by Anusree Roy
Photo of Anusree Roy & Design by Tanja Tiziana
“Life is not easy, Chaya… but you have to believe in it.”
To welcome iconic Canadian playwright Anusree Roy’s long awaited sequel, we invite you to an intimate reading of Roy‘s acclaimed one-woman play, Pyaasa (meaning “thirsty” in Hindi).
Set in Calcutta, Pyaasa tells the story of Chaya, an eleven-year-old untouchable who dreams of nothing more than learning her times tables. When Chaya’s mother begs a woman from a higher caste to give Chaya a job at a local tea stall, Chaya’s journey from childhood to adulthood begins and ends over ten days. A moving and heartfelt play, Pyaasa illustrates with subtlety and nuanced truth the inequalities and injustices that persist through the Indian caste system.
Pyaasa premiered at Theatre Passe Muraille in 2007 and won two Dora Mavor Moore Awards in 2008, including Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Performance. This powerful work performed to sold out crowds and launched Roy‘s celebrated career, establishing her as a vital voice in Canadian theatre and film.
As Theatre Passe Muraille prepares to present Roy‘s newest work, Through the Eyes of God, this is your chance to experience where it all began—a chance to witness the origin of Chaya’s story with the original cast and the artistry that continues to move audiences today.
Pyaasa will be read by playwright Anusree Roy with a Q&A hosted by Marjorie Chan.
All proceeds from this fundraiser will go to the Andy McKim Endowment Fund.
Show Dates
Feb. 7 at 3 pm
Running Time: 60 min
Location
Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave. | Backspace
Tickets
$20
If you would like information on the topics or themes in our productions, or to determine the suggested age for attending a performance, please reach out to our Box Office staff at 416.504.7529 or by email at info@passemuraille.on.ca.
Credits
Written and Read by
Anusree Roy
Anusree is a two time Governor General’s Award-nominated and four-time Dora Award-winning writer, actor, and director.
Anusree is currently the Co-Executive Producer and writer for the Allegiance S3 (CBC) television series. She has also worked on Interview With The Vampire S3 (AMC), Allegiance S2 (CBC), Transplant S2 (NBC/Netflix/CTV), I Woke Up a Vampire (Netflix), SkyMed (Paramount+/CBC), Remedy (Global TV), Killjoys (SyFy), and Nurses S1 & S2 (NBC/Global TV).
For theatre, Anusree’s plays include: Through the Eyes of God, Sisters, Trident Moon, Little Pretty and The Exceptional, Sultans of the Street, Brothel # 9, Roshni, Letters to my Grandma, and Pyaasa. She is the recipient of the K.M. Hunter Award, the RBC Emerging Artist Award, the Carol Bolt Award and the Siminovitch Protégé Prize. She was the 2018 finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (the largest and oldest playwriting prize for women writing for English-speaking theatre). Currently, she is the commissioned playwright at Tarragon Theatre, writing her new play, 147, 8th Street. Anusree is presently developing a feature film inspired by her audio play, Sisters, as well as directing and premiering her short films, The Birthday Party and God’s Plan (winner of Best Performance & Best Editing at WIFF). She is also an adjunct professor of playwriting at the University of Toronto and a professor of creative writing, teaching advanced drama to MFA students, at the University of British Columbia.
Anusree’s playwright residencies include: Nightwood Theatre, Young People’s Theatre, Factory Theatre, The Blyth Festival, Theatre Passe Muraille, The Canadian Stage Company and Tarragon Theatre. Anusree spent two seasons as an actor at the Stratford Festival of Canada. She holds a B.A. from York University and an M.A. from the University of Toronto, and most of her plays have been published by Playwrights Canada Press. Anusree was a board member for Playwrights Canada Press for over five years and a juror for the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, Michael Than Foundation Award, Toronto Arts Foundation Awards and the George Luscombe Mentorship Award. Her works have appeared in multiple anthologies including: Refractions: Scenes, Refractions: Solo, Love, Loss and Longing: South Asian Canadian Plays, Truth in Play, Dramathemes, TOK: Writing the New Toronto, and Diaspora Dialogues Anthology. Anusree’s plays have been taught at the University of Toronto, York University, Ryerson University, Wilfried Laurier University, the University of Calgary, the University of Guelph, the University of Regina, McGill University and the National Theatre School.
To schedule an interview with the artist, or staff members at Theatre Passe Muraille regarding this production, please email B-Rebel Communications at ash@b-rebelpr.com. We will try our best to accommodate your media requests, however they are not guaranteed.