SPOTLIGHT
ANUSREE ROY’S NEW PLAY EXPLORES MOTHERHOOD AND SURVIVAL
Gabriella Sundar Singh in Through The Eyes of God.
Theatre Passe Muraille presents the world premiere of Through the Eyes of God, a powerful new play by Anusree Roy, onstage from February 1 to 21, 2026.
This long-awaited follow-up to Roy’s acclaimed box office hit Pyaasa returns audiences to the gripping world of Chaya, now a young mother navigating desperation, loss, and the stark realities of a broken system.
Two decades after Pyaasa, Chaya is arrested for stealing rice to feed her daughter, Krishna. Chaya soon discovers an even greater horror: Krishna has been trafficked to Delhi.
Driven by love, Chaya embarks on a gut-wrenching journey where every lead is a gamble, every choice impossible, and the stakes are heartbreakingly high.
Through the Eyes of God is a piercingly emotional and critical exploration of motherhood, survival, and how far one will go to protect a child.
It sees the return of Anusree Roy to Theatre Passe Muraille; the production is brought to life by the talented Gabriella Sundar Singh under the visionary direction of long-time collaborator Thomas Morgan Jones, who directed the original production of Pyaasa. The play examines the resilience of women, the impact of systemic injustice, and the transformative power of maternal love.
“I did not intend to write a sequel to my first play Pyaasa,” says Roy.
“Through the eyes of God showed up, unannounced, demanding to be written. Demanding to be seen.
“To me, it felt like Chaya, the protagonist in Pyaasa, took 20 years to write her own story. And wanted to be seen.
“This play is a meditation on motherhood. Chaya is a mother now, and just like her mother, is making choices to protect and love her child. And sometimes those choices, that kind of love, it’s complicated and demands sacrifice. I am eternally grateful that Chaya came to me once again.”
A two-time Governor General’s Award-nominated and four-time Dora Award-winning writer, actor, and director, Anusree Roy is currently the co-executive producer and writer for the Allegiance S3 (CBC) television series.
She has also worked on Interview With The Vampire S3, Allegiance S2 (CBC), Transplant S2 (NBC/Netflix/CTV), I Woke Up a Vampire (Netflix), SkyMed (Paramount+/CBC), Remedy (Global TV), Killjoys (SyFy), and Nurses S1 & S2 (NBC/Global TV).
For theatre, her plays include Through the Eyes of God, Sisters, Trident Moon, Little Pretty and The Exceptional, Sultans of the Street, Brothel # 9, Roshni, Letters to my Grandma, and Pyaasa.
She is the recipient of the K.M. Hunter Award, the RBC Emerging Artist Award, the Carol Bolt Award and the Siminovitch Protégé Prize.
She was the 2018 finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (the largest and oldest playwriting prize for women writing for English-speaking theatre).
Currently, she is the commissioned playwright at Tarragon Theatre, writing her new play, 147, 8th Street, and is developing a feature film inspired by her audio play, Sisters, as well as directing and premiering her short films, The Birthday Party and God’s Plan. She is also an adjunct professor of play-writing at the University of Toronto and a professor of creative writing, teaching advanced drama to MFA students, at the University of British Columbia.
Roy’s plays have been taught at the University of Toronto, York University, Ryerson University, Wilfred Laurier University, the University of Calgary, the University of Guelph, the University of Regina, McGill University and the National Theatre School.
When and where: February 1-21 at Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace, 16 Ryerson Ave, Toronto. In person performance pay-what-you-can-afford: $15, $40 , $65. Tickets available at passemuraille.ca or by phone at 416-504-7529.