Renegades | Snehal Desai on Intersectional Theatre

Welcome to Renegades, a series spotlighting Asian Pacific leaders and creatives who are carving their own paths and defying stereotypes along the way. This week, we sat down with Snehal Desai, Artistic Director for the Center Theatre Group . Based in California and managing three theaters (the Ahmanson Theatre, the Mark Taper Forum, and the Kirk Douglas Theatre), the CTG boasts a 50-year tradition of entertaining, engaging the community, and inspiring the next generation of theatre practitioners. Learn more about this upcoming spring season at centertheatregroup.org.?

What did you want to be when you were growing up, and how does that compare to what you currently do??

I was super indecisive for a long time about what I wanted to be when I was growing up.? I thought I might be interested in being a lawyer, then maybe work in politics, then an actor or doctor.???

For me, I kept coming back to the idea of how one can affect change; you can do that through public health or public policy and another way we can do that is through storytelling. I became really interested in raising visibility and creating dialogue around issues affecting our communities. A single image or a story or someone sharing their personal experiences—that becomes something far easier for us to hold on to over data and numbers. So, I think that my desire to affect change is still very much there; it's just through a different medium.?

Can you share a specific instance or mentor who played a significant role in shaping your artistic vision and leadership style, inspiring you to pursue a career in theater?

My predecessor at East West Players, Tim Dang, is someone I consider a mentor and champion of mine, and really helped me to see that there was a path for me; not just as an artist, but as an artistic leader. He was able to look at things through my eyes and say, “What you need is more fundraising experience.” He really helped me understand my strengths and where I could grow and be better. Vinnie Murphy, who was a professor of mine at Emory, was another one. He was the first to suggest that maybe directing was a good option for me. So, I took his directing class, and I slowly started to see a place where I could fit into the theatrical world as my whole self. That changed everything for me.

Center Theater Group (CTG) is one of the nation’s largest theater organizations, and Los Angeles’ leading nonprofit theater company. How did you feel when you learned that the board voted unanimously to appoint you as CTG’s new Artistic Director??

Oh, it was very humbling, and also, beyond my wildest of dreams. I grew up in a small town in Quakertown, USA. Growing up, I never even considered being an Artistic Director and for a long time questioned where there was a place in the American theater for someone who looked like me.? It was only when I came here to Los Angeles and started working at East West Players—I felt empowered by being amongst our community to dream bigger about the possibility of being the Artistic Director of a place like Center Theatre Group. So, when I finally did get that opportunity, the board’s decision felt like a true and sincere investment in my leadership and the vision that I have for Center Theatre Group and the role that the arts should play in the life of Angelenos.??

Reflecting on your time at East West Players and your collaborations with organizations like the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, how are you leveraging your personal experience to incorporate culturally rich and representative storytelling into Center Theatre Group's repertoire?

That's exactly what we've been doing this year with CTG:FWD, which is a brand new initiative that I created last fall as a way to keep our spaces active, gather community, celebrate legacy, and introduce new audiences to Center Theatre Group. It also provided a great opportunity to welcome more local artists and organizations into our spaces. Through CTG:FWD, we’ve created wonderful partnerships with MUSE/IQUE, a beloved arts organization in Los Angeles that made its long-awaited Mark Taper Forum debut earlier this year, as well as with artists like Michael Feinstein, who returned to the Taper for a series of cabaret-style shows. I am also very proud of the collaboration of over thirty arts organizations in LA County to bring Little Amal here. It’s also why we created our L.A. Artist Residencies, so we could provide artists with the support they need to make work that is meaningful to them. As we look toward next season, we plan to continue this work with a soon-to-be-announced series of collaborations and co-productions with both LA-based artists and leading regional companies around the country.

With your extensive experience in arts leadership education at USC and what you’ve learned in your professional journey, how do you encourage artistic risk taking alongside financial stability to innovate within the theater industry?

For me, it all starts with the reminder that we are, first and foremost, a not-for-profit company. We are a mission-driven organization, and our job is to fulfill that mission and the vision and values at the center of it. So, I'm always looking to that as our North Star. And within that, I think there has to be a certain amount of balance. As an Artistic Director, the more solid footing I have, and the stronger base of support I have within the company and the community, the greater opportunities I will have to take artistic risk. To me, it's about making sure you can stabilize the organization so that you can take some chances and create more unique and inspiring opportunities for our artists and audiences.

Reflecting on your journey from Emory University to the Yale School of Drama, what is a learned lesson from those experiences that have influenced how you approach mentorship and leading your current company??

I am a big fan of Octavia Butler and love her quote, “There’s nothing new under the sun,? but there are other suns.”? When I got to Yale, I questioned why we were studying the same artists over and over again, which were also the same artists we studied in undergrad. I wanted to know where the artists who looked like my friends and family were. More and more, I kept saying, I don't feel a part of these narratives, or I don't connect with this work. People would say, if you don’t like it or if you can’t find what you’re looking for, then you have to go out and find it. And if you can’t find it, then you have to create it. You have to forge your own path. So, in both Yale and Emory, that’s exactly what I did and encouraged others to do. I ended up creating opportunities for and with other South Asian students or queer storytellers so that we could allow our experiences to be a part of the narrative of this country and time.? I found Octavia’s quote inspiring in the way you can go about creating and forging your own path.??

Having been recognized for directing and producing impactful shows addressing social issues, such as the post-Broadway premiere of "Allegiance," what narratives do you see as pivotal in resonating with the diverse communities of Los Angeles through Center Theatre Group's stages?

It all starts with intersectionality. I also think that theatre must be a local art form where audiences not only want to see themselves reflected on the stage, but actually see themselves there. The more members of the community you have on stage, the more members of the community you'll have in the audience. I believe it’s as simple as that. With “Allegiance,” I was a South Asian artist helping tell the story of Japanese Americans in internment camps. And more specifically, I was helping to shape what George Takei’s story is. Now, my background is not that of a Japanese American, but what I loved is that George and everyone involved in the production allowed me to tell the story through my own lens and find my own way into the experience of the play. I think that is key. It matters who is in the room and it matters how you are bringing different folks from different communities together.

What are you currently working on that’s exciting you the most??

Currently, I'm working on putting all the pieces together for my first season as Center Theatre Group’s Artistic Director. We just announced one of our shows from next season, “Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends,” which will bring the incomparable Lea Salonga, together with Bernadette Peters, to LA.? I’m also really excited by some of the CTG:FWD events we have this spring, including our Taper Legacy Readings, which is a series of readings featuring iconic works from the vault of the Mark Taper Forum. First up, we have “The Trial of the Catonsville Nine” directed by Michael John Garcés in May, and then in June, we are creating an evening that looks back at and celebrates the legacy of Black theatre and playwrights at the Taper. It’s been really exciting to collaborate with such a wide variety of artists and creative teams to put those two evenings together.

Lightning Round

Morning Routine: I'm a coffee person, so I always need a shot of a double espresso to get me going for the day. Then, I love a few minutes with my dog, Zadie, before heading to the theatre for the day.?

Last Book You Read : “A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara

Dream Vacation: I have been trying to get to the Maldives for the last couple of years. I love a good beach vacation.

Comfort Food: Anything made by my mom. I particularly love Indian nastos, like Chana Chor and Dal Sev.?

Favorite City: Barcelona.

Favorite Quote: “Love isn't about what we did yesterday; it's about what we do today and tomorrow and the day after” ― Grace Lee Boggs.