Once Again on a Ferry

As last October saw the cold start crowding our days, we had the pleasure of sending out the warm signals of four new blog posts in our newsletter. Detailing some of our recent past, present and future projects, these pieces included the announcement of the remount of the critically acclaimed theatre production of Wine & Halva, written by Deniz Başar and directed by award-winning theatre artist Art Babayants. With the warmth of May shining through our treetops, we are ecstatic to announce that Wine & Halva is back once more as a part of Teesri Duniya’s 2026 Season, The Season of the Migrant.

Initially developed through Playwright’s Workshop Montreal and now with the support of the Cole Foundation, Wine & Halva has continued to be celebrated throughout the years with people describing the production as “impeccable and vibrant” (Övgü Ülgen), “spiritual, communal, […] and compelling” (Scotty Gannon) and “an emotional and intellectual experience” (Sophie Mitchell). A clear reflection of the current desire from audiences for critically engaged works, Wine & Halva follows the unlikely friendship between Farias, a white gay man struggling in a dead-end job, and Derya, a Turkish immigrant pursuing a PhD while navigating her new identity as a visible minority, as they navigate the nature of connection when you can’t do justice to each other’s realities.

Now in rehearsals for another round of shows scheduled for May, the production welcomes the familiar performances of Banafsheh Hassani, esi callender and Corbeau Sandoval with the new support of rehearsal stage manager Caroline Nowacki, technical director and lighting designer Aurora Torok, scenographer and costume designer Jenn Jack, sound designer Malte Leander and marketing director Keith Fernandez. With Art Babayants back onboard to expand on the initial staging’s foundation, they note how “Wine & Halva is first and foremost an ode to a very unlikely intercultural, interracial, inter-generational, inter-everything friendship”. Hot off the tails of the still-touring production of Regarding Antigone (written by Banafsheh Hassani), Art also notes that the play reveals how we seem to “believe the fault [of what is happening in the world] lies only with our evil politicians and not ourselves [while making] fun of it all in the most subtle ways”. When asked about her thoughts on both the remount of Wine & Halva and the recent French premiere of L’Automne à New Stockholm, playwright Deniz Başar notes feeling “nostalgic about the play […] and grateful to my past self for carrying me through that beautiful yet extremely difficult stage of my life”.  

With tickets officially on sale, we’re excited to be back onboard as co-producers alongside the Toronto Laboratory Theatre and Sort Of Productions. A sharp, funny and though-provoking play, Wine & Halva is a grand invitation for everyone to laugh, cry and cringe together, so reserve your seats through the link below before tickets sell out! We also invite you to donate to the production’s fundraiser that helps us pay the production’s team and keep ticket prices as low as possible.

Want to continue following the currents of Postmarginal? Sign up to our newsletter to stay up to date with all our Postmarginal events!

📸 by @juleschanvillard