Meet our Cast: Bahareh Yaraghi


Bahareh is one of the newest members of ARC. She joined the company in 2012 and is currently on the Artistic Board. She is ecstatic to be working alongside her ARC family, Deborah Drakeford and Brendan McMurtry-Howlett, as well as the talented creative team.

A Toronto-based performer, Bahareh spent the last three months performing in the Canadian Premiere of “The Kite Runner” in Calgary and Edmonton (Theatre Calgary/Citadel Theatre/Eric Rose).  Born in Iran, raised in Vancouver and now living in Toronto, one of Bahareh’s passions has always been to travel, and to learn from different cultures and languages.  She is thrilled to now be exploring the land of “Bea”, and to be immersed in the investigation of disability, assisted suicide, and most importantly – empathy.

To have the opportunity to play the role of Bea has been a gift for Bahareh. She is honoured to portray a woman who is a true rock star, the queen of her own domain, a force to be reckoned with, and a woman who knows herself and the world around her inside and out. However, Bea is trapped in a body that betrays her due to a debilitating condition. To be viewing life from Bea’s lens has been empowering, heartbreaking and incredibly freeing for Bahareh. Bea’s world is raw and real. There is no holding back and there are no lies.

For Bahareh, the story of Bea has highlighted the notion that we are all souls having a physical experience on this planet. Some have a much more limited physical experience than others. Yet, no matter what the physical condition, each soul is rich and full of life, laughter, anger, frustration, love, and humour. It’s never about first impressions, rather about removing barriers and seeing the insides.