Digital programme: Mahabharata

Most Indians believe that one should not read the Mahabharata inside one’s house, for reading it invites strife. This belief is a kind of ‘imitative magic’: the ability of stories, symbols and rituals to influence the surroundings.

Mahabharata is the story of a family feud that ultimately leads to division of property and a terrible war, whereas the other great epic, the Ramayana, narrates the tale of a family that struggles, and triumphs, over forces that seek to divide it. Naturally, a traditional Indian family terrified of any disruption of the family fabric prefers Ramayana over the Mahabharata.

Any study of the Mahabharata necessitates a reading of the Ramayana. The epics are two sides of the same coin. In one, the Ramayana, God is the rule-keeper. In the other, the Mahabharata, he is the rule-maker. In the one, he is king. In the other, he is kingmaker. In one, he is predictable and dependable. In the other, he is manipulative and mercurial. Yet both are concerned about Dharma. What is Dharma? 

In the Mahabharata Bhisma tells a story to the Pandavas about King Nriga, who was cursed to be a lizard. Nriga was known for donating cows to the sages of his kingdom. One of the donated cows slipped out of her master’s cowshed and returned to the royal cowshed. Since the royal cowshed had thousands of cows, none of the royal servants noticed her return. Nriga then gave the same cow to another sage. When this sage was returning to his hermitage with Nriga’s gift, the first sage recognised his cow, claimed ownership over her, and accused the second sage of theft. When the second sage clarified that he had received it from Nriga himself, the first sage accused the king of theft.

‘That cow was given to me. She is mine. Not the king’s. How then can the king gift her to another? This means the king stole my cow.’ 

Nriga apologised to the first sage and offered to compensate him with a hundred cows. The sage refused. He wanted his cow back. Nriga then went to the second sage who refused to return his gift. For this act of hurting his subjects, albeit unintentionally, Nriga was cursed to turn into a lizard, a punishment he accepted with grace.

A king is responsible for the happiness of his subjects. He is responsible for all the hurt he causes them, even without meaning to. We live in times where politicians talk of Dharma but refuse to take responsibility for failures of their own governance.

So what is Dharma? It is often translated to mean duty or righteous conduct. But at a fundamental level, Dharma is what distinguishes man from animals; it is what makes man human. All other living creatures subscribe to matysa nyaya, or law of the fishes: might is right. But man is capable of reversing the law. In human society, might need not be right. The weak can have rights too. Even the feeble can thrive. An ideal human society is one based not on power and domination as in nature, but on the very opposite – love and generosity.

They say children inherit the sins of the father. The Mahabharata refers to this concept again and again – how crimes committed in an earlier generation end up affecting a later generation. The epic begins with the story of Janamejaya, angry that his father has been killed by a snake, until he is told that his great-grandparents destroyed an entire forest that was home to thousands of snakes. Even the horrific war at Kurukshetra, like the World Wars, is not merely the fight of cousins, but the outburst of several generations of rage, denial, frustration and envy.

That is why these stories look not at one generation but at several. So long is the history and so deep is the wound that everyone assumes they are the victims and no one is prepared to accept the role of the villain. Such is life. There are no heroes or villains, just people who choose to exploit, people who seek retribution, people who cannot forgive and people who shy away from responsibility but yearn for nobility.

The original epic was called Jaya, then it was called Vijaya, then Bharata and finally Mahabharata. Jaya was about spiritual victory, Vijaya was about material victory, Bharata was the story of a clan and Mahabharata included also the wisdom of the land called Bharat-varsha.

Many modern scholars, writers and playwrights, exhausted and overwhelmed by the maze of stories of the final version of the epic, are convinced that the Mahabharata is only about the futility of war. Jai means victory. Vijay also means victory. But there is a difference. Jai is used almost as a greeting in many parts of India, or as an exclamation. But Vijay is used very specifically when one is setting out for a conflict, confrontation, duel or competition. What exactly is the difference? 

The clue lies in the final chapter of Mahabharata, when Yudhishtira steps into heaven and is horrified to find before him the Kauravas looking radiant and blissful. ‘How did these war-mongers reach the abode of the gods?’, Yudhishtira asks angrily. The gods reply, ‘They were killed on the holy land of Kurukshetra. That has purified them of all misdeeds and earned the right to enter heaven.’ The explanation did not satisfy Yudhishtira. ‘What about my brothers and my wife? Where are they?’ In response, the gods lead Yudhishtira deep under the earth, to a realm that was dark and gloomy and miserable. There, Yudhishtira heard cries of pain and suffering. Tears welled up in his eyes. How could he return to heaven and leave his family here? He made a decision. ‘I will stay here and suffer with them. I refuse to enter heaven without them.’ Looking into Yudhishtira’s eyes, the gods asked, ‘Oh! But we thought you had renounced everything?’ ’What do you mean?’, asked Yudhishtira, suddenly uncomfortable. ‘Well, you certainly have given up your kingdom and your worldly wealth. But you have not given up your anger. Your anger for the Kauravas, despite killing them in battle and ruling the earth for thirty-six years. You cling to your hatred, Yudhishtira. You still begrudge the Kauravas. You have not forgiven them. You refuse to let go and move on.’ At that moment, Yudhishtira realised he was not the great man he thought he was. Only when there is undiluted compassion for everyone, even our worst enemies, will ego be truly conquered.

