Solo Fest 2024 Spotlight: Sonia Sawkar
The PlayGround Solo Performance Festival is PlayGround’s annual celebration of the best in California solo performance. Now going on its seventh year, this year’s Solo Fest runs January 26-February 11, 2024, with nine double-bill performances over three weeks in-person at Potrero Stage and simulcast.
Today’s spotlight: Sonia Sawkar in Baby Coconut, 2/2 & 2/3 at 7pm
Baby Coconut is an interactive, stand-up comedy performance based on the life of the performer, Sonia Sawkar who is currently 6 months pregnant with her third child! Sonia is the younger of two children of tone-deaf and very strict, Indian immigrant parents. Her performance will start from being born and raised in a predominantly white, Christian/Mormon town, where she developed her identity crisis and self-proclaimed “coconut” status. And how her childhood shaped her own parenting style, for better or worse.
SONIA SAWKAR, she/her, is an actor, stand-up comedian, writer, and filmmaker. Her most noteworthy theatrical performance was playing the sociopathic serial killer in Awesome Theatre’s dark comedy play Let’s Kill Jessica, which received rave reviews. She also wrote, directed and starred in the dark comedy pilot CRAY which has won dozens of awards and accolades. She is a mother of two (with a third on the way!) and a strong advocate for maternal mental health. Her realistic, dry humor and authentic storytelling keeps her audience engaged from start to finish. Sonia would like to thank her supportive partner Ankit Garg, her acting teachers from ZA Studio: Robert Zimmerman & Peter Allas, and her loving acting community – thank you for always laughing at her jokes! IG @soniasawkar Website: soniasawkar.com
FIVE QUESTIONS WITH THE ARTIST
What was the seed of this play? What inspired you to write it?
After I got pregnant with my first child over four years ago I started getting into stand-up comedy. I just felt like I finally had some authentic and real stuff I could talk about. My experience continued to evolve since then. After giving birth and balancing motherhood with two careers it really opened my eyes that there are so many things women and mothers go through that just get swept under the rug. I want to rip the rug off the damn floor.
Why is a solo show the ideal way to tell this story?
The show is all about me! Who better to walk you through it all than myself? I’ve always dreamed of having my own Netflix Comedy Special, to me this feels like a step in the right direction.
What are your artistic influences for this show?
My favorite stand-up comedians are Russell Peters (his original stuff), Ali Wong, Iliza Shlesinger, and Jerry Seinfeld. I was particularly inspired by Ali Wong’s second Netflix Special Hard Knock Wife where she was unapologetically real about motherhood. Something I rarely see public figures doing. I’m inspired by anyone that can simultaneously break stigmas and stimulate laughter.
What surprised you during the creation of this piece?
Turns out I have a lot to say! I started out so worried I would not be able to come up with enough content but now I have so much I need to start cutting stuff. It has also been incredibly challenging finding the balance between telling my story with humor and humility without getting on my soap box and becoming a bore. Verdict is still out if I was successful. I guess we’ll find out soon!
Is there anything audiences should know about you or your piece before they attend?
I unapologetically cover topics like childhood trauma, pregnancy, marriage, and motherhood and it gets pretty real. My intention is not and will never be to offend or poke fun at anyone. I am making a very bold and terrifying choice to be my vulnerable self in front of an audience and I hope people can receive it with a supportive and open mind.
PlayGround SoloFest 2024 features Amy Bouchard, Steve Budd, Geoffrey Grier, Bethany Mitchell, Miyoko Sakatani, Sonia Sawkar, Nicole Soul, Jill Young, and Hector Zavala, performed live at Potrero Stage and simulcast online. Online registrants can view the on-demand recording for up to one week following the live performance. Admission is free (donations gratefully accepted) and advance reservations are required. NOTE: For in-person attendance, masks are voluntary (PlayGround will provide masks for those who don’t have them). Online viewing is available through https://tickets.playground-sf.org (after reserving ticket, log in, go to main menu at “home”, select “tickets for upcoming performances”, find your show, and click “watch”). For box office questions, including streaming/on-demand access, email boxoffice@playground-sf.org.