Why Not Theatre founder Ravi Jain wins Siminovitch, Canada’s top theatre prize

Ravi Jain is pictured during a dress rehearsal of "Prince Hamlet" at The Theatre Centre in Toronto on Tuesday, April 18, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

TORONTO — Why Not Theatre founder Ravi Jain has won Canada’s top theatre prize.

Jain was awarded the $100,000 Siminovitch Prize at a ceremony in Toronto tonight.

The jury praised Jain for “reshaping the ecosystem around him” with inventive work that puts inclusion at its centre.

Jain’s body of work includes “Prince Hamlet,” a bilingual ASL/English reimagining of Shakespeare and the two-part “Mahabharata,” a stage interpretation of a 4,000-year-old Sanskrit epic.

Jain chose that production’s co-creator, Miriam Fernandes, as his protege for the Siminovitch, meaning she’ll receive $25,000.

The prize typically honours designers, directors or playwrights in a given year, but the three-year cycle was paused for this milestone 25th edition to welcome nominations from all fields, including those outside the usual categories.

The prize purse also increased this year from $75,000 to $100,000.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 1, 2025.

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press