About

Lavina Jadhwani is a Chicago-based director; her primary areas of focus include developing new plays and culturally specific work. Lavina is the Artistic Director of Rasaka Theatre Company, an Associate Artist at Silk Road Theatre Project and Premiere Theatre & Performance and an Artistic Associate at Halcyon Theatre; she also serves on the Steering Committee for the South Asian Theatre Arts Movement. Her work with Rasaka includes directing and curating the Chicago premiere of Yoni Ki Baat and the world premiere of culture/clash, the nation’s first fully produced South Asian short play festival. Lavina received LMDA awards for her work on Merchant on Venice at Silk Road and Urinetown and Arcadia at Carnegie Mellon University. She has been a finalist for the Michael Maggio Directing Fellowship, the 3Arts Artist Awards and the Luce Scholars Program.

Lavina’s work has been seen at Apple Tree (The Devil’s Arithmetic, Number the Stars, Where the Red Fern Grows), Bailiwick (Kissing), Chicago Dramatists (Gandhi Marg), Remy Bumppo (thinkTank 2007 and 2008), the side project (Kiss, Yes to Everything, Before or After the Zygote), Stage Left (Foundations) and Victory Gardens (Access Project 2007 and 2008). As an assistant director, she has worked with Jeremy B. Cohen, Barbara Gaines, Frank Galati, Henry Godinez, Steve Scott and Chay Yew.

Lavina has taught classes in acting, directing, dramaturgy and production design at Northlight Theatre, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, Reizenstein Academy, Carnegie Mellon University and the National High School Institute at Northwestern University (the “Cherub” program). She is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University (BFA, Drama; Masters, Arts Management) and the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy.

Current Projects

Directing

  • Steel Magnolias, Hubris Productions at Greenhouse Theater Center, June 24-July 31
  • numbfeel, (a)Symmetry Cycle at the Viaduct Theatre, July 4-25
  • Peter Pan, Theatre-Hikes, July 24-August 29
  • Dating Walter Dante, Raven Theatre, August 23-25

Dramaturgy

  • Travels with My Aunt (dir. Stuart Carden), Writers’ Theatre, November 9-March 27, 2011