Finding Her Voice: Priyanka Shetty’s MFA Journey from UVA to the World Stage

When Priyanka Shetty arrived in Charlottesville from India in 2016, she came with a clear goal: to launch her career as an actor. She enrolled in the University of Virginia’s MFA in Acting program seeking strong foundational training that would support a life in theater, film and television.

What she discovered, however, was something much bigger than that. Working alongside her peers and visiting artists and exploring a wealth of opportunities beyond the classroom, Shetty began to imagine herself not only as an actor, but as a creator of original theatrical works. 

Today, she’s an internationally acclaimed performer and playwright whose plays — including The Elephant in the Room and #CHARLOTTESVILLE — blend research, community engagement and deeply personal storytelling. Created in response to the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in August of 2017, #CHARLOTTESVILLE draws on interviews with Charlottesville residents and Shetty’s own experiences to explore how individuals and communities process trauma, memory and belonging, and it won her the Scotsman Fringe First Award for Outstanding New Writing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2025. She has also been commissioned by the Keegan Theatre in Washington, DC, and received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to create her latest work, The Wall.

Shetty, who earned her MFA in 2019, took a few moments to talk with A&S about her experiences at UVA and how it launched her remarkable career.

Q&A

Q: Your journey took you from India to Charlottesville to pursue an MFA in Acting at UVA. How did that experience shape your artistic voice and professional trajectory?

A: When I came to Charlottesville and joined UVA as a graduate student, my intention was very simple: I wanted to become an actor in the traditional sense. I wanted really strong foundational training that would support me in auditioning and being part of plays, film and television. Creating original work was never on the agenda.

But the training at UVA Drama was very well rounded, and I think it was also about what resources I was tapping into and what frequencies I was tuning into as a graduate student. I would often dip my toes into things that weren’t necessarily part of the training. I remember having a conversation with our department chair in my very first semester asking if I could take playwriting and directing classes, because I kind of wanted to do it all.

I think I made the best use of the resources I had — whether they were officially part of the program or not. Just being in a drama department with so many artists to draw inspiration from, I naturally imbibed everything I could.

Q: As someone whose work includes deeply researched performances like #CHARLOTTESVILLE, how did your training at UVA prepare you to tackle complex social issues through theater?

A: In addition to acting training, we were reading a lot and analyzing scripts, and that gave me a deeper appreciation for the craft itself and for how plays are made. I remember reading these plays and thinking, “I don’t think I could ever write one,” because I had such immense respect for the process behind the construction of these worlds.

Another huge part of my experience was exposure to visiting artists. UVA Drama brought in distinguished professionals and leading voices in contemporary theater, and I remember Moisés Kaufman speaking about his work with Tectonic Theater Project and The Laramie Project. Hearing how that piece was built from interviews with community members was an immediate light-bulb moment for me.

I also took full advantage of the Virginia Film Festival. I went to as many screenings and conversations as I could during all three years of my training. Seeing artists who had carved their own pathways made me realize that each of us has to find our own path into the arts. There’s no way to predict what it will look like in advance.

Q: What were some of the most transformative moments during your time at UVA?

A: One moment that really stayed with me happened during the Virginia Film Festival, when Christoph Waltz was being honored at The Paramount. I waited in line at the end of the event to ask him a question about how he analyzes scripts for theater versus film. The answer got rushed, and he wasn’t satisfied with it.

Later that afternoon, through my mentor and professor Theresa M. Davis, I was invited to a gathering at the Rotunda. Christoph Waltz recognized me, came straight up to me, and he said, “I’m really conscious that I didn’t answer your question. Could you ask it again?” We ended up talking for about 20 to 30 minutes — artist to artist — about the craft of acting.

What stayed with me was how he spoke to me as a peer. He encouraged me to create my own work and told me that was exactly the right thing to do. That moment was foundational for me, especially as someone just beginning to work on original solo pieces.

Q: Since graduating, you’ve premiered and toured solo works internationally. How did your MFA prepare you for today’s arts landscape?

A: The technical training was huge — especially voice and movement. At UVA, we trained using Arthur Lessac’s Body-Voice method, and the department supported me in attending an intensive program at DePauw University one summer where I was able to get certified as a practitioner of the technique. That training became essential for #CHARLOTTESVILLE, where I play 27 different characters with distinct voices and physicalities.

Mask work with character masks was another big breakthrough for me in our acting training. I resisted it at first, but I eventually realized it gave me access to characters I didn’t know I had inside me. That understanding — that these access points already exist and I can switch from one character to another using a gesture or vocal inflection — has shaped my work ever since.

Mentorship was also crucial. I found that during my training and beyond my time at UVA,  Professor Theresa M. Davis has played a very important role in my growth as an artist and I’m forever indebted to her. She encouraged me to rely on my own voice, my own instincts, and my own opinions as an artist. She helped me find agency in creating the art that I wanted to make to reflect my unique interpretation of the world.

Q: What advice would you give to current UVA grad students, especially those pursuing creative or interdisciplinary paths?

A: If you have an intuition or an inkling about what really lights the spark in you, follow that. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking there’s a single formula for success, but I’ve never met two artists who arrived there the same way.

I’d also encourage students to make use of the UVA alumni network. There are so many people who want to help, and those conversations can be incredibly valuable.

Q: Where can readers catch your next performance?

A: Upcoming performances and tour dates are regularly updated at priyankashetty.com, with future stops planned in cities including New York, Philadelphia, Vancouver, Adelaide, London and beyond.