10 ON TUESDAY with Lavina Jadhwani

Happy Tuesday, all!

BroadwayWorld Chicago is bringing you 10 on Tuesday, featuring artists in and around Chicago. This week's questionnaire participant - Lavina Jadhwani!

1) Your Name: Lavina Jadhwani

2) Where Are You From? Born in Hinsdale, IL (I'm first generation American), currently based in Chicago.

3) Currently Working On? I just closed A Widow of No Importance with Rasaka Theatre Company at Victory Gardens and am currently in rehearsal for Julius Caesar with Brown Paper Box Co. running March 4 - April 3 at the Greenhouse.

4) What's your dream production? I've got a whole list here: http://lavinajadhwani.tumblr.com/! Right now at the top of that list would be Guards at the Taj with Behzad Dabu or Vanya with Mike Thornton in the title role. Also, I saw Telly Leung play Bobby in Company at Carnegie Mellon when I was 18 and it was everything. I'd love to work with him on that role again, now that we're both older and wiser.

5) Favorite post-performance haunt? Honestly? The Oakwood. I used to live right across the street from there, and because it's a 4 am bar, it's always dead before 2. The drinks are cheap and you can eat a pint of Ben & Jerry's in there if you're having a particularly rough day (not that I've ever done that). I love a good dive bar!

6) Living or dead, who would you drop everything to see perform? I've never seen Lea Salonga perform live, but I caught a snippet of her singing "A Little Fall of Rain" during a PBS broadcast of Les Mis when I was very young and was instantly hooked. I didn't realize/consider the implications of the fact that she was the first Asian actress to step into that role, I just knew that she rocked! Now that I'm older, non-traditional and color-conscious casting is something that I am passionate about, and I wonder if the seeds of that passion were planted by her performance.

7) Who's your biggest inspiration? My parents. My dad is a super smart, innovative businessman who loves creating opportunities for other people in general and minorities in specific. My mom is the kindest and most patient person I know. I channel them both in the rehearsal room.

8) Describe the Chicago community in three words. Scrappy, generous, unapologetic.

9) Fill in the blank: "If I could change one thing about theatre in Chicago, it would be .... we have to pay our artists more. Have to, have to, have to. Right now I'm struggling with the fact that I make more money/have access to greater resources when I work out of town than on most of my local projects. It might mean that we have to take on fewer projects for a while, but I think it'd be worth it in order to provide more of our artists with financially viable careers."

10) Fill in the blank: "The thing I'd never change about theatre in Chicago is ... our generosity. We support each other's work, rally together in times of need, hold doors open for others whenever we can. I'm proud to call this city my artistic home."

Have a Chicago actor, dancer, choreographer, or director you'd like to see featured on 10 on Tuesday? Let us know!

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