Bogdanrfw at 19:14, 5 May 2026

2026-05-05T19:14:57Z

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{{Short description|Canadian writer}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{BLP sources|date=December 2016}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Anusree Roy
| image = Anusree Roy Profile Picture.jpg
| caption = Roy in May 2019
| birth_date =
| birth_place = [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]]
| occupation = Writer and actor
| period = 2000s–present
| notableworks = {{Unbulleted list|''Pyaasa''|''Brothel #9''|''Letters to my Grandma''|''Roshni''|''Sultans of the Street''|''Trident Moon''|''Sisters''}}
| spouse = Ryan Ravi Tiwari (m. 2018)
| website = {{URL|anusreeroy.com}}
}}

'''Anusree Roy''' is a Canadian playwright. She is also an actor and has written for television.<ref name="cte">{{Cite web |last=Nothof |first=Anne |title=Roy, Anusree |url=https://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Roy,%20Anusree |access-date=2026-05-03 |website=Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Anusree Roy |url=https://tapa.ca/personnel/anusree-roy/ |website=TAPA |access-date=1 June 2022 }}</ref>

== Education ==
Roy was born in [[Kolkata|Kolkata, India]], and emigrated to Canada with her family at age 17.<ref name="cte" />

She holds a [[Bachelor of Arts]] in theatre from [[York University]] and a [[Master of Arts]] from the [[University of Toronto]].<ref name="cte" />

== Theatre work ==

She premiered her first piece, ''breathlessness'', in 2006.<ref name="cte" /> Her play ''Pyaasa'' debuted at [[Theatre Passe Muraille]] in 2007 and won two [[Dora Mavor Moore Awards]] in the independent theatre division in 2008, including Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Performance (Female).<ref name="cte" />

Her subsequent plays have included ''Letters to My Grandma'', ''Roshni,'' and ''Brothel #9''.<ref name="cte" /> ''Brothel #9'' won the [[Carol Bolt Award]] and the [[Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Original Play (General Theatre)|Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play]] in 2011, and was a nominee for the [[Governor General's Award for English-language drama]] at the [[2012 Governor General's Awards]].<ref name="cte" /> She has also won the RBC Emerging Artist Award,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2009-10-21 |title=Another award for Anusree Roy |url=https://www.toronto.com/news/another-award-for-anusree-roy/article_4f458550-e7d5-5c83-9263-08913ac14f18.html |access-date=2026-05-03 |website=Toronto.com |language=en}}</ref> the K.M. Hunter Award,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Awards Archive (1995-2022) - |url=https://kmhunterfoundation.ca/awards-archive/ |access-date=2026-05-03 |website=KM Hunter Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref> and the [[Siminovitch Prize in Theatre|Siminovitch Protege Prize]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Anusree Roy |url=https://siminovitchprize.com/people/anusree-roy/ |access-date=2026-05-03 |website=Siminovitch Theatre Foundation |language=en-CA}}</ref>

''Trident Moon'' premiered at the [[Finborough Theatre]] in [[London]], England,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finboroughtheatre.co.uk/production/trident-moon/|title=Trident Moon|access-date=2026-05-03|website=Finborough Theatre}}</ref> and was a 2018 [[Susan Smith Blackburn Prize]] finalist.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trident Moon |url=https://www.blackburnprize.org/year/2018_/trident-moon/ |access-date=2026-05-03 |website=The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize |language=en-US}}</ref> Her subsequent play ''Little Pretty & The Exceptional'' premiered at the [[Factory Theatre]] in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.myentertainmentworld.ca/2017/04/anusree-roys-little-pretty-exceptional/|title=Anusree Roy's ''Little Pretty and The Exceptional''|date=20 April 2017|website=My Entertainment World|last=McKeown|first=Lisa}}</ref>

Her [[Radio drama|audio play]] ''Sisters'' premiered online on [[Apple Podcasts]] and [[Spotify]] on March 20, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.factorytheatre.ca/shows/sisters/|title=Sisters|website=Factory Theatre|access-date=2026-05-03}}</ref> She has written two operas, ''Noor over Afghan'' and ''The Golden Boy''.<ref name="cte" />

