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Winnipeg Free Press
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sanskrit epic ‘Mahabharata,' musical ‘Life After' among leading Dora Award nominees
TORONTO – A contemporary take on a 4,000-year-old Sanskrit epic is among the leading stage productions vying for this year's Dora Awards. Why Not Theatre's two-part show 'Mahabharata' collected 15 nominations overall, including nine for 'Part One: Karma: The Life We Inherit' and six for 'Part Two: Dharma: The Life We Choose,' both presented by Canadian Stage. Because each part got separate nods, the elaborate show will compete against its other half in multiple races, including best new play for Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes, who developed the work using poetry from Carole Satyamurti's 'Mahabharata: A Modern Retelling.' The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts announced 225 nominations for the Dora Mavor Moore Awards, which celebrate Toronto's professional theatre, dance and opera communities. For a second year in a row, Mirvish Productions is absent from the list because it withdrew from the alliance known as TAPA in 2023. However, nine nominations in the musical theatre division went to the off-Mirvish show 'Life After,' from Yonge Street Theatricals and other non-Mirvish partners, while five went to 'A Strange Loop' from The Musical Stage Company, Soulpepper Theatre Company, Crow's Theatre and TO Live. The independent theatre division saw eight nominations each go to 'Last Landscape,' from Bad New Days in partnership with Common Boots Theatre, and 'Mukashi, Mukashi (Once Upon a Time)' from Corpus. The awards will be presented June 30 at an evening ceremony in Toronto hosted by actor Peter Fernandes, who is up for a best performance award for Canadian Stage's 'Fat Ham.' Other contenders in the general theatre division include Crow's Theatre and Obsidian Theatre Company's 'FLEX,' which scored six nominations including best production and Canadian Stage's 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf,' starring Martha Burns and Paul Gross, which pulled four nominations including one for Burns. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. The opera race includes seven-time nominee 'La Reine-garçon,' a Canadian Opera Company co-production with Opéra de Montréal and two shows with five nominations: 'Madama Butterfly,' a Houston Grand Opera production presented by the COC, and 'Aportia Chryptych: A Black Opera for Portia White,' from the COC in association with the National Arts Centre's National Creation Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, and Ontario Arts Council. The dance division includes two productions with five nominations each — Citadel + Compagnie's 'Everything I wanted to tell you (but couldn't, so here it is now)' and 'Big Time Miss,' from Rock Bottom Movement presented by Fall For Dance North. The Dora Awards are nominated by members of Toronto's professional performing arts community. Jurors include performers, designers, directors, producers, administrators and educators. Online: This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025.
GMA Network
17 hours ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Comelec en banc affirms ruling dismissing DQ case vs Tulfos
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has upheld a decision rejecting a petition for disqualification against five members of the Tulfo family, who sought seats in the Senate and House of Representatives in Eleksyon 2025, for procedural defect. In a six-paged decision issued Wednesday, the poll body junked the motion for reconsideration (MR) filed by lawyer Virgilio Garcia, who had questioned the ruling of the Comelec First Division in March denying the disqualification petition against ACT-CIS Representative Erwin Tulfo, broadcast journalist Ben Tulfo, ACT-CIS Representative Jocelyn Pua-Tulfo, Quezon City 2nd District Representative Ralph Tulfo, and former Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo Teo, the nominee of the Turismo party-list in the recent May 12 polls. Erwin, Ben and Wanda are siblings, while Jocelyn and Ralph are the wife and son, respectively, of another Tulfo sibling, Raffy, who is an incumbent senator. Erwin ranked fourth in the Senate race while his brother, Ben, lost. Ralph won his reeelection bid while the Turismo party-list failed to secure seat in the House of Representatives. Jocelyn's party-list got two seats, and she was the second nominee of the group. Political dynasty? Garcia earlier said the Tulfo candidacies constituted a political dynasty, which is prohibited under the 1987 Constitution. He likewise questioned their nationality. His petition was dismissed due to his alleged failure to submit all the required documents, including the respondents' certificates of candidacy (COC). 'The Motion for Reconsideration is denied…The assailed Order was neither without sufficient basis found in the records, nor contrary to law,' the decision reads. 'Procedural rules are not to be disdained as mere technicalities that may be ignored at will to suit the convenience of a party. They are fundamental to the orderly administration of justice and are particularly vital in election cases, where the prompt and fair resolution of disputes is imperative,' it said. The en banc added: 'In this case, the Petitioner's failure to attach the COCs of the Respondents is a serious procedural defect, not a mere lapse. The COC is the document that formally establishes a candidate's eligibility, the position sought, and the declaration of qualifications. Without it, the Commission is left to speculate on the very information alleged in the Petition, depriving it of a concrete basis for evaluation'. The Comelec en banc likewise said the allegations of political dynasty against the candidacy of the Tulfo family is 'bereft of legal basis' as there is no enabling law against political dynasties. It also said Garcia failed to submit credible or admissible evidence that would support his accusations of the citizenship of the Eleksyon 2025 bets. 'Citizenship is a legal status that is presumed to subsist unless shown otherwise by clear and affirmative proof. The records are devoid of any document or credible evidence establishing that Respondents have acquired foreign citizenship, renounced their Filipino nationality, or otherwise lost their status as natural-born Filipino citizens,' it said. 'Mere assertions regarding their alleged prolonged residence abroad, unsubstantiated by documentary proof, do not suffice to overcome the presumption of citizenship. Well-settled is the rule that mere allegation is not evidence, and he who alleges has the burden of proving his allegation with the requisite quantum of evidence,' it added. In February, Virgilio Garcia asked the Comelec to disqualify the respondents from the May elections. For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite. For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite.
