Help Fund “The Sitayana” Off-Off Broadway!!

Who are we?

We are Waves of Love.

Waves of Love is a new theatre collective that aims to produce deeply human work that is accessible, diverse, and heartfelt. In a world where commercial theater is saturated with retellings or revivals that often offer a more traditional perspective, Waves of Love aims to produce work that turns history on its head and asks the audience to see stories from different points of view. Our inaugural production, The Sitayana, (or “How to Make an Exit) is a perfect example of this, as it takes a traditional story and flips the narrative to Sita’s perspective.

We were awarded a grant from the New York Foundation of the Arts NYC Women’s Fund, and we were selected to be a Core Production at an off-off Broadway theater in Midtown West. So, in order to present the most unforgettable show of our dreams, we need your help producing this thing.

What is this play about?

A young princess, Sita, prepares for her impending nuptials. A young man, Ram, passes Sita's father's test and wins her hand in marriage. She follows him to his kingdom in Ayodhya, but soon after they arrive, he is banished to the forest for fourteen years. She refuses to abandon her husband, so she follows him into the forest, only to be captured by a demon, Ravan. After she is rescued by her husband, she is forced to undergo a test to prove that she was faithful to him during her capture. And even after she proves her purity, she is yet again banished to the forest - this time pregnant and alone. Eventually, she is reunited with her husband, but she realizes she has no desire for this partnership. She chooses to move on by herself, and plunges into the earth from whence she came.

Where do the funds go?

Because we are committed to compensating our artists equitably, a large portion of our grant is being used to pay our creative and producing team. Therefore, we need your help to defray some of the costs of our other needs, such as production costs (set pieces, costumes, props. etc) and marketing.

Production - $4,300

- This covers production and design costs for our show. This budget will give designers the funds to bring their visions to life and make our visual and aural storytelling as clear as possible.

Marketing- $20,450

- Bringing the New York theater community to our show is important to us, but we also want to ensure that our show reaches the greater South Asian community in New York and the Tri-State area. Our amazing marketing firm, Cause Lab, has outlined a proposal for us that would ensure that the populations of these communities not only know about our show, but understand our passion and reason for this project.

Why is this production so important?

This play is an adaptation of the hindu epic, The Ramayana, from Ram's wife, Sita's perspective, with all 12 characters portrayed by one actor. The Ramayana is one of the most important and ubiquitous literary works in South Asian and Hindu culture, traditionally shared with children on Hindu holidays to teach loyalty and goodness. There has yet to be conversations unpacking the misogyny and sexism in this text and in South Asian culture at large, and so our play makes space to start these discussions as our story gives voice to, and reclaims the power and humanity of Sita, the Hindu demi-god deemed as The Ideal Woman.

This play, which is written, directed, and performed by women, aims to bring an intersectional and female audience to the theater - specifically South Asian women. South Asian women are brought up in a culture that undervalues them, and this play challenges that standard by giving voice to a heroine that previously was a victim to patriarchal storytelling. From Sita’s perspective, the inequities in her marriage are laid bare. It gives South Asian women a space to grieve with Sita, to be frustrated alongside her, and to release their own ideas of “compromise” and what an “ideal” woman looks like.

Team Bios:

Lavina Jadhwani (Playwright) is a Chicago-based director, adaptor, and activist. She gravitates towards heightened language texts from Eastern and Western canons. Her adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol premiered at the Guthrie in Minneapolis in 2021 and will remain on the boards for years to come. Other plays include Shakuntala (Goodman Theatre — FutureLabs), The Secret Garden (Cunningham Commission, The Theatre School at DePaul University), and The Sitayana (EastWest Players/EnActe Arts/Hypokrit Productions). She also has translations of four Chekhov plays (Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters, and The Seagull) available. Her critical writing has been featured on HowlRound and Rescripted and is regularly circulated in classrooms across the country. Learn more atlavinajadhwani.com

Kendra Jain (Sita, Waves of Love Founder & Co-Producer) - Kendra has appeared off-broadway in A Room of My Own (Abingdon Theatre Company) and Facebook Me: The Play (DR2). Regionally, Kendra was last seen in Particularly in the Heartland as part of the Berkshire Fringe Festival at The Foundry. Kendra was a series regular on the TV pilots “Downwardly Mobile” (NBC) and “Funny in Farsi” (ABC). She can also be seen in “Over/Under” (USA), "Law and Order: SVU" (NBC), and “Lies in Plain sight" (LMN). On film, Kendra has appeared in On the Wing, Our Boys, and New Year’s Eve. Upcoming: Shopping Towards Bethlehem (short). Biggest thank you to Ellen and Rachel for supporting me for over fifteen years. Training: Boston University School of Theatre- BFA Acting, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts- Classical Acting Certificate, Kristin Linklater Voice Centre. Kendra is thrilled to be joining the Graduate Acting Class of 2026 at New York University in the fall, and she is also a proud Linklater Teacher Trainee.

Sarah Shin (Co-Producer/Director) is a Schwenksville-raised, Boston-trained, Brooklyn-based Queer Korean American director theatre artist that believes theatre to be a celebration of life and its infinite and abundant possibilities. Recent Directing Credits: The Cradle Will Rock (Concord Academy), Manuka (Youngbloods @ Ensemble Studio Theatre). Upcoming: The Chinese Lady (Central Square Theater, Boston Premiere). Associate/Assistant Credits: Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare & Company), The (Diana) Oh Family Concert (Zanni Productions/PBS All Arts), Endlings (NYTW), Moby Dick (ART), Twelfth Night (Catskill Mountain Shakespeare) and MY H8 Letter 2 The Gr8 American Theatre (Ma-Yi/The Public Theater). Select performing credits include The Gift Project Documentary Series & Concert (All For One Theater/Zanni Productions/PBS All Arts), Specially Processed American Me (BRICLab, Ping Chong & Co./Dixon Place/Free Rein Projects). Co-Founding Producing Director of Asian American Theatre Artists of Boston, A4 Virtual Resident Artist (2020-2021), National Queer Theatre Artistic Collective Member (2021-2022), Roundabout Directors Group Cohort 4 Member, and Sanguine Theatre Company Associate Artist! BFA Theatre Arts Boston Universitywww.sarah-shin.com IG: @shinnysarah

Bea Perez-Arche (Stage Manager) is a Cuban American Theatre Artist, originally from Miami and currently based in New York City. Her passion for storytelling has led her to pursue playwrighting, directing and stand-up comedy, while the joy she finds in production has led her to work as a stage manager. She has primarily worked at The Public Theater on the New York Shakespeare Festival, Under The Radar Theatre Festival and with the Hunts Point Children’s Alliance. She has also worked at a range of companies including, Tectonic Theater Project, Women’s Project Theater, Little Island, Chelsea Factory and Boston Playwrights Theater. She received her BFA in Theater Arts: Design & Production from Boston University. She focuses her work on creating community in the rehearsal room and currently freelances as a Stage Manager and dramaturg.

disclaimer: no raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations.