Aditya Prakash: ROOM-i-Nation
A new piece of gig theatre from the musician and artist explores the history of Asian immigration and invites us to reflect on our own stories of belonging.
Sit with me. I have a story to sing.
Gig theatre may be an unexpected form for a classically trained Karnatik singer, but this story can’t be told by music alone. A thoughtful and compelling exploration of identity and tradition through the lens of music and storytelling, ROOM-i-Nation weaves together the threads of Karnatik classical music with the history of Asian immigration and stories of identity and belonging to offer a nuanced take on navigating two worlds.
ROOM-i-Nation brings to life Prakash’s 2023 album ISOLASHUN (New Amsterdam Records), using live music, a soundscape, video projection and personal stories to illuminate the immigrant experience and offer a hopeful look at bridging cultures, generations, and musical traditions.
The project draws from Prakash’s experiences growing up in Los Angeles, training in India, performing from a young age, and his deep engagement with Karnatik music and contemporary sounds. It’s an acknowledgment of the richness that comes from embracing our multifaceted selves and the art that emerges from this acceptance.
As composer Tigran Hamasyan says: ‘Aditya Prakash is a visionary artist that has found a way to speak to everyone while speaking in his own language.’
Need to know
Find out more about the event with our free programme.
View the programme
Creative team:
Aditya Prakash: composer, writer and performer
Mythili Prakash: director, writer and dramaturg
Seah Johnson: lighting and scenic design
Julian-Quán Việt Lê: sound design and engineer
Akram Khan: artistic advisor
Tim Wilson: creative producer
Cindy Hwang: co-creative producer
UK tour:
Mark Webber: sound
Gerald McDermott: lighting
Video projection by Yeast Culture
Nick Hillel: producer
Adam Smith: video designer and lead animator
Tim Graham: additional animation
Maxime Dos: additional video editing
Recorded score credits:
From the ISOLASHUN album
Arun Ramamurthi: violin
Guhan Venkataraman: veena
Praveen Sparsh: mridangam
Megan Shung: violin, viola
From the Diaspora Kid album:
Julian Le: piano
Mike Greenwood: piano
Brijesh Pandya: drums
Owen Clapp: electric bass
Voiceovers:
Mahesh Swamy (as the voice of Kikkeri Prakash)
Viji Prakash, MT Aditya Srinivasan, Luan Schooler, Tim Wilson, Rohith Jayaraman, Carlo Nick Paredes, Kiran Gollapudi, T.M. Krishna, Akram Khan
INSIRGENTS film adaptation:
Akram Khan: director, choreographer
Maxime Dos: co-director and editor
Mavin Khoo: creative associate
Miguel Altunaga: rehearsal director
Tom Scutt: scenographer
Céline Gaubert: digital creative producer
Natalie Payne: project manager
Gary Trow: technical coordinator
Sushma Soma: production runner
Composed and performed by Aditya Prakash
Movement material devised by Joy Alpuerto Ritter and Akram Khan
Performed by Joy Alpuerto Ritter, Kristina Alleyne, Jasper Narvaez, Elpida Skourou
With Rambert School third year students: Tanisha Addicott, Olivia Arizmendi, Mia Bourhis, Louis Baxter, Pierpaolo Consentino, Mark Crawley, Taylor Crouch, Anh-Ly Crouzet-Nguyen, George Gregory, Rosa Huntrods, George Jennings, Dylan Jones, Hannah Joseph, Spike King, Kasia Kuzka, Elaini Lalousis, Vivian Magalhães, Eleanor McGrath, Arielle Lee Ming, Elizabeth Jeanne Ortega, Tom Rowlands, Emilia Struss, Tom Sutton, Myana Van Cuijlenborg, Mai Yabe
With the support of Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance
Special thanks in the making of INSIRGENTS to Pallavi Anand, Mridu Shekar, Sankar Thiagasamudram, David Gere, Amanda Britton, Darren Ellis, Lost Dog Dance, Zeynep Kepekli, Michael Cunningham, Emma Saville, Amy Sharkey, Yuko Khan, Kenzo, Sayuri and Ayana Khan.
Historic photos and film courtesy of:
Bancroft Library, Digital Collections, Chinese in California, 1850 – 1925
California History Room, California State Library, Sacramento, California
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Center
National Archives at Washington, DC
The Jon B. Lovelace Collection of California Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America Project, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Mahatma Gandhi Arrives In the UK (1931), British Pathé is in the public domain and used under a Creative Commons, CC0 1.0 Universal License.
Other photography and video courtesy of:
Aditya Prakash, Adam Smith, Sushma Soma
Production/promotional photography and video:
Gema Galiana (photography), Brian Hashimoto (video)
For your visit
This event is held at the Purcell Room Southbank Centre
The Purcell Room is located in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, which is open from 90 minutes before events start until they finish. It’s closed at all other times.
Plan your visit
The Purcell Room is an auditorium located within our Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.