She has been playwright-in-residence at the [[Canadian Stage Company]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=McLean |first=Sandra |date=2008-07-16 |title=Alumna weaves hardships into award-winning play about caste |url=https://www.yorku.ca/yfile/2008/07/16/alumna-weaves-hardships-into-award-winning-play-about-caste/ |access-date=2026-05-03 |website=YFile |language=en-CA}}</ref> [[Theatre Passe Muraille]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-10-14 |title=York alumni shortlisted for Toronto Mayor’s Arts Awards |url=https://www.yorku.ca/yfile/2009/10/14/york-alumni-shortlisted-for-toronto-mayors-arts-awards/ |access-date=2026-05-03 |website=YFile |language=en-CA}}</ref> [[Nightwood Theatre]], [[Factory Theatre]], and [[Blyth Festival]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gokhale |first=Veena |date=2013-09-22 |title='I always want to make art that is real and truthful' |url=https://montrealserai.com/article/i-always-want-to-make-art-that-is-real-and-truthful/ |access-date=2026-05-03 |website=Montréal Serai |language=en-US}}</ref> She is co-artistic director with David DeGrow and Thomas Morgan Jones of Theatre Jones Roy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sumi |first=Glenn |date=2012-01-05 |title=Cover story: Anusree Roy |url=https://nowtoronto.com/culture/cover-story-anusree-roy/ |access-date=2026-05-03 |website=NOW Toronto |language=en-CA}}</ref>

== Television work ==

She played Nurse Patel on the TV show ''[[Remedy (TV series)|Remedy]]'' in 2014 and 2015. She was also a [[story editor]] for ''Remedy'' in its first season.<ref>{{cite web |title=Remedy (2014-): Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3182934/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm |website=IMDb |accessdate=April 20, 2020}}</ref> She was an executive story editor on season 5 of sci-fi drama ''[[Killjoys]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thetvjunkies.com/women-behind-canadian-tv-anusree-roy/|title=Women Behind Canadian TV: Anusree Roy|date=15 February 2019|archive-date=19 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221119051829/https://www.thetvjunkies.com/women-behind-canadian-tv-anusree-roy/|url-status=dead|website=The TV Junkies|last=Liszewski|first=Bridget}}</ref> She has been an executive story editor and consulting producer, respectively, on the first two seasons of [[Nurses (Canadian TV series)|''Nurses'']]. She was a consulting producer and writer on CTV's''[[Transplant (TV series)|Transplant]].''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/production-begins-on-season-2-of-acclaimed-ctv-original-series-transplant/|title=Production Begins on Season 2 of Acclaimed CTV Original Series TRANSPLANT|date=2021-02-09|website=BellMedia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Anusree Roy |url=https://harthouse.ca/profile/anusree-roy |access-date=2026-05-03 |website=Hart House |language=en}}</ref>

== Plays ==

*''Brothel # 9'' - Rekha, a young woman from a South Asian village, travels to [[Kolkata]] for a job, only to discover she has been sold into a [[brothel]]. There she meets Jamuna, the jaded madam, who believes there's no escape from their trade. Strong-willed and determined Rekha realizes she can shape her own destiny and discovers that compassion, faith, and forgiveness are the foundation of true liberty.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anusree Roy |url=https://newplayexchange.org/users/509/anusree-roy |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=New Play Exchange}}</ref>
*''Letters to My Grandma'' - Malobee unearths letters detailing her grandmother's fight to survive the1947 [[partition of India]], which resonates with Malobee's own struggles to create a new life in present-day [[Toronto]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Pyaasa & Letters to My Grandma |url=https://www.playwrightscanada.com/Books/P/Pyaasa-Letters-to-My-Grandma |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=Playwrights Canada Press}}</ref>
*''Pyaasa'' - Set in Kolkata, ''Pyaasa'' tells the story of Chaya, an eleven-year-old [[Dalit]] who dreams only of learning the [[Multiplication table|multiplication tables]]. When Chaya's mother begs a woman from a higher [[Caste system in India|caste]] to give Chaya a job at a local tea stall, Chaya's journey from childhood to adulthood begins and ends over ten days.<ref name=":0" />
*''Little Pretty and The Exceptional'' - This play is a family drama involving two sisters and their father preparing to open their new [[sari]] shop in Toronto's [[Little India, Toronto|Little India]] neighbourhood.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wheeler|first1=Brad|title=What playwright Anusree Roy is watching, looking forward to and tuning into|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance/what-playwright-anusree-roy-is-watching-looking-forward-to-and-tuning-into/article34479368/|accessdate=30 March 2017|work=The Globe and Mail |date=29 March 2017}}</ref>
*''Trident Moon'' - In 1947, six women, three [[Muslims|Muslim]] and three [[Hindus|Hindu]], hide inside a coal truck as it speeds through the newly-divided [[Presidencies and provinces of British India|British India]]. Alo is trying to get to [[West Bengal]]. Her former employers are now her captives and she wants revenge for what they have done, even if she has to harm the child she is raising. Violence and hatred threaten to engulf those inside the truck and can also be heard outside in the streets. When suddenly the truck stops, the women must find what unites them in order to have any chance of survival.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trident Moon |url=https://playwrightsguild.ca/event/trident-moon/ |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=Playwrights Guild of Canada |language=en-CA}}</ref>
*''Sisters'' - This play follows Millie and Rai, who have recently immigrated to Toronto from India with their father. Set over the course of one evening at Tatos Laundromat in [[New Toronto]], the sisters fantasize about what they will order at [[Tim Hortons]], getting a cell phone, and how exciting their new life will be as soon as their dad lands his first job. Their daydreaming is cut short when an event occurs at the laundromat, threatening their sense of security and their ability to withhold secrets from each other.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sisters |url=https://www.factorytheatre.ca/shows/sisters/ |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=Factory Theatre |language=en-CA}}</ref>

