Photo Flash: Rasaka Theatre Company's 'culture/clash'

The production will include: "Instant Recall" by Anita Chandwaney: Madhu can't seem to recall why she asked Nigel to meet her at the café-or can she?

"Night Shift" by Angeli Primlani: A young girl and an older woman face danger and each other in the middle of the night in a motel lobby on a quiet North Carolina highway.

"Midnite's Vultures" by Pushkar Sharma: Two Indian-American poets in their twenties confront the paradoxes of their identity when asked what it means to be an Indian in America.

This unique evening of plays is the result of a weekend playwriting workshop in August of 2008 for South Asian theatre artists, the brainchild of Rasaka's founding Executive Director Anita Chandwaney, in response to the challenge of finding plays written by or about South Asians or South Asian Americans. Ms. Chandwaney recalled an inspiring workshop she had participated in at Chicago Dramatists, and enlisted the same teacher, playwright Will Dunne, to lead the Rasaka weekend.

Continuing the development of the new works created that weekend, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs offered space for workshops and staged readings, which directly led to the selection of the three plays in "culture/clash", based on feedback from theatre professionals.

"The title 'culture/clash' was chosen because each of the three plays features South Asian protagonists interacting with people from different backgrounds (British, Southern and American Indian)," reports director Lavina Jadhwani. "From these interactions, the characters learn something about another culture while simultaneously re-examining their own heritage." Ms. Jadhwani, a first generation American herself, has found a passion in directing the stories of South and East Asians, including Yoni Ki Baat (Rasaka Theatre Company/Premiere Theatre & Performance), Ching Chong Chinaman (Silk Road Theatre Project), Gandhi Marg (Chicago Dramatists), Desi Women and the Diaspora (Remy Bumppo/Rasaka).

This production is sponsored by the Kiran Bavikatte Memorial Foundation.

At the Strawdog Theatre, 3829 N. Broadway St., Chicago, IL 60613. Opens Saturday, August 15, 8 P.M. (reception following). Runs Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 P.M., Sundays at 3 P.M. Closes September 6, 2009. Performance Time is approx. 75 minutes. For tickets, call 312-777-1070 or visit www.strawdog.org. $20 for regular tickets, $12 Student/Senior/Industry (Thurs & Sun only), visit www.strawdog.org with credit cards -or- use cash/check/credit card at the door.

Photo courtesy of Tom McGrath, TCMcG Photography