In-Development at Theatre Passe Muraille
Graphic Design by Emily Jung
The Buzz In-Development Series focuses on creating an artistic process that places the art and artist at the centre. We do this in various ways including: workshops, dramaturgy, public presentations as well as in ways which cannot yet be anticipated or defined. At TPM, we aspire to empower the artist throughout their development in methodologies that work for them.
The 24.25 season includes over 10 new works-in-development. This season will include artists doing text-based explorations, translation, and digital explorations in VR and AR. We are also pleased to announce that we will be continuing our partnership with Diaspora Dialogues, supporting workshops for exciting new works by Ajahnis Charley and Donovan Hayden. Further works in development will be pollinated by Fatma Naguib, Ameer Idreis, Michael Caldwell, Anika Johnson, Ahmad Meree, Rinchen Dolma and Philip Geller.
All works in the Buzz In-Development Series are being considered for future development and potential production at TPM. Buzz Artists are given access to one of our venues, dramaturgical support and in-kind services or funds as part of their development. TPM offers further commitment to artists-in-residence with more comprehensive monetary and administrative support and with longer timelines towards a production!
Ships in the Night by Ameer Idreis
Ameer Idreis is a writer, playwright, and urbanist with a passion for storytelling that explores and interrogates culture, identity, and self-discovery. Releasing his debut novel in 2012, Ameer has been writing ever since – penning novels, academic and popular articles, and most recently, stories for the stage. Writing and urbanism aside, he enjoys watching coming-of-age movies, exploring forest trails, and curating niche playlists.
Ships in the Night is an in-development play following a young man’s journey into queer romance and its unexpected political dilemmas. New to the Toronto dating scene, Omar’s friends are excited and apprehensive when they learn he has a date with Isaac. Omar and Isaac have a lot in common – a religious upbringing, conservative parents… and lives shaped by war and occupation, albeit in different ways. As they navigate the uncertain terrain of their date, Omar and his friends question whether a Palestinian Muslim and an Israeli Jew can be together, what it means to be a settler, and the dynamics of the Occupation – all told through the prism of young adult humour.
UNCIVILIZED by Ahmad Meree
Co-Produced with 7Spices Theatre مسرح 7 بهارات
Ahmad Meree is a Syrian Canadian actor, playwright and producer. He is a graduate from the Higher Institute of Theatre Arts in Cairo. Winner of an emerging artist award at Arts Awards Waterloo Region (2019) and the Best Actor Award at the Central Theatre Festival in Syria (2008), he directed Ionesco’s The Lesson in Egypt and won Best Director Award for directing Chekhov’s The Bear at Cairo’s Festival of International Theatre (2013). Ahmad came to Canada as a refugee in 2016 and currently lives in Toronto, ON.
Ahmad has written and produced several plays, including UNCIVILIZED (2023 work in progress), I Don’t Know (2021) Suitcase (2019) which toured to JTC in Tunisia, Adrenaline (2017) which he toured to the NAC in Ottawa, the Ryga Festival in Summerland, BC, SummerWorks Performance Festival in Toronto and UNO Fest in Victoria, BC. Adrenaline earned a Dora outstanding touring production nomination in 2020. Suitcase/Adrenaline were published in book form by Scirocco Drama in 2020. 7Spices Theatre is a Toronto-based collective established by Ahmad Meree and Rahaf Fasheh to platform and engage with SWANA/Arab professional and emerging performing artists and their work.
About the company: 7Spices Theatre is a Toronto-based collective established by Ahmad Meree and Rahaf Fasheh to platform and engage with SWANA/Arab professional and emerging performing artists and their work.
UNCIVILIZED is a story about identity, and what it means to be a Syrian-Canadian citizen. And refusing to politicize human rights. It’s about the journey of leaving home to become a refugee and then a citizen. What is identity? A piece of paper? … we’ll see.
The first stage of development took place at MT Space’s IMPACT 23.
The writing and creation phase was supported by Toronto Arts Council‘s Playwrights Program.
