No Woman’s Land
Description
Haunting images, empowering narrative, and breathtaking movement by an electrifying ensemble lay bare the plight and resistance of women in refugee camps. Nominated for five Dora Awards including Outstanding Original Production, and with a sold-out run in Toronto, No Woman’s Land is a dance theatre work based on real stories that beautifully reveal the depths of human resilience in the face of adversity.
No Woman’s Land was conceived and directed by Roshanak Jaberi, and developed in partnership with IRIS – Institute for Research and Development on Inclusion and Society. The project was supported by the outreach and community-based research of Dr. Doris Rajan (IRIS) and academic research of Dr. Shahrzad Mojab (University of Toronto).
*Mature content and partial nudity
Research & Process
No Woman’s Land was created over three-years, beginning in 2016. The research and creation process was multi-faceted and included a literature review, films, documentaries, articles, case studies and a series of focus groups with refugee women from the Tamil, Somali and Syrian communities living in Toronto. These focus groups were led by community facilitators with lived experience, conducted in their respective languages which were transcribed and shared with the creative team. Identifying features such as names, audio of the interviews and details that might put the women in danger were intentionally excluded. Themes began to emerge which showed distinct differences and commonalities in the experiences of migration. Some of these stories were combined for the final production, to prevent a direct connection to one person. The artists and creative team spent many hours in the rehearsal process engaging in discussion, debates and exploration with the research material.
Poetic and urgent blending
of dance and politics.
—My Entertainment World
Credits
Director & Choreographer – Roshanak Jaberi
Mentor & Movement Dramaturge – Karen Kaeja
Dramaturge – Soheil Parsa
Created with & Performed by – Irma Villafuerte, Nickeshia Garrick, Victoria Mata, Denise Solleza, Ahmad Meree, Yui Ugai
(Original cast: Drew Berry, Ahmed Moneka)
Sound Designer & Composer – Thomas Ryder Payne
Visual Designer – Jérôme Delapierre
Lighting Designer – Arun Srinivasan
Costume Designer – Cheryl Lalonde
Set Creation – Peter Benedetti
Production Manager – Charissa Wilcox
Stage Manager – Tara Mohan
Voice Consultant – Fides Krucker
Aerial Consultants – Diana Lopez, Katelyn McCulloch, Elizabeth Dawn-Snell
Community Research Lead – Dr. Doris Rajan*
Academic Research Lead – Dr. Shahrzad Mojab
Research Assistants – Erin Howley, Nayrouz Abu Hatoum
Community Facilitators – Parvathy Kanthasamy, Sarah Saad, Hoda Samater, Mona Awwad
Photos – Kevin Jones, Wayne Eardley
*Original monologues written by Doris Rajan
Tour Schedule & Tickets
Flato Markham Theatre
March 8, 2023 at 8:00 pm
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FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
March 10, 2023 at 7:00 pm & March 11, 2023 at 7:00 pm
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Kingston Grand Theatre
March 14, 2023 at 7:30 pm
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Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts
March 16, 2023 at 7:00 pm
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River Run Centre
March 18, 2023 at 8:00 pm
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Awards & Nominations
Outstanding Original Production
Outstanding Original Choreography
Outstanding Original Composition/Sound Design
Outstanding Lighting Design
Outstanding Performance Of An Ensemble
Thank you
Beau Johnston
Jeremy Mimnagh
Des’ree Gray
Laura Philipps
Gordon Simmons
Miranda Forbes
Partners & Funders
The Institute for Research and Development on Inclusion and Society (IRIS) is a national organization that provides research and social development leadership to address the needs of marginalized communities, with a focus on mental health and disability.
The Canada Council for the Arts
The Ontario Arts Council
The Toronto Arts Council
It’s Never Okay: Ontario’s Action Plan to Stop Sexual Violence and Harassment
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)”
Original Premiere
2019 World Premiere
Presented by Public Energy
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre
Toronto Premiere
Presented by DanceWorks
Harbourfront Centre
