Bombay Black remount casts male actor as female dancer
Rising theatre star Kawa Ada plays a young woman in an inventive remount of Bombay Black.
![](https://i.cbc.ca/1.3348623.1449151237!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_1180/kawa-ada.jpg?im=Resize%3D780)
![](https://i.cbc.ca/ais/1.3348991,1717257647121/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C220%2C123%29%3BResize%3D620)
He's a rising star in Canadian theatre, and Kawa Ada's latest role is a testament to his range. In an inventive remount of Bombay Black, Ada plays Apsara — a young, female dancer who makes her living performing for men in private.
The Afghan-born Canadian actor joins Shad to explain the difference between playing and "playing at" women, why he initially felt conflicted about taking on the role, and how a personal trauma helps him tap into the darkest part of Apsara's story.
![](https://i.cbc.ca/1.3349223.1449166997!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_1180/bombay-black.jpg?im=)
![](https://i.cbc.ca/1.3349214.1449175424!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_1180/kawa-as-ada.jpg?im=)