qalb - a journey of the ego
premiered in autumn 2024 at tarragon theatre extraspace
Qalb means heart in Persian, the native language of the beloved 13th century poet, Rumi.
Diving into Rumi’s world of thoughts and poetry, 1s1 Theatre's Qalb - A Journey of the Ego is about heart and resilience. Inspired by Dawn Jani Birley's life as a Deaf person facing audism, her struggle for equity is relatable to anyone dealing with oppression. Birley turns to the philosophy of Rumi to transform her isolation, anger, and frustration into a force of love in the world.
Using ASL and English, Qalb creates a dynamic communication space for everyone, celebrating the richness and visual poetry of signed language. Following its 2023 ground-breaking debut production, Lady M, 1s1 Theatre continues to forge a new Deaf-led theatre movement in Canada. Their latest work offers Deaf audiences access to Rumi's poetry in their native language and presents both Deaf and hearing audiences new ways of seeing and understanding the world.
Together, following the wisdom of Rumi, we work to become reflections of our true selves and create a world in which we all wish to live.
Qalb
Qalb
Qalb trailer
1s1 Theatre's Qalb - A Journey of the Ego rehearsal process
Qalb ASL Poetry
CAST & CREATIVE
A 1s1 Theatre Production, co-presented by Why Not Theatre
Director
Script
Qalb
Ego
Lighting Designer
Set/props Designer
Projector Designer
Sound Designer
Costume Designer
Head Carpenter
Production Manager
Stage Manager
Wand Choreographer
ASL Instructor
Photographer
Videographer
Poster Artist
Marketing
1s1 Theatre
Artistic Director
Producer
Debbie Rennie
Salla Fagerström,
Debbie Rennie & Dawn Jani Birley
Dawn Jani Birley
Deb’e Taylor
Andre Du Toit
Maryam Hafizirad
Laura Warren
Siavash Sadrmahdavi
Giedrius Šarkauskas
Dale Sharp, Jr.
Patrick Lynn
Michelle Soicher
Daniel Levinson
Anselmo DeSousa
Dahlia Katz
Mallory Brown
Raif Gökkuş
Rylyn Delaney
Dawn Jani Birley
Meredith Potter
This project is part of Why Not’s SHARE stream of activities.
SHARE projects are partnerships with other independent artists
and companies to help produce, present or tour their work.
PARTNERS
Qalb – A Journey of the Ego is a 1s1 Production,
co-presented by Why Not Theatre, and supported by Toronto Metropolitan University’s Chrysalis Project and the Canadian
Cultural Society for the Deaf. We gratefully acknowledge funding
from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, Canadian Heritage, Lindy Green Family Foundation, and
TD Ready Commitment.
download program book