Quick Facts
Biography
Raell Padamsee is an Indian theatre personality and CEO & Managing Director of ACE Productions & Numero Uno Productions. The SoBo theater veteran, is the daughter of renowned ad film maker Alyque Padamsee and late Pearl Padamsee.
Personal life
Raell grew up at Belha Terrace, which was designed like a theatre, in Mumbai, India. At a very early age of 15, she set foot in acting; at the age of 16, she directed her first production – Duet for One – and started her first production company Magnum Productions (which is now known as ACE Productions) when she was 19 years of age. She completed her graduation from H.R. College of Commerce and Economics.
Career
Adult Theatre
Till date, Raell has directed and produced more than 25 adult plays.
| Name of the play | Written by | Raell's role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duet for One | Tom Kempinski | Producer | 1985 |
| Measures Taken | Brecht | Producer | 1987 |
| Antigone | Jean Annouilh | Producer | 1987 |
| Interpreters | Ronald Harwood | Director and producer | 1988–89 |
| Extremeties | William Mastrosimone | Director and producer | 1989 |
| Miss Julie August | Strindberg | Producer | 1990 |
| Godspell 1 | Jean Michel Tebelak | Producer | 1991 |
| Les LiasonsDangeureuse | Christopher Hampton | Producer | 1991–92 |
| Tara | Mahesh Dattani | Producer | 1991 |
| Rumors | Neil Simon | Director and producer | 1991–92 |
| Acts of Faith | Marilyn Felt | Producer | 1997–98 |
| Betrayal | Harold Pinter | Producer | 1999 |
| Hello! I Love You | James Saunders | Director and producer | 1999 |
| The Lover | Harold Pinter | Director and producer | 1999 |
| Laughing Wild | Christopher Durang | Producer | 2001 |
| Macbeth | William Shakespeare | Producer | 2006 |
| Murder on the menu | Adaptation | Producer | 2008 |
| Noises off | Michael Frayn | Producer | 2008 |
| Freedom | Kamala Ramchandani and Raell Padamsee | Writer and producer | 2009 |
| Broken Images | Girish Karnad | Producer | 2009 |
| The Game | Adapted by Bacchi Karkaria | Producer | 2010 |
| The Sound of Music | Rodgers & Hammerstein | Producer | 2011 |
| Grease-The Musical | Jacobs & Casey | Producer | 2013 |
| Unfaithfully Yours | Adapted by Anita Sarkar | Director and producer | 2014–present |
| Jesus Christ Superstar | Andrew Lloyd Webber | Producer | 2014–15 |
| Mahatma – Come find the Gandhi in You | Krishna Thakkar | Director and producer | 2015 |
| Knock Knock Who's There | Krishna Thakkar | Producer | 2016 |
Child Theatre and Workshops
Apart from adult theatre, Raell has directed and produced several successful children's plays. In 2015, through her spectacular mega musical production – Mahatma, they paid a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. The musical involved 300 children from mainstream schools as well as from schools run by eight different NGOs.
Raell started theatre workshops for kids as an alternative to The Trinity College London. Her workshops focus on making theatre come alive for the Indian kids. She has developed ACE (ACADEMY for CREATIVE EXPRESSION) speech and drama course which works on personality enhancement and gives children the opportunity to perform on stage from the age of four. They then go on to be a part of the ACE Talent Academy, where she gives them the opportunity to showcase their talent through cinema, theatre and television. One of the kids, Tanay Chheda, from the ACE Academy was casted in Oscar-winning movie – Slumdog Millionaire. She is currently running her speech and drama workshops at 40 centers all over Mumbai.
Raell is also the managing trustee of the Create Foundation, that believes in integrating children from different backgrounds & providing them a common platform.
The Edge Academy
Raell Padamsee has also started The Edge Academy. The theatre director felt the need for improvisation in soft skills and presentation skills possessed by several corporate honchos she interacted with. The certified courses at the Academy are tailored to meet all different levels of management, including the hospitality industry, BPOs, businesses etc. who want to improve their own image or that of their company. The faculty of the academy includes Alyque Padamsee and Sabira Merchant.
Numero Uno Productions
Apart from ACE and The Edge Academy, Raell Padamsee also owns Numero Uno Productions Pvt Ltd. This company focuses on bringing International talent to India. The production company recently brought supernatural entertainer Lior Suchard to India, where he wowed the Mumbai audiences with his abilities.