A Poem for Rabia
by Nikki Shaffeeullah
October 17 - November 12
Undercurrent Creations is pleased to present the world premiere of Nikki Shaffeeullah’s A Poem for Rabia along with our partners at Tarragon Theatre and Nightwood Theatre.
Visit Tarragon Theatre for tickets.
An epic journey across time, oceans, and tectonic shifts in political history. A Poem for Rabia weaves the stories of three queer women from the same bloodline: Zahra, a disillusioned activist in 2053, navigating a Canada that has just abolished prisons; Betty, in 1953 British Guiana, caught between her new secretarial job at the Governor’s office and the growing national independence movement; and Rabia, an Indian domestic worker in 1853, abducted by colonial ‘recruiters’ and sent sailing from Calcutta to the Caribbean on an indentured labour ship.
The development of A Poem for Rabia is made possible through support from the Canada Council for the Arts, Toronto Arts Council, and Ontario Arts Council.
Creative Team
Nikki Shaffeeullah Playwright
Clare Preuss Co-Director
Donna-Michelle St. Bernard Co-Director & Dramaturge
Rebecca Ablack Assistant Director
Sonja Rainey Set Designer
Jawon Kang Costume Designer
Echo Zhou Lighting Designer
David Mesiha Sound Designer
Cast
Nikki Shaffeeullah Zarah
Virgilia Griffith Sheree/Marsha
Michelle Mohammed Betty/Anu
Adele Noronha Rabia
Jay Northcott Jem/Tom
Anand Rajaram Ramesh/Farooq
Special Events: A Poem for Rabia
Oct 21: Many Waters Night
Join us for the opening of “Many Waters,” an art exhibit featuring work by LGBTQ Guyanese artists from the Toronto diaspora and from Guyana. An evening of art, theatre, food, drink, community and celebration. Featuring a special appearance by drag artist Tifa Wine.
Oct 24: Arrivals Project workshop
"Breathing New Legacies Forward" is a workshop led by Diane Roberts, Founding Artistic Director of Arrivals Legacy Project. This workshop introduces practices of how to create by accessing ancestral stories. A Poem for Rabia was in part inspired by Arrivals Project processes. Register now.
Nov 5: Storytelling Indenture panel
This post-show panel features artists, activists and descendants of indenture: Premika Leo, Kama La Mackerel, and Nikki Shaffeeullah. Moderated by sociologist Cristine Khan, this conversation reflects on how, over one hundred years after the abolition of indentured labour, its descendants across diasporas are creating narratives about this period of time and the collective impact it had on communities across generations.
Many Waters
An exhibition of art by LGBTQ Guyanese artists
In the theatre lobby throughout the run of A Poem for Rabia
The exhibit features original work created through Undercurrent Creations’ Many Waters community arts program, including visual art, photography, and poetry by queer/trans Guyanese artists from the Toronto diaspora and in Guyana.