The epic thus ends not with the victory of the Pandavas over the Kauravas, but with Yudhishtira’s triumph over himself. In Vijay, there are winners and losers. In Jai, there are no losers, no one is defeated, for one triumphs over oneself. If one strips out the excess fat, one realises that the Mahabharata is not a preachy tale appealing for peace. It is a determined exploration of the root of conflict. It is a book yearning for peace, not war. True peace happens when no one is defeated. True peace happens when one conquers oneself.

Sharada K Eswar
Sharada K Eswar is the Storyteller for Khana and Kahani, and Creative Associate to this production.

SHAWN AHMED
Yudhishthira / Shantanu
Shawn Ahmed is an award-winning actor, writer and producer based in Toronto. Work in theatre includes: The Orchard (After Chekhov) and Of Marriage and Men for the Shaw Festival; The Comedy of Errors, Revolutionary Moments and More Words! More Play! for Shakespeare & Company; and Twelfth Night for Shakespeare BASH’D. Films include: Fallen Angels Murder Club (Vol 1 & 2), Under the Christmas Tree, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, Love on Harbour Island and Flight 93. TV includes: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, So Help Me Todd, Twilight Zone, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Expanse, Coroner, Slasher and Orphan Black.

AJAY CHHABRA 
Dhritarashtra
Work in theatre includes: Kafka's Dick at Derby Playhouse; The Trouble with Asian Men for Tamasha; Mahabharata for the Year of Opera; and Indian Ink for Michael Codron and the Yvonne Arnaud. Film and TV include: Tom & Jerry, The Bull, Bell Bottom, ‘83, Anita & Me, Rough Diamonds, The Gold, Phoenix Rise, The Duchess, This England, Marcella, Vera, Hetty Feather, The Basil Brush Show and Days that Shook the World.

NEIL D’SOUZA 
Krishna
Neil D’Souza is a British actor, writer and teacher of South Asian heritage. He studied theatre at the University of Ulster and trained at RADA. Work in theatre includes: How to Hold Your Breath and Khandan at the Royal Court; Drawing the Line at Hampstead; Much Ado About Nothing and Midnight’s Children for the RSC; and Tintin in the West End. Film and TV include: Filth, Still Life, Closed Circuit, Wild Target, Another Me, My Sweet Home, Gate to Heaven, Italian Movies, Diamonds, The Ballad of Renegade Nell, In the Long Run and Alma’s Not Normal. His upcoming play, Out of Season, will be produced by Hampstead Theatre in 2024.

JAY EMMANUEL 
Shiva / Amba / Drupada / Pandu and Choreography Contributions
Born in India and based in Australia since 2009, Jay Emmanuel is a performer, writer and director, and currently Artistic Director of Encounter. He is a graduate of the Jacques Lecoq School in Paris. His recent works include Counting and Cracking for Belvoir St Theatre and Co-Curious; Beneath the Music for Encounter and Performing Lines; The Tides of Longing for Western Australian Symphony Orchestra; and Children of the Sea for Perth Festival. In 2019, he was selected for the Australia Council for the Arts Future Leader Program, and in 2020 was awarded an Australia Council Career Development Grant.

MIRIAM FERNANDES
Storyteller and Associate Director
Miriam Fernandes is the Co-Artistic Director of Why Not Theatre. Creation credits include: Mahabharata and What You Won’t Do for Love for Why Not Theatre; and Nesen and The First Time I Saw the Sea for Yva Theatre, Norway. Work as director includes: Metamorphoses for CDTPS and Hayavadana for Soulpepper. She is currently developing a new adaptation of Ibsen’s Enemy of the People. Her work as a playwright (Mahabharata and What You Won't Do for Love) has been published by Coach House Books, and What You Won't Do for Love was also adapted into a film. Miriam Fernandes attended École Jacques Lecoq in Paris.

VARUN GURU 
Understudy
Varun Guru is an actor, composer, voice actor and writer born and raised in India and based in Toronto, who trained at the Soulpepper Theatre Academy Toronto, Neptune Theatre Halifax (in improvisation), Trinity College London and in New Delhi (guitar). Work in theatre includes: Peggy Pickit Sees the Face of God, Axe AKA Akshay and King Lear for Soulpepper Theatre. Films include: Keeper of the Cup, Look at Me, There’s Nothing Else, Oh Deer and Family Values. TV includes: King and Pawn. Voice-over work includes: Hyper Scape (Ubisoft), Hyundai, Woodland and Adidas, among others.

KARTHIK KADAM 
Understudy
Karthik Kadam was born in Bangalore, India, attended the Acting Conservatory at the University of British Columbia, and has had the honour of creating with some of the most inspiring people in Canada. Theatre includes: Henry V and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Bard on the Beach; The Legend of Georgia McBride for The Arts Club; Juggle Me Not for Axis Theatre Company; Silent Sky for the United Players of Vancouver; and Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again, Timothy Findley’s The Wars, and Goldrausch for the University of British Columbia.

DARREN KUPPAN 
Duryodhana
Darren Kuppan is from the UK, and lives near Manchester. He got involved in the arts at an early age, starting with Ballroom/Latin American dancing, in which he eventually became a British champion. He enjoys playing the guitar and writing songs in his spare time, and is a keen martial artist and has trained in many different styles. Mahabharata marks Darren Kuppan’s debut at the Barbican.

