DESI DIARY

A NEWCOMERS’ TALE FROM WINNIPEG

In 1970s Winnipeg, a group of immigrants from India are all in search of freedom. A scene from NEW.

Necessary Angel Theatre Company in association with Canadian Stage and the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre presents NEW by Pamela Mala Sinha.

In torpedo bras and skinny ties, and set against a backdrop of social upheaval in 1970s Winnipeg, a group of immigrants from India are all in search of freedom.

But what they find is much greater than what they expected.

The year is 1970 and the arrival of a Bengali bride to a small university town shakes up a tight-knit group of Indian immigrants, including the husband she’s never met. Tradition and counterculture collide for three women and their husbands as their perceptions of identity, sexuality, and the meaning of freedom are challenged by the spirit – and actions – of this fearless young woman.

Winnipeg Free Press described it as “...a masterful portrait of loneliness, yearning, grief and marriage which blends snappy, Neil Simon-esque domestic dialogue with a dramatic sharpness”.

Directed by Alan Dilworth, and featuring Fuad Ahmed, Shelly Antony, Dalal Badr, Alicia Johnston, Ali Kazmi, Pamela Mala Sinha and Mirabella Sundar Singh.

Pamela Mala Sinha.

When and where: Berkeley Street Theatre (Canadian Stage), April 25 - May 14, 2023.

Tickets: From $25-$55 with discounts available. More info and tickets at www.canadianstage.com/shows-events/season/new. Box office: 416-368-3110 / boxoffice@canadianstage.com.

Runtime: Approximately 2 hours, 25 minutes (including intermission).

Watch video trailer: Here.