"A written play is just the beginning of possibilities that cannot be contained in a singular thought," says film and theatre director Feroz Abbas Khan. "It starts with an idea, then comes the structure and the articulation of a compelling reason for it to be shared with an audience." ‘The Great Indian Musical: Civilization to Nation’—an immersive theatrical experience conceived and directed by Khan—will mark the launch of The Grand Theatre at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre on 31st March, 2023 The musical production will bring exemplary Indian dance, music and drama together on stage.

Best known to audiences for his Broadway-style musical, ‘Mughal-e-Azam', and the globally-acclaimed film Gandhi, My Father (2007), Abbas Khan has won prestigious national and international awards for his contributions to Indian theatre and cinema with plays such as ‘Salesman Ramlal’, ‘Tumhari Amrita’, ‘Mahatma vs Gandhi’ and ‘Saalgirah’. His 1992 production ‘Tumhari Amrita’ garnered recognition not only across the Indian sub-continent, but also in the Middle-East, Europe and the USA—running for over 21 years after its premiere. ‘Mahatma vs Gandhi’ was famously reviewed as “the finest English (language) play to emerge from India in a very long time” by The New York Times. The first artistic director of the Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai, Abbas Khan will now be working in collaboration with the finest talent in the industry to make ‘Civilization to Nation’ a grand spectacle. Here’s introducing you to the stellar crew.

Donald Holder, lighting designer  

Two-time Tony award winner, Donald Holder’s most famous works include ‘The Lion King’ and the 2008 revival of ‘South Pacific’. Having worked extensively in opera, theatre, dance and television lighting for over three decades, the lighting designer has collaborated with emerging artists as well as celebrated international directors — and also taught at the School of Theatre at the California Institute of Arts. “Lighting design, beyond the obvious functions, is responsible for perception,” the New York-based creative told SDC Journal in 2014.  And hence, he deems it crucial that a lighting designer understands, more than anything, the intention of the work and the director. Some other notable Broadway productions by Holder include ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’, ‘Bullets Over Broadway’, ‘My Fair Lady’ and ‘Oslo’, among others. Holder was also the head of the lighting design programme at the California Institute of Arts from 2006 to 2010.

Neil Patel, scenic designer

Production and set designer, Neil Patel is famously known for his distinctive—almost psychedelic—set designs in Apple TV’s period-comedy, Dickinson, and for instilling a bold, cloak-and-dagger aesthetic in HBO Max’s Pretty Little Liars: The Original Sin. His award-winning designs for theatre, dance and opera have been featured on Broadway and the West End, garnering recognition from across the world as well as two Obie Awards for sustained excellence. Born in Wales to Indian and English parents, Patel’'s most notable contributions to theatre include ‘The Lion’, ‘Father Comes Home from the Wars’ (Parts 1, 2 and 3) and ‘Mr Burns: A Post-Electric Play’. Beginning his career in New York’s downtown theatre scene in the 1990s, he designed indie features and shorts in the initial stages—gradually making his way to more significant productions like HBO’s drama series, In Treatment. Closer home, Patel has also designed the sets for the Zoya Akhtar directorial, Dil Dhadakne Do.

John Narun, projection designer

This projection designer has been bringing live performances and digital media together for over two decades as a projection designer. The New York-based, award-winning creative has theatre credits that include ‘Paradise Lost’, ‘Torch Song’, ‘Raunaq and Jassi’, ‘The Squirrels’ and more. He has also designed grand backgrounds for concert stages for a genre-bending line up of artists such as Madonna, Ricky Martin, Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez and The Spice Girls. Besides, Narun’s work has appeared on The Oprah Show and on multiple international broadcast channels. Through his contribution as a celebrated projection and motion designer for theatre and broadcast, he has earned several prestigious nominations including an Emmy, a Drama Desk and a Henry Hewes Design Award nomination.