ANAKA MAHARAJ-SANDHU 
Arjuna
Anaka Sandhu is a South Asian and gender non-conforming artist born and raised on Treaty One Territory (also known as Winnipeg, Manitoba). A recent graduate from the acting programme at the National Theatre School of Canada, they previously studied political science and film at the University of Manitoba. As a genderfluid artist and part of the Indigenous, Black and People of Colour community, Anaka Sandhu seeks to create space for stories that have historically been erased. They’re especially interested in challenging the notion of Western ‘classics’; examining stories that were not written with people like them in mind.

SUMA NAIR 
Understudy and Dance Captain
Suma Nair is the Artistic Director of Sampradaya Dance Creations in Mississauga, Canada. She is also a choreographer trained in the Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam, a producer, voice artist and theatre actor. Suma Nair is the co-founder of ĀṬAM Arts Collective, a Malayalam theatre group based in Toronto. Winner of the MARTY award for Dance by the Mississauga Arts Council in 2018, she holds an MFA in Dance from York University, where she was awarded the Susan Crocker and John Hunkin Scholarship in Fine Arts in 2014-2015.

GOLDY NOTAY 
Gandhari / Draupadi
Goldy Notay is of British-Canadian heritage. Work in theatre includes: All of Us at the National Theatre; Abigail’s Party at Watford Palace Theatre; Pink Sari Revolution for Curve and ETT; Speed and My Daughter’s Trial for Kali Theatre; Zameen for the Arts Theatre; The Dishonoured at the Arcola; and Happy Birthday Sunita for Rifco and Experimental Theatre, India. Film/TV includes: Little English, It’s a Wonderful Afterlife (directed by Gurinder Chadha), Sex and the City 2, Ackley Bridge and Beecham House. Goldy Notay is currently in the Olivier award-winning production Life of Pi, directed by Max Webster. Awards include: Best Actress Nomination at the ACTA Awards for The Dishonoured, and Best Actress at the London Movie Awards for Chapter Two.

ELLORA PATNAIK 
Kunti / Drona and Choreography Contributions
Training: Graduate/company member at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, NYC. Theatre includes: A Christmas Carol and Sisters for Soulpepper; Romeo and Juliet for Shakespeare in the Ruff; Much Ado About Nothing for Tarragon Theatre; Free Outgoing and Her2 for Nightwood Theatre and Acha Bacha at Theatre Passe Muraille. Film/TV include: Sort Of, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Ginny & Georgia, One Small Visit, Holly Hobby, Kitty Mamas, The Wedding Planners, Nurses, Kim’s Convenience, Schitt’s Creek, Spinning Out, Hudson & Rex, Talent Drivers, Titans, Too Close For Christmas, Coroner and Pride Prejudice and Mistletoe. Upcoming: Calorie.

MEHER PAVRI 
Voice of Krishna 
Parsi-Canadian soprano Meher Pavri hails from London, Ontario. Her career highlights include: Maria in West Side Story for LOT, Windsor Symphony Orchestra and Niagara Symphony Orchestra; 88 Keys for Soulpepper; The Overcoat and A Musical Tailoring for Canadian Stage, Tapestry Opera and Vancouver Opera; and Mozart’s Idomeneo for Opera Atelier. She has sung the national anthem at NBA Raptors’ games, and was featured in the Canadian premiere of Bend It Like Beckham. Meher Pavri was also a part of the ensemble in Handel’s Messiah with Against the Grain Theatre, which won a Dora Award.

SAKUNTALA RAMANEE 
Shakuni / Sanjaya  
Sakuntala Ramanee studied Drama at Kent University. Theatre includes: Life of Pi in the West End; Romeo and Juliet for the RSC in Stratford, at the Barbican and on UK tour; The Forest at Hampstead; The Father and the Assassin at the National Theatre; East is East for Jamie Lloyd Company on UK tour; Meat Pie Sausage Roll at Oldham Coliseum; Bring on the Bollywood for Phizzical; Coventry Mystery Plays at the Belgrade, Coventry; and India Song at Theatre Clwyd. TV includes: DI Ray, The Bay, Line of Duty, Coronation Street, EastEnders, Whitechapel and Emmerdale. Films include: Second Spring and The Boat Woman. Radio includes: Memories and Midnight’s Children.

RONICA SAJNANI 
Understudy
Theatre includes: A Brimful of Asha for Theatre Antigonish; My Granny the Goldfish at Factory Theatre; The Washing Machine for Next Stage Festival and Factory Theatre; Unburdened for Modest Productions, and Rice Boy for Canadian Stage. Film and TV include: Water (directed by Deepa Mehta), Run the Burbs, Sort Of, TallBoyz, Good Sam, Sneakerella, Wedding Season, Black Mirror, Kids in the Hall (2022) and Workin’ Moms. Awards: Theatre Nova Scotia Robert Merritt Award nominee for Best Lead and Production for A Brimful of Asha; Academy Award nomination for best foreign film of the year for Water; and nine Genie Award nominations.

