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Winnipeg Free Press
3 days 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.
CBC
02-04-2025
- CBC
What to do if you're stopped at the U.S. border
Some Canadians travelling to the United States are nervous about crossing the border amid stories of people having difficulties or even being detained. Immigration lawyer Ravi Jain has some advice for travellers at the U.S. border, whether driving or at the airport. He spoke to the CBC's Tom Murphy.
Daily Tribune
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Tribune
ILA celebrates Annual Day and Ghabga
The Indian Ladies Association (ILA) celebrated its Annual Day and Ghabga at Reem Al Bawadi, Ramada Seef, with the outgoing committee organizing a successful event to mark this significant transition. The celebration featured a ceremonial pinning where members of the outgoing executive team officially handed over duties to the newly elected committee for 2025. The occasion was graced by representatives of the Indian Embassy to Bahrain, including Mr. Ravi Jain, Mr. Ravi Singh, and Mr. Rajiv Mishra. This year's event was particularly special as it celebrated Ms. Meena Bhatia's 50th year of membership and bid farewell to Ms. Nivedita Dutta, a past president and active member for over 25 years, as she prepares to leave the island. Highlighting a historic moment for the ILA, this was the first time in 69 years that the executive committee was elected through a democratic electoral process, with all members of the incoming panel led by Ms. Smitha Jensen winning their respective board seats. In her acceptance speech, Hon. President Smitha Jensen expressed deep gratitude to the members for their trust and laid out plans for exciting activities and workshops aimed at empowering members. She emphasized the importance of making the ILA reflective of the diverse cross-section of the community. The contributions of the outgoing team of 2024 were acknowledged during the event, which included Hon. President Kiran Abhijit Mangle, Hon. Vice-President Dr. Tejender Kaur Sarna, Hon. Treasurer Sheetal Shah, Hon. General Secretary Sarmistha Dey, Hon. Secretary for Public Relations Zamini Charak, Hon. Secretary for Entertainment Rrema Nair, Hon. Secretary for Membership Hilda Elizabeth Lobo, Hon. Secretary for Operations Smitha Jensen, and Hon. Secretary for Activities Dr. Gurpreet Kaur. The incoming executive team for 2025 includes Hon. President Smitha Jensen, Hon. VicePresident Fousia Sulthana, Hon. Treasurer Tessy Cherian, Hon. General Secretary Vani Sreedhar, Hon. Secretary for Public Relations Shilpa Naik, Hon. Secretary for Entertainment Sunanda Gaikwad, Hon. Secretary for Membership Vijay Lakshmi, Hon. Secretary for Operations Anuradha Sampath, and Hon. Secretary for Activities Kaihekushan Mohammed Omar Kazi. The event set the tone for an exciting year ahead, as the new committee aims to strengthen the ILA's role in the community through inclusivity and engagement.
Daily Tribune
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Tribune
Indian Ladies Association Elects New Executive Committee
The Indian Ladies Association (ILA) celebrated its Annual Day with a grand Gabga event at Reem Al Bawadi, Ramada Seef, marking a significant transition in leadership. Organized by the outgoing executive committee, the event served as both a celebration and a formal handover of responsibilities to the newly elected committee for 2025. A ceremonial pinning was conducted, symbolizing the official transition of duties. The event was honored by the presence of esteemed representatives from the Indian Embassy to Bahrain, including Mr. Ravi Jain, Mr. Ravi Singh, and Mr. Rajiv Mishra. This year's celebration was particularly momentous, recognizing Ms. Meena Bhatia's remarkable 50 years of membership in the association. Additionally, the gathering bid an emotional farewell to Ms. Nivedita Dutta, a past president and a dedicated member for over 25 years, as she prepares to leave Bahrain. Adding to the historical significance of the occasion, the ILA executive committee for 2025 was elected through a democratic electoral process for the first time in the association's 69-year history. The newly appointed team, led by President Smitha Jensen, won their respective board seats in a competitive election. In her acceptance speech, President Smitha Jensen expressed her gratitude to the members for their trust and support. She outlined her vision for the upcoming year, highlighting plans for engaging activities and workshops aimed at empowering women within the ILA community. She emphasized the importance of inclusivity and representation within the association. The contributions of the outgoing executive committee of 2024 were acknowledged during the event. The departing leadership included President Kiran Abhijit Mangle, Vice-President Dr. Tejender Kaur Sarna, Treasurer Sheetal Shah, General Secretary Sarmistha Dey, Secretary for Public Relations Zamini Charak, Secretary for Entertainment Rrema Nair, Secretary for Membership Hilda Elizabeth Lobo, Secretary for Operations Smitha Jensen, and Secretary for Activities Dr. Gurpreet Kaur. Stepping into their new roles for 2025, the incoming executive committee includes President Smitha Jensen, Vice-President Fousia Sulthana, Treasurer Tessy Cherian, General Secretary Vani Sreedhar, Secretary for Public Relations Shilpa Naik, Secretary for Entertainment Sunanda Gaikwad, Secretary for Membership Vijay Lakshmi, Secretary for Operations Anuradha Sampath, and Secretary for Activities Kaihekushan Mohammed Omar Kazi. The event set a promising tone for the year ahead, with the new leadership committed to strengthening the ILA's role in the community through greater inclusivity, engagement, and empowerment.
