GULSHAN MIA (Performer) studied Drama at Natal Technikon (Durban University of Technology), where she was awarded both “Best Actor” and “Best Director” of her graduating class. She co-wrote and directed the play LOSING UTOPIA that was performed at the National Arts Festival in 2002. She then went on to work for AREPP – Theatre for Life, a non-profit Educational Theatre Company that toured around South African schools performing shows about AIDS awareness, teen pregnancy and child abuse in English, Afrikaans and Zulu. A champion of women’s rights, she co-wrote and performed with an all-women ensemble in a bilingual (English and Chinese) performance piece about the lives of women in Taiwan. Her New York credits include ANTHROPOLOGY OF A BOOK CLUB and her first solo show, TIGER TRAP at Manhattan Repertory Theatre, THE ART OF HIJAB at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, and SEEING RAPE at John Jay College. She was in the PSA GAY RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS produced by the United Nations and most recently, was a featured actor in Bizet’s PEARL FISHERS at the Metropolitan Opera House.