Instagram @ahmad.meree
ཁྱིམ་ཚང་ Khimstang by Rinchen Dolma
རིན་ཆེན་སྒྲོལ་མ་|Rinchen Dolma [ཁོ་/མོ་she/her] is a playwright, director/dramaturge, performer and veteran community arts practitioner originally from the Himalayas; currently based in Tkarón:to. She is the founder and Artistic Director of the grassroots community-arts based initiative MADE IN EXILE. Rinchen was in the 20/21 Foundry cohort at Factory Theatre, received the 2021 Promising Pen Prize from Cahoots Theatre and completed a 2023 residency at the 50th edition of The Banff Playwrights Lab.
Sonam and Jigme meet in a registration line for a refugee transit school in Mussoorie, India where they must decide on how to start their lives in exile.
Instagram @callmerewa
fence posts divided by Philip Geller
Philip Jonah Logan Geller (they/he) is Jewish (Ashkenazi) and Red River Michif (Métis) with Logan, Dupuis, Vandal ancestors, and roots to the historic Métis community of Rooster Town. Philip is a theatre/performing artist, educator, and scholar, who is focused on decolonizing their process by listening to and dialoguing with ancestral and cultural knowledge. They have worked across Turtle Island as a director, actor, producer, devisor, clown, and educator. They hold a BFA in Acting (University of Alberta) and MFA in Directing (York University). Pam Logan (she/her) – A listener of stories and a spinner of tales, Pam Logan is a Métis- woman who’s healing journey has opened up her heart and mind to the beat of Turtle Island – with the sound of a reel making her feet all jumpy. Her professional career has allowed her to make a difference in the lives of women and children, giving voice and creating safe spaces for their stories to be told.
fence posts divided is an ancestral performance-installation, it is the imagined-true story of two boys meeting in the interlakes of Manitoba, in the 1920s. Two boys from vastly different yet deeply similar communities, the Métis and Jews. In harsh and (un)familiar Land both boys, both communities need each other. Using familial and land based dramaturgy an adult-child and mother open an exploration and a conversation about ancestral narratives, identity, sovereignty, and (re)conciliation.
www.philipgeller.com | Instagram @philipjgeller
The Woman Who Ate Falafel
by Fatma Naguib
Fatma Naguib is an actor, writer, and producer with a passion for the stage. Recently seen in the CBC show One More Time, her stage work includes Get a Dog, The Do-Gooders, and Benched. A graduate of The Second City Conservatory, she honed her comedic skills at Humber College and through years of content creation. With bachelor’s degrees in Film and Fine Arts, she consistently showcases versatile talent and dedication to the arts. Her debut solo comedy show, The Woman Who Ate Falafel, premiered at the Toronto Fringe 2023.
The Woman Who Ate Falafel is a heartfelt comedic solo show set in Cairo, Egypt, chronicling the journey of Fatma. Passionate about acting and comedy, Fatma clashes with societal norms that discourage women in performing arts. Undeterred by familial and cultural disapproval, she leaves her homeland for Canada, seeking acceptance and opportunity. However, Fatma’s resolve is tested by visa rejections and the pain of uprooting herself, only to encounter societal barriers and stereotypes in her new home. Written and performed by Fatma Naguib, the show explores resilience, overcoming societal challenges, and the courage to pursue one’s dreams.
www.fatma.tv | Instagram @FatmaTakesPhotos|@TheWomanWhoAteFalafel
Crushing Cans by Anika Johnson
and Michael Caldwell
Anika Johnson is a Toronto-based composer, music director and performer. Writing collaborations include: Brantwood (Sheridan), Dr. Silver (Outside the March/The Musical Stage Company), Blood Ties (Edinburgh Fringe/featured on Orphan Black), Summerland (EOTS), One Small Step (YES Theatre), and The Last Timbit (the Tim Horton’s musical), as well as commissions from the Stratford Festival, Crow’s Theatre, and California’s South Coast Repertory. She serves as dramaturg for her sister Britta’s musical Life After and contributed to its productions at CanStage, Chicago’s Goodman Theatre and San Diego’s Old Globe. Anika has also been performing internationally with Corpus DanceProjects since 2008 and most recently co-created their work Divine Interventions, which has since been presented across Canada and in Australia and South Africa. She can regularly be seen on North American stages as a member of Forever Seger: The Silver Bullet Experience and Wannabe: A Spice Girls Tribute.
