MEET PRAFUL
TAKING CENTRE STAGE
Prafulkumar Panchal, a theatre director Gujarat, currently resides in Georgia, US.
Name: Prafulkumar Panchal. Praful is derived from Sanskrit and means “in full bloom” or “happy”. I try to live up to it, blooming new ideas in unlikely places!
Currently: I’m a theatre director from Gujarat, currently residing in Georgia, USA, and for me, theatre isn’t just performance, it’s a way of awakening unexpected places. I’ve always been drawn to spaces where imagination meets intimacy – that is how Bedroom Theatre was born, a concept that transforms everyday bedrooms into sanctuaries of storytelling. My work spans creating the unique course, Theatre Formats for Education and Interpretation, at CEPT University, designed especially for those outside the theatrical world – students, professionals – anyone curious about bringing creativity into their practice. Gujarat’s Ministry of Culture selected me as a Young Talented Director and awarded a cultural grant honouring both my roots and my vision. I’ve had the privilege to serve on panels as a jury member in theatre competitions and youth festivals, helping nurture the next wave of voices. With both The Earthing Group and Ahmedabad Theatre Group my voice has found firm ground. I’ve taken centre stage in mythological plays, and co-designed the set while acting in Rajoo Barot’s Socrates. Most recently, that led to a special mention and third prize at the 10-minute one-act play competition hosted by Mandi Theatre in Chicago. It’s been a journey of unfolding creativity in corners we least expect, and I’m just getting started.
My life in 50 words (or less!): Engineer-turned-communicator and theatre-maker who founded The Earthing Group and sparked the intimate art form of Bedroom Theatre. I teach freely through our Theatre School and I’m expanding these endeavours in the US while studying – connecting communities with performance and building bridges across cultures.
The writer in me took flight when: I walked village to village collecting living histories for a research-based drama, Aami Asal Aadivasi. I wrote for India’s Cultural Ministry and later earned a writing citation for my play Album-Nokhi Anokhi Chhabio. That’s when the pen felt like a stage.
The actor in me wishes: To carry the urgency of street plays into the proscenium (the part of a theater stage in front of the curtain) and the quiet focus of mythic roles back onto the street.
The director in me wants to: Keep staging truth in small rooms and big hearts, scaling Bedroom Theatre and crafting intercultural works.
My favourite line in poetry: Where the mind is without fear... by Rabindranath Tagore. I used it in one of my play productions which has been selected under a cultural promotion grant by Cultural Ministry of Gujarat, India.
Favourite colours: Black and terracotta.
Favourite designer: B. V. Doshi, for making space breathe like theatre.
Favourite movies: Inception and Hera Pheri.
Favourite authors: Tagore, Jhaverchand Meghani, Brecht, Augusto Boal (Theatre of the Oppressed lives in my classroom exercises).
Favourite TV show: Khichdi by Aatish Kapadia.
Favourite ice cream flavours: Pecan butter and dark chocolate.
Favourite cuisine: Gujarati thali eaten unrushed and also anything shared after rehearsal.
Favourite restaurant: Lucky Restaurant in old Ahmedabad, memories stitched between rehearsals and chai.
“The director in me wants to keep staging truth in small rooms and big hearts.”
Favourite activities: Mentoring young actors, site-specific rehearsals, travelling, drama therapies and discussions.
I hang out: With everyone with an open and clean mind and heart.
I’m freaked out by: People who don’t care about nature/planet.
I need: A circle of trust, food on my plate and one honest larger-than- life thought.
My role models: Lord Shiva (“Mahadev” is known as god of theatre in India), Lord Krishna, and Vishnugupta Chanakya.
Tips to save the planet: I can’t save a whole planet but I can start at my place and charity begins at home.
In a perfect world: Everyone should know how to attach and detach themselves.
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