Profile
Sita is a Creative Associate at Watford Palace Theatre, Associate Director at Kali Theatre, and has worked as a trainee Artistic Director at the Bush Theatre. She holds a PhD examining issues of cultural diversity in Shakespearean performance (University of Warwick) and a Masters in Movement Direction (Royal Central School of Speech and Drama).
Sita has been awarded a prestigious MGCfutures award to continue the development of her verbatim musical Queer Tales. The piece initiated as part of a Located Residency with National Theatre Wales.
Theatre as Director: Over To You (Tamasha, Rich Mix), The Closest Thing To Silence (National Theatre New Views), Where’s Cecily (Southwark Playhouse), Beyond the Canon (RADA), An Accountant Talks Us Through His Sartorial Choices (Old Vic), The Rose and the Bulbul (Stockwood Park, Horniman and Geffrye Museums). Theatre as Staff Director: Top Girls (National Theatre). Theatre as Associate Director: The Glee Club (Out of Joint, UK tour), Homing Birds (Kali Theatre, UK Tour), Bitched (Tristan Bates); Zigger Zagger (Wilton’s Musical Hall). Theatre as Assistant Director includes: Dick Whittington (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Pity (Royal Court); Mass (Southbank Centre); Peter Pan Goes Wrong (UK Tour). Theatre as Choreographer: Jack and the Beanstalk and Aladdin (Watford Palace). Theatre as Movement Director: Sisters (National Theatre Wales), Much Ado About Nothing (Watford Palace). Other credits include Behind the Beautiful Forevers (National Theatre), Changing Minds and Truce (New Wimbledon Theatre) and the London 2012 Olympic Welcome Ceremonies.
Sita creates and facilitates drama, dance and storytelling workshops and has worked for the British Library, Science Museum, Eastside Educational Trust, West End in Schools, and many more. As a film producer/director, Sita created a series of films for the National Theatre including work with Frantic Assembly. They currently have over 1 million views on the NT YouTube channel.
Sita is also presenter of Channel 5’s flagship children’s television programme milkshake!
Research Areas
- Movement Studies
- Physical theatre
- Shakespeare
- Cultural diversity
- Casting practices in the UK
- Postcolonial performances
Qualifications
PhD - ‘In Search of a New National Story’: Issues of Cultural Diversity in the Casting and Performance of Shakespeare in Britain 2012–2016’, University of Warwick
MA - Movement Directing and Teaching, Central School of Speech and Drama
BA – English Literature and Theatre Studies (1st Class), University of Warwick
Other Details
‘Souks, Saris and Shakespeare: Engaging young, diverse audiences at Shakespeare’s Globe and the National Theatre’, in The Diverse Bard: Shakespeare, Race and Performance, ed. by Delia Jarrett-Macauley (London: Routledge, 2017)
‘The Dog, the Guard, the Horses and the Maid’: Diverse Casting at the RSC’, Contemporary Theatre Review, Volume 24, Issue 4, Taylor and Francis, 2014
‘Much Ado About Nothing dir. By Iqbal Khan (review)’, Asian Theatre Journal, Volume 32, Number 2, Fall 2015