The Guardian
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
A five-hour play, 4,000 years in the making: India's epic Mahabharata arrives in Australia
On 7 October 2023, as Hamas launched an attack on Israel, the cast of Toronto's Why Not Theatre were preparing to perform their five-hour adaptation of the Mahabharata at London's Barbican. Based on the world's oldest surviving poem (which is told across roughly 100,000 verses and 2m words), the show tells the 4,000-year-old tale from India of two branches of a family dynasty, whose war over a kingdom destroys the world. It's a tale of choices and their consequences, echoing across generations; tit-for-tat cycles of vengeance that rival Succession or Game of Thrones. In Why Not Theatre's hands, it's also about the dreadful power of the stories and histories we tell about ourselves. In one of the play's most striking moments, a young prince asks why, when different plants can coexist in harmony, he and his siblings are unable to live side by side with their cousins. 'When the truth cannot be agreed upon, war is inevitable,' his grandfather replies. The show, which lands in Australia this month as part of the Perth festival, feels particularly resonant in light of wars between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Palestine. 'Tragically, it has become more relevant. But I would say that it has always been relevant, and we just feel it more now because we've been faced with such extreme, horrible acts that we've seen online,' says Ravi Jain, the artistic director of Why Not Theatre. 'It makes doing this show that much more important; we have to remember that we're humans, and we're living in a world that's constantly forcing us to not choose humanity. We want to choose the individual; we want to choose my gain over yours. It is the law of the jungle. And in this story, a core belief is that as humans, we need to do the opposite.' Why Not Theatre's show condenses the original text's epic scope and myriad subplots and characters into five hours, staged across two parts. The Guardian described it as 'magisterial in its own right, meticulous and dazzling'. Sign up for our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Part one, titled Karma, tells the origin story of the rival Pandava and Kaurava clans and how they grapple with the consequences of their ancestors' actions. In part two, Dharma, their feud escalates into an apocalyptic battle, and the survivors are left to grapple with how to rebuild. The tale is brought to vivid life via a cast of 17 performers and six musicians, who progress from ancient to contemporary narrative forms: starting with a lone character – 'the Storyteller' – and a fire, we move through street theatre, classical Indian dance forms, and western-style drama with elaborate sets and giant screens with live video. At the spectacular climax is a 15-minute opera version of the Bhagavad Gita, sung in Sanskrit. Between the show's two epic theatrical acts is a more intimate, informal – and optional – third part: a community meal and storytelling session, during which the theatre-makers share a tale from the Mahabharata over food. 'It's an opportunity for audiences to experience the Mahabharata in the way that most [Indian] people experience the story,' says Miriam Fernandes, who co-created the show with Jain and also plays the Storyteller. 'Most of the time, people are hearing it around a dinner table, or you're getting a little lesson here or there where you need it.' For Indians, the Mahabharata is not just a story but an encapsulation of Hindu scriptures; it's comparable to the Bible, and ancient Greek myths such as the Odyssey and the Iliad – though vastly different in content and form. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion 'In a western context, we're always looking for answers. We want to be told right or wrong; this guy's the good guy and that guy's a bad guy. We want a lesson and a moral at the end, like the Bible gives us,' says Fernandes. 'And Mahabharata is not that. It contradicts itself, and it's like Indian culture – it gets more and more confusing and it's up to you to solve it.' Why Not Theatre's production is the first major international adaptation of the Mahabharata led by artists of Indian heritage, and it is cast exclusively from the Indian and South Asian diaspora. It lands in Perth 40 years after the landmark nine-hour adaptation by British director Peter Brook premiered in France. That production was dubbed a masterpiece, and helped redefine theatre. It was also accused of being an epic, orientalist act of cultural appropriation. 'The key for us really in the making of this was the hybrid audience, which is who we are,' says Jain. 'We are Canadians and we're Indians, and we kind of live in neither [culture].' As the company has performed the show across continents for Mahabharata newcomers as well as Indian and South Asian 'aunties and uncles' who know the story well, Fernandes says what makes her most joyful is hearing audience members talk about 'what a journey you go on with the people around you'. 'People are chatting in the theatre, in the lobby, in the bathroom, over dinner, and you get to experience something together, which is the heart of what we do at the theatre. I think people can be intimidated by the length of the show, but it's a rare offering; it's a chance to go on a journey.' Mahabharata महाभारतम् runs from 8-16 February at His Majesty's Theatre as part of the Perth festival
