Season 2026-2027 Season of the Migrant Teesri Duniya Theatre Celebrates 45 Years of Transforming the World One Play at a Time! Introducing Season of the Migrant for Our 45th AnniversaryOur Stories, Our Future Teesri Duniya Theatre is a culturally inclusive theatre company dedicated to creating, developing and producing cutting-edge political plays that explore life-impacting issues, raise critical questions, motivate the public to imagine a better world, and promote positive social change. Our plays connect communities, foster critical thinking, and generate cross-cultural dialogue. Indigeneity, multicultural diversity, LGBT consciousness, and interculturalism are central to our work. Season of the Migrant celebrates Teesri Duniya Theatre’s 45th anniversary. A migrant experiences profound effects from being displaced from their home while attempting to establish a new life in their adopted country. This new home is more than just a physical shelter; it includes safety, a sense of belonging, and the chance to connect with new communities and contribute to the host country. The Season of the Migrant features three main productions, a new-play showcase and three eco-sensitive outdoor performances of exceptional production quality. Our aim this season is to promote inclusivity and highlight immigrant contributions to the country through showcasing their achievements, ranging from significant professional success to everyday contributions and the vital roles they play in society. This season aims to honour immigrants, humanize their experiences, challenge misinformation, and promote a sense of belonging. FULL STAGE PRODUCTIONS BEHIND THE MOON by Anosh Irani, directed by Chelsea Dab Hilke.April 3-19, 2026 (Quebec premiere) Behind the Moon explores the life experiences and challenges faced by immigrant workers in the food industry. Over 25% of workers in the food and beverage sector are immigrants, many of whom come from the Global South, often told that they have found a better life than the one they left behind. Through the lived lives of three South Asian immigrants, Behind the Moon delves into the true meaning of a better life as an immigrant, revealing that no two immigrant journeys are alike. Synopsis: In Qadir Bhai’s Mughlai Moon restaurant, Ayub is the sole employee handling cooking, cleaning, serving, and waiting for his future to begin. A mysterious taxi driver named Jalal enters Mughlai Moon, fostering a friendship with Ayub. Caught in a web of Jalal’s mysteries and Qadir’s kind yet manipulative behaviour, Ayub struggles to free himself from the suffocation he feels. Behind the Moon is a captivating exploration of three Muslim men from Mumbai who face the insecurities of being a minority in India, only to encounter the complexities of immigrant life in Canada. WINE&HALVA by Deniz Basar, directed by Art Babayants, in collaboration with Sort of Productions.May 9-23, 2026 Synopsis: The play is about the unconventional friendship between Farias, a white (or white-passing) gay man from a fictional Anglophone Canadian city called “New Stockholm”, and Derya, a Turkish woman who immigrated to that fictional city and needs to deal with many invisible cases of institutional discrimination alone. Wine & Halva is a playful text, with three narrators getting in and out of these two characters throughout the play to underline the fluid nature of identity in different contexts. The story focuses on how these two people from very different Histories and struggles learn (and perhaps invent) ways to support and love each other. Wine & Halva challenges multiple, widely accepted Canadian assumptions about immigration. It represents the nature of institutional discrimination along with its possible impact on the human psyche, especially under conditions of extreme precarity. THE GREEN LINE by Makram Ayache, directed by Aladeen TawfeekApril 2-18, 2027 Synopsis: Explores intergenerational memory through the lens of four queer relationships in Beirut, Lebanon. In the midst of the Lebanese Civil War, Naseeb is attempting to get himself and his sister Mona out of Beirut into the safety of the mountains. Mona, however, is secretly in love with her classmate, a woman named Yara, and refuses to leave the city. The Green Line weaves together the Lebanese civil war with a contemporary nightclub, following one family’s journey to discover their past. BACKYARD THEATRE PRESENTS ECHOES IN THE STREETS devised by Abi SanieSeptember 10-13, 2026 Synopsis: 25% of Montreal’s population is foreign-born, many displaced by mass violence, war, and ethnic rivalry. Their stories have yet to be documented. Echoes in the Streets aims to gather their testimonies and stories, highlighting how their lived experiences have shaped the city through resistance, creativity, and collective action. This project will combine story gathering, interviews, and archival research to weave together testimonies and histories from various communities and youth. It portrays Montreal as a living archive of immigrant stories and the city’s development. THE FAMINE TOUR directed by Anne-Marie St-LouisSeptember 3-6, 2026 Synopsis: The Famine Tour is a community-engaged performance that delves into the political and personal aspects of food, inspired by the starvation in Gaza, growing lines at food banks, and the mounting need for food programs across schools. This project aims to combat silence—both at the dinner table and in public discourse—by transforming these issues through shared storytelling and artistic resistance. The project includes workshops, sensory research, and collaboration between artists and the Community to create and present performative stories centered on food, famine, and social issues. MIGRATORY BIRDS by Cristina Alejandra Jiménez, Diego López & Aurelio MezSeptember 17-20, 2026 Synopsis: The play tells the stories of three characters from Latin America who move to Canada. It explores their relationships with non- human species, their work, solitude, and nostalgia as they navigate life in the city and question their inclusion in this new world. The characters grapple with cultural differences and their emotions, creativity, and knowledge, forging connections that lead to encounters, recognition, and love. The play shares lived experiences and examines the dynamics of labour, exclusion, language politics, and borders. It depicts the characters’ commitment to the lands they now inhabit and their ongoing efforts towards decolonization. FIREWORKS This year Fireworks is led by Dramturgs Marie Barlizo & Nick Caprenter. We will showcase ten new, diverse, Indigenous and cutting-edge plays developed within the Company through the Fireworks Play Development program. ARTISTS IN COMMUNITIES Supplementing the productions, Fireworks showcase, and outdoor productions, the company artists work in communities creating narratives and expressions. (1) Arab Voices (January 2027) This project aims to uncover and express Arab voices through performative storytelling, with musical backup, fostering connection and providing a platform for their expression. Together, these voices highlight the diversity of Arab Canadian experiences, each carrying the memories of displacement, resilience, and reimagined belonging. The project seeks to establish Montreal as a place where these voices not only exist but thrive. KAHANI curated by Yolanda Chow and Siya Pandit(May 2026 – recurring) Kahani is a testimonial-based dramatized storytelling project about communities, including IBPOC, LGBT, and Gender Diverse (TGD) individuals, addressing critical social issues to entertain, connect, and persuade audiences to engage. ACROSS THE DIVIDE facilitated by Aladeen Tawfeek & Sarah Boivin(May 2026 – recurring) The Long Table is a participatory format that invites people to gather around a shared table, where speaking and listening are treated as equal acts. Participants may step forward to join the conversation or remain in quiet observation, allowing the discussion to unfold with care and intention. At a time of deep polarization, this gathering creates space for difficult conversations without debate or spectacle. Rooted in mutual respect, the Long Table invites participants to speak from lived experience, listen across differences, and resist dehumanization at a local scale. The long table discussion series is generously funded by The Canadian Race Relations Foundation. Join us in the movement—together, we can change the world, one play at a time! Season partners: Brique by Brique, Raah, Bharat Bhawan, Montreal Serai, Immigrant Workers Association.