Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Why Not Theatre, in partnership with the Shaw Festival, is seeking performers from across the South Asian diaspora (with roots in North and South India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Mauritius) for their new adaptation of ancient Indian epic The Mahabharata, to premiere at the Shaw Festival (Niagara-on-the-lake) in 2019.
The Mahabharata is an epic Sanskrit poem of India, dealing chiefly with the struggle between two rival families. It contains many separate episodes, the most notable of which is the Bhagavad-Gita. Co-directed by Ravi Jain (Canada) and Jenny Koons (USA), this production will feature a cast from the South Asian diaspora and a world-class design and creative team comprised of artists from Canada, USA, and the United Kingdom. To cast the ensemble of performers, the producers are doing a nationwide call for actors, storytellers, improvisors, dancers, gymnasts, martial artists, and performers comfortable with devising/creating theatre.
Why Not Theatre’s Mahabharata will be told in two pieces, each consisting of two parts. Langar is led by director Ravi Jain, and Storytelling by director Jenny Koons.
The producers are seeking a diverse range of performers from many different performance backgrounds (actors, singers, dancers, martial artists, gymnasts, creators), age ranges (15-60) and from different parts of the South Asian diaspora (North & South India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, etc). Auditions will be held in various cities across Canada from Vancouver to Toronto. Candidates are invited to submit self-tapes online, from which select candidates will be invited for in-person auditions, on the casting site at www.theatrewhynot.org/mahabharata-casting. Open call submissions will close April 2nd, 2018.
The Mahabharata is one of the 200 exceptional projects funded through the Canada Council for the Arts’ New Chapter program. With this $35M investment, the Council supports the creation and sharing of the arts in communities across Canada. This ambitious production will also receive support from London-based partner Complicité.
Why Not Theatre is an agile, international theatre company based in Toronto, Canada, rooted in the values of innovation, community and collaboration. Our work is inventive, cross-cultural, and reflects our passion for the exploration of difference. We challenge the status quo, by examining what stories are being told, and who is telling them. More than just a theatre company, we develop creative strategies to build a healthier and stronger arts ecology. We MAKE and tour critically-acclaimed and award-winning new work, SHARE resources with other companies and artists to produce and tour their work, and PROVOKE change through new producing models and the presentation of work for new audiences. We are led by a core team of Founding Artistic Director Ravi Jain, Managing Director Owais Lightwala, Executive Producer Kelly Read and Associate Producer sandra Henderson. More at www.theatrewhynot.org
Inspired by the spirit of George Bernard Shaw, the Shaw Festival creates unforgettable theatrical encounters in any way we want. The Shaw Festival, home to Two-Way Theatre, is a place where people who are curious about the world gather to share the unique experience of live theatre. For more information, please visit www.shawfest.com.
Illustration: Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield.
2018-03-23
Toronto: Why Not Theatre and the Shaw Festival announce nationwide casting call for "The Mahabharata"