About Swim Team

“Swim Team” had its English premier at SummerWorks Lab 2018 and received great reviews and feedback. We were deeply grateful to receive an Honourable Mention from Canadian Stage in Direction. Additionally, Swim Team was in NOW’s annual list of the “Best of the Fest” for Outstanding Production, Ensemble, Direction and Design.

Then in 2019, NOWADAYS THEATRE Company in collaboration with Alma Matters Productions remounted SWIM TEAM, Nov 8th-17th at The Theatre Centre.

This project has been made possible through the generous support of Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council.

Swim Team is a powerful metaphor for Iranian women’s lives in the restrictive patriarchal society of post-revolutionary Iran, inspired by real stories from the world of women’s sports. The story is about four Iranian women who meet in an apartment to learn how to swim—in a place that has no water. Can anyone teach people to swim without water? Roya thinks so. Roya is a swim coach and is qualified to teach the three young women.

Swim Team references modern Iranian society, where women’s rights are constantly being eroded and female athletes face countless obstacles. Following the 1979 revolution, sports in Iran became subject to gender segregation. Facilities and funds were in short supply for female athletes and laws that required women to wear hijabs greatly impacted their ability to compete against other high-performance athletes. As a result, many women’s sports teams were disbanded after the establishment of the Islamic Republic.

Playwright: Jaber Ramezani

Directed by: Aida Keykhaii

Translated by: Sara Shamlou, Saman Javand and Stephenie Radu

Featuring (in alphabetical order):Aylin Salahshoor, Banafsheh Taherian, Mahsa Ershadifar and Tina Bararian

Assistant Director/Co-Producer: Sarah Marchand

Stage Manager: Laura Lakatosh

Dramaturg: Mohammad Yaghoubi

lighting Designer: Nancy Boake

Voice Coach: Breanna Maloney

Promo Trailer: Taras Lavren

Poster and Programme Designer: Saman Farzaneh

Show Dates:

NOV 8th 7:30PM (Opening)

NOV 9th 2PM & 7:30PM

NOV 10th 2PM (PWYC)

NOV 12th 7:30PM

NOV 13th 7:30PM

NOV 14th 7:30PM (Post-Show Talkback)

NOV 15th 7:30PM

NOV 16th 2PM (PWYC) & 7:30PM

NOV 17th: 2PM (Closing)

Where: Theatre Centre, BMO Incubator

1115 Queen St. W, Toronto, ON M6J 3P4

Duration: 65 Minutes