Revolutionizing the Stage since 1989
2015
Blood Wedding
toronto
Lorca’s ‘Blood Wedding’ is a classic of 20th Century theatre. Inspired by a fragment of a newspaper story found by the playwright, it tells the story of a family vendetta that comes to a boil when a bride-to-be runs away with the son of the enemy. As they flee the oppressing forces of their family’s histories, death pursues them through the thick of the forest under the light of the moon. This story of ill-fated romance serves as the backdrop for a poetic exploration of the conflict between individual desires and social conventions. It pits primal desire against the weight of history, and holds up love as the most powerful and unstoppable force we can harness.
Playwright
Federico García Lorca
Translation
Langston Hughes
Director
Soheil Parsa
Cast
Lara Arabian | Steven Bush | Sochi Fried | Carlos Gonzalez-Vio | Mina James | Derek Kwan | Jani Lauzon | Sebastian Marziali | Liz Peterson | Beatriz Pizano | Chiamaka G. Ugwu | Bahareh Yaraghi
Set
Steve Lucas
Scenographer
Trevor Schwellnus
Costumes
Angela Thomas
Sound Designer/Composer
Thomas Ryder Payne
Stage Manager
Erika Morey
Production Manager
Charissa Wilcox
Producer
Sue Balint
Production Photographer
Jeremy Mimnaugh
Presented at Buddies in Bad Times
March 11 to March 29, 2015
2014
Forgiveness
toronto
In an empty white space defined only by light and sound, three dancers and two actors examine how forgiveness affects our lives – from the conflicts that have shamed human history to the intimate tragedies that touch us personally.
Playwright
Peter Farbridge | Soheil Parsa | Barbara Simonsen
Director
Soheil Parsa
Dramatyrg/Assistant
Barbara Simonsen
Choreography
Don*Gnu | Dreamwalker Dance
Cast
Peter Farbridge | Stavroula Logothettis | Andrea Nann | Jannik Elkaer Nielsen | Kristoffer Louis Andrup Pedersen
Set
Lindsay Anne Black
Set
Lindsay Anne Black
Lighting
Michelle Ramsay
Costumes
Angela Thomas
Sound
Thomas Ryder Payne
Stage Manager
Marcie Januska
Producer
Sue Edworthy
Production Manager
David DeGrow
Photo by
John Lauener
Presented at the Theatre Centre
February 15 to March 1, 2014
In association with Laboratoriet (Denmark), Don*Gnu Physical Theatre and Film (Denmark) and Dreamwalker Dance Company (Toronto)
2012
The Lesson
toronto
In Eugène Ionesco’s absurdist classic, the Professor’s lesson to his young Pupil deteriorates into a complete destruction of her mind and body.
Playwright
Eugene Ionesco
Director
Soheil Parsa
Cast
David Ferry Michelle Monteith | Costa Tovarnisky
Set
Anahita Dehbonehie
Lighting
Michelle Ramsay
Costumes
Angela Thomas
Sound
Thomas Ryder Payne
Movement Coach
Thomas Morgan Jones
Stage Manager
Nicola Benidickson
Production Manager
Erin Birkenbergs
Producer
Aislinn Rose
Photo by
John Lauener
Presented at the Lower Ossington Theatre
November 12 to December 1, 2012
2011
Hallaj
toronto
A Sufi poet looking for a spiritual destiny, Hallaj won the admiration of the public and rage of the orthodoxy. In the end, four unspeakable words brought him to political trial and a brutal, untimely death.
Playwright
Peter Farbridge | Soheil Parsa
Director
Soheil Parsa
Cast
Stewart Arnott | Steven Bush | Peter Farbridge | Carlos González-Vio John Ng | Beatriz Pizano | Costa Tovarnisky | Bahareh Yaraghi
Set
Trevor Schwellnus
Lighting
David DeGrow
Costumes
Angela Thomas
Sound
Thomas Ryder Payne
Production Manager/Technical Director
Doug Morum
Stage Manager
Dale Yim
Producer
Sue Balint
Photo by
John Lauener
Produced in association with Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
November 22 to December 4, 2011
2010
Aurash
sarajevo
A naïve and human stablehand named Aurash becomes an unwilling player in his country’s post-war border treaty. Bahram Beyza’i updated this 1000-year-old Persian myth with strong humanist and pacifist themes.
