Theatre Passe Muraille Presents TOKA By Indrit Kasapi, A Digital Presentation

Continuing the 21.22 season, Theatre Passe Muraille will present the World Premiere of TOKA, written by TPM's Associate Artistic Director Indrit Kasapi and directed by Cole Alvis. This digital co-production with lemonTree creations' culminates the company's multi-year residency with Theatre Passe Muraille and will stream online from April 20th to 23rd.

TOKA follows the story of siblings who wrestle with the consequences of a long standing land dispute which results in generational death and violence. This startling work of physical theatre about modern-day blood feuds in post-Communist Albania, is delicate, evocative and heart-breaking. The ensemble cast brings together an accomplished group of multidisciplinary performers featuring Christopher Manousos, Kat Khan, Indrit Kasapi, Nicole Joy-Fraser, Riley Sims and William Yong.

Written and choreographed by Kasapi (he/him) and drawing on his Albanian heritage, the show explores themes of forgiveness, reconciliation and familial duty. TOKA is Kasapi's first staged production with the company since he assumed the role of Associate Artistic Director at TPM last October. Under the direction of 2 Spirit Michif (Métis) artist Alvis (she/her), the production is grounded in the awareness of Tkarón:to's colonial history.

"What is startling to me about the story of Toka, is that I have to remind myself that it is a modern-day tale of revenge." Says Artistic Director Marjorie Chan, "The truth is that all around the world we still suffer from the damaging consequences of colonial constructs such as 'land-ownership'. Toka, in an interdisciplinary way, skillfully explores this human cost and path to healing."

"In Toka, two families living in the mountains of Northern Albania are governed by an ancient code of law - referred to as the Kanun - that affect them both in turn." Adds Cole Alvis, "To me, this story is also about treaties, promises, and what can happen when sacred agreements are not upheld by those in power."

Gjakmarrja (pronounced Jyak-MARR-Ya), or Albanian blood feud, are rooted in the Kanun and date as far back as 5th century B.C., obliging that murder be repaid with murder. Male family members are expected to seek revenge in the name of familial honour or else be stigmatized by their community. Under the Communist Dictatorship of Enver Hoxha blood feuds were outlawed, though the practice saw a resurgence in the 1990s during the country's turbulent transition to democracy. Since 1991, over 12,000 revenge murders have reportedly been committed in Albania. Safe only in their own homes, many affected by these feuds today live in isolation, for fear of death if they were to venture outside.

Tickets are priced at $50, $25 or $5 under a Pay-What-You-Can-Afford model. Those purchasing at the $50 level are helping to subsidize the $5 ticket price, and in doing so, making theatre more accessible for others. The company continues to offer accessibility initiatives for the digital presentation such as Audio Described performances, Relaxed performances and Captioned performances in English and Albanian. Tickets for TOKA are now available on the TPM website.

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