We met with Mahsa Ershadifar about our upcoming production of The New Canadian Curling Club. We chatted about why she wants to be involved in this show, what the last thing she does before stepping out on stage is, and what she thinks the audience will be thinking on their way home from the show.
Lighthouse Festival (LF): Why did you want to be involved in this show?
Mahsa Ershadifar (ME): The reason I wanted to be involved in this production was because it felt honest. It doesn’t simplify the immigrant experience or reduce people to symbols; it gives them breath, contradiction, humour, and heart. As an Iranian-Canadian artist, I know what it’s like to live in the in-betweens: between cultures, between languages, between feeling seen and being overlooked. This story holds all of that with care. It reminds us that while we can survive on our own, meaning is created when we work together. That’s the hand we were dealt—and this play embraces it with warmth and clarity, not sentimentality.
(LF): What’s the last thing you do before you step out on stage/the curtain goes up?
(ME): The last thing I do before I step out on stage would have to be a grounding ritual. I take a deep breath, touch the stage floor, or the “ice,” in this case and remind myself to listen. Not just to the lines but to the energy in the room, the rhythm of my cast mates, the heartbeat of the moment. The magic is always in the listening. That’s what keeps the work honest. That’s what makes it feel alive.
(LF): What do you think the audience members will be thinking on their way home from the show?
(ME): I think the audience members will be thinking on their way home from the show: “That was more than just a comedy.” Sure, they’ll laugh about the chaos of curling, but I hope something lingers, something quiet and tender. I hope they go home wondering, or rather considering, what small acts they could do to help someone feel more at home. At its core, this play is about how we build belonging, not by erasing difference, but by making space for it.
