ABOUT US
ABOUT US
Diwali in BC is honoured to have its home on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish people of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and Səl̓ílwətaɬ Nations. Diwali in BC, which falls under the Raghupriya Arts and Culture Society, is a new initiative founded and produced by Rohit Chokhani. After producing and curating numerous Diwali celebrations over Metro Vancouver for the last four years, culminating in a Jessie Richardson theatre award, Rohit is embarking on this new, bold and ambitious initiative to make the Diwali Celebrations province-wide over the next five years. This initiative was founded in 2017 in Metro Vancouver during its launch year of 2017. The third annual Diwali in BC celebrations will take place from Oct, 2019 to Nov, 2019. Diwali in BC is an annual multicultural Multi-Disciplinary Inclusive festival that aims to showcase artists from diverse backgrounds and different abilities to celebrate the festival of lights during the annual Indian New Year.
Diwali in BC Team consists of:
Rohit Chokhani - Artistic Director
Ashley Rose - Associate Producer
Teresa Trovato - Publicity and PR
Ayush Kathuria - Production Associate
Helene Taffin - Production Associate
Rohit Chokhani: Artistic Director
Rohit Chokhani is a Jessie Richardson Theatre award-winning arts curator, director and a cultural leader. Currently, he is the Artistic Director for Diwali In BC. Rohit was awarded the prestigious Vancouver Now Representation and Inclusion award in 2018. He was also the recipient of the Jessie Richardson Theatre Award in the Large Theatre Category for Significant Artistic Achievement in 2017 as well as the recipient of the Shiamak Vancouver Community Award (by Bollywood star choreographer Shiamak Davar) in recognition of outstanding achievement in the field of Entertainment and Theatre Arts for 2017. He co-created the Monsoon Festival of performing arts and is an Artistic Associate at Bard on the Beach. Prior - he was Producer in Residence at the National Arts Centre - English Theatre, General Manager for Touchstone Theatre & urban ink productions. He launched a sector development initiative called Project SAT (South Asian Theatre project) to create a network for developing, touring, producing and presenting national and international South Asian themed projects in Canada. Rohit grew up in Bombay (Mumbai), home to Bollywood, the center of the Indian subcontinent’s vibrant performing arts industry. He is highly passionate about making performing arts equitable and sustainable.
ABOUT TEAM
DIRECTOR / WRITER
Rohit is an award winning writer and director. Learn more about this aspect of his career here:
FOUNDER / PRODUCER
A network for developing, touring, producing and presenting South Asian themed theatre projects. Lear more here: www.projectsat.ca
COPRODUCER / COFOUNDER
A festival for south asians and south asian content. One of its kind in Canada and globally. Learn more here:
Teresa Trovato - Publicity and PR Consultant
Teresa is a Canadian publicist based in Vancouver, BC with eighteen years of experience in the entertainment industry. From record labels to concert promoters, comedians to theatre productions, and cultural events to major festivals, Teresa has had the privilege of working with some of the finest individuals and organizations in the industry. Present clients include Rohit Chokhani, Graham Clark, JFL NorthWest, Vancouver Queer Film Festival, Maple Ridge Festival of BC Film, Firehall Arts Centre, The Cultch, Realwheels Theatre, Théâtre la Seizième, Some Assembly Theatre Company, and more.
Ashley Rose - Associate Producer
Ashley is a writer, performer and social justice advocate in Vancouver.
She is currently writing a play titled “Altar of Us,” in cooperation with Playwrights Theater Centre and Theatre Conspiracy. Ashley is inspired by the cast & crew of Diwali in BC and excited that such a wonderful team of artists and productions came together this year to celebrate Diwali.
Ayush Kathuria - Production Associate
Ayush Kathuria is currently a student at UBC Vancouver majoring in Psychology. His past experience is mostly related to writing a couple of street plays in Delhi on Premchand's short stories from Rangbhoomi. His work seeks to provide modern adaptation to age old folk tales, revisiting past historical figures through a different perspective and shedding new light on old tales.
Helene Taffin - Production Associate
Helene was first introduced to the world of live performance and theatre when she joined Touchstone Theatre as a Marketing, Administrative and Outreach intern in 2014. She had the chance to meet Rohit as he was the General Manager at Touchstone then. After a six-month intership, Helene went back to France to finish her Business studies, but she never forgot her amazing experience in Vancouver working in the Arts industry. After graduating from a Masters in Finance and Entrepreneurship, she decided to return to Canada. She is a full-time data analyst at lululemon, but she is excited to also reconnect with the Arts and support Rohit in his projects by providing him with administrative support.