The Hindu
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Why Is the US Denying Visas to Cuban Athletes and Officials?
The Cuban Olympic Committee accuses the US of denying visas to Cuban officials and athletes, raising concerns over upcoming major sports events in the US, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Q1: Which Cuban officials were denied travel documents? A: The COC's president, vice-president, and secretary general were excluded from meetings in Miami and Puerto Rico due to visa refusals. Q2: How has this visa denial affected Cuban athletes? A: Fourteen Cuban athletes missed an athletics championship in Florida, and the men's basketball team missed the FIBA AmeriCup in Puerto Rico. Q3: What reasons does the Cuban Olympic Committee give for the visa refusals? A: The committee blames an 'arbitrary and politically-motivated' US policy against Cuba, linked to Washington's aggressive stance towards the island. Q4: How have US-Cuba relations evolved under President Trump? A: Relations worsened, with Cuba re-listed as a 'terrorism' sponsor, increased deportations, and stricter visa policies citing alleged anti-Semitism or hostility towards the US. Q5: Has the US government addressed concerns about future sporting events? A: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that visa policies will not affect the 2026 FIFA World Cup or 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. (With inputs from AFP)
The Sun
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Cuban Olympic Committee Slams U.S. Over Visa Denials Ahead of 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics
HAVANA: The Cuban Olympic Committee (COC) on Tuesday accused Washington of refusing visas to officials and athletes, amid growing concern over US entry requirements ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The COC said its president, vice-president and secretary general were excluded from regional Olympic committee meetings in Miami and Puerto Rico this month after being denied travel documents. Fourteen Cubans were unable to participate in an athletics championship in Florida in March, it added, and the national men's basketball team missed the FIBA AmeriCup in Puerto Rico in February -- all because they didn't get visas. The COC blamed an 'arbitrary and politically-motivated handling of visa' applications resulting from Washington's 'aggressive policy' towards Cuba. Relations between Washington and communist Cuba, which has been under a US trade embargo for over six decades, have soured further under President Donald Trump. In a statement, the committee rejected 'discriminatory practices that go against the spirit of sports' and demanded 'respect for the obligations and fundamental principles of Olympism.' Since his return to the White House in January, Trump has ramped up pressure on the Caribbean island, placing it back on a US list of 'terrorism' sponsors. His administration has also taken steps to increase deportations of undocumented migrants, including from Cuba, and has stripped people of visas for alleged anti-Semitism or for having 'hostile attitudes' towards the United States. Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that the tightened immigration policies would not affect next year's FIFA World Cup, being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, or the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. 'We want it to be a success. It's a priority for the president,' Rubio said, amid reports of a fall in tourism to the United States since the start of Trump's second mandate. AFP has contacted the IOC for comment over Cuba's complaint.
The Sun
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Cuban Olympic body says denied US visas
H AVANA: The Cuban Olympic Committee (COC) on Tuesday accused Washington of refusing visas to officials and athletes, amid growing concern over US entry requirements ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The COC said its president, vice-president and secretary general were excluded from regional Olympic committee meetings in Miami and Puerto Rico this month after being denied travel documents. Fourteen Cubans were unable to participate in an athletics championship in Florida in March, it added, and the national men's basketball team missed the FIBA AmeriCup in Puerto Rico in February -- all because they didn't get visas. The COC blamed an 'arbitrary and politically-motivated handling of visa' applications resulting from Washington's 'aggressive policy' towards Cuba. Relations between Washington and communist Cuba, which has been under a US trade embargo for over six decades, have soured further under President Donald Trump. In a statement, the committee rejected 'discriminatory practices that go against the spirit of sports' and demanded 'respect for the obligations and fundamental principles of Olympism.' Since his return to the White House in January, Trump has ramped up pressure on the Caribbean island, placing it back on a US list of 'terrorism' sponsors. His administration has also taken steps to increase deportations of undocumented migrants, including from Cuba, and has stripped people of visas for alleged anti-Semitism or for having 'hostile attitudes' towards the United States. Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that the tightened immigration policies would not affect next year's FIFA World Cup, being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, or the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. 'We want it to be a success. It's a priority for the president,' Rubio said, amid reports of a fall in tourism to the United States since the start of Trump's second mandate.
