Book & Lyrics by Vaibu Mohan | Music by Zachary Catron
In a village in 1980s India, an 18-year-old girl was burned alive on her husband’s funeral pyre. Thousands bore witness and the whole town had the same explanation: it was her choice and she was inhabited by a goddess. But what is true and what is a fabrication?
When a low-caste girl named Roop defies expectations, her town believes she is the incarnation of goddess Sati. When her husband dies suddenly, devotion turns to desperation and the town demands a sacrifice. Inspired by true events, Sati: Goddess Incarnate is an investigation of truth, storytelling, and how they shape our reality.
-Presentation as part of "Home Is Where We Are" concert with South Asians on Broadway (December 2024)
-Presentation at Musical Theatre Factory Salon Series (December 2024)
-Music Video for "The Garba" released (October 2024)
-Dance residency at Silambam Phoenix Dance School, choreographed "The Mob I" (July 2024)
-Community performances of select songs at Aangan Lit Fest and Caveat, Fall 2023
-Dance residency at Silambam Phoenix Dance School, choreographed “The Puppet Show”; dance presentation at LaMama in NYC (August 2023)
-World premiere concert, 60 minutes of select songs at Feinstein’s/54 Below, July 2023
-First industry reading, April 2023 [Draft 2]
-Select songs performed at Feinstein’s/54 Below “Work In Progress” concerts, May & Nov 2022
-Conceived and written at NYU Tisch Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program; First table reading, May 2022 [Draft 1]
As a team, our unique bond stems from our love of history and traditional art forms, our relentless ambition to make untold stories known to a wider audience, and our desire to challenge preconceived notions of what musical theatre can be. This piece is our grand experiment in fusing ancient Indian art forms (shadow play, Bharatanatyam dance, and Sanskrit theatre) with Western opera and musical theatre. We have built a beautiful community of South Asian artists who have either been in the show or have supported the show along its development journey. As many South Asians have been excluded from White American Theatre, we constantly look for opportunities to invite them in.
VAIBU MOHAN (she/her) is a writer, musician, dancer, director, and producer specializing in bringing South Asian forms of storytelling and theater making into the Western sphere. She founded the series Work In Progress at 54 Below which gives early career writers a place to present their work. She is the winner of Atlanta Opera’s 96 Hour Opera Competition and her full length opera, Jala Smriti, will premiere at Atlanta Opera in 2026. New York City premieres include: Life of a Lemon (NYU/AOP Opera Labs), Keep it Cheery (Brooklyn Children’s Theater), and the concert presentation of Sati: Goddess Incarnate at 54 Below in July 2023. Mohan debuted off-Broadway songwriting debut Village Songs at Rattlestick Theater (Spring 2022). As a Bharatnatyam performer and creator, Mohan creates pieces that stretch the genre and explore connections between disparate artforms. She is a graduate of the NYU Tisch Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Website.
ZACHARY CATRON (he/him) is an award-winning composer, lyricist, and performer. He received his off-off- and off-Broadway songwriting debuts in the Spring of 2022 with WAR STORIES at The Tank NYC, and Village Songs at the Rattlestick Theater. Other New York City premieres include: the ballet Training in Love (Rovaco Dance Company), incidental music for Fuente Ovejuna: A Disloyal Adaptation (The New School for Drama), the chamber operas Tin Man and The Walt Whitmans of Fort Greene Park (NYU/AOP Opera Labs), and the full-length musical The Battle, Not the War. He has recently composed for film and TV, including the indie films La Dame de Monte-Carlo (Arthouse Film Festival 2021 Official Selection), 988 (premiering April 2025), and an unannounced TV animation pilot. With Vaibu Mohan, Catron was the recipient of the Fall 2024 Songbyrd Demo Fund. He has performed at Lincoln Center, Studio 54, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center. In May 2022, Catron received his M.F.A. from the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He is a proud member of ASCAP, the Dramatist Guild, and the Society of Composers and Lyricists. Website.
Email: mohancatronproductions@gmail.com | Instagram: @satigoddessincarnate
Maya Jeyam (Director) (she/they) is an Eelam-Tamil American director, actor, and bubble tea enthusiast based in New York City. A long-time fan and collaborator of Sati: Goddess Incarnate, she is beyond honored to help fully bring the show to its feet. As an artist, she is most passionate about community-building, mutual success, welfare, and fun. In her spare time, Maya enjoys creating situational Pinterest boards, trying new restaurants, and sitting out in the sun to photosynthesize. Website: www.mayajeyam.com. Instagram: @mayajeyam.
