Wounds are tricky beings

Anosh Irani – Playwright

Anosh Irani has published four critically acclaimed novels: The Cripple and His Talismans, a national bestseller; The Song of Kahunsha, which was an international bestseller and was shortlisted for Canada Reads and the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize; Dahanu Road, which was nominated for the Man Asian Literary Prize; and The Parcel, a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, and the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. It was longlisted for the 2017 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature and is longlisted for the 2018 Dublin Literary Award. The Parcel was chosen as one of the Best Books of the Year by the Globe and Mail, Quill & Quire, National Post, CBC Books and The Walrus. His play Bombay Black won five Dora Mavor Moore Awards, including Outstanding New Play, and his anthology The Bombay Plays: The Matka King & Bombay Black was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award. His new play, The Men in White, was nominated for three Jessie Richardson Awards including for Outstanding Original Script and was recently shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award in Drama. His work has been translated into eleven languages.

Philip Akin – Director

Directing: Shaw Festival: Of Marriage and Men by George Bernard Shaw (2108), RMTC: The Humans by Steven Karam (2018), Obsidian Theatre: hang by Debbie tucker green (2018), Shaw Festival: 1837: The Farmer’s Revolt by Rick Salutin/TPM Ensemble (2017), Acting Up Stage/Obsidian Theatre Company: Passing Strange by Stew and Heidi Rodewald (2017), Fountain School of Performing Arts: Dalhousie University: Midsummers Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare (2016), Shaw Festival: Master Harold and the Boys by Athol Fugard (2016): Obsidian Theatre: Up the Garden Path by Lisa Codrington (2016), Obsidian Theatre: Venus’ Daughter by Meghan Swaby (2016

Dora Nominations for Best Director in the General Theatre Division 2008, 2011 and 2012 {winning in 2012}.

John Chou – Sam

Selected Theatre: Geyer in The Good Doctor Holmes and His Children of God (Tanagra Collective), Alonzo di Piraquo in Changeling: A Grand Guignol for Murderous Times, Eilert Lovborg in Hedda Gabler (Desiderata Theatre Company), Tsering in Kwatz!: The Tibetan Project, Buster in The Fan Tan King (Pan Asian Repertory Theatre).

Selected Film/TV: Designated Survivor (ABC), Odd Squad (Sinking Ship), Saving Hope (CTV), Defiance, The Expanse (SyFy), The Strain (FX), Remedy (Global).

John is a proud member of CAEA and ACTRA.

Cyrus Faird – Doc

Cyrus Faird is an alumnus of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts New York. He has trained in Los Angeles with Hank Azaria and Delia Salvi as well as studied at UCLA’s School of Film/Theater and University of Toronto. He has earned three Dora Award nominations for performances in theatre. Credits include Michael Hollingsworth’s Trudeau and Levesque & Trudeau and The FLQ (Videocabaret/Soulpepper); Jez Butterworth’s Mojo (Red One Theatre) and Assistant Director for Nicolas Billon’s Butcher (Why Not Theatre).

Huse Madhavji – Baba

Huse Madhavji is best known for his series regular roles on HBO Canada’s Call Me Fitz and CTV’s hit hospital drama Saving Hope. Prior to that, Huse was a broadcaster covering entertainment on Etalk,  CP24 and hosting several shows on Star! (now E! Canada) where he sat down with some of the world’s most familiar faces. He now lives in LA, working the stand-up/improv circuit. You can hear him next in the upcoming Disney animated series The Royal Detective opposite Freida Pinto.

Chanakya Mukherjee – Hasan

A graduate from the Drama program at the University of Calgary (2015), Chanakya is a recent graft onto the Toronto theatre community. His move to Toronto was spurred by a desire to better his understanding of his craft, and to find his grounding as an artist of colour. Chanakya is a recipient of Marilyn Perkins Annual Award in Music, Art & Drama (2014), he’s been awarded the Vital Scholarship to the National Voice Intensive, and more recently won the Hamilton Fringe Monologue Slam, 2018

Gugun Deep Singh – Abdul

Off-Broadway: La Ronde, Diary Of A Scoundrel, The Maids. US Regional: Back Of The Throat, King Richard the Second, Metamorphoses, The Tempest, Trigger, Proof, Hamlet, Penelope. Toronto: Much Ado About Nothing. Film: Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End, How To Plan An Orgy In A Small Town, The Journey Is The Destination. Television: Nikita, Odd Squad, The Expanse, The Strain, The Indian Detective. Gugun Deep is honoured to make his Factory debut in this marvelous play; he thanks his cast & crew, Bina & Bal, Sarah, Pedro and Ryan for all their insights and support.