Playwright
Bahram Beyza’ie
Translation/Adaptation
Soheil Parsa| Brian Quirt | Peter Farbridge
Serbo-Croatian Translation
Dragana Varagić | Mihaila Petričić
Director/Choreographer
Soheil Parsa
Assistant Director
Peter Farbridge
Cast
Martina Kujundžić-Đaković | Vedran Vilogorac | Igor Vidačković
Lighting
Aleksander (Sasha) Dekić
Music
Richard Feren
Additional Sound
Husein Orucević | Attila Aksoj
Stage Manager
Sue Balint
Photo by
Sue Balint
Presented at the Sarajevo Teatarfest, Theatre Sloga
May 23, 2010
2010
Aurash
columbia
A naïve and human stablehand named Aurash becomes an unwilling player in his country’s post-war border treaty. Bahram Beyza’i updated this 1000-year-old Persian myth with strong humanist and pacifist themes.
Playwright
Bahram Beyza’ie
Translation/Adaptation
Soheil Parsa| Brian Quirt | Peter Farbridge
Spanish Translation
Simon Casanova
Director/Choreographer
Soheil Parsa
Cast
Gonzalo Carreño Francisco Marti | Salvatore Motta | Brunilda Zapata
Photo by
Carlos Mario Lema
Presented at Casa del Teatro Nacional, Bogotá, Colombia
August 11 to September 11, 2010
2010
Aurash
toronto
A naïve and human stablehand named Aurash becomes an unwilling player in his country’s post-war border treaty. Bahram Beyza’i updated this 1000-year-old Persian myth with strong humanist and pacifist themes.
Playwright
Bahram Beyza’ie
Translation/Adaptation
Soheil Parsa| Brian Quirt
Director/Choreographer
Soheil Parsa
Cast
Martin Julien | Ron Kennell Michelle Latimer | Christopher Morris
Set
Setareh Delzendeh Soheil Parsa
Producer
Sue Balint
Stage Manager
Nicola Benidickson
Production Manager/Technical Director
Doug Morum
Costume/Properties
Setareh Delzendeh
Lighting
Andrea Lundy
Sound
Richard Feren
Photo by
John Lauener
Produced at the Tank House Theatre, Young Centre for the Performing Arts
May 14 to 29, 2010
2009
Hallaj
richmond hill
A Sufi poet looking for a spiritual destiny, Hallaj won the admiration of the public and rage of the orthodoxy. In the end, four unspeakable words brought him to political trial and a brutal, untimely death.
Playwright
Peter Farbridge | Soheil Parsa
Director
Soheil Parsa
Cast
Lara Arabian | Stewart Arnott | Steven Bush | Peter Farbridge | Keon Mohajeri | John Kin Kei Ng | Costa Tovarnisky | Bahareh Yaraghi
Movement Coach
Thomas Jones
Set
Steve Lucas
Lighting
Andrea Lundy
Costumes
Angela Thomas
Assistant Costumes
Setareh Delzendeh
Sound
Thomas Ryder Payne
Stage Manager
Dale Yim
Photo by
Guy Bertrand
Produced in association with the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts
September 22-26, 2009
Impact Festival, Kitchener, ON
September 29, 2009
2009
Aurash
mostar
A naïve and human stablehand named Aurash becomes an unwilling player in his country’s post-war border treaty. Bahram Beyza’i updated this 1000-year-old Persian myth with strong humanist and pacifist themes.
