ALL 3 PERFORMANCES ARE SOLD OUT!
THANK YOU VICTORIA!
Please note that this is a special “2nd Stage Theatre Inconnu Production”. It is not part of our subscription series.
Letters to Rumi
an exploration in poetry, music & projections
by Meharoona Ghani
Sundays: September 22, 29, and October 6 – all at 2pm
At Merlin’s Sun Home Theatre
(the specific address will be given when you make a reservation)
Inspired by her book in progress, Letters to Rumi, Meharoona Ghani mixes poetry and prose to engage with Rumi around her long-standing question of where do I belong?
She presents an afternoon of literary readings and dialogue accompanied by musicians Niel Golden (tabla and hang) and Douglas Hensley (multi string instruments including the oud, tar and sitar). Tim Gosley will visually interpret the performance with shadow and live video projections.
One of the greatest poets in the Persian language is Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī (d.1273). Writing in times of loss, Meharoona Ghani began ‘correspondence’ with this eminent Islamic scholar and Sufi. Letters to Rūmī is a form of creative non-fiction that explores loss, identity and belonging. Informed by her experiences, the text moves from a journey of self-discovery to a wider examination of justice, equity, and humanity. Join us for live readings and music to hear ‘the story behind the story.’
After the event, Ms. Ghani will be selling anthologies that include her work. Cash sales only.
Performers
Author & Poet: Meharoona Ghani
Musicians: Niel Golden, Doug Hensley, Davoud Jafari Gharieh
Shadow & video projections: Tim Gosley
Reservations
Admission by reservation (seating is limited)
Ticket price: a sliding scale, with suggested donation of $25
To reserve (or for more information), email or phone:
timgosley@telus.net
(250) 888.4907
If you have accessibility needs, please let us know, when you reserve, so we can accommodate them.
Meharoona Ghani: is a former Artist in Residence Fellow at the University of Victoria’s Centre for Studies on Religion and Society; a Diversity Specialist; and a writer/poet published in many collections, including The Muslimah Who Fell to Earth (2016); Body & Soul: Stories for Skeptics and Seekers (2019) and Roots to Branches, Vol 1 (2021). She continues to write Letters to Rumi – her creative non-fiction book that explores loss, identity and belonging. Meharoona contributes to the Victoria Times Colonist’s Spiritually Speaking column and runs a podcast: Raining Revolution: JEDI in the Arts on CFUV 101.9 FM. Learn more at: mghaniconsulting.ca
Douglas Hensley: a resident of Victoria since 1995, is a founding member of the Continuum Consort, which specializes in both early and modern music and has released a couple of CDs. In addition to being an on-call multi-plucker with the Victoria Symphony and Pacific Opera Victoria, he frequently accompanies the award-winning women’s choir Ensemble Laude (including performances in the south of France in 2016), in which he also serves as percussionist. He performs on and teaches a variety of instruments at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and St Margaret’s School, including various guitars and lutes (theorbo, vihuela, gittern, etc.), banjo, ukulele and mandolin, as well several classical Persian instruments (târ, setâr, oud, barbat and santur, which he studied with a number of Iranian masters). He is also a member of the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra, playing oud and guitar, and he has commissioned and premiered over 70 chamber works (as well as a few solos) for guitar and lute.
Niel Golden: is a talented percussionist specializing in the subtle yet powerful, tuned, paired, Indian hand drums called Tabla. Niel is a disciple of the late tabla master, Pandit Sharda Sahai, the fifth generation leader of the Benares style of playing. Over more than four decades, he has performed and recorded with traditional Indian classical musicians, orchestras, choirs and roots and blues artists such as Xavier Rudd and Harry Manx. He has also been nominated for a Juno Award and a Western Canadian Music Award. Niel performs and composes on the new and elusive Hang (pronounced Hung), a flying saucer-esque instrument from Switzerland invented in the year 2000. He is a long time member of The Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra (VICO). In Victoria he is part of world music trio, Three Rivers with Mark Ferris and Douglas Hensley who are also members of VICO.
Tim Gosley: Tim Gosley’s four decades in puppetry includes a wide spectrum of projects. He recently built and performed the lead puppet for a Toronto television pilot. He was festival director for Puppets for Peace with Theatre Inconnu. He is a Gemini Award winning puppeteer on TV series including the Muppets Fraggle Rock, and Canadian Sesame Street. He produced a 24 cast community mixed-nations performance of Roy Henry Vickers telling the Tsimshian tale, Peace Dancer, through Theatre Inconnu. In 2020 he had an artist-in-residence fellowship at the Center for Studies in Religion and Society at The University of Victoria. He currently is collaborating with classical guitarist Jacob Cordover to develop shadow and video imagery for a live performance of Platero and I.
Davoud Jafari Gharieh: is an Iranian Ney player. His understanding of the Ney—a flute-like instrument integral to Persian musical heritage—reflects a deep respect for the traditions. His journey began in Iran, where he immersed himself in the classical traditions of Persian music, learning from revered masters and honing his technique. Davoud is committed to the cultural preservation and education of Persian music, striving to inspire new generations and foster a deeper appreciation for this rich musical heritage.