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qalb – a journey of the ego

by Salla Fagerström, Debbie Rennie, Deb’e Taylor and Dawn Jani Birley

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.

This project is part of Why Not’s SHARE stream of activities. SHARE projects are partnerships with other independent artists and companies to help produce, present or tour their work.

SHOW DATES

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

CAST & CREATIVE

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

Director — Debbie Rennie
Script — Salla Fagerström, Debbie Rennie, Deb’e Taylor and Dawn Jani Birley
Qalb — Dawn Jani Birley
Ego — Deb’e Taylor
Light Designer — Andre Du Toit
Set/props Designer — Maryam Hafizirad
Projector Designer — Laura Warren
Sound Designer — Siavash Sadrmahdavi
Costume Designer — Giedrius Šarkauskas
Head Carpenter — Dale Sharp
Production Manager — Patrick Lynn
Stage Manager — Michelle Soicherz
Wand Choreographer — Daniel Levinson
ASL Instructor — Anselmo DeSousa
Photographer — Dahlia Katz
Videographer — Mallory Brown
Poster Artist — Raif Gökkuş
Marketing — Rylyn Delaney

1s1 Theatre

Artistic Director — Dawn Jani Birley
Producer — Meredith Potter

Poster Artwork — Raif Gökkuș

PARTNERS

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.

“Deaf-led projects by culturally and linguistically Deaf professional artists are so rare in Canada. In order to build authentic bridges of intercultural exchanges between Deaf and hearing communities, it is vital for Deaf artists to have a say – or be empowered and supported in telling our own stories – rather than being portrayed in ways we have been systemically perceived.”

–Dawn Jani Birley | Artistic Director, 1S1 Theatre