(PRINCETON, NJ) --Â McCarter Theatre Center have announced the full cast and creative team for A Beat of Our Own, From the Tony Award-winning producers of Hadestown, A Beat of Our Own features a book by Rehana Lew Mirza and Mike Lew, music and lyrics by Sam Willmott, direction by Olivier Award nominee Stafford Arima, choreography by Rujuta Vaidya, and musical staging by Jesse Robb. A Beat of Our Own is a joyous new musical comedy celebrating the power of community through music, dance, and laughter.
The production features an original electronic tabla collaboration with internationally acclaimed musician and composer Kuljit Bhamra, a pioneering figure in British Asian music whose work has bridged Indian musical traditions with contemporary music for more than four decades.
A Beat of Our Own runs October 7–25, 2026, in McCarter's Matthews Theatre. Tickets and information are available at mccarter.org or by calling the Box Office at (609) 258-2787. McCarter Theatre Center is located at 91 University Place, Princeton.
"With its extraordinary company of artists, vibrant score, and celebration of community, A Beat of Our Own is the kind of exhilarating, joyful theater that brings people together," said McCarter Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen. "As McCarter's largest musical to date, this production features an incredible creative team dedicated to making something truly special for our audiences."
After leading their college dance team to a state championship, friends Mary and Preeti are headed to Nationals—until a disagreement over blending traditional and contemporary Indian dance styles tears the team apart.
Determined to prove her vision, Mary forms a new squad from scratch, recruiting a lovable group of dance novices with help from a former Bollywood star. Bursting with humor, heart, and exhilarating choreography, A Beat of Our Own celebrates identity, friendship, and the power of community.
Leading the cast are Rohit Gopal as Amit, Sohm Kapila as Rekha, Salena Qureshi as Mary, J. Antonio Rodriguez as Billy, Sushma Saha as Sunita, and Tara Venkataraman as Preeti. The ensemble includes Jesse Bhamrah, Pragun Bhardwaj, Doyel Das, Laura Dadap, Shefali Deshpande, Mikey Corey Hassel, Benjamin Howes, Aliyah Jacobs, Calista Jones, Elliot Lazar, Aathaven Tharmarajah, Vikas Venu, and Ria Yamdagni. Swings are Kavya Bhat, Kabir Gandhi, Brianna Aisjah Pember, Sammy Pignalosa, Sunayna Smith, and Gus Stuckey.
The creative team includes Wilson Chin (Scenic Designer), Linda Cho and Herin Kaputkin (Co-Costume Designers), Jane Cox (Lighting Designer), Walter Trarbach (Sound Designer), David Bengali (Projection Designer), and Rachael Geier (Hair, Wig, and Makeup Designer).
The artistic team also includes Harjot Jaggi (Bhangra Consultant), Jenn Rapp (Associate Director), Matthew J. Schneider (Assistant Director), Paige Parkhill (Associate Choreographer), Sean Fletcher Griffin (Intimacy Director), Lisa Anne Porter (Voice and Text Director), and Julie Felise Dubiner (Dramaturg).
The music team includes Daniel Rudin (Orchestrations), Kuljit Bhamra (Additional Orchestrations and Arrangements), Matthew Malone (Original Orchestrations), Bryan Perri (Music Supervisor), Patrick Sulken (Music Director/Conductor), and Utsav Bhargava (Associate Music Director).
The musicians include Dholi Anuradha (Dhol and Dholak), Nero Catalano (Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Mandolin and Ukulele), Erika Friedman (Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, and Alto Saxophone), Jakubu Griffin (Percussion), Harmann Harry (Tabla, Tudd, Dholak, Daff and Dhol), Sophie Manoloff (Trumpet and Flugelhorn), Tessa O'Boyle (Flute, Alto Flute, Bansuris and Tenor Sax), and Sherisse Rogers (Electric Bass and 5-string Fretless Bass).
The stage management team includes Molly Meg Legal (Production Stage Manager), Alison Cote (Stage Manager), and Alexandria Griner (Assistant Stage Manager).
A Beat of Our Own was developed through productions and workshops at La Jolla Playhouse and Birmingham Rep, as well as at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, and the Jerome Robbins Foundation's Project Springboard.
Produced by special arrangement with Mara Isaacs, Tom Kirdahy, and Peggy Koenig.
Principal Foundation Support: The Roy Cockrum Foundation.Â
About the Creative Team
Rehana Lew Mirza (Book) Rehana is an award-winning playwright, librettist, and filmmaker whose plays and musicals include Neighborhood Watch, Hatef*ck, Tomorrow, Inshallah, and Soldier X. With Mike Lew, she co-created A Beat of Our Own and The Colonialism Project. Their work has received the Richard Rodgers Award and the Kleban Prize, and they shared a Mellon Foundation National Playwright Residency at Ma-Yi Theater. Mirza is the co-founder of Desipina & Co., an award-winning South Asian theater and film company, and is originally from Bridgewater, New Jersey.
