South Asian Theatre this August

There is plenty to see in the next couple weeks, starting with Harbourfront's MasalaMehndiMasti!

Friday night (Aug 5)! at 10pm in the Studio Theatre, a group from New Mexico is staging a play called "Kalapani". It is about the colonial conditions in India that led to the duping of, and eventual crossing of the middle passage for East Indian indentured laborers who migrated to the Caribbean and North America, from the perspective of a Trinidadian and a Punjabi woman. It will be repeated on Saturday (Aug 6) at 1pm, again in the Studio Theatre, Harbourfront - and remember, all MasalaMehndiMasti events are FREE!

Also on Saturday (Aug 6)
at 3pm in Harbourfront's Brigantine Room is the hip, smart and mouthy "Spoken Word" showcase where strong language and poetic verve take center stage with performances by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Nisha Ahuja, Amy Gajaria, Bushra Rehman and Muslim Rizvi,
followed at 4:30pm with readings from new plays in a Tribute to Al-Noor Peera. Presented will be excerpts from 'Stroke of Genuis' by Al-Noor Peera, 'Boom' by Mrinalini Kamath, 'God I love you People' by Doris Rajan, and 'Your Palace in the Sky' by Dalbir Singh. [Not recommended for children]

On Sunday (Aug 7)
Community theatre takes the stage in the Brigantine Room at 1:30pm with "Indigenous Words". Savitri Theatre Group presents 'Ab Kya Kare?' and the South Asian Actors Association presents 'Sketch Comedy'. Performances are in Hindi, Gujarati, Hinglish and Gujlish.
Then at 3pm the kid-friendly "No Strings Attached" features performances by Brandy Leary in 'Devi' combining shadow puppetry, Chhau and circus performance techniques; a Pantomime piece by Anand Rajaram about a video gamer for whom virtual entertainment has become his only reality; and a multi-disciplinary presentation by Sharada Krish Eshwar of 'The Mice Who set the Elephant Free' inspired by the Panchatantra and Jataka tales.
And you'll want to stick around for "Teenage Tales" at 4:30pm, the culmination of a summer youth theatre workshop dealing with issues and experiences of adolescence, and their identity as South Asians living in Toronto.
You can check out all the events happening this weekend at www.masalamehndimasti.com

MEANWHILE, in Toronto, the Summerworks Festival is happening again, and you can catch a full production of Dalbir Singh's "Palace in the Sky" at the Palmerston Library Theatre (560 Palmerston Ave -- two blocks West of Bathurst St., just North of Bloor St.) at 8pm on the following dates:
Friday, August 5
Saturday, August 6
Sunday, August 7
Friday, August 12
Saturday, August 13
Sunday, August 14
"Palace in the Sky" is an exploration of the events surrounding the 1985 bombing of Air India
Flight #182. Sound, light, film, movement and text combine to create an immersive environment for the audience.
Director: Chris Dupuis ("Wash Me Clean," Harbourfront) Choreographer: Anita Majumdar ("Fish Eyes," Theatre Passe Muraille) Initial Dramaturge: Judith Thompson ("Crackwalker," "Lion in the Streets")
Cast includes: Tanya Pillay ("Tara," Rasik Arts) Laila Moos ("Beneath the Banyan Tree," Theatre Direct) Jefferson Guzman ("Heliogabalus," Theatre Centre)
Tickets are $10, which will be available at the Palmerston Library. The box office will open at 7pm before each performance. Please note that no latecomers will be admitted, and that the box office accepts cash only.

Happy Theatre-Going!

Sally Jones, Artistic Director
Rasik Arts - devoted to South Asian Theatre
406-580 Christie St.
Toronto, ON M6G 3E3
tel. (416) 654-9231; Fax (416)-654-5129