Renu’s Work
Renu Arora is an award-winning disabled artist (actor, singer and writer) and public figure of South Asian heritage, with a body of work spanning 20 years.
Liferaft Into Tomorrow
Released as a single on World Trauma Day, this song is a reflection on the power of music.
The Burgundy Book
A concept album inspired by a life-changing accident and near-death experience (NDE). Told through a personal lens, and using original music, song and spoken word, it asks big questions about how to navigate the before and after.
Creative Team: Renu Arora (writer, songwriter, performer), Erica Whyman (director), Marc Teitler (music consultant), Sita Brahmachari (dramaturg), Pete Dennis (sound design) and Sofya Romanova (orchestrator). Produced by George Soave.
Funded by Arts Council England and Help Musicians. Supported by The Kiln, The Riverside Studios, The Space, Disability Arts Online (DAO) and Graeae.
The Magician’s Elephant, RSC
Renu performed the role of Madame LaVaughn in The Magician’s Elephant at Royal Shakespeare Company. The inaugural post-pandemic production for RSC marked Renu’s return to the stage - now as a disabled artist. This production received critical acclaim, ending its run in January 2022.
“Renu Arora’s Madame [LaVaughn] is the high point of the production.”
- Susannah Clapp, The Guardian
2020 Pandemic Trilogy, commissioned by BBC Radio
In 2020, Renu was commissioned by BBC Sounds and BBC Essex to create a trilogy of pieces. These pieces ask, how does the anniversary of a life-changing accident sit within the landscape of these changing times? And at its heart, what is isolation?
First broadcast on BBC Sounds in April 2020, then again in October 2020 for World Trauma Day. Written and performed by Renu Arora
Women of Hope
Inspired by testimonies of women who have transcended domestic violence, Women of Hope was a pioneering piece of verbatim music theatre that explored the women’s incredible journeys.
Written and directed by Renu Arora
Music composed by Amal Lad, Richard Norris and Renu Arora
In association with Amnesty International, Latin American Women’s Aid and Asha Charity. An original Tamasha commission. Supported by Arts Council England.
The Crossing
Co-created with Tamasha. Awarded the London Hub’s Mosaic Bursary.
Renu worked as Co-Creator, Composer and Director on The Crossing. Renu also performed and recorded compositions to feature in the show. The Crossing was a verbatim and devised theatre piece around the Partition of India and Vietnam War.
From Running Water
A collaboration with Bristol Old Vic and Propolis Theatre
Renu was part of the team as an actor. From Running Water is a verbatim theatre piece based on women’s experiences of Domestic Violence and Abuse. To create the show, the company used and responded to recorded verbatim material on women’s experiences of DVA collated for healthtalk.org.
Photos by Chelsey Cliff
Whose Sari Now?
Theatre Royal Stratford East, Leicester Curve Theatre, National Tour
On this production, Renu worked as a composer, singer and recorded artist. Whose Sari Now? by Rani Moorthy of Rasa Productions is a moving, funny and emotionally charged show. It unpacks the history of the most iconic piece of Indian clothing but with a contemporary punch - from Ebay to war zones.
“heartwarming, uplifting, inviting, lovely.”
- Gillian Greer, Exeunt Magazine
Photos by Scott Rylander