SUNITA: BACK TO ME One-Woman Musical to Debut at Hollywood Fringe Festival

Larchmont resident, singer, actor and pianist Sunita Param, a former Miss New York, will perform her autobiographical solo show "Sunita: Back to Me" during the Hollywood Fringe Festival, LA's largest celebration of the performance arts, on June 17, 23, and 30, 2024, at the Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre. Tickets go on sale May 1, starting at $20 for the 75-minute show. The Hollywood Fringe Festival, an open-access, community event celebrating freedom of expression and collaboration in the performing arts, runs from June 13-30, 2024.

Written, produced, and performed by Param, the versatile performer is a skillful storyteller who takes you on an unforgettable journey through her life's ups and downs and everything in between. Accompanied by pianist Derek Purdy, the audience is drawn in as her glorious soprano fills the room, singing cleverly chosen songs from musicals including "Wicked," "Waitress," "Into the Woods," and "Dear Evan Hansen," to name a few.

"Sunita: Back to Me" has been well-received and gained a following on both coasts. Param recently updated the show, and critics responded with rave reviews to her honest vulnerability:

"The insanely talented Sunita Param has created a show that blends her two loves, acting and singing, in a truly creative and ambitious way."

"She walks us through her life... with an artful and beguiling self-portrait made of beautiful soulful acting as well as some of the most iconic songs from the American musical theatre songbook."

"She's very very funny. In fact, slipping, slickly from gorgeous vocals to hilarious or moving and brutally honest anecdotes with unnerving ease ".

"This wonderful moving joyful show is the perfect solo show to me. Deeply personal, gorgeously performed and spiritually uplifting." (NOHO ARTS - Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros)

"You WILL laugh, you WILL cry...you WILL be inspired and filled with JOY by the resilience of the human spirit." (Susan M)

As a Larchmont resident for 16 years and piano teacher to a generation of local children, Sunita is excited to bring her solo show to her own backyard as part of the Fringe Festival, "It is a thrill to perform in my adopted hometown, which inspired many of the life events in the show, and to share all of myself with my community is a privilege."

In February 2024, Param made her show debut at the Whitefire Theatre, Solofest 2024, the largest solo theatre festival on the West Coast and the second largest in the US next to New York City. She is the recipient of the Whitefire Solofest 2024 Encore Award, as one 11 shows selected. During 2020-22, Param began performing her autobiographical one-woman cabaret throughout California, including the historic Gardenia, Feinstein's at Vitellos, the B Street Theatre in Sacramento, Les Michaels' Cabaret, "Sunday Series" at the Arthur Newman Theater, Palm Desert, and on the East Coast, at Musicalfare Theatre, Buffalo NY.

Param's moving, joyful show blends music, acting and humor in a musical journey of her life including a rendition of "Glitter and be Gay" from her 1995 Miss New York Scholarship Pageant talent competition, the stillbirth of her first baby, and her recent battle and recovery from vocal trauma and vocal surgery. Param also chronicles the major events of her life through carefully chosen songs from musicals including, "Wicked," "Waitress," "Into the Woods" and "Dear Evan Hansen."

Jason Manuel Olazábal (Director) holds an MFA in Acting and Directing from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. As an Actor he can be seen as "Eduardo Morales" in the latest season of THE CLEANING LADY (FOX). Some favorite roles include "Ramon Prado" on Showtimes DEXTER (SAG Award Nomination), "Dante Esquivel" on FEAR THE WALKING DEAD (AMC) and "Alex Cruz" on "Make It or Break It " (Freeform). He's also been seen on Broadway in "Julius Caesar" and "Anna in the Tropics." Jason is a proud member of New York City's LAByrinth Theater Company.

Derek Purdy (Musical Director) has been a collaborative pianist in the Los Angeles area for over 20 years and his work has taken him around the globe performing in venues from orchestra pits and jazz ensembles to country bands and piano bar pick-up bands. He is currently in his 15th season as the accompanist of the West Coast Singers LGBTQ+ Chorus of Los Angeles, performs as a part time accompanist, and works as a full-time event planner and corporate culture consultant. He received his B.A. in Music Theory from Azusa Pacific University and a M.A. in Musicology from Claremont Graduate University.

Showtimes:

Monday June 17 at 6:30 pm

Sunday, June 23 at 3:30 pm

Sunday, June 30 at 5:30 pm

Asylum @ Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre 5636 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038

Runtime: 75min, Tickets starting at $20, Ages 10+

Scan for "Sunita: Back to Me" Hollywood Fringe ticket page

Sunita Param

Sunita Param is a talented actor, singer, pianist and the first Miss New York of South Asian descent (1995). She has performed worldwide as a singer on Cunard's Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) world cruise and over 10 years in New York where she worked Off-Broadway, in regional theater, television and film. In Los Angeles, Param has been a featured singer with "Mostly Musicals "and "Miscast." She is also the owner of Sunita Param Piano Studio.

In 2020-22, Param wrote and began performing her autobiographical one- woman cabaret "Sunita: Back to Me" throughout California, including the historic Gardenia, Feinstein's at Vitellos, the B Street Theatre in Sacramento, Les Michaels' Cabaret, "Sunday Series" at the Arthur Newman Theater, Palm Desert, and on the East Coast, at Musicalfare Theatre, Buffalo NY. In 2024, Param performed her solo show at the Whitefire Theatre's Solofest 2024, the largest solo theatre festival on the West Coast, and is the recipient of the 2024 Encore Award.

The popular show is relatable to audiences as Param's performance and song choices capture the resilience of the human spirit and ability to survive with honesty and humor. Param launched her cabaret career on the Royal Viking Sun (1996) followed by a New York cabaret called, "The Little Brown Girl Finally Gets to Sing." (2000)

Her TV experience includes numerous national commercials for Campbell's Soup, Allstate, Optum, Walgreens and Swiffer to name a few. Param has also been a guest star on TV for shows including "Rebel" (ABC) and "Law & Order" (NBC).

Param's film credits include "American Desi" (2001), one of the first films to feature a mostly South Asian cast, and "Blades of Glory." She is a talented voice actor, recently voicing the character of Kabir's mom In Adam Sandler's "Leo" which was Netflix's biggest debut for an animated film. Param is also a part of "Voices Of Christmas" a professional Christmas caroling company in the greater Los Angeles area.

Param is the owner of Sunita Param Piano Studio in Larchmont Village (Los Angeles) where she has taught privately in the area for over 13 years to hundreds of students. She was featured in PEOPLE magazine's 2013 "Search for Real Beauty at Every Age" as the winner in the 40s category for the magazine's "World's Most Beautiful Women" edition.

In her personal life, Param is passionate about issues close to her heart. After the stillbirth of her first baby, Param and two other mothers sponsored and lobbied for California's Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth. The "Missing Angels Act" was passed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2007. An animal lover, Param frequently fosters dogs and has raised funds through her performances for Tobie's Small Dog Rescue. She also supports the "Innocence Project," a charity which works to free the innocent and prevent wrongful convictions.

Param was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and grew up in Williamsville (Buffalo, New York). She was schooled at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance with a Minor in Piano. Param is a member of The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Actor's Equity Association (AEA).

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