Mahabharata | DHARMA - Part 2: The Life We Choose

Schedule

Wed May 14 2025 at 07:30 pm to 09:45 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

National Arts Centre / Centre national des Arts (1 Elgin Street, Ottawa, ON, Canada) | Ottawa, ON

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A ONCE-IN-A-GENERATIONAL THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE OF UNPARALLELED AMBITION AND SCALE.
Embark on a once-in-a-generation theatrical journey with this visually stunning retelling of the ancient Sanskrit epic. This sweeping adaptation takes you on a mesmerizing voyage through the past, and calls for an exhilarating new future. Unfolding in two parts, Why Not Theatre’s ravishing production features a stellar all-South Asian diaspora cast, and offers a rich tapestry of storytelling, seamlessly merging East and West, the traditional and the contemporary.
DHARMA: The Life We Choose
'Mahabharata': Part 2 introduces us to a dizzying array of storytelling techniques including immersive projections, dynamic digital soundscapes, and sweeping scenic design, as King Janamejaya learns of the epic war fought by his ancestors. Alongside the King, we experience the legendary battle of Kurukshetra, its catastrophic impact on the planet, and the resilient survivors entrusted with the task of rebuilding. The retelling is crowned with a soaring adaptation of a Sanskrit opera, the most renowned chapter of the Mahabharata saga.
“ An extraordinarily dazzling piece of theatre.”– Dzifa Benson, THE TELEGRAPH
Written and Adapted by Miriam Fernandes and Ravi Jain
Using Poetry from Carole Satyamurti’s “Mahabharata: A Modern Retelling”
Original Concept Developed with Jenny Koons
Directed by Ravi Jain
A Why Not Theatre Production
Originally commissioned and presented by the Shaw Festival Theatre in association with Barbican, London
Developed with support from the NAC’s National Creation Fund
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Where is it happening?

National Arts Centre / Centre national des Arts (1 Elgin Street, Ottawa, ON, Canada), Canada

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

National Arts Centre \/ Centre national des Arts

Host or Publisher National Arts Centre / Centre national des Arts

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