ISHAN SANDHU 
Understudy
Chandigarh, a small town designed by a French architect in the north of India, is where Ishan Sandhu calls home and where he dreamt of a life in the performing arts. He pursued a BFA in Theatre at the University of British Columbia. Work in theatre includes: Romeo and Juliet for Bard on the Beach; The Triumph of Love for Western Gold Theatre; Men Express Their Feelings for Zee Zee Theater; The Here and This and Now at Jericho Arts Centre; Gramophone at The Cultch; and The Changeling, Timothy Findley’s The War, Commedia dell’Arte and Book of Days at Frederic Wood Theatre.

NAVTEJ SANDHU
Karna / Satyavati
Navtej Sandhu is a Toronto-based actor, born in the United States; she is also an emerging screenwriter and singer. Work in theatre includes: The Green Line at Edmonton Fringe Festival; and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Canadian Stage). She was introduced to fight training at York University’s acting conservatory where she graduated with a BFA, and is now working towards her advanced actor combatant at Rapier Wit.

MUNISH SHARMA 
Bhima
Munish Sharma is originally from Regina, Saskatchewan, but now lives in Vancouver. He was inspired to become an actor by the Bollywood legend, Amitabh Bachchan, but it was his breakout role as Captain Hook in grade three that really solidified his desire to act. Work in theatre includes: #34 at the Globe Theatre; A Midsummer Night’s Dream and All’s Well That Ends Well for Bard on the Beach; Himmat for Theatre Conspiracy; Men Express Their Feelings for Zee Zee Theatre; A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Cherry Orchard: After Chekhov at the Arts Club; and The Invisible Hand for Pi Theatre.

SUKANIA VENUGOPAL 
Bhishma
Sukania Venugopal is a performer, actor, singer and dancer. Her inspiration to enter acting stemmed from the late Bosco D’Cruz; in 1976, she became an undergraduate student at the University of Malaysia and her first production was The Insect Play, a satire on human society via insects. As well as D’Cruz, another major influence in her training was the late Mustafa Noor, a Malaysian actor who directed her in The Misunderstanding by Albert Camus. Most recently, Sukania Venugopal appeared in Marsha Mason’s Night, Mother and Counting and Cracking, produced by Belvoir St Theatre in Australia.

JOHN GZOWSKI 
Conductor, Co-Composer, Co-Sound Designer and Guitar
Composer, sound designer, musician and instrument maker, John Gzowski has worked on over 250 theatre, dance and film productions. His theatre contributions have won 6 Dora Awards, with 18 nominations from companies such as Ex Machina, Stratford Festival, Shaw Festival, Luminato Festival, National Arts Centre, the Mirvishes, MTC, The Arts Club, Canadian Stage, Soulpepper, Dancemakers, Red Sky, Tarragon Theatre, Factory Theatre, and YPT. He has played on compilations alongside Patricia O'Callghan, Tasa, Autorickshaw, and Maza Meze. He ran Canada’s first microtonal group, playing the works of Harry Partch, and has also worked as Co-Artistic Director of the Music Gallery.

SUBA SANKARAN 
Band Leader, Co-Composer, Co-Sound Designer and Voice
Dora award-winning, three-times Juno-nominated world/fusion vocalist Suba Sankaran has effortlessly combined musical worlds. She has performed with Autorickshaw, master drummer Trichy Sankaran, a cappella live-looping duo FreePlay and Retrocity. Performance highlights include performing for Peter Gabriel, Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and performing with Jane Siberry, Lorraine Segato, Bobby McFerrin and the Swingles. Other highlights include collaborations with Deepa Mehta, the CBC, and Stratford and Shaw Festivals. Work for theatre includes: Jungle Book for Kidoons; For Coloured Girls for the Tiger Bamboo Festival and Soulpepper; The Enchanted Loom for Cahoots Theatre; Much Ado About Nothing for Tarragon Theatre; and Same Same, But Different for Nightswimming.

DYLAN BELL 
Bass, Keyboard and Music Contributions
Dylan Bell is a Juno-nominated vocalist, instrumentalist (piano, bass, Stick, guitar, percussion), composer/arranger, music director and producer/engineer, and has worked with groups ranging from vocal jazz, vocal pop, eclectic jazz and world music, to classical and flat-out rock ‘n’ roll, playing stages in over 25 countries. When it comes to a cappella vocal arranging, Dylan Bell literally wrote the book: A Cappella Arranging, co-written with Deke Sharon, and published by Hal Leonard. Work in theatre includes: Parliament of Birds for Soulpepper; Same Same, But Different for Nightswimming; Arrabal for Mirvish; and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Driftwood.

GURTEJ SINGH HUNJAN 
Percussion and Music Contributions
Gurtej Singh Hunjan is a Juno-award nominated percussionist, composer and DJ based in Toronto. His classical training in North Indian rhythm informs his eclectic, rhythmic-driven sound. He has recorded and performed internationally with headlining artists and composes music for film, television, digital media and theatre.

ZAHEER-ABBAS JANMOHAMED 
Tabla and Music Contributions
Zaheer-Abbas Janmohamed is a Canadian tabla player and a student of Ustad Allarakha’s senior disciple, Shri Prafulla Athalye. Aiming to preserve the integrity of the repertoire he studies, Zaheer-Abbas Janmohamed brings the tradition of tabla to new contexts and audiences through his musical collaborations. He uses the instrument’s sound and theory to explore forms of electronic music production, and he plays in Toronto band, Running Rivers. He has performed across Canada in a variety of classical, semi-classical and contemporary musical settings. Selected appearances include Sonic Landscapes with Surbahar, Sufi Folk Music of Mukhtiyar Ali, and Concerts Café Classico Series.

