Welcome back to the Belfry and our production of Behind the Moon.
If you are a fan of the hit TV series, Schitt’s Creek, you’re in for a wonderful surprise. Rizwan Manji (Ray Butani) is playing Jalal in the show.
Rizwan is joined onstage by Anand Rajaram and Ben Yoganathan in this beautiful play by novelist Anosh Irani.
As part of our SPARK Festival in March, we’ll be presenting Crosstown, written and performed by Anand Rajaram. Watch your inbox for more details in the coming weeks.
As always, we look forward to seeing you at the theatre.
B4 Play
WWW.BELFRY.BC.CA is produced four times per year and can be found at branches of the Greater Victoria Public Library, the Belfry, and online at issuu.com/belfrytheatre. If you would like a digital copy please drop us a line at hello@belfry.bc.ca. Join Us instagram.com/belfrytheatre facebook.com/belfrytheatre vimeo.com/belfrytheatre twitter.com/belfrytheatre (In-person + Online)
Land Acknowledgement
The Belfry Theatre is on the land of the People, known today as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. The people have been keepers of this land for millennia and we offer them our respect and gratitude for our presence on this territory.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 AT 11 AM
BMO Studio Theatre, 1291 Gladstone Avenue
Our live talk show hosted by CBC Radio’s Gregor Craigie and featuring artists from the upcoming show, along with experts from the community, has been designed to provide insight into each Mainstage production.
Each event is held the Saturday before Opening, is free to attend, livestreamed on Facebook, and is available as a podcast on our website.
B4Play is ASL Interpreted. To reserve free tickets, please call our Box Office at 250-385-6815.
BELFRY THEATRE 1291 GLADSTONE AVENUE
VICTORIA, BC
V8T 1G5
Behind the Moon is generously supported by
Tickets 250-385-6815 / tickets.belfry.bc.ca
Upstage is supported by
Michael Shamata and Gregor Craigie
Photo by Don Craig
Creating new worlds:
Interview with novelist and playwright Anosh Irani
By Ramya Ramanathan
Novelist and playwright
Photo Credit: Nirmal Shah
“Somehow, it’s the people on the margins, people who are outsiders, anyone who operates in the shadow world—I find that really interesting. Why are they there? What is it that drives them? How do they survive? Those are the questions I ask myself.”
—Anosh Irani
(from a CBC Radio interview)
Novelist and playwright Anosh Irani comes from a family of Iranian descent in Mumbai, India, and moved to Vancouver in 1998 as a student to pursue his Master’s degree in Creative Writing. He has published critically acclaimed and award-winning novels including: The Cripple and His Talismans, The Song of Kahunsha, Dahanu Road and The Parcel. His plays have been very well-received and won numerous awards and nominations. He has recently released a new collection of short stories, Translated From the Gibberish: Seven Stories and One Half Truth. Irani’s short stories have appeared in Granta and the Los Angeles Review of Books, and his nonfiction has been published in The Globe and Mail and The New York Times. His work has been translated into eleven languages. He teaches Creative Writing in the World Literature Program at Simon Fraser University and lives in Vancouver, BC.
How has moving to a new country impacted your journey as a writer?
My move helped me become a writer. I was tried, tested, and squeezed with such intensity, there was so much pressure and claustrophobia, that my learning curve as a writer was quick. The separation from my homeland, and then the slow realization that perhaps I might not have one anymore, made me write with urgency. I also started reading a lot. Canada made me go inward, it made me read.
What I like most about being a writer is that I can create worlds that are both disturbing and
human. I carefully calibrate the chaos that exists in reality, by turning it into narrative. This transfer of disturbance is what will hopefully inspire readers to go on their own search.
You have lived in Canada for about two decades now. How has your immigrant background helped you as a writer?
Somehow, I have always been an outsider. Even in India, the country of my birth, I am a minority as I am Zoroastrian – my grandfather was from Iran. So, movement seems to be a constant thing in my family. Migration takes its toll on the mind and body for sure, and has a ripple effect across generations. It is challenging, but also beautiful. Any form of struggle opens you up as a human being and allows you to have empathy, which is essential if you want to write.
Your latest book, ‘Translated From the Gibberish’ does focus on people caught “in translation” between two worlds. Tell us about the book and how you came up with the idea.