Sugith Varughese – Randy

Sugith Varughese is thrilled to be returning to Factory Theatre for the Toronto premiere of Anosh Irani’s The Men in White.  His last appearance here was in Anusree Roy’s Little Pretty and the Exceptional for which he received a Dora Award nomination for Outstanding Performance – Male.

Tahirih Vejdani – Haseena

Tahirih Vejdani is a Toronto based actor, singer, composer, music educator and conductor originally from Regina, Saskatchewan. She graduated from the University of Regina with a Bachelor of Music double majoring in Vocal Performance and Music History. Select theatre credits include: HMS Pinafore, Treasure Island, The Pirates of Penzance, Elektra (Stratford Shakespeare Festival); Portia’s Julius Caesar (Shakespeare in the Ruff); Taming of the Shrew (Driftwood Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing (Tarragon Theatre); Shrek The Musical, Honk! A Musical Tale of the Ugly Duckling (Globe Theatre); Paradise Lost (Summerworks Festival).

Farid Yazdani – Ram

Farid Yazdani is an award-winning actor and recent graduate of the Factory Theatre’s Mechanicals Actors Training Program. He is best known for his recurring role on Suits as David Green.  Farid is a graduate of the School of Creative and Performing Arts in Toronto and has guest starred in shows such as Titans, Odd Squad, Killjoys, Shadowhunters and more. Other recent achievements include winning at The Canadian Comedy Awards, The Toronto Monologue Slam and gracing the cover of ACTRA Toronto Performers Magazine. He is thrilled and honoured to be making his debut on the Factory Theatre Mainstage!

THE MEN IN WHITE is a heartwarming tale of love, life, and how to hit a googly! Award-winning playwright and author Anosh Irani has published four critically acclaimed novels (The Cripple and His Talismans, The Song of Kahunsha, Dahanu Road, and The Parcel), and the shortlisted Governor General’s Literary Award Anthology, The Bombay Plays: The Matka King and Bombay Black.Irani’s work has been translated into eleven languages. The premiere production of Bombay Black won five Dora Mavor Moore Awards including Outstanding New Play. THE MEN IN WHITE, which was be published by House of Anansi this September, was nominated for three Jessie Richardson Awards, including Outstanding Original Script, when it premiered in Vancouver in 2017. Writer Anosh Irani in an exclusive Interview with The Weekly Asian Connections shares highlights of  The Men In White.

Q .What is the play “Men in White” all about? What inspired you to choose the theme of cricket?

1. I always wanted to write a play about cricket.  I imagined these men on stage, dressed in their whites, but that was all.  I had no story yet.
   A few years ago, I was in Bombay researching the red-light district for my novel, The Parcel.  I can’t remember why, but a friend of mine took me to Dongri, a predominantly Muslim area, on his motorcycle.  He started chatting with the owner of a chicken slaughterhouse who happened to be a friend of his.  When the owner found out that I lived in Canada, his eyes lit up.  “I have a sister in Saskatoon,” he said.  It startled me.  When you are surrounded by blood and dead chickens, flies and motorcycles, you don’t really think: “Yes, Saskatoon.’’  But it was exactly what I needed for the play.  Once I came back, I thought of two worlds: Bombay and Canada. The wounds of one world open up in another.  And wounds are tricky beings.  They remain masked until the most seemingly benign things cause them to rupture all over again.
2. What can the viewers expect from the play?
3. A. An engaging and entertaining evening of theatre.  At least that’s what I expect when I go watch a play.
4. Do you think Canadian Cricket in reality needs to bring players from India and Pakistan to improve its standing in International cricket?
5. A. I think the talent exists in Canada; however, the opportunity does not.  Why would a young man spend his days playing cricket, aiming to become professional?  To what end?  Cricketers make huge money in India because the sport has a following; Indians are insanely passionate about cricket (which in turns causes sponsors to be insanely passionate about pouring money into cricket).  Here, even if one were to excel at the sport, it’s tough to make a living, I’m guessing, as a professional cricketer.  But if Canada would like to improve its standing at the International level, one needs an outstanding coach from one of the Test playing nations to help build a strong team.