Michael Caldwell (he/him) is a choreographer, performer, curator, artistic director, producer, and arts advocate, based in Tkaronto, Canada.
Garnering critical acclaim, his work has been commissioned/presented throughout Canada at major festivals, in traditional venues and in site-responsive and community-engaged contexts. Michael’s most recent performance work responds to the ‘site’ in as many ways as can be conceived, and subverts traditional modes of viewing. He recently premiered a large-scale performance/sound work as part of ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art, and is currently working on two collaborative multidisciplinary performance projects. Caldwell is a two-time K.M. Hunter Charitable Foundation Artist Award finalist.
Michael has performed/collaborated with over 55 of Canada’s esteemed performance creators/companies, working internationally and performing across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. His performances have earned him two (2) Dora Mavor Moore Awards for outstanding performance in dance.
Currently, Michael serves as Artistic Director at SummerWorks, and as Programming Advisor and Co-Curator for Festival of Dance Annapolis Royal, in Nova Scotia. Previously, Michael contributed to curatorial and producing roles at CanAsian Dance, Dusk Dances, Fall for Dance North, Kaeja d’Dance, and Moonhorse Dance Theatre. In addition, he acts as a consultant with various arts organizations and as a mentor to many emerging artists/curators in the Tkaronto arts community.
With a bachelor’s degree in film/art history from Syracuse University in upstate New York, and professional dance training at Dance Arts Institute, Michael now serves as President of the Board of Directors at The CanDance Network.
Crushing Cans‘ is an open-mic night at a dingy piano bar, hosted by Anika and performed by many Michaels.
Suitable Climate by Donovan Hayden
Workshop supported by Diaspora Dialogues, b current theatre company, and Summerworks Festival
Suitable Climate by Donovan Hayden, brings to light the overlooked history of Black settlers in Western Canada. This compelling historical fiction follows the Cook family, a Black American family that settles in Western Canada in the early 1900’s. Intertwined with their journey is a contemporary story of a father and son rediscovering this hidden legacy. Both families grapple with the enduring struggles of claiming their rightful space, the unyielding spectre of racism, and uncovering moments of joy in a world often designed against them. Suitable Climate boldly challenges the narrative that Black people are foreign to Canada, celebrating the profound impact of Black settler communities on our present-day understanding of Black Canadian identity.
Instagram @dontruhayden
My Gay-Ass, Black-Ass Life by Ajahnis Charley
Workshop supported by Diaspora Dialogues.
A washed-up playwright, a theatre critic, and an emerging artist go to extreme lengths to give you the show they know you want to see. “My Gay-Ass, Black-Ass Life” is a play about identity, agency and Toronto’s favourite word, “authenticity.”
Instagram @ajahnischarley
VUKA, led by Tsholo Khalema
Tsholo Khalema is a South African-Canadian multi-hyphenate artist dedicated to integrating his passion for social justice into his artistic endeavors. Recently, Tsholo appeared on the Tarragon Theatre stage as Saad in Donna Michelle St. Bernard’s double bill production 3 Fingers Back. He served as the assistant director for Soulpepper Theatre’s The Guide to Being Fabulous and was the assistant director and dialect coach for Sizwe Banzi is Dead.
As the co-founder and artist producer of Amava Collective, Tsholo is committed to truth-speaking through art and storytelling. Amava’s first theatre for young audiences production debuted at the Forward March Festival in May 2024 with Theatre Direct. This fall, Tsholo’s TV directing debut will be unveiled.For more information on what Tsholo is up to, check out www.tsholovisions.com.
VUKA (meaning “to rise” in Zulu) is the genesis of creation, where stories are shared and truths are told, no matter the circumstances. In VUKA, we create in a supportive community where stories form organically through a collaborative process that welcomes devised creation. Deeply rooted in oral African traditions, VUKA is a place where your truth begins.
For the 2024/25 season, VUKA continues to support multidisciplinary arts practices,
encouraging the spirit of investigation, discovery, experimentation, and trust. Back to welcome its second cohort, this paid creation program invites Black self-identified artists to develop a one-person show over the course of two seasons, starting from their own disciplines.
Instagram @tsholovisions|@amava.collective
Since 1968, Theatre Passe Muraille has created over 700 new Canadian plays. Supporting works in development is at the heart of our operations.
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