ABOUT

Minita Gandhi (she/they)

Minita is a Los Angeles based multi-hyphenate who was born in Mumbai, India. They love magic realism, dark comedy and exploring multi-genre, multi-cultural, and multi-generational stories as a medium for healing.  They are a 2022 NYSAF Pfaelzer Award finalist, and currently working on an opera commission as a member of Minnesota Opera Company’s New Works cohort. Minita just finished her writing residency with The Ground Floor at Berkeley Repertory Theatre where she began to develop their newest play, Nerve. Nerve was developed in collaboration with the playwright’s mother, Jyotsna Gandhi. Gandhi is also the lyricist for Rising Tide, a choral-orchestral piece on climate change activism composed by Emmy-award winning composer, Jonathan Beard. The piece was showcased at the 2022 AGU Conference.

Their critically-acclaimed solo-show Muthaland, was Jeff Recommended for best new work and solo-performance and was an official selection of the Ignition Festival, NNPN’s Women in Playwrighting Festival at Florida Studio Theater, The Anne Frank Social Justice Festival, and has played at over 20 institutions around the country. Gandhi’s play Daal and Duty and The Sun and all its Sighs have been part of the Ripped Festival at American Blues Theater in 2022 and 2020. Their work has been featured by NBC News, and The Atlantic. They love new work and writing dark comedies, exploring magic realism, and poetry. They are passionate and committed to feminist narrative, and bringing South Asian stories and protagonists into mainstream media. Gandhi is currently working on a pilot, SEX AND GANESHA, as well as a new screenplay based off her hit play, MUTHALAND.

Minita is the director/producer for a 5-episode Documentary Series: History is Now and the director/writer of Hindsight is 2020 or how Raisin Rainbows survived a pandemic starring Tony Award nominee Cora Vanderbroek. In 2022 she directed THE HUNT FOR BENEDETTO MONTONE by Victor Lesniewski for the Ashland New Play Festival, and Beth Kander’s THE MOUNTAIN OCTOPUS at Creede Repertory Theatre. Other directing credits include new work development and readings at CAATA and Stage Left Theater. 

As an actor, they play Dr. Barr opposite Diane Kruger in Swimming with Sharks premiering on ROKU this April 15th. She can be seen in the recurring role of Dr. Prospere on NBC's Chicago Fire, Fox's Empire, NBC's Crisis, ABC's Betrayal, Fox's The Chicago Code, in the hit web series Brown Girls, and was The Onion News Network's anchor, Nina Shankar. She voices Shuma Mukherjee and others on Disney’s Mixed-Up Adventures. She has also been a proud pledge host with PBS for their WTTW Chicago affiliate station Channel 11.  She will make her debut on CSI:LAS VEGAS in 2023. They have worked at regional theaters across the country including: The Arena Stage, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, and Lookingglass Theater. They originated the role of Priya, in Silk Road Rising's World Premiere production of Rajiv Joseph's, The Lake Effect.  

As an activist/healer they have been a keynote speaker for Commit2Change, KCATF, and Imagine Talks. And they have been a guest speaker for the Courier 12 Screenwriting Conference, Brighthouse Networks Women’s Leadership Conference, and CapGemini in India for International Women’s Day. They are the Founder of IGNITE, a mentorship program for BIPOC women and non-binary theater artists that connects emerging artists to national theater leaders and the co-founder of Pathways, a two- year mentorship and professional development program for gender diverse BIPOC artists in the Portland area with ART/AGE. They are a proud member of The Playwright’s Union, The Dramatist’s Guild, NNPN, SAG/AFTRA, and AEA. Representation: Manager: Maritza Cabrera at Zero Gravity Management. Literary Agent: Elise Griffin at Paradigm Talent Agency. Theatrical Agent: Zach Gray at Gray Talent Group.   www.minitagandhi.com