This Is Who We Are (ShPIeL/Actors Theatre)
Sep 15
2 min read
2
42
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#CHARLOTTESVILLE
Written and Performed by Priyanka Shetty
Directed by Yury Urnov
Review by Kate Barry
Entire contents are copyright @2025 by Kate Barry. All rights reserved.
A small college town, full of seemingly ordinary and friendly people; this is how the people of Charlottesville described themselves. In August of 2017, the reputation of the Virginia town changed forever as a call to remove a Confederate statue led to horrific events. The effects of these events linger in today’s climate. Priyanka Shetty’s #CHARLOTTESVILLE addresses harsh realities with beautifully honest and heartbreaking execution.
#CHARLOTTESVILLE is a multi-media one person show that follows Priyanka Shetty’s journey through graduate school at the University of Virginia, the events of August 11th through 13th of 2017 and a deep dive into Alt-Right social media influencers behind those events. The play contains powerful images and descriptions of hate rhetoric. Under Yury Urnov’s skillful direction, exposition of the “Unite the Right” marches loom with deep woe, first hand accounts of a van which drove into a counter protest are haunting and powerful. Shetty skillfully describes the likes of Richard Spencer and Jason Kessler with an unflinching matter of fact attitude. Her Chicago-style number about “crying Nazi” Christopher Cantwell is darkly funny yet brutal.
Priyanka Shetty presents an electrifying performance. Biographical and fact based, she unravels the personal struggles she faced within her Masters of Fine Arts program. Her personal challenges with casting, misogyny and prejudice from a Department chair inform Shetty’s motivation to tell real stories of the events in Charlottesville. She is tirelessly framing a picture of a very difficult time. Re-enacting interviews from local students, University employees, local musicians and waitresses, Shetty descriptions of tiki torches surrounding the Confederate statues and the violent events that occurred are raw and horrific.
The play is nearly seventy minutes without an intermission. During its limited run at the Victor Jory theatre, patrons were encouraged to attend a post-show panel with community leaders. Priyanka Shetty and Yury Urnov were in attendance as well as David Chack of ShPIeL Performance Identity, Dr. Carol Ely, formerly of Locust Grove, Sadiqa Reynolds formerly of Louisville Urban League and Trent Spoolstra of the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation. As reactions were processed in the wake of this riveting work, Project 2025, January 6th and most recently the assassination Charlie Kirk were meditated on and discussed. And the ever growing desire for peace grew strong with a prominent call for change. #CHARLOTTESVILLE ShPIeL Performing Identity in Partnership with Actors Theater of Louisville Sunday September 14, 2025 at 2pm and 7pm Victor Jory Theatre 316 West Main St Louisville KY 40243 https://www.actorstheatre.org/