HASHEEL LODHIA 
Traditional Music Consultant
Hasheel Lodhia began training in North Indian classical music at three years old, under his father. Later he studied vocals under Shri Narendra Datar and bansuri under Shri Jeetu Sharma. He is currently a senior disciple of Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and vocal student of Pandit Ajay Pohankar. He has performed with Kailash Kher, Hariharan, Karthik, Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan, Karsh Kale, Javed Ali and A.R. Rahman. Festivals include: Iceland Airwaves and Pride Toronto. Discography includes: Circle with Alysha Brilla and The India Beat Tape with Yanchan. Music direction includes: In Multiplicity for Nuit Blanche; and The Tagore Project for Tanveer Alam and Atri Nundy.

RAVI JAIN
Director 
Ravi Jain is a multi-award-winning artist known for making politically bold and accessible theatrical experiences in both small indie productions and large theatres. As the founding Artistic Director of Why Not Theatre, he has established himself as an artistic leader for his inventive productions, international producing/collaborations and innovative producing models, which are aimed to better support emerging artists to make money from their art. Ravi Jain was awarded the Pauline McGibbon Award and the 2016 Canada Council John Hirsch Prize for Direction. In 2022, he was awarded the Johanna Metcalf Foundations Performing Arts Prize. He is a graduate of the two-year programme at École Jacques Lecoq.

MIRIAM FERNANDES
Associate Director and Storyteller
Please find Miriam's biography in the Performer Biographies listed above. 

LORENZO SAVOINI 
Set Designer
Lorenzo Savoini is an award-winning set, costume and lighting designer. Work as set designer include: Pomegranate for the Canadian Opera Company; New for RMTC, Necessary Angel and Canadian Stage; Prince Hamlet for Why Not Theatre; and Pipeline for Soulpepper. As set and lighting designer: Grand Magic at Stratford Festival; Kelly V. Kelly for Musical Stage Co. and Canadian Stage; Network for Citadel and RMTC; Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo for Crow’s Theatre; Of Mice and Men for Joffrey Ballet; and Lady Chatterley’s Lover for Les Grand Ballet Canadiens. As Lighting Designer: Prospera for Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Lorenzo Savoini is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada.

GILLIAN GALLOW 
Costume Designer
Gillian is a costume and set designer based in Toronto. She has collaborated with theatre companies across Canada, designing costumes for the world premieres of Hadrian and Louis Riel. Other collaborations include the Shaw Festival, Stratford Festival, Soulpepper, Canadian Stage, The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre and the National Arts Centre. Gillian Gallow has received the Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award, four Toronto Dora Mavor Moore Awards, and the Siminovitch Prize. Her work has been nominated for Calgary’s Betty Awards, Edmonton’s Sterling Awards, Winnipeg’s Evie Awards and Ottawa’s Capital Critics’ Circle.

KEVIN LAMOTTE 
Lighting Designer
Kevin Lamotte is the Director of Lighting Design at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, and a member of the Associated Designers of Canada. Theatre includes: Blithe Spirit, Playboy of the Western World, The Clearing, The Importance of Being Earnest, Gem of the Ocean, Everybody, Desire Under the Elms, and White Christmas for the Shaw Festival; Jesus Hopped the A Train for Soulpepper; Middletown for Crow’s Theatre; La Traviata for Opéra de Montréal; and Fidelio for Pacific Opera. Awards include: The Pauline McGibbon Award (Province of Ontario), Dora Mavor Moore Award (Toronto), and Jesse Richardson Award (Vancouver).

MIKAEL KANGAS
Associate Lighting Designer
Mikael Kangas designs lights for theatre, opera, dance, events and film. Recent work includes: The Amen Corner, Damn Yankees, Trouble in the Mind, The Glass Menagerie and O'Flaherty VC for the Shaw Festival; Fantasma for the Canadian Opera Company; Newsies and Crazy for You at the Sheridan Theatre; & Juliet at the Mirvish, as assistant designer; Macbeth, The Marriage of Figaro, Hansel and Gretel, Rusalka, Onegin, Cosi Fan Tutti, Elixir of Love and Abduction from the Seraglio for the Canadian Opera Company, as assistant designer; and White Christmas, Holiday Inn, Brigadoon, Grand Hotel, Me and My Girl, Saint Joan and Sweeney Todd at the Shaw Festival, as associate designer. Mikael Kangas is the Lighting and Projection Design Coordinator at the Canadian Opera Company, and is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada.

HANA S. KIM 
Projection Designer
Selected work in theatre includes, on Broadway: The Old Man and the Pool at Lincoln Center Theater and Summer, 1976 at the Manhattan Theatre Club. Off-Broadway/New York: The Harder They Come, The Visitor (Lucille Lortel nomination) and Eve's Song at The Public Theater; Everything Rises at BAM; and Magdalene at Prototype Festival. New music/opera includes: Sweet Land for The Industry and The Anonymous Lover for LA Opera. Regional: work with Geffen Playhouse, OSF, South Coast Rep, Magic Theatre and A.C.T, among others. Awards include: Princess Grace Award, Sherwood Award from CTG, Helen Hayes Award, LA Drama Critics Circle Distinguished Achievement Award, among others.

