CQC Arts, in association with Blemme Fatale Productions, presents a Southern Ontario tour of bol, brown boy, bol (speak, brown boy, speak). The award-winning play will take the stage on March 26 and 27 in Ottawa, April 17 and 18 in London, and from May 21 to 24 in Toronto.
bol, brown boy, bol, created and directed by Nawaaz Makhani, premiered at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2024, where it won the North (519): Best of Toronto Fringe Award. The solo show revolves around a brown boy from the GTA, a millennial searching for meaning in his life as a brown boy living within Canadian racism.
bol, brown boy, bol
Educator, activist, and interdisciplinary artist Nawaaz Makhani (he/him/his) has used his explorations in the arts — writing, water marbling, and tabla performance — to find his place int he work. His work often involves mental health, consent education, unwrapping toxic masculinity and healing generational trauma, and how those elements intertwine with each other.
The work combines storytelling and tabla performance, and iconic North Indian percussion instrument, and is characterized by its irreverent sense of humour.
A coconut is a kind of racial slur, used to talk about someone who’s “brown on the outside, white on the inside”. The pressures of conforming to both his heritage and modern Canadian society have caught up with Nawaaz in a crisis of both identity and faith.
A musical Guru is sent to him via divine intervention, and it sets him on a journey to self love and acceptance.
Musically, the work blends classical Indian music with 90s Bollywood nostalgia, grunge, rap, and hip hop. The tabla becomes part of the rhythm of storytelling as Nawaaz rediscovers his own true identity.
“A lot of people think we are stuck living in a divided world, but I disagree, I think there’s more that connects us than we realize, and this story is one way to share that,” said playwright Nawaaz Makhani in a statement.
“I’m hoping people leave this show with an expanded notion of what it means to grow up Canadian. I hope they feel seen, have had some laughs, and meet new people over a good cup of chai!”
bol, brown boy, bol has been developed and exanded since its debut at the 2024 Toronto Fringe Festival.
bol, brown boy, bol 2026 Tour
CQC Arts is a BIPOC owned organization based in Ontario. It’s an arts hub that creates projects focused around a search for meaning, peace, and self love.
Credits:
- Creator, performer & Co-Director: Nawaaz Makhani
- Co-Director & Creative Director: Tiffany Wu
- Dramaturgy: Sashoya Simpson & Jimmy Hogg
- Lighting Designer: Lindsay Murray
- Lighting Consultant: Arantza Luna
- Sound Designer: Christine Wu
Shows:
- March 26 & 27 at Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe in Ottawa
- April 17 & 18 at Grand Theatre in London
- May 20 to 24 at Native Earth’s Aki Studio
Find tickets and show details [HERE].
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