UTCA's Drawn From Experience: Hollywood creatives share their stories of thriving and surviving in the entertainment industry.
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Actor Sonal Shah has more to offer than what meets the eye. She was one of the first Indian-American females to appear in a major role on a network comedy (Scrubs). She has also appeared on Superstore (NBC), New Girl (Fox), Spaced Out (NBC), Better Things (FX), PTA (ABC Family), Transparent (Amazon) and countless theater productions in Chicago and Los Angeles. Sonal’s voice and singing can be heard as a bumbling bandit on Disney’s upcoming Mira Royal Detective. She also voices on Cartoon Network’s The Powerpuff Girls and Amazon’s Costume Quest. She received rave reviews for her role in feature film Definition Please. Sonal starred in The Blank Theatre’s critically acclaimed docudrama play “Unopened,” where her performance was praised as “honest, captivating, impeccably present, and nuanced.” She performed as one of the leads in musical theatre workshop The Future Perfect for Broadway’s Kristin Hanggi. Sonal teaches acting at the acclaimed John Rosenfeld Studios in Los Angeles. She is also a company member of the award-winning IAMA Theatre Company and an alumnus of Second City Chicago. Along with her friend Parvesh Cheena, she currently has a development deal with Disney.
Sonal earned her BA in Theater cum laude from Loyola University of Chicago where she was chosen to deliver the commencement address. A comedian and human rights advocate, Sonal is often invited to host events and participate in panels. Notably, Sonal hosted the Asian American Institute for Congressional Studies Gala in Washington DC attended by President Obama. She has also hosted galas for NBC Universal and the American India Foundation on Wall Street where she helped raise 2.1 million for education in India. Most recently, Sonal hosted Aiden’s Red Envelope Foundation Benefit to help children with disabilities. Sonal believes representation matters and currently helps to facilitate an Actors of Color initiative at JRS.
Sonal is way more than what she’s done. She does comedy. She does drama. She dances, sings, writes, and directs. From broad to straight to charactery, the multi-talented Sonal can be trusted to give a grounded nuanced performance across a broad range of roles.