ANN SLOTE 
Associate Projections Designer
Ann Slote attended the University of California Los Angeles and is a video and lighting designer based in Berlin and San Francisco. Video Design work includes: Joywave’s Hellvetica and Cleanse tours; Quinn XCII’s festival tour; MisterWives’ Resilient Little Tour on US tour. As Video Assistant/Animator: Stranger Love at LA Philharmonic; Goddess at Berkeley Rep; Dancin’ at The Old Globe and The Sound Inside on Broadway. Lighting Design: Best Funeral Ever (my russian funeral) for Ballhaus Ost; and What You Will for Project Nongenue.

See Performers Biographies for:
Sound Designers John Gzowski and Suba Sankaran 
Original Music John Gzowski and Suba Sankaran (with contributions from Dylan Bell, Gurtej Singh Hunjan, Zaheer-Abbas Janmohamed and Hasheel Lodhia) 
Traditional Music Consultant Hasheel Lodhia

BRANDY LEARY
Choreographer
Brandy Leary is a choreographer, dancer, curator and Artistic Director of ĀNANDAṀ. She is based in Toronto and works regularly between Canada, Europe and India. Her dance training crosses two decades of practice in the South Indian martial art of kalarippayattu, chhau (Seraikella and Mayurbhanj styles) and contemporary approaches to dance and choreography. Her works have been described as ‘phenomenological interventions’ (Canadian Theatre), ‘soulful and sensuous’ (NYTimes), and ‘embodying a hallucinatory, dreamlike state’ (NOW Magazine). Her choreography has been produced and performed internationally in theatres, urban environments, festivals, museums, art galleries and isolated landscapes.

SHARADA K ESWAR 
Storyteller (Khana and Kahani) and Creative Associate
Creative credits include: Chitra as Assistant Director at the Shaw Festival; Walk with Amal – Brampton as writer and director; Hayavadana, as singer/Artistic Associate, for Why Not Theatre and Soulpepper; The Two Gentlemen of Verona, as directorial dramaturg and assistant director, for Birmingham Conservatory and Stratford Festival; Rice Boy, as cultural dramaturg, at Stratford Festival; The Draupadi Project, as writer and performer, for Why Not Theatre; Abhimanyu, as writer and singer, for Theatre Direct/National Arts Centre; The Blue God and the Serpents, as writer, producer and performer, for Tamasha Arts; Like An Old Tale, as singer, for Jumblies Theatre; Much Ado About Nothing, as cultural dramaturg, for Tarragon Theatre; and Free Outgoing for Nightwood Theatre. Upcoming: The Butcher’s Song and blue skies, red earth & tall pines for Jumblies Theatre.

ANTHONY ALLAN
Assistant Technical Director
Anthony (he/him) is eager to collaborate and advocate for himself and other artists looking to create. As a technical director and designer, he looks to promote an enriching environment for others. He is a recent graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada's Production Design and Technical Arts program. Selected credits include: Technical Director: MASHUP pon di road (Why Not Theatre), Lay Hold to the Softest Throat (FTA), Middletown (NTS), Assistant Sound Designer: Little Shop of Horrors (Capitol Theatre), Sound Designer: Metamorphoses (NTS), Lighting Designer: New Words Festival (NTS), and Production Manager: Maybe Not Tomorrow (NTS).

BRANDON WELLS
Head of Sound
Brandon Wells has spent a decade working with a multitude of artists and organizations in Toronto and beyond, including Live from Koerner Hall, Soundstreams, Esprit Orchestra, Against the Grain Theatre, Pocket Concerts, Tapestry Opera, Canadian Stage Company, amongst others. Brandon is a staff recording engineer at Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music, and formerly for Humber College’s Bachelor of Music program. Brandon holds a Master of Music degree in Sound Recording from McGill University, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Humber College. He has also served as a Senior Audio Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Centre.

CRYSTAL LEE 
Production Manager
Crystal is originally from a small east coast Canadian community in the Chaleur Region. Her first exposure to theatre was in a local high school auditorium – a touring production of The Velveteen Rabbit. It was after that experience where she became so enthralled in how theatre was able to capture effective magic with simple sequences. She felt most comfortable helping to facilitate that creation of magic as a production manager. Crystal’s formal training was at the National Theatre School of Canada. Best advice that has guided her practice? Don’t prep for perfection, but instead for spontaneity!

DANIEL BENNETT
Technical Director
Daniel Bennett is a theatre practitioner and has worked with SummerWorks, Eclipse Theatre Company, Festival Transamériques, Paprika Festival and Toronto’s Luminato Festival. Lighting design credits include: Cabaret, Seeds of Self, Juno's Reward, and Beethoven Lives Upstairs (Grand Theatre). Sound design credits include: Juno’s Reward and Beethoven Lives Upstairs (Grand Theatre) and Griffin McInnes’ Specimen. Daniel is a graduate and Associate Artist at the National Theatre School, the Technical Director for Canadian Stage, and was previously the Technical Director at the Grand Theatre. He runs Curveball Creative and holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto.

