Rasaka Theatre Company, the Midwest’s first South Asian American ensemble, did a reading of Yoni Ki Baat (“talk of vagina”) in May. The piece, inspired by Eve Ensler’s “Vagina Monologues” but based more specifically on the South Asian woman’s experience, drew much larger crowds then expected. “At the reading, we were like, ‘Where did all these people come from? There must be something here,’” says director Lavina Jadhwani. All the unexpected interest inspired the creation of a full Yoni Ki Baat production which opened Sunday and runs through February 1 at Strawdog Theatre. The piece, while uniquely South Asian, is also uniquely Chicagoan. “Out of twelve monologues, six are brand new and seven are written by Chicago writers,” Jadhwani explains. “‘Yoni Ki Baat’ is a conversation starter, a brave piece,” she says. “It takes the conversation to a slightly different place.”
