Photo 1: ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Chicken’ sketch comedy
Photo 2: HONOUR: Confessions of a Mumbai Courtesan
Photo 3: Meena’s Dream
The heavy monsoon rains of India take over the country on an annual basis. Amidst the damage and destruction, the monsoon season is filled with celebration, including dance, music, theatre, film and festivals. The welcoming of this captivating and spiritual force dates back thousands of years in India.
Vancouver is also known for its heavy rainfall. With the intersection of these two natural phenomena, albeit at different times of the year, the goal is to celebrate the monsoon here in the Lower Mainland by welcoming the storm with the 1st Annual Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts.
In its inaugural year, the festival will run from August 11-21 in Vancouver and Surrey, with a deliberate spotlight on South Asian theatre. South Asian Canadians are the largest visible minority group in Canada, yet a simple scan of Vancouver’s performing arts community suggests that there are very few South Asian theatre professionals working in our industry.
The Monsoon Arts Festival is unique, given that no other broadly-focused South Asian performing arts festival exists in Canada.
During a span of 11 days, festival highlights will include two critically acclaimed International one-woman plays, HONOUR: Confessions of a Mumbai Courtesan (New York) and Meena’s Dream (Washington, DC); the return of the ever popular I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Chicken gang with their unique brand of hilarious sketch comedy; an opening (including sneak peek performances from the 10 days ahead) and closing night celebration (with a Talent Night feat. Jiv Parmeshvaran); and to close the festival, a special full-length play Kehar Singh Di Maut (The Death of Kehar Singh) performed in Punjabi, presented in partnership with Surrey-based Rangmanch Theatre, written by prominent playwright and theatre director Ajmer Singh Aulakh at the Bell Performing Arts Centre in Surrey.
Aside from the presentations, community engagement is another key pillar of the festival. Multilingual development workshops on drama, playwriting, directing and acting, along with readings and an “industry” series are also in the pipeline.
In future years, audiences can look forward to a multidisciplinary arts festival inclusive of dance, music, visual, experimental and interdisciplinary arts, showcasing Canadian South Asian artists and talents, along with a few handpicked international productions.
For info and tickets, visit www.monsoonartsfest.ca
Festival Schedule
- August 11 @ 7pm: Opening Night Reception @ The Cultch
- August 12 @ 7pm: HONOUR @ The Cultch, Historic Theatre
- August 13 @ 6pm: HONOUR @ The Cultch, Historic Theatre
- August 13 @ 8:30pm: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Chicken @ The Cultch, Historic, Historic Theatre
- August 14 @ 6pm: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Chicken @ Surrey Arts Centre, Main Stage
- August 19 @ 7pm: Meena’s Dream @Surrey Arts Centre, Main Stage
- August 20 @ 6pm: Meena’s Dream @Surrey Arts Centre, Main Stage
- August 20 @ 8pm: Closing Night Celebration @ Surrey Arts Centre, Studio Theatre
- August 21 @ 7pm: Kehar Singh Di Maut, Punjabi show @ Bell Performing Arts Centre (Surrey)
