“The more we can inhabit the different facets of us, and tell stories that bring everything, the whole of us together, the more impactful we’ll be.”
An actor, singer, writer and composer
Renu Arora in conversation with Sita Brahmachari
The actor, singer and writer Renu Arora talks to Sita Brahmachari about her creative life. Renu discusses her writing, her work on stage, her feeling of connection with Frida Kahlo, and her collaborations including the creation of The Burgundy Book, a concept album inspired by her life-changing accident and near-death experience.
Biography
Renu Arora is a disabled actor, singer and writer of South Asian heritage, with a body of work spanning twenty years. Renu recently completed a season at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), playing Madame LaVaughn, a principle role in The Magician’s Elephant (2021-22). In 2017, Renu experienced a life-changing accident. She was hit by a bus, which led to a near-death experience (NDE). Overnight, her mobility changed, and she is now a disabled artist. In 2020, BBC radio commissioned Renu to write and compose three pieces – a Pandemic Trilogy – (one specifically for World Trauma Day) about her accident and NDE.
Renu has worked with many venues including the Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall, New Vic Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Soho Theatre, Leicester Curve, Riverside Studios, and Theatre Royal Stratford East. She is currenty working with the director Erica Whyman, the composer Marc Teitler, and the author Sita Brahmachari, to create The Burgundy Book: concept album inspired by my accident and NDE.