The search for home – it’s centuries old, it’s very primal. Whether these characters are in Mumbai, or Vancouver, they are displaced. They don’t feel at home even when some of them are in the place of their birth. So, what does home really mean? Is it even necessary? I’m exploring the different connotations of home. Home as the body, home as grief, home as escape, and so on.
I felt the need to write short stories as my 20th year of being in this country closed in on me. I found
Anosh Irani calls Vancouver home.
myself needing to explore the aftermath of my move. I’d say that Canada oozed out of me in the form of a short story. The “Translation” is the gap between what you expect/hope for, and what actually happens to an immigrant.
Can you share your best moment or a special memory about Canada?
It has been a process. It’s hard to pick out one moment. Maybe the time my editor handed me my first novel, The Cripple and His Talismans…I held it in my hands and thought, “Maybe the move has been worth it.” But those moments dissipate very quickly. And you can’t depend on them for your survival. They are fleeting.
What do you enjoy about being Canadian?
That I get to go back to India. And once I’m there, I long to come back here.
Any words of wisdom you would like to share with aspiring writers?
You need endurance to succeed. The talent is a given. But talent, without stamina, won’t help you create a body of work. The writer’s journey is a marathon. Think of a body of literature that you will create over time.
What is your advice to newcomers to Canada? Make sure you do your research before coming.
Ramya Ramanathan is the editor at Canadian Immigrant. Ramya has worked with the UN, nonprofit and corporate sectors in cities including NYC, Mumbai, Copenhagen, Yangon, Geneva, Boston, Ottawa and Toronto. A journalist and storyteller, she has published globally.
Why I Chose This Play
Anosh Irani is an acclaimed, award-winning playwright and novelist, who began his theatre career in Vancouver. His clear-eyed view of the world—tempered by his humanity, and his skill as a storyteller—makes for thrilling theatre. It was high time we brought his tender and incisive writing to life on our stage.
This is what the Belfry Theatre is all about: engaging stories that open a window onto an aspect of our world with which we are unfamiliar. Hard-eyed portraits of good people facing life’s challenges, full of empathy and heart, this is Anosh’s gift to all of us.
—Michael Shamata, Artistic Director
Cast & Creatives
Ben Yoganathan AYUB
Rizwan Manji JALAL
Anand Rajaram QADIR BHAI
Leora Morris DIRECTOR
Anahita Dehbonehie SET & COSTUME DESIGNER
Anosh Irani PLAYWRIGHT
Wei Qing Tan STAGE MANAGER
Chris Ross-Ewart SOUND DESIGNER / COMPOSER
Kelsey Cain ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
Heather Jarvie ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Logan Raju Cracknell LIGHTING DESIGNER
LIVE & VIRTUAL EVENTS
Our round-up of events happening at the theatre over the next four weeks.
B4PLAY (IN-PERSON + ONLINE)
BMO Studio, 1291 Gladstone Avenue
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 AT 11 AM
Our live talk show hosted by CBC Radio’s Gregor Craigie and featuring artists from the upcoming show, along with experts from the community, has been designed to provide insight into each Mainstage production.
Each event is held the Saturday before Opening, is free to attend, live-streamed on Facebook, and is available as a podcast on our website.
B4Play is ASL Interpreted. To reserve free tickets, please call our Box Office at 250-385-6815.
TALKBACK THURSDAY
FEBRUARY 20 AT 9:30 PM FOLLOWING THE PERFORMANCE (IN PERSON EVENT)
Following the third Thursday performance of each show, actors return to the stage to answer your questions and provide insight into the play you have just experienced. These Q & A sessions last approximately 20 minutes.
VOCALEYE
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23 AT 2 PM (IN-PERSON EVENT WITH TOUCH TOUR & SOCIAL AFTER)
For patrons with low or no vision, we offer one VocalEye performance during most Mainstage productions.
Trained Audio Describers provide descriptions of the visual elements of the show, allowing people with low vision to enjoy the theatrical experience without missing any of the details. More information at the Box Office250-385-6815.
Belfry Librarian
The wonderful librarians at the Greater Victoria Public Library have compiled a list of books and videos to help you get even more out of our production of Behind the Moon.