Playwright
Bahram Beyza’ie
Translation/Adaptation
Soheil Parsa| Brian Quirt
Director/Choreographer
Soheil Parsa
Assistant Director
Peter Farbridge
Cast
Martina Kujundžić-Đaković | Ivan Rozić | Vedran Vilogorac Igor Vidačković
Stage Manager
Sue Balint
Lighting
Aleksander (Sasha) Dekić
Sound
Richard Feren
Additional Sound
Husein Orucević | Attila Aksoj
Photo by
Sue Balint
Presented at OKC Abrašević, Mostar (BiH)
June 5 to 6, 2009
2008
Waiting for Godot
toronto
Beckett’s absurdist classic in which two men wait by a tree for the arrival of Godot.
Playwright
Samuel Beckett
Director
Soheil Parsa
Cast
Stewart Arnott Peter Batakliev | Peter Farbridge | Darrel Gamotin | John Ng
Set
Trevor Schwellnus
Production Manager
Douglas Morum
Lighting
Andrea Lundy
Costumes
Angela Thomas
Stage Manager
lindi g. papof
Photo by
Guy Bertrand
Presented at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts
March 5 to 21, 2008
2007
The Sheep and the Wale
toronto
Set on a cargo freighter in the Strait of Gibraltar, The Sheep and the Whale examines the complexities of both individual identity and social relationships, navigating the chasm between North and South.
Playwright
Ahmed Ghazali
Translation/Adaptation
Soheil Parsa | Peter Farbridge
Director
Soheil Parsa
Cast
Oporajito Bhattacharjee | David Collins | Soo Garay | Elie Gemael | Timothy Hill Paul Sun Hyung Lee | Karim Morgan | John Ng | Debbie Nicholls | Julian Richings Andy Velasquez | Jim Warren
Set
Camillia Koo
Lighting
Trevor Schwellnus
Costumes
Nina Okens
Composer
Thomas Ryder Payne
Stage Manager
Issac Thomas
Photo by
Guy Bertrand
In co-production with Cahoots Theatre and Theatre Passe Muraille
February 13 to March 7, 2007
2006
bloom
toronto
Inspired by T.S. Eliot’s ‘The Wasteland’, bloom is the haunting story of despair and hope played out between an old man with a decaying soul, and the boy who bears the seeds of his redemption.
Playwright
Guillermo Verdecchia
Director
Soheil Parsa
Cast
Anita Majumdar | Andrew Scorer | Simon Casanova | Peter Farbridge | Stavroula Logothettis | Beatriz Pizano
Set
David Skelton
Lighting
Andrea Lundy
Costumes
Angela Thomas
Composer
Thomas Ryder Payne
Stage Manager
Elaine Lumle
Photo by
Guy Bertrand
Presented at the Theatre Centre
February 15 to March 19, 2006
2006
Interrogation
toronto
Two youth loyal to the anti-colonial struggle in Algeria cannot stop their acts of violence, even after the revolution has been won.
Playwright
Mohammad Rahmanian
Translation/Director
Soheil Parsa
Cast
Leanna Brodie | Michelle Latimer | Ali Momen | Earl Pastko
Set & Lighting
Soheil Parsa
Sound
Thomas Ryder Payne
Stage Manager
Brenda Kamino
Presented at Summerworks Festival
August 2, 3, 4, 2006
2005
Macbeth
toronto
An adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic set within the simple, codified style of a Persian passion play (Ta’ziyeh-Khani).
Playwright
William Shakespeare
Director
Soheil Parsa
Assistant Director
Setareh Delzendeh
Producers
Laurel Smith
Cast
Juana Awad | Peter Farbridge | Stavroula Logothettis | Karim Morgan | Brendan Murray | Alon Nashman | Soheil Parsa | Yashoda Ranganathan | Lyon Smith
Set
Soheil Parsa
Lighting
Stephan Droege
Costumes
Andjelija Djuric
Music
Ian Lefeuvre
Additional Sound
Thomas Payne
Stage Manager
Elaine Lumley
Photo By
David Sweeney
Presented at the Theatre Centre
March 5 to 27, 2005
2003
Stories from the Rains of Love and Death
toronto
A quintet of interrelated one-act plays depict a surrealist world where reality and time are interconnected.
