Mission Statement
-Promote and help keep our culture alive
-Bring people of the sub-continent together under one roof
-Operate the theater group as a non-profit organization
-Provide a platform for artists of all ages to showcase their talent
-Provide affordable and wholesome entertainment for the entire family
About Us
Our Story
Hamid Daudani & Group has kept the Southeast Asian culture alive through its theatrical productions for for over three decades now. The Group was founded in 1991 by a few enthusiastic artists as a not-for-profit organization to serve the San Diego community, and that remains the goal for the years to come.
The group was founded by a core group of artists like Hamid Daudani, Nipul Shah, and Tushar Shah in 1991. Laila Daudani, Anita Daudani Bhakta Yamini Patel and Nadira Javaid became the backbone of the group right from the beginning and stayed committed for all these years. There were a few other artists like Bharat Shah, Alka Shah, Manoj Maniar, Sonal Sheth, Yogini Shah, etc. who contributed heavily to this new adventure for a number of years. They could not devote their time consistently due to other commitments. Some other members like Kamla Singh, Dolly Bakshai, Sameera Khan, etc. joined in and stayed with the group for a considerable length of time and moved away due to some personal reasons. Thankfully they were replaced by Mamta Malhotra, Zainab Ansari, Anuradha Atri, etc.
One of our founding members, Nipul Shah passed away in July 2017. Year after year, he was taking charge of set design, set construction and the technical aspects of production. Each year, Nipul and Hamid would meet and agree upon a basic blueprint of the plan and then Nipul would take ownership of the technical project and convert dreams into reality.
Laila Daudani, also one of the founding members of our group passed away in June 2018. This totally committed artist coordinated productions of all the plays and performed a variety of production tasks year after year.
We all miss them both immensely. They will always remain in our memories.
The group has earned a tremendous amount of respect from the local community and boasts of over sixty percent of repeat audience, year after year. It has also been praised for showcasing stories that appeal to a diverse audience. Wholesome entertainment for the entire family, quality productions, first class venues, timely presentations, and minute attention to all details have become trademarks for this art forum. The group commands the highest attendance in paid performances and has become an institution and a tradition in San Diego. So far close to 1000 artists have participated in Group’s productions.
Meet the Team
YAMINI PATEL
STAGE MANAGER
Yamini has been with the Group since its inception, year after year meticulously managing stage and taking care of set changes during the play. It is her responsibility that each artist is well prepared before each scene with his/her set of props
LAILA DAUDANI
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Laila Daudani, one of the founding members and backbone of our group since its inception, passed away in June 2018. This totally committed artist coordinated productions of all the plays and performed a variety of production tasks year after year.
She will always remain in our memories as our brightest star. We all miss her immensely.
MAMTA MALHOTRA
COSTUME DESIGNER
Mamta has been our costume consultant for over 12 years now. Our audience has often remarked on how close to real life our characters look, and all that has been made possible by Mamta’s connoisseurship
SAMEERA KHAN
STAGE MANAGER
Sameera joined the group eight years ago. She works hand in hand with Yamini and provied seamless services behind the stage.
ZAINAB ANSARI
MAKEUP ARTIST
Zainab, a professional beautician has been our makeup artist for over 5 years now
YOGINI SHAH
ACTOR, PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Yogini has provided 10 years of service in various areas of production. She has supported our group as a fine artist and choreographer.
ALKA SHAH
CHOREOGRAPHER
Alka has choreographed dances for the plays for over 10 years. With the shortage of time and her other commitments, she has not been able to contribute for the last few years
NADIRA JAVAID
MARKETING MANAGER
Nadira has been with the group right from the start. She manages promoting our plays and ticket sales.
DOLLY BAKSHAI
MAKE-UP ARTIST
Dolly provided 11 years of invaluable makeup services for our plays. She reluctantly resigned in 2010 because of personal reasons
ANITA DAUDANI BHAKTA
PROGRAM BOOKLET EDITOR
Anita has designed most of the Annual Play booklets, which have remained the best memories of the play for the artists and the audience
BHARAT SHAH
LIGHTING ENGINEER
Bharat Shah has been taking care of the Lights department off and on for over 13 years now. He is always there to contribute when in town and available.
TUSHAR SHAH
FOUNDING MEMBER/ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Tushar Shah, the third founding member and an excellent artist, has acted in a number of plays. He has also performed the role of Assistant Producer/Director and has supported a few other aspects of production.
NIPUL SHAH
FOUNDING MEMBER, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Nipul Shah, one of our founding members , passed away in July 2017. He was totally committed to our group and contributed tremendous amount of technical expertise. He created a variety of amazing sets every year and used technology to its fullest.
We all miss him immensely . He will always remain in our memories
HAMID DAUDANI
FOUNDING MEMBER, WRITER, DIRECTOR
Hamid has been writing, producing and directing plays throughout the years, as well as supporting all aspects of production. He has also acted in some of the plays and steered the group to maintain the highest quality of standards in presentation.