Ary Satish Spearheads a Talented Cast with Lead Role in True West

In a gripping and transformative performance, Ary Satish commands the stage for True West, showcasing pristine psychological depth and raw vigor in Sam Shepard’s classic tale of brotherly conflict. The show was directed by Bernard Dafney and produced by Dafney Productions, performing multiple times at both the highly reputed Antisocial venue and across the Veda Factory theaters in Mumbai in December for 2024. When Dafney saw Satish’s previous work in film and theatre, he offered Satish to lead the play without auditioning, realizing after many years that he had finally found the missing piece to fit the vision he had procured for True West. 

Upon being cast as Austin, Satish led a star studded cast consisting of co-lead Saad Patel, Rishitu Amarnani from the Blockbuster Bollywood hit Call Me Bae, and Shivani Vakil from the longstanding, multi-year Indian theater hit, 12 Angry Jurors. Dafney had confidence in Satish’s professional experience and identity, having lived in the United States and compiling an impressive Off-broadway resume during his time acting in New York City. Additionally, their shared experience training under the Meisner technique propelled a creative synergy from day one.

Two Brothers at Odds: An Unexpected Exchange of Fate 

As the lead, Ary Satish graced the stage as Austin, a clean cut family man that leads a traditional family and works as a screenwriter. His brother – Lee – is a thief, who lived out in the Western desert before returning to town and is prone to aggressive tendencies and alcohol abuse. Upon Austin’s return, Lee begins to weasel his way into his brother’s affairs, acquainting himself with the producer of Austin’s screenplay and sealing a deal with him for a new project that will replace Austin’s, leading to them to cut Austin’s dreams as a screenwriter short.

Throughout the play, Satish demonstrates Austin’s reckless abandonment of his values, family, and personal commitments, metamorphosing into Lee’s sinister, unhinged, and chaotic demeanor as he gradually seeps further into drunkenness. As Austin falls further into the pit of his drinking habit, the play showcases Satish’s physical discipline, as he navigates the immense difficulty of portraying external gradual collapse of his character while internally maintaining strict focus to ensure that Austin’s character arc development happens effortlessly. As Austin’s tumultuous character development exchanged sorrow and lighthearted humor, Satish cultivated a magnetic back and forth rapport with an audience that connected with the character’s sentiments, sharing his highs and lows with the laughter and tears of the viewer. Each night required an abundance of focus and mental tenacity, as performing in back-to-back same day shows is both a physically and mentally demanding task. Throughout the process of True West, Satish’s commitment to his craft and his physical and mental tenacity stood the test of leading a stellar show and giving the audience and his peers professionalism at its best.  

From Mumbai to the Wild West: An Actor’s Journey Between Identities

For Satish, playing Austin in True West was the perfect casting for the actor’s multicultural background. Having been raised in various cities within the United States and India throughout his childhood, balancing two identities was no difficult task. Satish’s background provided immense value in helping make a story written for Americans, by an American, with American themes, more connectable to an Indian audience by leaning into themes of family conflict and rivalry present in the play, making it more digestible. After contributing to the show with insight that very few other actors in India could provide, True West sold out in multiple venues across Mumbai.

A High Roller Treads India’s Theater Scene

Satish wields an immense range of expertise under his belt, and consistently showcases impressive discipline with his approach and commitment to his characters. The play drew attention from top Indian  publications, such as The Mumbai Theatre Guide, Book My Show, Kashmir Crown, The CEO Magazine, and Jaipur Times. As a result of the show’s commercial success, ticket prices are expected to skyrocket to meet demand for requested reruns of the show in Mumbai, and Dafney Productions is set to prepare for a national tour of the show across other big cities in India, such as Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore and more.