Castaway Mountain: Love and Loss Among the Wastepickers of Mumbai by Saumya Roy (2021)
Chaat: The Best Recipes from the Kitchens, Markets, and Railways of India by Maneet Chauhan and Jody Eddy (2020)
The City That is Leaving Forever: Kashmiri Letters by Rahat Kurd and Sumayya Syed (2021)
Desified: Delicious Recipes for Ramadan, Eid, & Every Day by Zaynah Din (2024)
Dishoom: “From Bombay with Love.” by Shamil Thakrar and Naved Nasir (2019)
Driven: The Secret Lives of Taxi Drivers by Marcello Di Cintio (2021)
From India: Over 100 Recipes to Celebrate Food, Family, & Tradition by Kumar Mahadevan and Suba Mahadevan (2015)
India Express: Simple and Delicious Recipes for Every Day by Rukmini Iyer (2023)
Landed: Transformative Stories of Canadian Immigrant Women edited by Gayathri Shukla and Elena Esina (2022)
The Lunchbox [DVD/Blu-ray] by Ritesh Batra (2014)
The Museum of Failures: A Novel by Thrity Umrigar (2023)
The Shortest History of India: From the World’s Oldest Civilization to its Largest Democracy – A Retelling for Our Times by John Zubrzycki
SPOTLIGHT ON SUPPORTERS: Leah Hollins
Leah grew up in Saskatchewan, where she became a nurse. She lived in Vernon in the Okanagan Valley before making Victoria her home. Her career highlights have included serving as BC Deputy Minister of Health, and chairing health boards for many years, including the Canadian Blood Services Board (CBS) and most recently Island Health. Leah persuaded the Deputy Ministers of Health across Canada to allow CBS to become the organization to oversee organ donation and transplantation in the country. This work resulted in improved efficiency and more lives saved, for which Leah was awarded the Order of Canada.
Leah and her late husband were drawn by their love of sailing to relocate to Victoria in1986. They purchased their first subscriptions to the Bastion Theatre, just two days before the regional theatre company wound up closing permanently in 1988.
That turn of events led them to attend the Belfry, and with an openness to theatre of all genres, Leah has happily remained one of the most receptive audience members I have met here. Memorable shows? She recalls a Belfry production several years ago called The Life Inside. She also recalls enjoying the comedy Little Red Warrior and his Lawyer.
Leah says that she has not been disappointed with any Belfry play. “I have never come to a play where I didn’t go home saying ‘aren’t we lucky to have this theatre here?’ I appreciate everything the Belfry does. I worry about the arts in Victoria because we are a small city and so lucky to have the professional organizations we have. People really need to support the arts to keep them.”
Leah goes on to say, “I particularly appreciate a playhouse like this because it’s not very big. I love to watch actors convey emotions that most of the rest of us cannot, and I want to be able to continue to watch them perform.”
She also admires the design work, including the impressively soaring set for From Alaska this season.
In addition to making cash donations for several years, Leah has also generously participated in our online auctions and inperson fundraising events. This has included buying a couple of pairs of shoes at our last Fluevog/Belfry fundraising event and bringing a friend to do the same. Leah admits she really does not need any more shoes…but reminds us all: “It is important that Victoria support the Belfry because we are so incredibly lucky to have this place.”
Our next Fluevog shoe fundraiser takes place on April 10. Contact Susan Stevenson, Director of Development, at susan.stevenson@belfry. bc.ca for further information about the many different ways to support the Belfry.
Photographer credit: multimedia team at Island Health
Calendar
Behind the Moon
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
February 4 – March 2
Tuesdays – Thursdays at 7:30 pm
Friday & Saturdays at 8 pm
Wednesday Matinees at 1 pm (February 12, 19 & 26)
Saturday Matinees at 4:00 pm
Sunday Matinees at 2 pm
Audience Engagement Schedule
B4PLAY
(In-person + Online)
Saturday, February 1 at 11 am
TALKBACK THURSDAY (In Person)
February 20 at 9:30 pm following the performance.
VOCALEYE
Sunday, February 23 at 2 pm (in-person event with Touch Tour & Social after)
How to buy tickets
By telephone
250 385 6815
Please have your credit card ready, as well as the date and time of the performance you wish to attend.
Visit belfry.bc.ca/tickets and buy your tickets online, anytime.
Step Out for t he Belf r y
Thursday April 10, 2025 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Come join us for an exclusive Belfry Theatre shopping night at Fluevog Shoes. Fifty percent of every sale of footwear and large accessories will be donated to the Belfry.
