In Sundry Languages

Toronto’s most multilingual production tells stories of migration and language learning.

After playing to sold-out houses in 2015, 2016, and a highly successful run at this year’s Toronto Fringe, this one-of-a kind experiment in multilingual theatre is now part of CAMINOS.

In Sundry Languages weaves together a series of comical vignettes about immigration, language learning, accents, and what you really mean when you ask: “Where are you from?” The wildly diverse cast uses Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Hebrew and many other languages to play with exclusion and inclusion throughout the show. It is a perfect theatre outing for both native speakers of English and English language learners.

October 4, 2017 at 7:30 PM

“…a compelling critique of Canadian inclusiveness.”

NOW Toronto

About the artist

Art Babayants / Արտ Բաբայանց is Toronto-based theatre artist, educator and researcher. His doctoral dissertation, completed in 2016 at the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies (University of Toronto), looks at the phenomenology of multilingual acting and spectating. In 2015, Art, along with his colleague Dr. Heather Fitzsimmons-Frey, published his first edited collection, entitled Theatre and Learning . As a theatre practitioner, Art has presented his work at various Toronto festivals such Toronto Fringe, Toronto Summerworks and Toronto Nuit Blanche. His stage credits include musical theatre (Seussical, 2007; Gypsy, 2009; Godspell, 2014), “mockumentary” theatre (Miss Toronto Acts Back, Theatre Centre), and contemporary Canadian drama (The…Musician, 2014). Since 1997, Art has also been developing theatre projects integrating acting and second language teaching – his most recent ESL/Drama creation called Embodied English is a sought after course for advanced ESL learners, offered through his theatre company – Toronto Laboratory Theatre.