Celebrating 30 Years of Staging Diversity
Founded in 1986 by Beverly Yhap, Cahoots Theatre was operating in a very different time, one in which artists from diverse backgrounds were few and far between. Over the years, our company has contributed significantly to changing the face of theatre, on stage and off. In 1986, I think I would’ve been hard-pressed to name 30 artists from diverse backgrounds. In 2016, I am thrilled to say that selecting only 30 people was an enormous problem for us! There are many more deserving of recognition, enough to fill 30 of these books! Ultimately, we narrowed it down to people with a relationship to the company and who we believe have only begun to reveal their enormous potential. Now, as we celebrate our 30th Anniversary, we invite you to celebrate it with us by honouring 30 Cahoots theatremakers who we consider the future, and who we think will shape the next 30 years of Canadian theatre. Hope you are as inspired by them, as we have been.
Meet them. Remember them. Engage them.
Marjorie Chan, Artistic Director
cole alvis “Dare to look at the intersectionalities” bell hooks Métis-Irish/English, genderqueer, lover, advocate
kanika ambrose write plays about Caribbean Canadian people; they matter to me Kanika Ambrose is a Toronto-based playwright.
raf antonio To create with love and intentional inclusivity Queer gay homo queen latinx writer etcetera.
bilal baig Insert yourself in all the spaces where you have been erased. I’m a playwright, producer and an actor.
jasmine chen Chasing curiosity down rabbit holes and arriving in the antipodes. an eternal child picking blades of grass
bessie cheng To create work that is diverse and focuses on Asian audience engagement and outreach Chinese-born theatre-maker, performer, and playwright
rong fu I don’t have a manifesto, but I’ll let you know if I ever come up with one. actor, writer, dry humour enthusiast, usually right
virgilia griffith Follow your gut / Create from the heart / Listen / Heal yourself / Heal others Creator Time-traveller Shape-shifting Complex Cosmic Visualizer Fire-cracker
jeff ho the science in a story / the soul in a tale / the whispers between the words Hong Kong-er. Torontonian. Actor. Writer. Pianist. Foodie.
indrit kasapi Art is the study of the human soul. Stubborn, Loud, Queer, Immigrant cries out: ART.
dahlia katz Body, image, story, moment. Director, photographer, puppeteer.
shaista latif Serve the process. Serve the work. An artist can’t be defined. Only informed.
april leung There are too many people that you could be, and too many stories that need to be told, to not have a voice. A performing artist, playwright, and food addict.
deborah lim To create works that contribute to a landscape of pluralism while practicing environmental mindfulness. Production/Stage Manager · Designer · Collaborator · Creator
Theatre should create diverse, challenging, and vital encounters for performers and audience York PhD student and emerging human being.
signy lynch
tijiki morris To create truthful and provocative work that sparks imagination and resonates with heart. Canadian Pakistani, Earth, Community, Queer, Magic, Eclectic
jivesh parasram We play make believe and so we have a responsibility to investigate and be accountable for the worlds we create. Indo-Caribbean Anti-State Artist ... with a fine beard.
sarena parmar Public servant: To catalogue courage of the heart. Kelowna born. Actor. Playwright.
amanda parris I am going to write fire. Storyteller by any means necessary
pam patel Moving forward while looking back Music maker. Theatre creator. Life-long learner.
tennille read Begin Anywhere Actor, painter, innovator, intent listener, avocado lover.
neha ross I think it would be easier if we allowed each other to be a little bit more open and a little bit more honest. Check those dailies ď Š love, Stage Management.
nikki shaffeeullah Art should: disrupt the status quo; centre the margins; engage with the ancient; dream of the future; be for everyone. bright colours, loud jokes, community, embodiment, intentionality.
michelle urbano I seek to find the the heart and humanity in the darkest and most monstrous places. Actor, Puppeteer, Storyteller, Producer, Designer, Explorer, Observer
margarita valderrama I want to take risks, work as part of ensembles, and create work that explores cultural identity. Margarita is a Colombian-Canadian actor.
aaron wolfe-maxwell As a Deaf actor, it is pretty difficult because of audism but I believe in myself, #deaftalent! Deaf. American Sign Language. Actor. Student.
beth wong Question>Imagination> Realization>Organization> Revision>Execution>Results Theatremaker, avid baker, sailor and efficient emailer
joanna yu To continue working on plays that will reflect our diversity, and make them a part of the Canadian theatre canon. Female. Chinese. Immigrant. Theatre Maker. Pasta lover.
jeff yung When I close my eyes for the very last time, I will do so knowing I put more love into the world. Jeff Yung is an actor and artist.
echo zhou Perfect practice makes perfect A very grateful positive asian theatre activist!