Gareth Owen, sound designer

Best known for his work in ‘MJ: The Musical’, ‘Come from Away’ and  ‘Memphis’—seen on Broadway and London’s West End—sound designer Gareth Owen holds two Olivier Awards, a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award among multiple other prestigious awards and nominations. The British sound designer’s initial work in live sound and mixing translated to an early career in rock & roll, which led to him playing at sought-after music festivals in the UK such as Glastonbury. Owen has worked on more than 200 productions and with several distinguished composers including Alan Menken, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Schwartz. He has also collaborated with well-known icons like Robert De Niro, Christopher Ashley and Jerry Zaks. Owen’s big break in theatre came when he was asked to work on the West End musical ‘Blues Brothers’ at The Whitehall Theatre.

Ajay-Atul, music  

Ajay and Atul Gogavle are a noted music director-and-composer duo, having won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction in 2010. They were  featured in Forbes India Celebrity 100 List in 2015 and 2019. Born in Pune, Ajay-Atul started contributing to Marathi films without any formal training. Spending a lot of time moving around the rural interiors of Maharashtra in their childhood helped them understand the intonation and pungency of local languages in a better way—the knowledge they, in turn, used while making folk music. Today their accolades speak for them. Awarded Composer of the Decade in Mirchi Music Awards (Hindi) for Agneepath (2012) and Mirchi Music Awards (Marathi) for Sairat in 2021 , the pair is known for recording most of their albums with live instruments such as the harmonium, flute and mouth organ. Their notable work can also be seen in films like Savarkhed: Ek Gaav (2004 ), PK (2014), Singham (2011), Dhadak (2018), Natrang (2010) and Jogwa (2009) among others.

Manish Malhotra, costume designer  

Finding favour with the likes of Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt and Janhvi Kapoor on multiple occasions, in 2016, Manish Malhotra became the first Indian designer to cross one million followers on social media. The couturier, fashion designer, costume stylist and entrepreneur has carved his own niche in the film and fashion industries. During his prolific career spanning three decades, Malhotra has been felicitated with a Priyadarshini Memorial Award for his contribution to the fashion industry and has been the sole inspiration behind Filmfare introducing the Best Costume Design category in 1996. The multifaceted designer has extended his area of creativity to jewellery, beauty and film direction. He recently launched NFTs in the blockchain business.

Vaibhavi Merchant, guest choreographer  

A renowned dance choreographer, Vaibhavi Merchant won the National Film Award for Best Choreography for her first solo work, ‘Dholi Taro Dhol Baaje’, in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam in 1999. She has judged popular dance reality shows like Nach Baliye 3, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 3, Zara Nach Ke Dikha 2 and Just Dance. Having been exposed to Indian classical dance forms at the age of five, Merchant trained formally for 12 years. She learnt under the tutelage of Late Sushree  Madhurita Sarang, Shri Rohinton Cama and Martha Da Cunha — finally completing her Arangetram at 17. Alongside a range of notable dance numbers, Merchant has also choreographed for two celebrated musicals, ‘Taj Express’ and ‘Merchants of Bollywood’.

Mayuri Upadhya, lead choreographer  

Mayuri Upadhya has choreographed for films such as Parched (2015), Kali (2016), Mirzya (2016) and Madhur Milan (2000), becoming one of the most sought-after creatives in Indian cinema. The artistic director of the Bengaluru-based dance organisation, Nritarutya, she is the winner of a Manav Ratna for Contribution in the Field of Arts and Culture, International Competition for Choreography Concept in South Korea, a Broadway World award for Best Choreographer for ‘Mughal-E-Azam: The Musical’ and an Uday Shankar Award for Choreography. Her multimedia production, Prayog, tours internationally to showcase contemporary Indian musicians, dancers, visual artists, singers and designers. Widening the perception s of dance, her artistic creations feature stirring visual representations and cultural sensitivity.

Samir and Arsh Tanna, choreographer  

Samir Tanna won a Filmfare Award for Best Choreography in 2014 for his work in Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela (2013) and a National Film Award in the same category in 1999 for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999). The Mumbai-based choreographer is also known for his contributions to films such as Raees (2017), Aum Mangalam Singlem (2022) and Hellaro (2019).

Feroz Abbas Khan’s ‘The Great Indian Musical: Civilization to Nation’ will premiere at The Grand Theatre, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, in Mumbai from April 3 to 23, 2023.