World Premiere of THE CAGED BIRD SINGS At Aga Khan Museum

Modern Times Stage Company has announced the world premiere of The Caged Bird Sings, specially presented by the Aga Khan Museum in association with Theatre ARTaud, from June 10-26, 2024 in the Museum's Courtyard. A re-imagining and radical adaptation of Rumi's “Masnavi”, The Caged Bird Sings reveals a cage within a cage as this surreal piece unfolds for audiences in the round. 

An original piece written by Rouvan Silogix, Rafeh Mahmud, and Ahad Lakhani, The Caged Bird Sings holds three prisoners: two star-crossed lovers and scientists, Rumi and Jin, who share a cell with Sal, a mysterious vagrant. As they navigate their new-found reality and reconcile their past lives, they are haunted by ghosts and demons of their own making. The piece explores Sufi mysticism, ideas of Fanafillah, the prisons – literal and metaphorical - that we are put in, that we put ourselves in, and that we create ourselves, and how and whether it's possible to escape such prisons.

Directed by Rafeh Mahmud, The Caged Bird Sings will star Navtej Sandhu, Mikaela Lily Davies, and Rouvan Silogix, with Scenic Design by Waleed Ansari, Sound Design & Score by John Gzowski, and Costume Design by Niloufar Ziaee.

“Rumi's work, often when adapted in our “Western” context, tends to err on caution, presenting an almost reverent, delicate, prophetic interpretation of his work - where as The Caged Bird Sings is anything but,” said Rouvan Silogix, Artistic Director of Modern Times Stage Company. “Rumi's work is confounding, always demanding, witty, sharp, unapologetic, always making the reader engage, wonder and question. This re-imagining, created by Brown immigrant writers, contemporarizes Rumi in a way never really done - staying true to his work, and the spirit of his Sufi-mystical writings and art.”

"This exciting site-specific and original piece serves as both a thought-provoking play and an immersive art installation, meticulously designed to harmonize with the Museum's Courtyard and fill the space with Rumi's perennial and relevant wisdom," said Amirali Alibhai, Head of Performing Arts at the Aga Khan Museum. "It stands as a reflection not only of his legacy but also of the Museum's Collections and programming, which spark dialogue between the past and present through the arts."

The Aga Khan Museum in Toronto has been established and developed by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), which is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). Through permanent and temporary exhibitions, educational activities and performing arts, the Museum's mission is to spark wonder, curiosity, and understanding of Muslim cultures and their connection with other cultures through the arts. Designed by architect Fumihiko Maki, the Museum shares a 6.8-hectare site with Toronto's Ismaili Centre, which was designed by architect Charles Correa. The surrounding landscaped park was designed by landscape architect Vladimir Djurovic.

Theatre ARTaud is a surrealist theatre collective formed in April 2017, and is proudly run entirely by Artists-Of-Color. We have empowered and collaborated with 100+ BIPOC, new-generation, and new-immigrant artists since our inception. We have created, collaborated, and produced a number of theatrical shows. Our mandate stretches to 3 primary categories: Imaginative and interesting artistic forms; Voices from artists-of-color, LGBTQ+ artists, female identifying artists, new immigrant artists, refugee artists, and other artists on the margins or underrepresented in our culture; and Unapologetic socio-political provocation and messaging.

The Modern Times Stage Company was established in Toronto in 1989. We create original plays, revisit classical work, and adapt, translate, and re-imagine the plays of immigrant, Iranian, Desi, Arab, Brown, IPBOC and LGBTQ+ dramatists. We are primarily interested in radical performing arts and imaginative art forms. We are a company built by immigrants. We believe that individual voices, experiences, and backgrounds can unite in a common vision and create theatre that expresses the essence of a shared human spirit. Founded by Soheil Parsa and Peter Farbridge, now led by Artistic Director, Rouvan Silogix, the company's work has been performed in Colombia, Cuba, Iran, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Denmark. The company has received 65+ Dora awards and nominations in its 35+ years of operations.

The Caged Bird Sings

June 10-26, 2024
Preview: June 10
Opening Night: June 11
No shows: June 15 and 20

Show times 8pm except:
June 12 at 2:30pm and 8pm 
June 19 at 2pm and 8pm
June 22 at 2pm
June 23 at 2pm and 8pm

Aga Khan Museum, Courtyard
77 Wynford Drive, North York

Tickets On Sale May 10, 2024
www.agakhanmuseum.org

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