Playwright
Abas Na’lbandian
Translation/Adaptation
Soheil Parsa | Peter Farbridge
Director
Soheil Parsa
Cast
Stewart Arnott | Nita Costa | Mark Ellis | Peter Farbridge | John Gilbert | Daniel Karasik | Stavroula Logothettis | Andrew Scorer
Set
David Skelton
Lighting
Andrea Lundy
Costumes
Angela Thomas
Sound
Thomas Ryder Payne
Photo by
Karen Braaten
Presented at Artword
November 4 to 23, 2003
2003
Macbeth
tehran
An adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic set within the simple, codified style of a Persian passion play (Ta’ziyeh-Khani).
Playwright
William Shakespeare
Director
Soheil Parsa
Producers
Laurel Smith
Cast
James Acton | Mark Ellis | Peter Farbridge | Ashleigh Hendry | Ron Kennell | Stavroula Logothettis | Dax Lough | Soheil Parsa | Yashoda Ranganathan
Lighting
Stephan Droege
Costumes
Andjelija Djuric
Music
Ian Lefeuvre
Stage Manager
Andrew Dollar
Photo By
David Lawrence
Presented at the Fadjr International Theatre Festival
January 23, 24, 25, 2003
2002
Aurash
tehran
A naïve and human stablehand named Aurash becomes an unwilling player in his country’s post-war border treaty. Bahram Beyza’i updated this 1000-year-old Persian myth with strong humanist and pacifist themes.
Playwright
Bahram Beyza’ie
Translation/Adaptation
Soheil Parsa| Brian Quirt
Director/Choreographer
Soheil Parsa
Cast
Peter Farbridge | Ron Kennell | Andrew Scorer | Anna-Mackay Smith
Costumes
Andjelija Djuric
Lighting
Stephan Droege
Sound
Richard Feren
Stage Manager
Hilary Unger
Presented by the Fadjr International Theatre Festival
January 21, 22, 2002
2001
The Chairs
toronto
Ionesco depicts an eternally aging couple in a lighthouse awaiting their guests in this absurdist classic.
Playwright
Eugène Ionesco
Artistic Conception
Soheil Parsa | Jan Komarek
Director
Soheil Parsa
Cast
Peter Farbridge | Ed Fielding | Michelle Polak
Set & Lighting
Jan Komarek
Sound
Ben Grossman
Stage Manager
Alexa Carrol
Photo by
Jan Komarek
Produced at Artword Theatre
September 24 to October 14, 2001
2000
The Daughters of Sheherzade
toronto
Five incarcerated women find solace through acting out stories they find written on the walls by former female inmates.
Playwright
Soheil Parsa
Director
Soheil Parsa
Choreography
Norma Araiza
Cast
Beatriz Pizano | Michelle Polak | Yashoda Ranganathan | Gail Roberts | Dragana Varagic
Set & Lighting
Stephen Droege
Production Management
Mark Ryder
Costumes
Karen Krupa
Sound
Richard Feren
Stage Manager
Andrew Dollar
Photo by
Stephen Droege
Produced in association with Artwood Theatre
October 19 to November 5, 2000
1999
Hamlet
toronto
An adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic play in which Prince Hamlet avenges his father’s death.
Playwright
William Shakespeare
Director
Soheil Parsa
Translation/Adaptation
Soheil Parsa | Peter Farbridge
Cast
Christopher Barry | Sean Baek | Terrence Bryant | Juno Cocknell-Mills | John Evans | Peter Farbridge | Stavroula Logothettis | Dax Lough | K. Scott Malcolm | Gregory Thomas
Set & Costumes
Soheil Parsa | Peter Farbridge
Lighting
Andrea Lundy
Text Coach
Kate Lynch
Sound
Richard Feren
Stage Manager
Kathryn Davis
Presented at Theatre Passe Muraille
May 13 to 30, 1999
1998
Aurash
toronto
A naïve and human stablehand named Aurash becomes an unwilling player in his country’s post-war border treaty. Bahram Beyza’i updated this 1000-year-old Persian myth with strong humanist and pacifist themes.
