Lavina Jadhwani is a Chicago-based director, adaptor, and activist. She gravitates towards heightened language texts from Eastern and Western canons. In 2019, she became the first woman of color to direct Shakespeare at the Guthrie Theater. Other directing credits include Asolo Rep, the Gift Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, PlayMakers Rep, the Rep of St. Louis, the Neo-Futurists, Mixed Blood, Teatro Vista, and Silk Road Rising.
Lavina’s training as a director includes a well rounded education (BFA in Scenic Design and MA in Arts Management — Carnegie Mellon School of Drama; MFA in Directing — The Theatre School at DePaul University), numerous prestigious fellowships (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, O’Neill/NNPN, the Drama League, Old Globe), and over two decades of professional experience. She has guest directed at many academic institutions, including Loyola University, Roosevelt University, and both of her alma maters.
Lavina has a passion for directing Asian American work, being the child of Indian (Sindhi) immigrants and the former artistic director of Rasaka Theatre Company (the Midwest’s first South Asian American ensemble).
Lavina serves on the board of the National New Play Network and the Chicago Inclusion Project. Her practice is based on the traditional territory of the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi peoples, colonially known as Chicago.
