Ruby Slippers Theatre, in association with Presentation House Theatre and Blackout Arts Society, presents the world premiere of Lee Nisar’s Dil Ka.
Centring on a queer Muslim woman stepping into her truth, power, and heart, Dil Ka [‘of the heart’] follows Zahra, a 26-year-old Pakistani woman, as she prepares to meet her latest arranged match for marriage. Zahra spends most of the play in her family’s kitchen preparing the traditional Pakistani dish, biryani, to present to the prospective groom’s family. As the story unfolds, the biryani becomes a metaphor for the ingredients that make a “perfect bride.”
“I wanted to pay homage to the kitchen in this play, particularly as a place of solace for brown women for decades,” says playwright Nisar. “Kitchens have served as places of gossip, connection, and, in this play, confession, allowing for honesty outside of the realms of patriarchy.”
In this edition of Before The Curtain Goes Up, David C Jones speaks with actor Rami Kahlon to learn more.
Dil Ka plays at Presentation House Theatre (333 Chesterfield Ave, North Vancouver) from March 22 to 31. For tickets and information, visit phtheatre.org.