Hunting with the Wolf!

A few months ago I shot a web commercial that I was sworn to secrecy about which has finally dropped online.  So now I can tell the world that I got to shoot a scene with CHRISTIAN SLATER!

I had such fun shooting this short film in Miami.  Aside from the fact that it was 10 degrees in New York and 80 in Miami, it was great to be on set with an away winning director, Lance Acord, and the whole team.  I also think the film came out really great, especially in light of recent events.  It's hard to tell whether art is imitating life or the other way around.

I hope you enjoy!

New Year! New Show!

Happy New Year!  In 2017 I'm thrilled to join the cast of Adam Szymkowicz' "Marion, or the True Tale of Robin Hood" produced by Flux Theatre Ensemble for so many reasons.  First off, I'm happy to be working with Flux, one of my very favorite theater companies here in New York.  Next, since it was an Adam Szymkowicz play that first introduced me to Flux, it feels right to make my Flux acting debut with one of his plays.  Also, I've been cast as the slutty "Lady Shirley" which marks the first time I have been cast as a sexually manipulative woman which turns out to be great fun!  And finally, in this time of political upheaval, especially around women's and LGBTQ issues, it feels especially empowering to work on a play that celebrates underrepresented communities with humor and joy.

Previews begin on Saturday night, and our short run ends on February 11th.  Click here to reserve tickets now!  One of the many reasons that I love Flux is their commitment to creating accessible theater, and you may notice on the link that you do not have to pay any money to reserve tickets.  Donations are always welcome, and Flux also provides a full accounting of their budgets so that you can see how your ticket donation effects what you see on stage.  I love this Living Ticket initiative and hope that many of you will be able to take advantage of this link to learn more about a fantastic theater company.

See you at the theater!

Brooklyn Generator Generates a New Play!

A few months ago, a fellow playwright and champion, Bixby Elliot, invited me to join a writing group that he heads with another lovely playwright, Erin Mallon, called the Brooklyn Generator.  The premise of the group is that they gather 6 playwrights in a season to each write a play in one month, thus the name "Generator."  While we have yet to meet in Brooklyn, the name seems right since having said yes, I am now desperately writing a new play that will get a reading on Sunday.

Because of the timing of a few other projects, the reality of the situation is that I will have written a play in three weeks.  So ha!  I'm lucky because I have a terrific cast of actors and a wonderful director supporting this creative process.  May Adrales directs the fantastic and funny Cindy Cheung, Sanjiv Jhaveri, Annie McNamara, Jeffrey Omura, CJ Wilson, and Shaun Bennet Fauntleroy.

If you want to hear what a true first draft sounds like, come on out on Sunday and have a listen.  Admission is free, although having a drink at the bar is encouraged!

New Play Reading!

After taking some time to regroup from the Off-Broadway production of "Washer/Dryer," I am pleased to say that I have a new play in the works that will be read as part of Ma-Yi Writers' Lab Summer LabFest this Saturday, June 11th at 7pm.  This new play "Satisfaction" explores the desires of four straight New York women as they try to navigate "having it all."  I'm so happy to have a very talented cast breathing first life into my latest work.  Jen Wineman directs Mahira Kakkar, Siho Ellsmore, Yeauxlanda Kay, Carmen Zilles, and Daniel Velasco.  Admission is free, and reservations may be made by clicking here.

Hope to see you there!

Interviews with the Playwright

Washer/Dryer is open, and we are having a blast!  It has been an incredible joy to play the leading role in a play that I wrote from my heart and worked on for more than three years.  We have 10 days left of our run, and I intend to savor every last moment of it.

Opening Night was especially fun, and there are some cute photos posted on Broadway World capturing the evening!  Check them out!

I don't read reviews while I am in performance, but I have read some lovely interviews that have been published in recent days. 

www.bykennethjones.com

www.stagebuddy.com

www.tdf.org

All of them touch on my feelings about diversity in theater and hopefully will inspire more folks to come out and support a play that shows New York as it really is, instead of a white-washed fantasy!

For "Friend of Nandita" discount tickets to Washer/Dryer, click here!

WASHER/DRYER Opening Night!

Opening Night is upon us!  After a week of packed houses in previews, not to mention a blizzard during tech, I am about to open my first Off-Broadway show which I wrote and in which I star.  I am over the moon with delight on arriving at this point in my journey.  Three years after first writing it, WASHER/DRYER has finally arrived in New York where it seemed always to belong.

