A Punjabi play, an enlightening salon series, and more as Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts unveils 2025 lineup

This year’s event, on from August 7 to 17, also features a standup comedy show by YouTube star Manpreet Singh and all-ages dance workshops

Nimet Kanji, who is participating in the Momentum salon series.

Andy Kalirai, writer and performer of *Gemini.*

TWO IMPACTFUL THEATRE PIECES are in store on opening weekend of the Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts, which is celebrating its 10th edition this year.

Gemini, an interactive play written and performed by Vancouver theatre artist Andy Kalirai, sets vocal star Aman Singh alone beneath stadium lights as he grapples with a darkness within him that’s fuelled by heartbreak and an all-consuming hunger—despite the fact that he has fame, love, and respect. And in writer-director-actor Bir Btaalvi’s Punjabi production Sikligar, immigrant Akash moves into a dimly lit basement with only a caged bird named Gurbaksh for a companion. Akash soon finds himself recounting memories of his home to Gurbaksh while contemplating conflicting themes of escape and belonging. Gemini runs on August 8 at 7:30 pm at the Mezz Warehouse (on 152A Street, near 64 Avenue) in Surrey, while Sikligar takes place August 9 at 7:30 pm at the Surrey Arts Centre’s Studio Theatre.

The multidisciplinary Monsoon Festival takes place from August 7 to 17 at various venues in Vancouver and Surrey. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the festival’s presenting organization, the South Asian Arts Society.

The Momentum salon series, with award-winning actor Nimet Kanji—who was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and immigrated to Vancouver more than three decades ago—happens on August 9 at 4 pm at The Cultch’s Founder’s Lounge. Excerpts from three of Kanji’s plays will be read by her, Kalirai, and fellow actor Janavi Chawla. Expect chai, snacks, and enlightening conversation with Kanji, whose theatre and television credits include Theatre Conspiracy’s Victim Impact, Ruby Slippers Theatre’s Dil Ka, and The Good Doctor. This will be the second installment of the Momentum series, which first took place at the fest in 2022.

On August 16 at 7 pm, catch Manpreet Singh in The Comic Singh: Na Sirr Na Pair on the Surrey Arts Centre’s Main Stage. Hosted in Punjabi, Singh’s popular stand-up comedy show (which translates to “Neither Head nor Tail”) is full of clever humour and comforting storytelling. His family-friendly set draws on the leap of faith he took to become a comedian after serving pizza in the hospitality industry for years; he’s now a popular YouTuber with more than 200,000 subscribers.

The Monsoon Festival also features a few workshops. Two upbeat all-ages dance lessons, Bhangra with Raja Singh and Bollywood fusion with Rohan D’Silva, will take place at the South Asian Arts Studio in Surrey on August 10 and 17, respectively. And Preeti Kaur Dhaliwal will host a writing workshop called Soundtrack as Story: Remembering and Remixing the Songs That Shaped U, which is all about honouring the songs that mean the most to people; it’ll take place at The Cultch’s Jim Green House Studio on August 13 at 6:30 pm.

Celebrations will kick off on August 7 with an opening night reception at The Cultch’s Historic Theatre. Tickets to all Monsoon Festival events are now on sale.

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Emily Lyth

Stir editorial assistant Emily Lyth is a Vancouver-based writer and editor who graduated from Langara College’s Journalism program. Her decade of dance training and passion for all things food-related are the foundation of her love for telling arts, culture, and community stories.

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