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A 1s1 Theatre production,
co-presented by Why Not Theatre

Qalb

A Journey of the Ego

collectively written by Salla Fagerström, Dawn Jani Birley, Debbie Z. Rennie, and Deb’e Taylor

Sept 7 – 14, 2024

Tarragon Extraspace

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Qalb means heart in Persian, the native language of the beloved 13th century poet, Rumi. Diving into his world of thoughts and poetry, 1s1 Theatre’s latest production Qalb – A Journey of the Ego is about heart and resilience. Inspired by Dawn Jani Birley’s life as a Deaf person facing audism, her struggle for equity is relatable to all dealing with oppression. Birley turns to the philosophy of Rumi to transform her isolation, anger, and frustration into a force of love in the world.

A completely new and original work, Qalb creates a dynamic communication space for everyone, bringing ASL (along with spoken English) to the stage, celebrating the richness of this vivid, visual language. Following its 2023 ground-breaking debut production, Lady M, 1s1 Theatre continues to forge a new Deaf-led theatre movement in Canada. Their latest work offers Deaf audiences access to Rumi’s poetry in their native language and presents both Deaf and hearing audiences new ways of seeing and understanding the world. Together, following the wisdom of Rumi, we work to become reflections of our true selves and create a world in which we all wish to live.

Showtimes

Saturday

Sept 7

7:30 pm

Sunday

Sept 8

2:00 pm

Wednesday

Sept 11

7:30 pm

Thursday

Sept 12

7:30 pm

Friday

Sept 13

7:30 pm

Saturday

Sept 14

2:00 pm

Saturday

Sept 14

7:30 pm

Dawn Jani Birley

Qalb

Mallory Brown

Production Videographer

Anselmo de Sousa

ASL Instructor

Rylyn Delaney

Marketing

André du Toit

Lighting Designer

Raif Gökkuş

Production Image Artwork

Maryam Hafizirad

Set & Props Designer

Sheila Johnston & Kate Lewis

ASL – English Interpreters

Dahlia Katz

Production Photography

Isabel Laínez

Graphic Designer

Daniel Levinson

Wand Choreography

Patrick Lynn

Production Manager

Rachel Penny

Associate Producer

Meredith Potter

Producer

Debbie Z. Rennie

Director

Siavash Sadrmahdavi

Sound Designer

Giedrius Šarkauskas

Costume Designer

Dale Sharp

Head Carpenter

Michelle Soicher

Stage Manager

Deb’e Taylor

Ego

Laura Warren

Projection Designer

Qalb – A Journey of the Ego is a 1s1 Production, co-presented by Why Not Theatre, and supported by Toronto Metropolitan University’s Chrysalis Project and the Canadian Cultural Society for the Deaf. We gratefully acknowledge funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, Canadian Heritage, Lindy Green Family Foundation, and TD Ready Commitment.