I'm also so happy to be starring in it!  I started writing out of frustration with the types of roles that I was considered for, and so it is with tremendous joy that I finally play a role that I wrote - that of an Indian American woman with an American accent, a healthy sex drive, and an over-riding love for the trophy of her hard work, her washer-dryer. 

I am so proud of what I have created, not just for the experience it has been for me, but for the opportunity to create an ensemble with actors who are so often marginalized.  Almost every single man who auditioned for the role of Michael mentioned how rare it was to be seen as a romantic lead as an Asian male actor.  I'm proud that I get a chance to put a different image of Asian Americans out into the world.

The show runs until February 20th at the Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row.  For tickets, please click here for the special Friend of Nandita discount.

Casting Announced for "Washer/Dryer"

I'm thrilled to announce the casting for the Off-Broadway production of "Washer/Dryer."  Benjamin Kamine will direct our seasoned cast.  Johnny Wu will play Michael, Jade Wu his mother Dr. Lee, Annie McNamara the uptight Board President Wendee, and Jamyl Dobson Sonya's best friend Sam.  Most exciting (at least to me) is that I will be playing the role of Sonya, the woman who refuses to give up her washer/dryer for her new husband.  After two productions, I am excited to step into this role.  My writing sprung from frustration with the types of roles that I auditioned for, and so it is especially meaningful to play this strong South Asian American woman.

You can read more about the whole team on BroadwayWorld.  Rehearsals start on December 28th!

Tickets to "Washer/Dryer" at the Beckett Theatre are $25 until Christmas Day.  Previews begin January 26th.  Opening Night is February 2nd, and the show closes on February 21st.  Click here for tickets and showtimes.

Tickets on Sale Now for WASHER/DRYER!

It's true!  Tickets to the Off-Broadway run of "Washer/Dryer" at Theatre Row's Beckett Theater have gone on sale.  From now until Thanksgiving, tickets are discounted by 40%.  They are only $20 until Black Friday.  Click here to purchase earlybird tickets.

Even as tickets are selling, my director Benjamin Kamine and I are hard at work with casting and assembling our team.  I hope to have more news on this front soon.  Stay tuned!

WASHER/DRYER slated for an Off-Broadway run this winter

I'm thrilled to announce that Ma-Yi Theater, home of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab, will be producing "Washer/Dryer" as the opening show in its 2016 season.  Having written this play in the Lab and developing it there over the last three years makes this production feel like a homecoming.  I am delighted to join the ranks of Off-Broadway playwrights, especially during a theatrical season when diversity is very much a hot topic.  I have always felt that the New York that I live in has not been adequately represented on its stages, and it is both an honor and a privilege to have a chance to make a dent in that omission. 

Benjamin Kamine will direct the New York premier at the Beckett Theater on Theater Row. 

For more information on the upcoming Ma-Yi season, click here.

Tickets go on sale on November 1st.

WASHER/DRYER Arrives in Chicago

The next stop for Washer/Dryer is Chicago!  Rasaka Theatre in conjunction with a residency at Victory Gardens is producing the next iteration of my play.  I can hardly believe that I have a second production of this play so soon after its World Premier in LA!

The cast has already begun rehearsals.  I was lucky enough to attend the first four days of table work to offer insights and answer questions.  It was great to hear another group of actors interpret my words and play with each other.  I am always in awe of how each cast can make a play its own.  Theater is a collaborative process, and each production is unique because of the contributions that each collaborator brings to the work.  I can't wait to see what this team creates together next month!

Performances begin on September 17th with Opening Night on the 19th, and the run concludes on October 11th.  Tickets can be purchased through the Victory Gardens' website.

Previews about to start at East West Players

Previews for "Washer/Dryer" start this Thursday, February 12th at East West Players, and I am so excited to see the play with an audience!  The past four weeks have been glorious, working with a fabulous director, Peter J. Kuo, and a delightful cast to make the play sing.  After a long but productive tech weekend with our design team, the show is finally ready to be seen!

I'm proud of this play because it represents an aspect of New York that is rarely displayed in the mainstream - the very rich diversity of cultures and opinions that exist in every day American life.  I'm thrilled to showcase Asian American actors in roles that allow them to be funny and sexy.  The world of the play looks like the world that I inhabit, and I am so grateful to have it produced by a respected and historic theater as part of their 50th Anniversary Season.

For tickets or more information please go to http://eastwestplayers.org/on-the-stage/washerdryer/

See you at the theater!