Arts & Culture

UK Alumna Cast in New Netflix Series ‘She-Ra’

Trailer for "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power."

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 16, 2018)  University of Kentucky Opera Theatre alumna Reshma Shetty continues her successful acting career voicing a character in the new animated series "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power," which debuted Tuesday, Nov. 13, on Netflix.

The Netflix original series brings a fresh take on the 1980s classic "She-Ra: Princess of Power" to the small screen. The series follows Princess Adora, voiced by Aimee Carrero, as she finds a magic sword and her identity as legendary hero, She-Ra. She joins the Rebellion and leads a group of freedom fighters to battle her former allies and save Etheria, her homeland. Shetty voices the role of Queen Angella.

Noelle Stevenson, creator of the series, brought the classic into the 21st century with inclusive characters and cast. ″One of the first things we wanted to do was make the characters different sizes, shapes and ethnicities,″ Stevenson said in the Columbus Dispatch. The voice cast, which includes Karen Fukuhara (″Suicide Squad″), Reshma Shetty (″Royal Pains″), Vella Lovell (″Crazy Ex-Girlfriend″), and, in a guest spot, Sandra Oh (″Killing Eve″), is as diverse as the characters they play.

Shetty holds a bachelor's degree from James Madison University, a master's degree in music from UK, and an artist diploma from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.

Upon graduation from the conservatory, Shetty nabbed the lead role of Priya in A.R. Rahman and Andrew Lloyd Webber's first national tour of "Bombay Dreams" and was asked to appear as Ayah in Broadway's World AIDS day benefit "The Secret Garden." Additional theatre credits for Shetty includes roles and readings with the Contemporary American Theatre Festival, the New Dramatists and the Lark Theatre Company.

Shetty has starred in two other series, “Royal Pains” and “Pure Genius.” In “Royal Pains,” she portrayed Divya Katdare, Dr. Hank Lawson's physician assistant. She continued using her “medical skills” in “Pure Genius” as Dr. Talaikha Channarayapatra, a neurosurgeon at Bunker Hill Hospital. Shetty has also appeared on NBC's "30 Rock" and CBS's "CSI: Miami." In 2008, she made her big screen debut opposite Ally Sheedy and Ruby Dee in "Steam."

UK Opera Theatre is part of the School of Music at the UK College of Fine Arts. The school, currently celebrating its 100th anniversary, has garnered a national reputation for high-caliber education in opera, choral and instrumental music performance, as well as music education, music therapy, composition, and theory and music history.

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photo of promo materials for "She-Ra"
photo of Reshma Shetty