March 15 – April 2, 2023 Counter Offence Segal Centre Studio Playwright: Rahul Varma Director: Murdoch Schon Set in 90’s Montreal, Counter Offence tells the story of Shazia, an Indo-Quebecois woman who finds herself caught in an abusive marriage with Shapoor, an Iranian man grappling with complex parental problems, and challenges of immigration. Things take a turn when Shapoor gets arrested by Sgt. Galliard, a white officer staunchly dedicated to preventing violence against women. Moolchand, an Indo-Canadian anti-racist activist, comes to Shapoor’s defence, accusing Galliard and the entire SPVM of racial bias. Clarinda Keith, a Black social worker, defends Galliard despite the police’s undeniable racism against people of colour, to support the voices of vulnerable women. When a body is suddenly found, everyone is a suspect. Lines between right and wrong become blurred. Counter Offence explores multiple realities existing simultaneously and asks: How can one discover truth through conflicting narratives? Cast Aladeen Tawfeek – Moolchand Misra Amanda Silveira – Shazia Rizvi Ambica Sharma – Shafiqa Rizvi Andrew Joseph Richardson – Murad Rizvi Arash Ebrahimi – Shapoor Farhadi Howard Rosenstein – Gilles Prougault Oliver Price – Guy Galliard Sophie-Thérèse Stone-Richards – Clarinda Keith