A Los Altos fourth grader is performing in the world premiere of a new musical, cast alongside professional actors under the direction of Tony-Award winning Rachel Chavkin. 

Sharaada Karthik plays supporting character Yashvi in the production “The Lunch Box,” running through June 28 at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. 

The musical is an adaptation of Ritesh Batra’s 2013 film of the same name. Set in Mumbai, India, the romantic comedy involves a mix-up of lunch boxes. Sharaada’s character is the daughter of the main character, Ila.

“She’s a little bit like me,” Sharaada said of her character. “She’s pretty bubbly, she loves school… she’s just a little side character that shows up a little bit. Her mom is pretty sad…so Yashvi just makes her life better. And they end up running to a place called Bhutan.”

Sharaada sings a few bars of a solo in the song “Bhutan.” To prepare for this, she and Caryna Desai Shah – with whom she shares the role of Yashvi – underwent vocal training with vocal coach Akshara Sundar.  Sharaada said they also learned some dancing for the role. 

However, Sharaada already had experience in singing and dancing in musical theater. 

“I’ve been singing since I was like 1 year old,” Karthik said. “I started getting into productions when I was 8, because I started doing ‘Mary Poppins,’ which was this Peninsula Youth Theatre production.”

Performing in “The Lunch Box” has required more preparation, leading Sharaada to take classes online until the show closes. She also has a tutor on set.

“They’ve helped me a lot with my schoolwork and they’ve stayed with us and helped us,” said Sharaada, who plans to return to Oak Avenue Elementary School next school year.

She has also enjoyed working with the cast, many of whom are of South Asian descent.

“It’s just cool because I’m in an area where there’s a bunch of South Asian characters like me, and they’re really welcoming and fun to be around,” Sharaada said.

This sense of community has created a positive environment for Sharaada and the other child actors. 

“Everybody in the workspace is very friendly and it’s a very good environment for me,” she said. “They never leave us out or treat us like kids – they just treat us as equals. I just love acting in this show and being with everybody.”

When the show ends, Sharaada hopes to find other opportunities as an actor and said she may even get an agent.

“I do want to become an actress. I love singing naturally and dressing up as new characters and becoming them,” Sharaada said. “Age isn’t really a limit … if there’s an open casting that’s really cool, just be fearless about that. Don’t be nervous, just do it.”