Indo-Canadian stage personality Ravi Jain honoured with Canada’s most prestigious theatre award
Toronto-based Indo-Canadian stage personality Ravi Jain has been honoured as the Siminovitch Prize Laureate. Jain has been creative behind several acclaimed plays including a reimagined version of the Mahabharata, which premiered in spring 2023
Toronto: Toronto-born Indo-Canadian stage personality Ravi Jain has been honoured with Canada’s most prestigious theatre award.
On Monday, Jain was named the 2025 Siminovitch Prize Laureate, Canada’s top theatre honour. The award, given by the Siminovitch Theatre Foundation, was bestowed in its 25th iteration.
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.
The Siminovitch Prize is awarded annually to exceptional theatre creators and “is a celebration of Canadian theatre and an investment in the future of the art form”, a press release noted.
“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 as having “spent his career reimagining theatre and enriching the lives of both audiences and artists” while blending “theatrical daring with social consciousness”.
“At the heart of what I do is create processes and work that inspire alternative visions of existence. Art is a tool for social change, both the process and the art are revolutions of imagination - and ways to inspire us all to be better listeners, feelers and people,” Jain said.
His ambitious reimagination of the Mahabharata premiered at the Shaw Festival it the scenic town of Niagara-on-the-Lake in spring 2023, and produced in association with Barbican of London.
Given its complexity, the performance was divided into two sections: Karma and Dharma. Taken together, they accounted for nearly five hours of stage time. Prior to its premiere, Jain told the Hindustan Times, “We’ve really tried to be very careful with the material and treated in this in a way that is respectful and balanced it with the changing values that have happened over time.”
The acclaimed play garnered multiple major Canadian theatre awards.