== Awards and nominations ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Nominated work
!Award
!Category
!Result
!Ref.
|-
| rowspan="2" |2008
| rowspan="2" |''Pyaasa''
| rowspan="2" |[[Dora Mavor Moore Awards]]
|Outstanding New Play or Musical
| rowspan="3" |Winner
| rowspan="2" |<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Recipients |url=https://tapa.ca/doras/recipients/ |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=TAPA |language=en-CA}}</ref>
|-
|Outstanding Performance by a Female
|-
|2009
|
|[[Royal Bank of Canada|RBC]] Emerging Artist Award
|
|<ref name=":1" />
|-
| rowspan="2" |2010
| rowspan="2" |''Letters to My Grandma''
| rowspan="3" |Dora Mavor Moore Awards
|[[Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Original Play (General Theatre)|Outstanding New Play]]
| rowspan="2" |Nominated
| rowspan="2" |<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Nominees |url=https://tapa.ca/doras/nominees/ |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=TAPA |language=en-CA}}</ref>
|-
|[[Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Leading Actress (General Theatre)|Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Principal Role - Play]]
|-
| rowspan="4" |2011
| rowspan="2" |''Brothel #9''
|Outstanding New Play
| rowspan="4" |Winner
|<ref name=":4" />
|-
|[[Carol Bolt Award]]
|
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-10-31 |title=Anusree Roy Wins Carol Bolt Award For Playwrights |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/toronto/article/Anusree-Roy-Wins-Carol-Bolt-Award-For-Playwrights-20111031 |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=BroadwayWorld |language=en}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" |
|K.M. Hunter Artist Award
|Theatre
|<ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[Siminovitch Prize in Theatre]]
|Protégé
|<ref name=":3" />
|-
|2012
|''Brothel #9''
|[[Governor General's Awards]]
|[[Governor General's Award for English-language drama|English-language drama]]
|Finalist
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Irish |first=Paul |date=2012-10-02 |title=Governor General’s Awards: Vincent Lam among authors shortlisted |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/governor-general-s-awards-vincent-lam-among-authors-shortlisted/article_74bb18f8-119e-5230-8553-efac1b27491c.html |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=Toronto Star |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|2014
|''Sultans of the Street''
|Dora Mavor Moore Awards
|Outstanding New Play for Young Audiences
|Winner
|<ref name=":4" />
|-
|2018
| rowspan="2" |''Trident Moon''
|[[Susan Smith Blackburn Prize]]
|
|Finalist
|<ref name=":3" />
|-
| rowspan="2" |2025
|Dora Mavor Moore Awards
|Outstanding New Play
|Nominated
|<ref name=":5" />
|-
|''Little Pretty and the Exceptional''
|Governor General's Awards
|English-language drama
|Finalist
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-21 |title=Vinh Nguyen, katherena vermette and Lorna Goodison among finalists for $25K Governor General's Literary Awards |url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/vinh-nguyen-katherena-vermette-and-lorna-goodison-among-finalists-for-25k-governor-general-s-literary-awards-9.6943146 |website=CBC Books}}</ref>
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roy, Anusree}}
[[Category:Canadian stage actresses]]
[[Category:Canadian women dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Indian stage actresses]]
[[Category:Indian women dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Actresses from Kolkata]]
[[Category:Actresses from Toronto]]
[[Category:Writers from Toronto]]
[[Category:Writers from Kolkata]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:York University alumni]]
[[Category:University of Toronto alumni]]
[[Category:Dora Mavor Moore Award winners]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Canadian writers of Asian descent]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Bengali descent]]
[[Category:Canadian actresses of Indian descent]]
[[Category:1982 births]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Women writers from West Bengal]]
[[Category:Dramatists and playwrights from West Bengal]]
[[Category:Bengali Hindus]]
[[Category:20th-century Bengali people]]
[[Category:21st-century Bengali people]]
[[Category:Bengali writers]]
[[Category:Bengali actresses]]

Anusree Roy - Revision history

Bogdanrfw at 19:14, 5 May 2026