1986 Skull Riders by Jesse Glenn Bodyan
1998 Noran Bang: The Yellow Room by M.J. Kang
1988 Phoenix Cabaret by Xie Min
1999 Coups and Calypsos by M. Nourbese Phillip
1990 Write About Now! National Conference & Cabaret for Visible Minority Playwrights
2000 The Vic by Leanna Brodie
1991 Big Buck City by Daniel David Moses 1993 3D: Three Daring New Works by Writers of Diverse Cultures • Canadian Monsoon by Sheila James • The Moon and Dead Indians by Daniel David Moses • Noran Bang: The Yellow Room by M. J. Kang 1995 Mom, Dad, I’m Living With A White Girl by Marty Chan 1997 Double Dare: • Once Upon a Time in the Park by Terek Ghaleb • Coups and Calypsos by M. Nourbese Phillip
2001 Mother Tongue by Betty Quan 2002 Two Words by Denise Blinn and Gabrielle Kemeny 2003 Bhopal by Rahul Varma 2004 The Adventures of Ali & Ali and the Axes of Evil by Camyar Chai, Guillermo Verdecchia, and Marcus Youssef 2005 Bombay Black by Anosh Irani 2006 The Five Vengeances by Jovanni Sy
2007 The Sheep and the Whale by Ahmed Ghazali, translated by Bobby Theodore 2008 a nanking winter by Marjorie Chan Fear of Flight by Robert Chafe with writing contributions by Denise Clarke, Marie Clements, Bryden MacDonald, Daniel MacIvor, Berni Stapleton, Judith Thompson, Guillermo Verdecchia and David Yee Bombay Black by Anosh Irani (tour) 2009 The Madness of the Square by Marjorie Chan 2010 Fear of Flight by Robert Chafe with writing contributions by Denise Clarke, Marie Clements, Bryden MacDonald, Daniel MacIvor, Berni Stapleton, Judith Thompson, Guillermo Verdecchia and David Yee (tour) A Taste of Empire by Jovanni Sy Ali & Ali: The Deportation Hearings by Camyar Chai, Guillermo Verdecchia & Marcus Youssef
2011 paperSERIES by David Yee 2012 paperSERIES by David Yee (tour) SIA by Matthew MacKenzie 2013 Sister Mary’s a Dyke?! By Flerida Peña 2014 The Wanderers by Kawa Ada 2015 John & Waleed by John Millard & Waleed Abdulhamid They Say He Fell by Nir Bareket & Donna-Michelle St. Bernard 2016 Ultrasound by Adam Pottle
We could not have produced such a body of work over 30 years without the support of co-producers. Our gratitude to the following organizations for joining us on this journey: Arts Club, Artistic Fraud, Die in Debt, Factory Theatre, fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre, Humber College, Magnetic North Theatre Festival, Mississauga Living Arts Centre, Modern Times Stage Company, The Music Gallery, Neworld Theatre, Nightswimming, Nightwood Theatre, Pandemic Theatre, Teesri Duniya, Theatre Centre, Theatre Passe Muraille, Theatre Two Words, Young Centre for the Performing Arts
The Enchanted Loom by Suvendrini Lena
cahoots’ production history
Please check our website for 30 for 30 contact information.
www.cahoots.ca 416 203 9000 Canada Council | Ontario Arts Council | Toronto Arts Council
Booklet Photography by Dahlia Katz Booklet Design by Robin Lacambra Production Photo Credits (inside cover) Available Online Photographed at REDLINE COFFEE (354 Queen St. East)