Curator
Alon Nashman
Alon Nashman is a performer, director, creator, and producer of theatre.
World Play: Reading Toronto's Many Languages
Koffler Arts presents World Play, an ongoing series, curated by Alon Nashman, celebrating Toronto’s extraordinary linguistic and cultural diversity – a city where over 200 languages are spoken.
Word Play invites audiences to experience a rich tapestry of voices through brief readings of poetry, theatre, fiction, philosophy, and song lyrics each read in their original language and accompanied by an English translation. Each evening will be dedicated to a theme around which all the readings will coalesce.
More than a literary showcase, World Play is an immersive journey into phonaesthetics – the beauty and resonance of language as sound.
Upcoming World Play dates and themes
Chapter 2: Borders
Wednesday, October 15, 2025 | 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Chapter 3: Light
Monday, December 1, 2025 | 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Chapter 4: Trees
Monday, February 2, 2026 | 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Chapter 5: Dreams
Monday, March 23, 2026 | 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Chapter 6: Freedom
Monday, May 4, 2026 | 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Chapter 7: Food
Monday, July 6, 2026 | 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Call for Readers!
We welcome submissions of proposed texts that you would like to read in their (and your) original language, accompanied by an English translation, related to any of the upcoming themes and dates. Our next reading World Play is October 15, 2025.
Please email worldplay@kofflerarts.org if you have questions or suggestions for future themes and readers.
Previous dates and themes
Readers and Readings
Samuel Akinbo & Yanfei Lu read Kaan bíé, as told by a woman in the Daffiama sub-dialect | Dàgáárè
Latteeshia Davis read Omana thingal kidavo by Iravi Amman Thampi | Malayalam
Matthew Jocelyn read Premier Jour by Jacques Prévert | French and La Marseillaise by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle | French
Chika Maduakola read Nwa m by Chika Maduakola | Igbo
Oya Oran read 128 Dikişli Şiir by Didem Madak | Turkish
Teresa Przybylski read Nic Dwa Razy by Wisława Szymborska | Polish
Birgit Schreyer-Duarte read Lügen über meine Mutter by Daniela Dröscher | German
Maria Andrea Segura read Nací viejo by Gustavo Gac-Artigas | Spanish
Kimberly-Ann Truong read Vội Vàng by Xuân Diệu | Vietnamese
Yizhou Zhang read Birth by Yizhou Zhang | Mandarin
About the curator
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