. My parents have always been supportive but they are so amazing about my journey now and tell all their friends about it.
Could you talk about your one-woman show, “They Call Me Q” – where did the initial idea come from, how did it get off the ground?
I have always been a big fan of the solo play art form. I go see a lot of theatre in general, but I feel an intense excitement for a solo play. I wanted to tell my story since I’ve often felt like I don’t really belong in the Indian or American cultures – like I’m always the “Other,” the outsider, looking in. I also wanted to play strong Indian women so half the characters are Indian. The other characters are urban because I had a lot of challenges being Indian in The Bronx. I wanted to show how all these elements came together in creating my identity – how I see myself, how I see others and how there’s always an opportunity to change your life, in the face of an ever-changing diverse environment. I started performing it at festivals in September 2012, after being directed by Claudia Gaspar and Obaid Kadwani and with development help by Ellery Schaar. I’ve performed over 40 times now at colleges, festivals, and special events all over the country. Next, I’ll be performing on December 13 at the United Nations UNICEF Staff Holiday party and they’re expecting 500 people, including diplomats. This is really a dream come true for me.
What is it about the theatre that is such a draw for you? Do you prefer theatre over film work? With the growth of television and Internet video (Hulu, YouTube, etc.), do you think the days are numbered for theatre and live plays?
Theatre is live and it is all about the connection with the audience. I can feel the energy from the audience- when they laugh, when they cry, when they are listening so intensely you can hear a pin drop. I also love that every show is slightly different because I learn more about character every time I perform. Theatre will always be around for these reasons. It’s an exchange of ideas and audiences have an intense desire to be moved by live actors. This is why the origins of theatre began to create change- to promote activism in audiences, whether religious, social, political. My first love will always be theatre but I love TV and film as well. My ultimate goal is to be on a sitcom.
You’re also on the leadership team of eyeBLINK, a non-profit multi-cultural entertainment company. Could you talk about what that means? Where do you hope to take it in the coming years?
I started eyeBLINK when I graduated college to create opportunity. There were limited opportunities for ethnic performers and I wanted to let audiences decide for themselves what role race plays in theatre, and how most times, it doesn’t matter. We’ve had a variety of theatre projects, from plays by classic playwrights to new works. The name comes from the idea that life goes by in the blink of an eye and it is up to us what impact we make. We’ve also had a Dance department and a Special Events department. For the last several years, we’ve been focusing on our charity project, A Slice of Hope, which brings hope to those who eat at homeless shelters with pizza parties and live music. This project, spearheaded by my brother Obaid Kadwani has received national press coverage and we hope to make it bigger than ever this June.
We are so much farther than we were ten years ago, five years ago. Diversity in programming can definitely be seen in TV and film and I have no doubt that ten years from now, there will be even more roles. As a community, we need to support each other and create projects that do not reaffirm stereotypes; we should depict ourselves the way we want to be viewed. In my solo play, “They Call Me Q!” I play a variety of characters specifically to show mainstream audiences that we have already acclimated into American society and characters that are created in Hollywood should reflect that.
You’ve already accomplished so much in your life, but what personal goals do you still have for yourself? What else would you like to accomplish in your career, or even in your personal life?
I’ve set my aim on seeing “They Call Me Q!” get produced off-Broadway, and I feel I’m very close to that reality. I’m also a producer. I’ve put together many multicultural events. On December 18th, I have a Holiday Adventure Fundraiser show that will feature students from my monologue workshop class as well as special guest comics. The unique part of this is that everyone is female and we will raise funds for typhoon relief. One of my students Skypes from Maui! More details will be on http://holidayadventure.
My other love is fitness. I’ve trained clients independently and starting January, I will teach a cardio crush group fitness class. Details for that are at http://qcardiocrush.eventbrite.com. I’m always thinking of ways to reinvent myself with photo shoots, emcee gigs, acting and charity projects. I hope to continue doing all of these as well as maximizing on my brand. My ultimate goal is to be on a TV show series regular! I also hope to release a book and clothing items soon.
What advice would you have for someone who wants to do the same thing, someone who wants a career where the next step to take may not always be so obvious?
Dream big! Work hard. Both go hand in hand. Through the years, I’ve learned that anything truly is possible. I’ve seen firsthand how an idea can become a reality and there is nothing stopping you from researching, learning, training and surrounding yourself with people who believe in you and support your wildest dreams.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com