Generous Friend
Generous Friend is a collaboration between Erum Khan and Erin Brubacher.
In our work together we seek to create worlds that reflect the current and fluid social, political, and cultural landscape in Canada.
Our inaugural project is Noor, a play written by Erum and directed by Erin.
Noor is about connection and isolation and the navigation of identities here and now. Noor, a young woman embarking on adulthood, faces the absence of her mother, Mumina, and looks for shelter in a relationship with another young woman, Aubrey. Noor’s father Bashir is stuck in his own form of solitude, while struggling to establish a relationship with his daughter. We see each character navigate an inner violence of identity, belonging, and displacement, except for Mumina, who wanders through mysterious spaces, unbound by time, echoing the untraceable path of Rumi’s muse, Shams Tabriz. Noor offers Rumi and Shams as counterpoints to contemporary inertia in an urban Canadian context.
Collaborators for Noor include:
Anwar Khurshid, LAL (Rosina Kazi and Nicholas Murray), Kaitlin Hickey, Rebecca Picherak, Madi Baines, Liz Peterson and Tijiki Morris.
NOOR will be presented in October 14-21, 2018, in a large scale yurt in the AGA KHAN MUSEUM's inner courtyard. From October 2-13, Generous Friend will offer ‘open rehearsals’ for museum visitors to experience performance making in process. Check back for more details.
About Erum: Erum Khan is a film and theatre-maker from Mississauga, Ontario. Current and recent projects include: Assistant Director for Acha Bacha (Theatre Passe Muraille/ Buddies); performer/ assistant director for Concord Floral (BRUBACHER/SPOONER/
Generous Friend is supported by The Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. Noor is part of the National Arts Centre's The Collaborations. Thanks to Nightswimming who supported Noor through the OAC Theatre Creators Reserve and to Theatre Tarragon who supported the early development of this work.
