Anusree Roy: Playwright / Performer
Anusree recently completed her MA at The Graduate Center for the Study of Drama at UofT. Her recent theatre credits include: Playwright and Performer of two-time Dora Mavor Moore Award Winning Pyaasa at the 2007 Theatre Passe Muraille (Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Performance — Female). Playwright and Performer of Letters to my Grandma at the 2008 Diaspora Dialogue, Keep Toronto Reading. Anusree completed her internship at Nightwood Theatre’s “Groundswell Festival” last year and is starting her “Playwright in Residence” at The Canadian Stage Company, with her new play Brothel # 9 — that explores the Sex-Working industry in Calcutta, India. Upcoming: Theatre Jones-Roy will present Letters to my Grandma in March of 2009 at Theatre Passe Muraille.
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LETTERS TO MY GRANDMA
Theatre Jones Roy
Written & Performed by Anusree Roy
Directed by Thomas Morgan Jones
An unforgettable one-woman show, Letters to my Grandma weaves together the journeys of a grandmother and her granddaughter. On the day of her wedding, Malobee reads back through her grandmother’s letters, revealing her grandmother’s fight to survive in Second World War India and her own struggles to create a new life in present-day Toronto. Letters to my Grandma is a courageous and honest portrayal of loneliness, regret, forgiveness, and the divide between immigrant youth and the loved ones they leave behind.
“A powerful, poignant look across the generations…this deceptively simple show packs an emotional wallop…Letters is a winning production.” – The Toronto Star
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PYAASA
Written by Anusree Roy
Directed by Thomas Morgan Jones
Lighting Design by David DeGrow
One of the greatest injustices occurring in Indian society today is the continued existence of the caste system, a discriminatory form of social stratification into which every Hindu is born, and which continues to function in the daily lives of millions of Hindus, despite its constitutional abolition by the Indian government. At the bottom of this hierarchy is the Untouchable sect, a group which is seen as sub-human by the members of the Hindu caste system. As such, Untouchables live in extreme poverty and are required to perform the most degrading jobs in order to survive. Pyaasa, a one-woman show, is the story of an eleven-year old Untouchable girl named Chaya. As the daughter of a toilet cleaner, Chaya learns at a young age the realities of an “untouchable’s life” and is forced to confront the consequences of her caste. Through Chaya’s struggle Roy plays and portrays the individual hardships of each character from each caste, playing scenes between characters as a solo performer. Pyaasa is Chaya’s story from “childhood” to “adulthood”… a journey that occurs in ten days.
Outstanding New Play – 2007 Dora Mavor Moore Awards
Outstanding Performance –2007 Dora Mavor Moore Awards
NOW Rating NNNN
“Her script is direct and passionate, and her performance is spine-tinglingly alive and confident… The production is superb.” – Jon Kaplan, NOW Magazine
eyeWeekly – ***** (5 Stars)
“… the play gains its power through the utter simplicity of its presentation and through the outstanding performance of Roy as multiple characters… If you missed PYAASA last year, don’t miss it now.” – Christopher Hoile, eyeWeekly
“…this is a taut, inexorable piece of work, superbly performed.” – Robert Cushman, National Post
“Anusree Roy, who wrote and performs this powerful work… is a writer and performer you should get to know.” ~ Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star
“Roy is a charismatic performer… PYAASA is a poignant, character-driven play about survival.” ~ Paula Citron, Globe & Mail
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