BOL, BROWN BOY, BOL to Tour Ottawa, London, and Toronto in 2026

Tickets are now on sale for the award-winning play bol, brown boy, bol (speak, brown boy, speak) created by Nawaaz Makhani at Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe in Ottawa from March 26-27, the Grand Theatre in London from April 17-18, and Native Earth's Aki Studio in Toronto from May 21-24. bol, brown boy, bol is a cheeky, heartfelt solo show about Nawaaz's journey of reclaiming his voice and cultural inheritance through learning tabla, a northern Indian percussion instrument. 

Twenty years of being a “coconut” has caught up to Nawaaz, who's crashed into a dual crisis of identity and faith. Divine intervention sends him a musical Guru, who guides him on a journey towards self-acceptance and love. Directed by Tiffany Wu, bol, brown boy, bol offers a rich musical landscape merging Indian classical music with 90s Bollywood nostalgia, grunge, rap, and hip hop. Weaving storytelling with the rhythms of tabla, creator and performer Nawaaz speaks up about the impact of Canadian racism on his identity and shares his story of finding his way back to himself. 

bol, brown boy, bol premiered at the 2024 Toronto Fringe Festival, winning the North (519): Best of Toronto Fringe Award. Since then the show has been further developed to expand the story and ideas, and was the recipient of the Inspirit Foundation's inaugural New Narratives Fund in 2025.

Nawaaz Makhani (he/him/his) is an educator, activist, and interdisciplinary artist. He has been exploring different art forms (writing, water marbling and tabla) to better understand himself and his place in the world around him. Nawaaz's work and collaborations often meet at the intersection of mental health, consent education, unwrapping toxic masculinity and healing generational trauma.

CQC Arts is a BIPOC owned small business where everything is designed in Ontario. It is an arts hub seeking to grow with the support of cherished community members who believe in a similar vision.

Tour Dates

March 26-27 in Ottawa
7pm
Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe
Tickets are PWYC at $20, $30 or $45
meridianshenkman.evenue.net

April 17-18 in London
7:30pm
Grand Theatre
Tickets are PWYC at $20, $30 or $50
tickets.grandtheatre.com/overview/11829

May 20-24 in Toronto
7:30pm nightly, and 2pm May 24
Native Earth's Aki Studio
Tickets are PWYC at $15, $25 or $40
https://ca.patronbase.com/_NativeEarthPerformingArts/Productions/BB/Performances