Playwright
Bahram Beyza’ie
Director/Choreographer
Soheil Parsa
Translation/Adaptation
Soheil Parsa| Brian Quirt
Cast
Ron Kennell | Joan Heney | Todd Hammond | Earl Pastko
Set & Costumes
Soheil Parsa | Karen Krupa
Lighting
Philip Cygan
Composer
Richard Feren
Dramaturge
Brian Quirt
Stage Manager
Kathryn Davis
Presented in association with Theatre Passe Muraille
May 14 to June 7, 1998
1997
Macbeth
toronto
An adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic set within the simple, codified style of a Persian passion play (Ta’ziyeh-Khani).
Playwright
William Shakespeare
Director
Soheil Parsa
Producers
Robert Gervais | Mike Kronish
Cast
Peter Farbridge | Matthew Heney | Ron Kennell | Anna Khimasia | René-Madeleine Leguerrier | Soheil Parsa | France Rolland | Ian Watson | Frank Zotter
Lighting
Martin Labrecque
Costumes
Veronique Avery
Music
Ian Lefeuvre
Stage Manager
Johanne Pomrenski
Photo By
David Lawrence
Produced by Modern Times Stage Company and Rightime Productions at Le Monument National
January 27 to February 8, 1997
1997
August 22nd
toronto
This adaptation of Anton Chekov’s ‘The Cherry Orchard’, reinvented the story through the prism of the memories of the elderly serf, Firs.
Director
Soheil Parsa
Translation/Adaptation
Soheil Parsa | Peter Farbridge
Cast
Desmond Ellis | Paul Herwig | Peter James | Anna Khimasia | Michael McMurtry | Soheil Parsa | Kim Renders | France Rolland
Set
Kayhan Mortezavi
Lighting
Andrea Lundy
Costumes
Mitra Ghavamian
Sound
Richard Feren
Stage Manager
Erica Heyland
Photo by
Kayhan Mortezavi
Presented at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
May 6 to 18, 1997
1995
Macbeth
toronto
An adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic set within the simple, codified style of a Persian passion play (Ta’ziyeh-Khani).
Playwright
William Shakespeare
Director
Soheil Parsa
Producer
Rhonda Lipstein
Cast
Joe DePaul Natasha Doyon | Peter Farbridge | Matthew Heney | Ron Kennell | J. Brian Macdonald | Soheil Parsa | Elizabeth Rogers | France Rolland
Set
Soheil Parsa
Lighting
Nicolas Descouteaux
Costumes
Heather MacCrimmon
Music
Ian Lefeuvre
Stage Manager
Paul Mark
Presented at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
October 14 to November 5, 1995
1994
The Death of the King
toronto
In Beyza’ie’s poetic and political work about the cruel dynamics of a class-based society, a miller, his wife and his daughter are accused of killing a fugitive king, who sought refuge in their mill to avoid enemy invaders.
Playwright
Bahram Beyza’ie
Translation/Adaptation
Soheil Parsa | Peter Farbridge
Director
Soheil Parsa
Cast
Tanja Jacobs | Peter James | Tracy Wright | Dean Marshall | Duncan Ward | Stan Coles | Andrew Scorer
Set & Costumes
Manon De Gagné | Soheil Parsa
Lighting
Aisling Sampson
Stage Manager
Joanne Fishburn
Photo by
Dina Almeida
Presented at 524 Wellington St. West
April 7 to 24, 1994
1993
O Fool! O Fooled!
toronto
Gholam Hossein Sa’edi’s satirical drama about a village harassed by mysterious thieves explores contemporary Iran’s relationship to the West and the limits of social and political expression.
