Joyous comedy ‘नेहा & Neel’ closes out Latino
Theater Company’s fall season in co-production
with Asian American collective Artists at Play
LOS ANGELES (September 8, 2025) — What happens when a college road trip turns into a search for roots, history and connection? Asian American theater collective Artists at Play and Latino Theater Company team up for their third collaboration in as many years with the joyous new comedy नेहा & Neel by Ankita Raturi. Directed by Lily Tung Crystal, the world premiere opens October 18 at The Los Angeles Theatre Center, with performances continuing through November 16. Six low-priced previews take place October 9 through October 17.
Parvesh Cheena, Achintya Pandey and Pia Shah star in Raturi’s funny, heartfelt, intergenerational tale about love, family and heritage. Neha (नेहा), an Indian immigrant and single mom, worries that she’s failed to pass her language and traditions down to her 17-year-old American-born son, Neel (नील). Could a cross country college tour be her last shot? If only she can convince Neel to visit the historic Hope Diamond and witness a piece of Indian history for himself, perhaps it will turn their trip into something more.
“It feels like with every generation you have to hold on tighter,” says Raturi, a first generation American whose parents are from India. “That fear of losing connection to your culture is real, but I wanted to tackle it with warmth and humor.”
Tung Crystal, who is first-generation American-born Chinese, immediately connected to the material.
“I myself am a child of Asian immigrants, as well as a mother working to pass our family’s culture to a teenager, so I see myself in both characters,” she says. “I love plays that are both of the heart and of the mind. नेहा & Neel addresses complicated themes like immigration, identity, and colonialism — all while keeping the audience laughing.”
The powerhouse creative team includes scenic designer Leah Ramillano; lighting designer Szu-Yun Wang; sound designer E.E. Bradman; costume designer Elena Flores; properties designer Naomi Kasahara Hamill; and dramaturg Arnab Banerji. The associate director is Katie Bradley, and the production stage manager is Lanae Wilks.
Raturi, currently based in Queens, NY, is a rising voice in American theater whose work has been developed at Theater Mu, Playwrights’ Center, New York Theatre Workshop, Roundabout, Ma-Yi Theater Company, South Coast Repertory, Playwrights Realm, and more. She holds a B.F.A. in Drama from NYU/Tisch, an M.F.A. in Playwriting from UC San Diego, and is a dedicated student of Kathak dance.
Tung Crystal is artistic director of East West Players, the nation’s largest and longest-running Asian American theater, and formerly led Theater Mu in Minneapolis-St. Paul. She co-founded Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company in the Bay Area and has helmed acclaimed productions including Cambodian Rock Band, Chinglish, Two Mile Hollow and The Humans, earning multiple Theatre Bay Area Award nominations for Outstanding Direction.
Artists at Play is a Los Angeles-based theater-producing collective dedicated to programming that explores the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) experience. Since 2011, AAP has produced theater that demonstrates the humanity and complexity of diverse APIDA communities. AAP provides a platform for meaningful representation through employment opportunities, inclusive programming, advocacy and administrative and artistic resources.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025, Latino Theater Company was named to the Los Angeles Times “Best of Latino L.A.” list. Artistic director José Luis Valenzuela was named the 2024 recipient of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation’s Gordon Davidson Award for lifetime achievement and distinguished service in the national not-for-profit theater, and he was honored in May with the 2025 Stage Raw Lifetime Achievement Award. The Latino Theater Company is dedicated to providing a world-class arts center for those pursuing artistic excellence; a laboratory where both tradition and innovation are honored and honed; and a place where the convergence of people, cultures and ideas contribute to the future. The company has operated The Los Angeles Theatre Center since 2006, producing hundreds of plays, creating over 4000 jobs and helping hundreds of nonprofit organizations by providing space and resources. The City, recognizing the Latino Theater Company for its “effective first-class theater center operations,” recently extended the company’s initial 20-year lease for an additional 30 years, through 2056.
नेहा & Neel opens on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m., with performances thereafter on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. through November 16. Six preview performances take place October 9 through October 17 on the same schedule. Tickets range from $10–$48, except opening night which is $75 and includes a post-performance reception.
The Los Angeles Theatre Center is located at 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90013. Parking is available for $8 with box office validation at Los Angeles Garage Associate Parking structure, 545 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90013 (between 5th and 6th Streets, just behind the theater).
For more information and to purchase tickets, call (213) 489-0994 or go to latinotheaterco.org.
Details for Calendar Listings
‘नेहा & Neel’
WHAT
Asian American theater collective Artists at Play and Latino Theater Company team up for their third collaboration in as many years with the joyous new comedy नेहा & Neel by Ankita Raturi. In this funny, heartfelt, intergenerational story about roots, family and connection, Neha (नेहा), an Indian immigrant and single mom, worries that she’s failed to pass her language and traditions down to her 17-year-old American-born son, Neel. Could a cross country college tour be her last shot? If only she can convince Neel to visit the historic Hope Diamond and witness a piece of Indian history for himself, perhaps it will turn their trip into something more.
WHO:
• Written by Ankita Raturi
• Directed by Lily Tung Crystal
• Starring Parvesh Cheena, Achintya Pandey, Pia Shah
• Produced by Artists at Play and The Latino Theater Company
WHEN:
• Previews: Oct. 9 – Oct. 17
• Performances: Oct. 18 – Nov. 16
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 4 p.m.
WHERE:
The Los Angeles Theatre Center
514 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles CA 90013
PARKING:
• $8 with box office validation at Los Angeles Garage Associate Parking structure, 545 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90013 (between 5th and 6th Streets, just behind the theater)
• Metered parking available on streets surrounding the theater.
• Take the Metro: nearest stop is Pershing Square (two blocks west of The LATC)
TICKET PRICES:
$10-$48 (except opening night)
• Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (except opening night, Oct. 18): $48
• Students, Seniors, Veterans and LAUSD teachers: $24 with valid ID
• All Thursday night performances and previews: $10
• Opening night (Oct. 18): $75 (includes post-performance reception)
HOW:
latinotheaterco.org
(213) 489-0994
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