UNIQUE ONE-WOMAN PERFORMANCE NBC Chicago Fire actress, Minita Gandhi, a proud member of the Chicago fine arts community, will perform her one-woman show, Muthaland, at Benedictine University on Thursday, November 15 from 7-9 p.m. at the Goodwin Auditorium, 5700 College Road, Lisle, IL 60532.
Free and open to the public, Muthaland takes audiences on an epic coming-of-age journey of a first-generation Indian-American woman who is forever changed on a trip to India during which she unearths family secrets, encounters a prophet, is the victim of an assault, and ultimately discovers her voice within a culture of silence.
A dark comedy about identity, spirituality, and sexuality, Gandhi’s stunning one-woman performance is filled with laughter and tears and has garnered impressive reviews by the Chicago Tribune, NBC News, The Atlantic and Chicago-Splash Magazine since opening last year.
Scheduled as part of the University’s International Education Week, a national initiative created by the Department of Education to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide points of view that prepare Americans for global environments, Gandhi’s 90-minute performance will be followed by a 30-minute “talk back” with the audience.
Born in Mumbai, India, Gandhi was raised in San Francisco but calls Chicago her artistic home. As an actress, fans know of her from roles on Chicago Fire, Fox’s hit show Empire, NBC’s Crisis, ABC’s Betrayal and Fox’s The Chicago Code. In addition, she has worked as an anchor on The Onion’s News Network and performed at the Berkeley Repertory Theater, The Arena Stage, Milwaukee Repertory Theater and the Lookingglass.
Gandhi is a master instructor for the Chicago-based Pinnacle Performance Company, where she has developed a Women’s Leadership Program and co-created the Women and Femme in the Arts Mentorship Program.
Muthaland is sponsored by BenU’s Intercultural Education, International Programs and Services, Campus Ministry, South Asian Student Association, Violence Against Women Act Grant and Center for Missiona and Identity.
For more information about about the show, contact Wilson Chen at wchen@ben.edu.
Benedictine University is located in Lisle, Illinois, just 25 miles west of Chicago, and has a branch campus in Mesa, Arizona. Founded as a Catholic university in 1887, Benedictine enrolls more than 5,000 students in undergraduate and graduate programs. Forbes magazine named Benedictine among "America's Top Colleges" for the eighth consecutive year in 2017. Benedictine is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org). For more information, contact (630) 829-6300, admissions@ben.edu or visit ben.edu.
