Photo Flash: THEY CALL ME Q's Qurrat Ann Kadwani Moderates Panel at United Nations

Qurrat Ann Kadwani, author and star of the Off-Broadway hit play THEY CALL ME Q, served as Panel Facilitator at the Champion of Change Awards presented by World Women Global Council Inc. on August 15th at the United Nations. Honorees at the event included Marie C. Wilson, founder & president emerita of The White House Project; NY1's Cheryl Wills; Roxana Saberi, journalist for Al Jazeerra; and Reshma Saujani, founder of Girl's Who Code.

The award-winning THEY CALL ME Q opened June 4th to unanimous rave reviews, led by the Village Voice which praised the emotionally charged comedy for delivering "a winning tale thanks to author and actor Qurrat Ann Kadwani's dead-on impersonations of New Yorkers and some unselfconscious spoofing of her own immigrant iterations growing up tough in the Bronx."

THEY CALL ME Q is the story of a girl from Bombay growing up in the Boogie Down Bronx, who gracefully seeks balance between the cultural pressures brought forth by her traditional parents and wanting acceptance into her new culture. Along the journey, Ms. Kadwani transforms into 13 characters that have shaped her life including her parents, Caucasian teachers, Puerto Rican classmates, and African-American friends. Laden with heart and abundant humor, THEY CALL ME Q speaks to the universal search for identity experienced by immigrants of all nationalities.

Under the direction of Obaid Kadwani and Claudia Gaspar, and developed with Ellery Schaar, THEY CALL ME Q scored the Best Actress Award for Ms. Kadwani in the production's debut at Variations Theatre Group's 2012 Harvest Theatre Festival. The hit play subsequently opened to ecstatic notices in cities all around the country and Canada including Chicago, Montreal, Washington D.C., Nashville, Orlando, and even Hawaii where THEY CALL ME Q was awarded Best Play at the 2013 Maui Fringe Festival.

Qurrat Ann Kadwani is an actress, producer and TV host. She has hosted "Desi Jams" and "100% Desi" on Namaste America, and her stage credits include Blind Angels (Theatre for the New City); Sankalpan, First Language (New Group); Inside Out, The Quaking (Abingdon Theatre Company); Falling Man (NYU); The Greeks (Imua Theatre Company); Baby Taj (TheaterWorks Palo Alto); Perfect Fit, The Women of the Mahabharata, Beneath the Banyan Tree (eyeBLINK). Last December, United Nations UNICEF invited her to perform. Non-profit charity organizations such as Sankara Eye Foundation, Lend-A-Hand India and Sapna NYC have also presented the play as benefit fundraisers.

The playing schedule for THEY CALL ME Q is Tuesdays at 7 PM and Saturdays at 2 PM at St. Luke's Theatre, 308 West 46thStreet (just west of Eighth Ave.) Tickets are available through www.Telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200.

For more information, visit www.theycallmeQshow.com.

Photos Courtesy of S.N. Advertising