ERIN BRANDENBURG
Grantwriter, Why Not Theatre
Erin Brandenburg is a director and writer for film and theatre originally from Essex County, Ontario. Based in Tkaronto, her work engages with social questions and creates space for conversation. She recently directed the short film Retreat, filmed on location on Pelee Island, was an artist in residence with Toronto Public Library through Artists in the Library, creating the Albion VR Project (Toasterlab). Select writing/directing credits include the upcoming musical about disability and consent, The Flin Flon Cowboy (The Flin Flon Collective), Detroit-Music of the Motor City (Soulpepper), Selah’s Song (TOTB - US/Canadian Tour), HOME DAY (Necessary Angel/Resilience Project).

JEFF PYBUS
Lighting Technician
Jeff (he/him) is a lighting & video designer and technical director for live performance across Ontario. He is also a hobbyist astrophotographer and cat Dad. Select credits include: The Judas Kiss, Herringbone, The Yalta Game, Hedwig & The Angry Inch, La Bete (Talk is Free Theatre), Beautiful Renegades (Peggy Baker Dance Projects), Seagulls, The Killing, The Madness of Lady Bright (Shaw Festival Director’s Projects), Tales of an Urban Indian (Buenos Aires Tour, Production Manager), Prince Caspian, The Shadow of a Doubt, Gaslight, Chitra, Desire Under the Elms, Victory, (Shaw Festival; Assistant Lighting Design), The Runner (Human Cargo; Assoc. Lighting Design), and Musik für das Ende (Soundstreams, Touring Lighting Director).

JENNY KIM
Assistant Stage Manager
Stage management credits include: Henry V, Romeo and Juliet, Coriolanus (Bard On The Beach), Teenage Dick, No Child, Sweat, Cipher (Arts Club Theatre), The Mountaintop (Pacific Theatre), The Café (Aphotic Theatre/Itsazoo Production), Bad Parent (vAct/PTE/Soulpepper), China Doll (Gateway Theatre), Sang Ja (Pangaea Arts), Snapshots: A Musical Scrapbook (Snapshots Collective), Circle Game: Reimagining the music of Joni Mitchell (Firehall Arts Centre/Arts Club Theatre), and Legally Blonde: The Musical (TUTS). Other credits include: Pachinko (Apple TV). Jenny is based in Vancouver.

JESSICA KAMPHORST
Senior Development Advisor, Why Not Theatre
Jessica Kamphorst has been a creative and strategic campaign lead and major gift fundraiser for mission-driven organizations for over 25 years. Through leadership positions in arts and culture, higher education, and research organizations, Jessica has contributed to the organizations she serves through analysis and strategy, systems and program design, team leadership and coaching, and championing the donor experience. Jessica holds an MBA with a specialty in Arts & Media Administration from Schulich School of Business, and a BA from McGill University. Jessica sits on the Board of Directors of DesignTO, Canada’s leading and largest annual design festival.

KAREN TISCH
Executive Director, Why Not Theatre
Karen Tisch is the Executive Director of Why Not Theatre. Her past positions include: Managing Director of the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Programming Director of the Images Festival, Executive Director of the Ashkenaz Foundation, and Executive Director of the Koffler Centre of the Arts. She has served in grants management roles at the Toronto Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts, is a Board member of Red Sky Performance, and a past president/chair of the Toronto Arts Council, A Space Gallery, and the Toronto Book Awards. Karen attended Canada’s National Ballet School and OCAD University.

KARISHMA BRISTY
Administrative and Development Coordinator, Why Not Theatre
Karishma Bristy has an academic background in Studio Art (BA) and Philosophy (BA, MA), a research background in applied ethics, and a professional background in arts education and community engagement. As a conceptual artist, her work is frequently generated by her interests in feminist philosophy, language, and hermeneutics.

KEVIN MATTHEW WONG 
Co-Lead Producer, Mahabharata Tour
Kevin Matthew Wong (he/him) is a Hakka Chinese-Canadian theatre creator, performer, video designer and producer. Kevin is currently Senior Producer and Artistic Associate at Why Not Theatre. As a producer Kevin has led projects at some of Canada’s largest theatres including the Shaw Festival, Stratford Festival, National Arts Centre, Canadian Stage, and the Luminato Festival. Kevin’s solo performance The Chemical Valley Project has toured widely across Canada and to Germany. He is currently creating a new solo show entitled Benevolence that explores Hakka-Chinese history and this fall he will debut a short documentary at the Reel Asian International Film Festival.

MARY ANDERSON
Special Projects Manager, Why Not Theatre
Mary Anderson (she/her) has an academic background in Women’s and Gender Studies (BA, MA) and Photography (BFA). She has led and produced a variety of creative programming within Toronto’s arts and culture sector, and has exhibited her work in The Image Centre, The Orillia Museum of Art & History, The City of Toronto Archives, Toronto Star, and Demeter Press. Most recently, she completed a Certificate in Urban Agriculture at Toronto Metropolitan University.

MAYA ROYER
Assistant Producer and Khana and Kahani Production Manager/Stage Manager 
​​Born and raised in Toronto, Maya has always been passionate about her city and its culture. Maya holds a BFA from Toronto Metropolitan University, in Performance Production and Design. Theatre credits include: Associate Production Manager/Technical Director, Loss (The Theatre Centre), Production Manager, Our Place, Three Ordinary Men (Cahoots Theatre Company), Production Manager, Beautiful Renegades (Peggy Baker Dance Projects), Associate Production Manager, Mahabharata, Mashup Pon Di Road (Why Not Theatre), Conservatory Coordinator, Conservatory - Digital Skills Edition (Volcano), Assistant Production Manager, The Events (Necessary Angel), and Assistant Production Manager, Pygmalion (Guild Festival Theatre).

