The Accidental Bride
by Shoba Sadler
I’m Australian. I’m Indian. Why can’t I be both? India is where I came from but Australia is home.
Description
Welcome to the exciting world of ‘The Accidental Bride,’ a captivating new theatrical creation by the talented Shoba Sadler, a published writer, journalist, and emerging playwright of Indian heritage hailing from the Far North. As a graduate of JUTE’s Write Sparks script development program in 2022, Shoba brings her unique voice and cultural perspective to the forefront.
The script, a delightful comedy love story, follows the lives of Anil and Ashwin, two charismatic Indian brothers navigating the challenges of love, tradition, and cross-cultural misunderstandings in an Australian-based Indian Wedding Textile company.
This Bollywood-style rom-com explores themes of love at first sight versus learning to love after marriage, all set against the vibrant backdrop of the Indian festival of love, Holi. The narrative artfully blends traditional Indian culture with modern Australian Indian perspectives, offering a rich and colourful depiction that celebrates collective culture and individuality.
2024 – Creative Development (Cairns/Gimuy)
2025 – Creative Development (Cairns/Gimuy)
In this exciting collaboration, Shoba joined forces with JUTE Theatre Company and the Cairns Indian Community to further develop the script through a series of workshops in 2024 and again in 2025. Members from the Cairns Indian Community were engaged as project consultants, bringing their invaluable insights to enrich the cultural authenticity of the theatrical, choreographic, and musical aspects of the script.
2025 Creative Development Collaborators:
Bali Padda – Director
Kathryn Ash – Dramaturg
Natalie Taylor Acting Facilitator and Assistant Director
Elizabeth Slattery – Actor (Jessica)
Ravin Nair – Actor (Anil)
Dhanya Shaj – Actor (Kauselya)
Renuka Bisht – Actor (Janvi)
Matt Domingo – Actor (Ashwin)
Chorus: Karen Wilson, Tania Patrao, Harmanpreet Kuar, Frewin D’Souza, Roshni Howard
2024 Creative Development Collaborators:
Saba Zaidi Abdi – Director
Kathryn Ash – Dramaturg
Julia Allman – Workshop Facilitator (Acting)
Donna Sengupta Community – Cultural Consultant/Cultural Dancer
Chorus: Aju Mathew, Neil Pereira, Jess Kumar, David Thomas, Kavi Kris, Navya Paulose, Ravin Ramachandran Nair, Mehakpreet Kaur, Dhanya Shaj, Mithun Taneja, Samee Juneja, Renuka Bisht, Ann Charlene Taneja
This project was supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and was also made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, provided through Regional Arts Australia, administered in Queensland by Flying Arts Alliance.
2025 Creative Development video
2025 Creative Development workshop and showcase photos