shahin sayadi
Last night at the Halifax Central Library the 10th Annual Prismatic Arts Festival had its Opening Gala. Prismatic is summed up nicely in the Program Guide by Shahin Sayadi (Artistic Director), Maggie Stewart (Managing Director) and Raeesa Lalani (Producer), as “Art for Everyone: making art accessible to diverse audiences and making space to celebrate the work of all artists.” The truth is that the theatre scene in Halifax very rarely reflects Halifax’s diverse population. As Master of Ceremonies, and former Poet Laureate for Halifax, Rebecca Thomas, said tonight, as a Mi’kmaq woman, she doesn’t often see herself reflected in the art that is created here. But, Prismatic is different. It’s a multidisciplinary Arts Festival that showcases the talents, artistry and brilliant works by People of Colour; some of whom are visiting from elsewhere, and many who live right here in our community. It blows up the lazy argument you may have heard that the Arts Scene in Halifax is so white because “there was no one else to audition/apply.” Our city is full of incredible artists and they are telling a diverse and rich array of stories in multidisciplinary ways that better capture the spirit of our city.
The evening began with a deeply insightful and eloquent speech by Mi’kmaq Elder and musician Hubert Francis from the Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick. He spoke to us about the need to connect to the spirituality that roots us to our land and our ancestors. He spoke about the need for a spirituality that lends itself to us showing respect for nature, the animals and our fellow human beings, and for being the caretakers of our own lives. He then said a prayer and sang a Welcome song. This opening for Prismatic roots the festival in Kji’puktuk, not only in acknowledging that we are in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People, but welcoming us all into a tradition and in a language that is as much a part of this place as the trees, and the ocean, and the wind. I feel deeply grateful to be welcome. Thank you. Wela’lin.
Mahalia Smith is a young singer-songwriter from North Preston, the younger sister of singer-songwriter Reeny Smith. She performed the powerhouse poem “What If I Am A Black Woman?” with beautiful strength and self assurance. She was radiating light. She then began to sing “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” and it was honestly one of the most moving experiences I have ever had at the theatre. Her gorgeous voice soared through the Paul O’Regan Hall and every nuance in the melody and the lyric suddenly became clear. I know I wasn’t the only one who had goosebumps and tears.
Sina Bathaie visits Halifax from Toronto, he is a composer and Santur player known for his “unique style and approach toward Persian Contemporary Music.” He treated us to “Invocation” from his newest album, Ray of Hope (2017). It was incredible to watch him play. “Invocation” has an often lulling rhythm, but also is continually unexpected in the ways the speed and the volume of the notes change.
Rebecca Thomas treated us to a spoken word poem about the strengths of this festival, about the power in representation, and the need for art and artists in our communities. Thomas has such a gift for using her eloquence, her courage, and her intellect to lift up those who deserve it: to buoy the best of our city, and also to encourage others to think more critically, to dig in deeper, to re-assess their assumptions, and to do and be better. Both sides of this coin were woven beautifully in her poem.
Onelight Theatre’s World Premier of Asheq: Ritual Music to Cure a Lover, written, directed and performed by the company’s Artistic Director, Shahin Sayadi, followed at the Dunn Theatre at the Dalhousie Arts Centre.
The play is set on the northern shores of the Persian Gulf, in southern Iran where Persian and East African traditions have merged over time to create their own cultural practices. The story centres on a young man and his father who have a difficult relationship. They reach the tipping point when the young man falls in love with a pregnant woman who has been shamed and outcast by members of the village. The father insists that his son is possessed by the pregnant woman’s inherent evil, and that they must perform a Zar exorcism ceremony to rid him of his love for her. Yet, during the exorcism, something unexpected happens, and there is a very profound twist.
The story strikes me both in how specific it is to the culture it comes from in its details, but how universal its overall themes are. The play questions how we balance sustaining the traditions of our culture, without holding on to the archaic ideas (like misogyny) that our ancestors had. It also shows how trauma extends beyond its place and time and can often be passed down the same way as genetic traits or familial gestures.
Sayadi plays all the characters, and he is especially compelling as the female characters (which is so rarely the case for a male actor). He grounds both women in the play in respect and finds such simple and nuanced ways to shift between the characters. The music, composed by Mohsen Sharifian and Habib Mefahboushehri and Sina Bathaie, complements and enriches the world that Sayadi has created, and also helps the storytelling along, by wordlessly portraying the strong emotions of the characters. Nick Bottomley, Mike Mader, Raeesa Lalani, and Sayadi work beautifully in tandem to create a stunning ambiance of the Person Gulf. The light and projections on the white set and costume pieces is magical in its ability to transport us both to physical places, like the beach, underwater, or under an evening sky full of stars, and also to mirror the emotions and journeys of the characters as well.
This work by Onelight Theatre is still in development ahead of a run at the Harbourfront Centre Theatre in Toronto December 6th-8th, 2018, but already it shows much of its strength in its compelling and unique storytelling and a staging that feels wholly immersive.
If you love Halifax’s Arts Scene and all it has to offer, I strongly encourage you to attend Prismatic’s events this week. If you routinely feel like Halifax’s Arts Scene isn’t speaking to you, doesn’t include you or is missing something, I strongly encourage you to attend Prismatic’s events this week.
Onelight Theatre’s Asheq: Ritual Music to Cure a Lover by Shahin Sayadi plays at the Dalhousie Arts Centre’s Dunn Theatre (6101 University Avenue, Upstairs) on September 14th at 8:00pm. Tickets are $25.00 or $22.00 (students/seniors/underwaged). You can buy tickets HERE.
Click HERE to find out about the other shows and events happening this week at Prismatic.
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Follow Onelight Theatre on Facebook. Twitter. Instagram (@OnelightTheatre)
