The Cultch and Diwali Fest have partnered to present Nirbhaya, a story based on real life experiences and the violent incident that shocked Delhi and the world.

On December 16, 2012, a young woman boarded a bus in Delhi heading for home. What followed changed countless lives forever. Internationally acclaimed playwright and director, Yaël Farber (Mies Julie) has created a searing new work that cracks open the code of silence around women whose lives have been shattered by violence.

With an extraordinary cast and creative team from India, Farber brings us a blistering evocation of that terrible night and the ripples of change it set in motion. Tearing away the shame that keeps survivors silent, Nirbhaya is a voyage into a tapestry of personal testimonies and bares witness to the extraordinary capacity of the human spirit for survival, redemption and change.

“Unfortunately, violence against women exists in all corners of the world,” says Heather Redfern, Executive Director of The Cultch. “Nirbhaya is a play that tells the story of women who have suffered abuse in their own voices. By telling their personal stories, these women shatter the silence that surrounds abuse in the hopes that by talking about it, we are acknowledging its existence and can begin healing and making societal change. The play is particularly relevant to the situation we currently have in British Columbia where, because of systemic silence, many women across the province have gone missing over the years, yet these crimes have been ignored and in some cases, deliberately silenced. I am bringing Nirbhaya to the York Theatre because I believe we are all responsible for breaking the silence. Seeing this play together is one action we can take to make change for girls and women in our neighbourhoods and around the world.”

Diwali Fest co-producers Rohit Chokhani and Vineeta Minhas add, “Diwali Fest, the Lower Mainland’s largest Diwali festival, in co-presentation with The Cultch, is proud to showcase a true reflection of the cultural diversity in our city with Nirbhaya. This production is a major step towards making theatre and performing arts equitable and inclusive within the mainstream. For Diwali Fest, Nirbhaya is not just the biggest production ever presented at the festival - it is much bigger than that. It is raising our hands in union and standing up for what is very much needed in our society: representing marginalized voices and standing in support with them.”

Nirbhaya premiered at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the largest arts festival in the world, in August 2013. It won the coveted Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award, given to an outstanding Fringe production that raises awareness for human rights, and the Scotsman Fringe First in addition to the Herald Angel Award for “Outstanding New Play”.

“★★★★★ One of the most powerful pieces of theatre you’ll ever see” – The Telegraph

“★★★★★ One of the most powerful and urgent pieces of human rights theatre ever made” – The Herald

“We are not just watching, we are bearing witness” – The Guardian (UK)

“Deeply moving” – The New York Times

“Yaël Farber’s intelligent, defiant and uncompromising production says simply, this is happening and it can’t be ignored” – Edinburgh Festivals Magazine

“Proudly, they shatter the pervasive shame culture of silence that surrounds sexual violence against women” – Evening Standard