Anusree Roy and Nina Lee Aquino Bring TRIDENT MOON to Crow's Theatre

This spring Crow’s Theatre partners with The National Arts Centre to present a play over 10 years in the making but speaking immediately to the mass displacement across the globe. A tribute to the immense strength and resiliency of women in times of war, TRIDENT MOON – on stage March 4th – 30th - brings together two of Canada’s most accomplished and celebrated stage artists, playwright Anusree Roy and the National Arts Centre Artistic Director Nina Lee Aquino.
 
The production features a sweeping ensemble that includes Sahiba Arora, Afroza Banu, Sehar Bhojani, Michelle Mohamed, Muhaddisah, Imali Perera, Zorana Sadiq, Mirza Sahran, Prerna Nehta, and Anusree Roy herself.

Set during the Partition of India in 1947 - one of the largest migrations in human history - TRIDENT MOON unfolds over a single night as three Muslim women have been abducted by three Hindu women, all trapped inside a transport truck as it speeds through a newly divided country. The lines between victim and perpetrator blur in this astonishing real-time political thriller as the play exposes the harrowing realities of Partition, while exploring themes of identity, survival, and the enduring bonds of humanity. Spotlighting the ingenuity and bravery of women caught in a crisis that threatens their bodies, faith, and dignity, Roy’s writing balances visceral emotion and delicate intimacy, creating a narrative that is both specific to its historical context and universal in its exploration of trauma, hope, and connection.

“TRIDENT MOON was inspired by the oral history passed down to me through my family, as well as the knowledge that a lot of what happened during Partition remains unrecorded,” shares Roy.  “I was particularly interested in looking at how women – and their children – survived the chaotic outcomes of decisions made by men.  The story of Partition and the multi-generational fallout from it is deeply complicated territory that is very tough to navigate – my north star in writing this story was the displacement of women and children and their extraordinary resilience.”

"This play is a 90-minute pressure cooker,” says Crow’s Theatre Artistic Director Chris Abraham. “I heard it read at Stratford a few years ago and it honestly knocked my socks off. It is beautifully and powerfully written, with the propulsive energy of a thriller. I was incredibly gripped, but I also was surprised by the humour in the play amidst the incredible jeopardy. I have been interested in bringing it to Crow’s for some time, and with recent events around the world I was all the more persuaded as to how important it was for audiences to see it.  Right now, we are seeing more people displaced due to war, anti-immigration policy, and climate crisis than at any other moment in history - this play provides an essential window into their humanity.”

TRIDENT MOON was originally commissioned by Nightwood Theatre and had its World Premiere at the Finborough Theatre in London, UK, in 2016, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Partition of India.  

Joining Aquino and Roy on the creative team are set designer Jawon Kang, Costume Designer Ming Wong, lighting designer Michelle Ramsey, sound designer Romeo Candido, and fight and intimacy coordinator Cara Rebecca.