Touchstone Theatre Presents THE WRONG BASHIR in March

In March 2023, The Wrong Bashir by Ismaili playwright Zahida Rahemtulla hits the Firehall Arts Centre stage.

Produced in association with Firehall Arts Centre and Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (vAct), the comedy follows Bashir Ladha ( Aman Mann) -a philosophy major and burgeoning nihilist - who has been selected to assume a prestigious religious position. When Bashir's parents ( Seth Ranaweera, Neha Devi Singh ) accept on his behalf and two council representatives arrive to meet their esteemed nominee, what ensues is a hilarious mistaken-identity romp that forces the family to question the future of their traditions and way of life.

"Bashir is a character that has a great deal of existential angst, and a philosophy that is different from his predecessors. I wanted to look at the different ways of perceiving life in the different generations, and also look at how the changing community intersected with that," said playwright Zahida Rahemtulla. "When communities migrate it's often not just language or culture that's lost, but also a certain way of being, which can happen when any community that's more communal changes. I was really interested in that question because I grew up seeing those contrasts."

Directed by Touchstone Associate Artistic Director Daniela Atiencia (2022 Jessie Award co-Winner in Outstanding Direction ), The Wrong Bashir was developed through Touchstone's Flying Start Program - a new play incubator supporting the next generation of theatre artists. Along with dramaturgical support, the program culminates in a full-scale production as part of Touchstone's Mainstage series. Flying Start is supported by the RBC Emerging Artists program.

The Wrong Bashir stars Aman Mann, Seth Ranaweera, Neha Devi Singh, Sabrina Vellani, Parm Soor, Salim Rahemtulla, Shera Haji, Hussein Janmohamed, and Leena Manro.

Bashir Ladha-a wayward philosophy major leaning towards nihilism-has accidentally been selected to assume an important religious position, and his parents have dutifully accepted on his behalf. Family conflict ensues over Bashir's reaction to his appointment. As the doorbell rings and several unexpected visitors turn up at the Ladha door, there is a sneaking suspicion that a mistake has been made, and the family is taken on a comedic intergenerational ride that forces them to grapple with long-avoided questions of identity and family.

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