Dr. Srimathy Mohan (Choreographer) is the Founder/Director of Silambam Phoenix Dance School. She began learning Bharatanatyam at the age of ten under the eminent Guru Padmasri Prof. Sudharani Raghunatha at Shree Bharatalaya, Chennai. In 2000, Srimathy Mohan founded her Bharatanatyam school, Silambam Phoenix, in alliance with Shree Bharatalaya. Performances by Dr. Mohan along with Silambam Phoenix students include Margam (2004), Skāndam (2006), Swagatam Krishna (2010), Rasamanjari (2010), Samarpanam (2012), Shivanandlahari (2014), Sanmarga (2016), Yatra (2018), Sarvagnya (2022), and Dasamahavidya (2022), Dr. Mohan was a principal dancer in Krishnam Vande Jagathgurum (2007) and The Milestones Tour (2022), performed by a group of accomplished Bharatalaya dancers, receiving critical acclaim.
Mona Seyed-Bolorforosh (Music Director) is an Iranian-American Conductor, Music Director, Pianist and Orchestrator/Arranger based in New York City. Her work encompasses numerous genres including Musical Theatre, Classical Music, and World Music. She is a frequent developer of new works, serving as a Music Supervisor, Music Director, Conductor and Orchestrator. BROADWAY: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, KIMBERLY AKIMBO, COME FROM AWAY, COMPANY, MEAN GIRLS OFF-BROADWAY: WE LIVE IN CAIRO, TERCE, THREE HOUSES, ORATORIO FOR LIVING THINGS,LAST BIMBO OF THE APOCOLYPSE NATIONAL TOUR: COME FROM AWAY, RODGER’S AND HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA OUT OF TOWN: EVITA, OTHER WORLD. She is an alumna of the Berklee College of Music where she studied Classical Composition and Conducting.
Greg Paladino (Associate Music Director) is a conductor and pianist based in NYC with work spanning musical theatre, opera, concerts, cabarets, and new work development. He is a frequent collaborator with MasterVoices Chorus (The Frogs, Blind Injustice) and regional theaters around the country. Off-Broadway: Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song, Three Houses, White Rose. Regional: The Light In the Piazza (The Huntington Theater), Hard Road to Heaven (Bucks County Playhouse). National Tour: My Fair Lady, Fiddler On the Roof. @paladinokeys
Ryan Blihovde (Percussion Arrangements) is a Drummer, Percussionist, Foley Artist, Composer, and coffee enthusiast from Chicago. Based in New York City now, Ryan is the Percussionist and Foley artist on the First National tour of Broadway’s award winning hit musical SpongeBob SquarePants. He also played on Broadway in Gutenberg! and Aladdin. Previously, Ryan played Drums and Percussion for The King and I national tour based on the 2015 Tony Award winning Lincoln Center production.
In August 2025, Silambam Phoenix will present the first complete staged workshop—including dance and a 7-piece band—of Sati: Goddess Incarnate. Six Silambam Phoenix students will join the workshop company of as part of a new educational initiative for the senior students' continued artistic education. To reach our $50,000 fundraising goal, we need your help! Your donation means...
A PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, TUITION-FREE
Most programs that offer professional development experiences for young adults, such as conservatory pre-colleges or summer classes, often cost thousands of dollars. With your support, Silambam Phoenix and Sati: Goddess Incarnate are determined to remove this barrier, providing travel, housing, and classes completely tuition-free.
MASTERCLASSES BY BROADWAY PROFESSIONALS
In addition to the two weeks developing Sati: Goddess Incarnate alongside professional actors and musicians, Silambam participants will receive a series of masterclasses and workshops by professional Broadway musicians to prepare them for a professional development experience. From learning how to take care of themselves during full days to advanced vocal techniques, the workshops ensure that the participants feel prepared physically and mentally to be in a professional setting
COMMUNITY-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT
From Sati: Goddess Incarnate's inception, welcoming in the South Asian community and providing fair livelihoods for South Asian artists in musical theatre has been our highest priority. Your contribution helps us pay all of our professional artists—most of whom are MENASA artists—not just a minimum wage, but a fair, living wage.
SUSTAINING THE FUTURE OF DANCE THEATRE
Since the COVID-19 pandemic caused closures of small theatres and festivals, few opportunities remain for new writers to develop their work. And just as the arts began to recover, the National Endowment for the Arts has terminated Silambam Phoenix's grants.
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to Silambam Phoenix (EIN: 26-3390254) in support of Sati: Goddess Incarnate, you can do so...
Silambam Phoenix
Attn: Dr. Srimathy Mohan
13823 N 19th Way
Phoenix, AZ 85022
5/1/2025 | Brooklyn, New York | Sati: Goddess Incarnate Launch Party at The RAT NYC | |
8/16/2025 | New York | Sati: Goddess Incarnate Staged Workshop Presentation | |
8/17/2025 | New York | Sati: Goddess Incarnate Staged Workshop Presentation |