The Cultch is thrilled to partner with Diwali in BC to present Pandemic Theatre and Rumble Theatre’s Take D Milk, Nah?, presented in association with Neworld Theatre, October 16-26, 2019.
“Hi. I’m Jiv. Thanks for coming to my Identity play…This is the story of how I once birthed a cow… kinda”
Jiv is “Canadian.” And “Indian.” And “Hindu.” And “West Indian.” “Trinidadian” too. Or maybe he’s just colonized. In Take d Milk, Nah?, Jivesh Parasram blends personal storytelling and ritual to walk the audience through the Hin-do’s and Hin-don’ts at the intersections of these cultures. What initially unfolds onstage will look very like, what has become a bit of a staple on Canadian stages—an identity play, as Parasram invites audiences into some of the funny and heartfelt moments of his life, including the time he once tried to birth a cow. “It’s the first Indo-Caribbean Canadian identity play, as far as we know, ever done,” but, says Parasram. “It's also a massive attempt to destroy the idea of an identity play.”
Playwright and performer, Jivesh Parasram is the winner of the 2018 Toronto Arts Foundation Emerging Artist Award, one of the founding Artistic Producers of Pandemic Theatre (Toronto), and, as of October 2018, the new Artistic Director of award-winning Vancouver company, Rumble Theatre. His current cultural practice centres decolonization through aesthetics, and Take d Milk, Nah? was born out of the desire to straddle the line between expressing identity, and exploring the shortcomings of that colonial desire. “In some ways, it’s an adaptation of a Yagna, a type of ritual sacrifice; in this case loosely based on the story of the Sumadra Manthan (the churning of the ocean of milk)—but in the Caribbean style that I grew up with—it’s a very animated way of storytelling.” says Parasram. “What makes it current is that really about where identity is important, and where it’s an illusion distracting from actual progress.”Take d Milk, Nah? was nominated for a Dora Mayor Moore Award, for Outstanding New Play, in 2018. It is a candid and funny look at race, religion, and nationalism(s): what divides us—and what we’re willing to accept in the desire to belong.
WHEN: OCT 16–26, 2019
Oct 16, 7:30PM: Preview
Oct 17, 7:30PM: Opening
Oct 18-19, 22-26, 7:30PM
Oct 20, 2PM
Two shows added due to popular demand! Oct 19 & 26, 2PM*
Post-show Artist Talkbacks: Oct 20, 22
WHERE: Vancity Culture Lab, 1895 Venables St.
TICKETS: All tickets $35. Single tickets on sale now through The Cultch’s Box Office: 604-251-1363 or tickets.thecultch.com.
*tickets for added shows go on sale Sept 5, 2019
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