Mike Lew (Book) Mike is an award-winning playwright whose works include Teenage Dick, Tiger Style!, Bike America, and microcrisis. With Rehana Lew Mirza, he co-created A Beat of Our Own and The Colonialism Project. Their work has received the Richard Rodgers Award and the Kleban Prize, and they shared a Mellon Foundation National Playwright Residency at Ma-Yi Theater. Lew is a resident playwright at New Dramatists, serves on the Dramatists Guild Council, and is a Tony Awards voter. Â
Sam Willmott (Music and Lyrics) Sam is a composer, lyricist, and book writer whose work has been developed through programs at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, Goodspeed Musicals, the Jerome Robbins Foundation's Project Springboard, and Rhinebeck Writers Retreat. His honors include the Richard Rodgers Award, Jonathan Larson Grant, Kleban Prize for Most Promising Lyricist, Fred Ebb Award, and Eastern Eye Arts, Culture & Theatre Award.  Â
Stafford Arima (Director) Stafford is the Artistic Director of Theatre Calgary and an internationally acclaimed director whose work spans Broadway, the West End, Canada, and Asia. He became the first Asian Canadian to direct a musical on Broadway with Allegiance, starring George Takei and Lea Salonga, and received an Olivier Award nomination for the West End production of Ragtime. His directing credits include Bhangin' It at La Jolla Playhouse, Bhangra Nation at Birmingham Rep, and the Off-Broadway musicals Altar Boyz, Carrie, and Saturday Night.
Rujuta Vaidya (Choreography) Rujuta is an international choreographer whose work spans Broadway, Bollywood, Hollywood, television, and live performance. Her credits include Britney Spears' Circus Tour, Disney's The Cheetah Girls, A.R. Rahman's "Jai Ho" performance at the Academy Awards, and choreography for leading Bollywood artists including Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, and Priyanka Chopra.Â
Jesse Robb (Musical Staging) Jesse is a Broadway choreographer and movement director whose credits include Water for Elephants (co-choreographer; Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations; Chita Rivera Award winner) and Miss Saigon (associate choreographer). He serves as the global movement director and associate choreographer for Les Misérables. Â
Kuljit Bhamra (Additional Orchestrations and Arrangements) Kuljit is an internationally acclaimed composer, musician, and producer recognized as one of the leading figures in British Asian music. A pioneer in bringing Indian classical and folk traditions into contemporary music, he has collaborated with artists across genres and has composed for film, television, theatre, and live performance. He received an MBE for services to music and has played a significant role in expanding global awareness of South Asian musical traditions. Â
McCARTER THEATRE CENTER is one of the country's flagship theatres and a vibrant center for community and the performing arts. Located on the campus of Princeton University, the company is an independent nonprofit, serving as a nationally renowned, multidisciplinary creative hub of arts and ideas, offering theatre, music, dance, spoken word, and educational programs for all ages. A two-time Tony Award winner, McCarter's legacy of artistic excellence traces back to the theatre's first performances in 1930. Our Town, You Can't Take It with You, and Bus Stop all had their premieres on the McCarter stage, paving the way for a long history of collaborations with playwrights to launch remarkable works that have gone on to tens of thousands of performances, reaching millions of audience members around the world.
The company is equally revered for presenting global artists on its stages, including Alvin Ailey, Yo-Yo Ma, Samara Joy, Hasan Minhaj, Jon Stewart, Caetano Veloso, Rhiannon Giddens, Patti Smith, Esperanza Spalding, Lake Street Dive, and Herbie Hancock, among many others. Of the 100,000 community members who directly participate in the company's work every year, more than 5,000 are students taking part in McCarter's robust educational offerings in Princeton, Trenton, and in schools throughout the region.
From the Tony Award-winning producers of Hadestown comes A Beat of Our Own — a brand-new musical comedy that pulls you straight into the pulsating rhythms, kaleidoscopic colors and raw energy of competitive bhangra dance.Â
Xian Zhang conductor
George Li piano
New Jersey Symphony
Born in Mozambique and raised in Mouraria, one of Lisbon’s most historic neighborhoods, Mariza grew up surrounded by the voices, guitars, and traditions of fado. From an early age, she embraced that legacy and transformed it into a universal language, becoming the most acclaimed Portuguese artist in the world.Â
Hailed by some as a successor to Billie Holiday, Cécile McLorin Salvant is one of the leading voices in jazz today. A winner of the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition at age 21 and a three-time Grammy Award recipient, she brings a singular clarity and curiosity to everything she sings.Â
Two years on and nearing 100 performances later, London City Ballet makes its McCarter debut with its latest program.
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