MICHELLE MOHAMMED
Toronto Company Manager
Michelle is an artist, actor, and director. Theatre credits include: Des in Yerma (Coal Mine Theatre), Olga in Orphan’s for the Czar (Crow’s Theatre), Villager in Chitra (Shaw Festival and Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare BASH’d). Film/Television credits include: Drive (Live Portrait), Ruby and the Well (Shaftesbury), and The Handmaid’s Tale (Gilead 3 Prod). Directing credits include: The Hooves Belonged to the Deer (Tarragon Theatre), Dramaturg/Performer in The Trick to Walking Backwards by Aria Sharma (STRATFEST@Home), and Director of Twice Blessed (Workshop) by Marissa Orjalo. Upcoming: A Poem for Rabia by Nikki Shaffeeullah (Tarragon Theatre).

MICHELLE YAGI 
Co-Lead Producer, Mahabharata Tour
Michelle (she/her) is a Senior Producer at Why Not Theatre. She was born and raised in Treaty 13 Territory (Toronto), and trained as an arts producer in the schools, theatres and meeting places across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. She has worked with companies including Shakespeare’s Globe, Peut-Être Theatre, the National Arts Centre, Soulpepper Theatre, Steppenwolf, Jörgen Dance, Luminato, Outside the March and the Paprika Festival. Michelle holds a Masters in Arts Administration from Indiana University, a postgrad in digital marketing from University of the Arts London, and a B.A. in theatre from Queen’s University.

NEHA ROSS
Stage Manager
Neha Ross is a Stage Manager currently working and residing in Tkaronto. Stage Manager credits include: Perceptual Archaeology (The Fire and Rescue Team with Crows Theatre), Mahabharata, Prince Hamlet, ICELAND (Why Not Theatre), Kamloopa, Bad Parent, Animal Farm, 27 Club, A Movable Feast: Paris in the 20s, A Very Soulpepper Christmas (Soulpepper), and Mixtape (Crow’s Theatre). Assistant Stage Manager credits include: Romeo and Juliet (Stratford Festival), Kim’s Convenience, Cowboy Versus Samurai (Soulpepper), Hallaj (Modern Times Stage), The Taste of Empire, The Madness of the Square (Cahoots Theatre), Lady in the Red Dress (fuGEN).

OLIVIA WHEELER
Assistant Sound Designer & Playback Operator
Olivia Wheeler is a mixed-race, Chinese Canadian sound designer and composer. Theatre credits include: Sound Designer for Armadillos (Factory Theatre), Between a Wok and a Hot Pot (Cahoots), It’ll Come to Me (Theatre SKAM), Associate Sound Designer/Composer for A Wrinkle in Time (Stratford Festival), Associate Sound Designer for Three Women of Swatow (Tarragon Theatre), Bad Parent (Soulpepper/vACT/PTE), Mahabharata (Why Not Theatre), Every Little Nookie, Hamlet-911, and 1939 (Stratford Festival), and Music Director and Composer for Julius Caesar and Two Gentlemen of Verona (Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival).

RACHEL FORBES
Head of Wardrobe
Rachel is an award-winning Canadian set and costume designer creating for theatre, dance, opera and film. Her designs have been seen on stages, sites and screens all across Canada. Rachel is particularly interested in the development of new works, interdisciplinary explorations, experimental creation methods and designer-led theatre projects. Her design work has primarily focused on the experiences of the African diaspora in North America and the Caribbean. Rachel serves on the board of directors for the Associated Designers of Canada’s national arts service organization as well as teaching and mentoring young in craft designers and students.

SARAH NEWKIRK
Finance Director, Why Not Theatre
Sarah Newkirk is the Finance Director at Why Not Theatre. Sarah completed her Master of Business Administration in Arts and Media at the Schulich School of Business in 1998, and has been bringing her financial skills to arts organisations for over 20 years. She thrives in creative environments and loves to be immersed in the cultural activities her work supports.

VICTORIA WANG
Assistant Stage Manager
Victoria Wang is a Toronto based stage manager, producer, arts manager and yoga instructor. She has worked with companies across Canada, including Native Earth, Soulpepper Theatre, Cahoots Theatre, Aluna Theatre, Canadian Stage, Tarragon Theatre, the National Arts Centre, Segal Centre, SummerWorks, Buddies in Bad Times, Nuit Blanche and the Toronto International Film Festival. Victoria is also the founder of Memory Palace Project, a public art project that has appeared at the Toronto Fringe, Assembly Theatre, Long Winter, and the Art Apart Festival. Victoria is a graduate of the University of Toronto and the National Theatre School of Canada.

YVONNE LU TRINH
Marketing & Communications Manager, Why Not Theatre
Yvonne is a creative and strategic marketer and communicator who works in the nonprofit arts and wellness sectors. They have a passion for digital marketing and UX design, and they use their skills to craft engaging and impactful stories for their audiences. Besides their professional work, they are also an active and versatile artist and organizer who explores various forms of expression, such as DJing and sound healing. Their artistic vision is to create immersive and transformative experiences that connect community, multimedia, sound, and movement. Yvonne holds a combined honours B.A. in Multimedia and Theatre & Film from McMaster University.