Ottawa: Ontario-born stage personality Ravi Jain has been named the 2025 Siminovitch Prize Laureate, Canada’s most prestigious theatre award given annually to exceptional theatre creators.
Jain received a cash award of CA$100,000 and chose Miriam Fernandes as the Siminovitch Prize Protégé. In the spring of 2023, Jain had directed a reimagined version of the Indian epic, the Mahabharata. He also wrote the retelling of the epic and adapted it with Miriam Fernandes.
A scene from the retelling of the epic Mahabharata, which was created by Ravi Jain. (Photo courtesy: Why Not Theatre/Facebook)
“Ravi Jain is a creator of remarkable range and audacity, whose career has consistently redefined what Canadian theatre can be. His works span the intimate and the epic, yet each bears the imprint of a restless curiosity and a refusal to repeat established formulas. The jury recognised Jain not only as an artist of brilliance but also as a builder reshaping the ecosystem around him. His works are notable for their inclusivity, their appetite for risk, and their ability to surprise,” the Prize’s Jury Chair Guillermo Verdecchia said.
Jain, founder of the Toronto-based Why Not Theatre, was described in a press release as having “spent his career reimagining theatre and enriching the lives of both audiences and artists” while blending “theatrical daring with social consciousness”.
His ambitious reimagination of the Mahabharata premiered at the Shaw Festival in the scenic town of Niagara-on-the-Lake in spring 2023. It was produced in association with the Barbican of London.