Playwright
G.H. Sa’edi
Translation/Adaptation
Soheil Parsa | Peter Farbridge
Director
Soheil Parsa
Cast
Sarah Armstrong | Margarette Lamarre | Christopher Kelk | Eileen O’Toole | Tom Shultz | Maureen Cassidy | Stan Coles | Gene Mack | J. Brian MacDonald | Sandi Ross
Set
Steve Lucas
Lighting
William F. Gosling
Costume
Manon De Gagné | Soheil Parsa
Sound
Eileen O’ Toole | Tom Scholte
Stage Manager
George Mirabelli
Photo by
Greg Tjepkema
Presented at the Tarragon Theatre Extraspace
April 1 to 28, 1993
1992
The Eighth Journey of Sinbad
toronto
In Beyza’i’s re-telling of two Persian fables, the Arabian Night’s Sinbad story and Rumi’s Conference of the Birds, eight sailors search for the truth on a ship lead by Sinbad the Sailor.
Playwright
Bahram Beya’ie
Translation/Adaptation
Soheil Parsa | Peter Farbridge
Director
Soheil Parsa
Cast
Roy S. Cameron | Kae Donais | Ed Fielding | Peter James | Martha Cronyn | Peter Farbridge | Arturo Fresolone | Angela Johnston | Philip Shepherd | Celaleddin Ucar
Choreography
Peter James | Philip Shepherd
Set
Milt Jewel
Lighting
Nicholas Greenland
Music
Ali Koushkani
Stage Manager
Michael O’Hara
Photo by
Tom Skudra
Produced in association with Phyzikal Theatre and the Tarragon Theatre
May 1 to 11, 1992
1991
The Four Cases
toronto
In Bahram Beyza’ie’s allegorical work about how society manufactures its own dictators, four colours representing the intelligentsia, clergy, merchants and labourers are divided and conquered by a malevolent scarecrow.
Playwright
Bahram Beya’ie
Translation/Adaptation
Soheil Parsa | Peter Farbridge
Director
Soheil Parsa
Cast
Peter Farbridge | J. Brian MacDonald | Gordon Mackenzie | Viv Moore | Randy Swyer
Musician
Baha Sadr
Stage Manager
Baha Sadr
Lighting
Nicholas Greenland
Presented at the Tarragon Theatre Extraspace and the Montreal Fringe Festival
June 6 to 10, 1991 | July 10 to 21, 1991
1990
The Balcony
toronto
In this absurdist piece, set in a nameless city in a time of revolution, a high-end brothel serves as a metaphor for a corrupt and violent regime.
Playwright
Jean Genet
Director, Set
Soheil Parsa
Cast
David Botten | Leanna Brodie | Kim Collier | Martha Cronyn | Ann-Marie Kerr | Anita La Selva Gord MacKenzie | Sandy MacMaster | Richard Malouin | Barbara Nicholson Andrew Scorer
Musicians
Ezra Azmon | Kevin Gould | Beverly Kreller
Lighting
John Christie
Costumes
Barbara Nicholson | Milt Jewel
Stage Manager
Ian Rea
Producers
George Mirabelli | Peter Farbridge
Produced in association with the Theatre Centre
April 8 to 22, 1990
1989
The Conquest
toronto & montreal
Two soldiers stumble upon a silent and solitary Sufi. In their attempts to force him to speak, the conquerer becomes the conquered, and brutality is their downfall.
Playwright
Bahram Beyza’ie
Director, Translation/Adaptation
Soheil Parsa
Cast
Tracy Card | Greg Danakis | Peter Farbridge
Musician
Bruce Russell
Stage Manager
George Mirabelli
Poster by
Farhood Farmand
Presented at the Actors' Lab and Toronto Fringe Festival
June 13 to 18, 1989 | June 20-24, 1989
