Ishika Muchhal: Press Kit
Ishika Muchhal is an LA-based, Indian American theater & film actor, singer, dancer, writer, model, director, producer, & activist. She strives to use arts and advocacy to address social issues, decolonize storytelling, increase representation, and create intersectional art.
Her training includes a BFA in Acting from CalArts (Social Science minor, Lillian Disney and Flora Hollingsworth Hurschler Scholarships), classical and contemporary dance and singing, and masterclasses in directing, writing, and producing. Ishika received the California Arts Council “Individual Artist Fellow” grant for her interview series A QISSAA with Ishika: Quintessential and Inspiring Stories of South Asian Artists.
She has performed internationally, with highlights being performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Hudson Theatre, Broadwater Mainstage Theater with Theatre Movement Bazaar, CalArts Walt Disney Modular Theater, A Noise Within, and the award-winning short film The Pomegranate Tree.
Ishika’s passion for social justice translates into her work beyond performance as well. She has worked in numerous capacities in arts programming, community engagement, and political advocacy, whether it be through her fellowships, arts administration roles, political campaigns and caucuses, legislative advocacy, filmmaking, shared governance leadership roles, grassroots organizing, or fundraising.
Ishika is an avid traveler, reader, photographer, binger of movies and TV, and punster - really, puns are not a choice, they are a lifestyle!
PHOTO GALLERY
"Ishika has the talent to play a wide range of character types, i.e. dramatic, heightened, comedic, naturalistic/contemporary. [In her sonnet], Ishika did an excellent job of physical and vocal transformation. It was a powerful performance. [In Angels in America], Ishika dove right in and bravely confronted the emotional intensity of the scene. She brought passion & sincerity." ~ Chi-Wang Yang
"I saw The Fig and the Wasp last night and was floored by you. You showed grace, strength, power, emotion, range - everything that a leading woman can be. You are a force of nature. You are what the Arts need in this world." ~ B. K. Dawson
"Ishika is a young woman of exceptional talent and creativity with a commitment to shaping more just communities-- It’s truly a rare and powerful combination. I believe Ishika has gone above and beyond in her efforts to understand the world around her and artistically respond to it." ~ Dr. Elizabeth Kurien
"Ishika's performance was stellar! Cannot believe the maturity with which she emoted... We can see the uneasiness and worry in her eyes... The emotional roller-coaster ride she took us all hit straight at the heart. ~ Nirupama Singh, LA Shorts Film Festival Audience
"Ishika’s focus and commitment to the work are unparalleled. Her monologue was beautifully invested and she found real colors and range. By the final presentation of her scene, it had beautiful, painful, and subtle feeling-thought changes." ~ Marissa Chibás
"These students bring experience in a wide range of dance forms & performance to create a coherent style of movement that represents their explorations into the abstract concepts of Estés. It makes for a delightful visual experience." ~ Richard Beck, Broadway Baby
"Jhansi Ki Rani, played by Ishika Muchhal, is an Indian warrior queen. ... The effort to dismantle gender roles in Indian culture is effectively portrayed in Muchhal’s performance." ~ Jaelyn Decena, A Zoom of Ones' Own, The Cougar Chronicle
"I was deeply impressed with Ishika's artistry and the mastery of her craft. I wish I could have captured the positive energy in the auditorium that evening. What a gift she is to the world!" ~ Steve Baker