Orange is the story of an adventure through Orange County, told from the perspective of Leela, an Indian girl on the autism spectrum, like Kapil's daughter. The plot begins with Leela's cousin eloping with her boyfriend. The couple leaves a family wedding and decides to take Leela along. The play features illustrations as the narrator sketches life’s most important moments in her journal. Kapil intended the play to address multiple audiences, including those with autism and the Indian-American community. The CrossRoads Commissioning Project helped fund the development of this play. CrossRoads was launched in 2013 by the Time Warner Foundation to sponsor plays about Orange County's cultural diversity. The play was showcased in the 2015 Pacific Playwrights Festival before its debut in the 2016-2017 season at Mixed Blood and South Coast Repertory.
I found that auditions right after my previous show were too much work to show up to. I needed a break because my method of acting had impacted my life so much at the time that I had fallen into a state of depression. I found resources that helped me with my issues, and I talked to many of my friends to help me understand why I had fallen. I started showing up again during lunch in the theater and began to miss working on a show. I showed up one Saturday to help with the set and realized they needed way more help than I thought. The director at the time asked me if I wanted to act again. I had to think about my mental status and if I could handle another burden like that. My love for theater took over, and I said yes on the spot.
The process began that day; I was given the scenes I would be in and started working on my costume and makeup. The most challenging part of the process was figuring out my characters since I had to play different ensemble members in each scene. Another challenge my director threw at me was for my costume since they had come up with the concept of making the costumes a consistent color. I had to find a way to include orange in my costumes. I also had to learn about cultural clothing and its significance to the show. I researched the culture of the main character Leela and found it easier to connect to the clothing and the acting. I also pulled experiences from people of that culture from the cast, which helped me fit in with the already-created ensemble.
The easiest part of the whole process was the show nights. Since I did not have to put myself in character instead, the characters came naturally, and with the support of everyone in the cast, I was way more successful in maintaining a stable mind. However, I did have some moments where I felt overwhelmed, but I had my teachers to help with that.
What I pulled from this experience is that I can rely on people whenever I feel overwhelmed and that talking about how I feel is safe. This show drew me closer to the family more than ever, and I became part of a beautiful culture I had never known. This show really opened my eyes to possibilities and motivated me to keep growing
