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Neptune’s With a Fish

Show image credit: Srutika Sabu 

Med school grad Chandra’s promising future implodes when she lays a really annoying, talking egg. Banished to a magical Toronto, she’s forced into an uneasy alliance with the egg—while shouldering the tangled inheritance of exceptionalism and a points-based immigration system. A semi-autobiographical musical comedy infused with clown energy, 

Neptune’s With a Fish merges the psychological angst of Severance with the playful whimsy of Kiki’s Delivery Service with the profound nonsense of Revolutionary Girl Utena. It’s an absurd, heartfelt dive into model minority myths, inner child wounds, Saturn Returns and the exhilarating terror of figuring life out right before you turn 30.

CONTENT AND SENSORY ADVISORIES: Coarse/strong language, comedic violence, grief, mental illness

ALL PERFORMANCES ARE MASK MANDATORY

RUN TIME:

Wednesday May 14 7:00PM – 60 minutes
Saturday May 17 2:00 PM – 120 minute Double-Bill, 15 minute intermission (paired with …! (The Balloon Show))

Neptune’s With a Fish

  • Book, Music and Lyrics: Srutika Sabu (she/they)
  • Director: Gordon Neill (he/him)
  • Producer, Animation, and Music Director: Srutika Sabu (she/they)
  • Assistant Producer: Sue-Tanya Parks (she/her)
  • Stage Manager: Willow Edwards (she/her)
  • Sound Designer: Stephon Smith (he/him)
  • Props: Willow Edwards (she/her), Amrutha Krishnan (she/her)
  • Chandra: Srutika Sabu (she/they)
  • the Egg: Amrutha Krishnan (she/her)

Schedule

Part of the 2025 Festival

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Location

Native Earth Performing Art’s Aki Studio

250-585 Dundas Street East
Toronto, ON M5A 2B7
https://www.nativeearth.ca/akistudio/

Accessibility

Native Earth Performing Arts and Artscape strive to provide equal treatment to and equitable benefits of its services, programs and facilities in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities.

  • The Dundas Street entrance provides barrier-free access to the building
  • Two elevators are located in the South Lobby
  • All floors have accessible washrooms and stalls, as well as accessible drinking fountains
  • Signage throughout the building is written in Braille
  • A hearing enhancement system is available in Aki Studio and the Ada Slaight Hall

NATIVE EARTH PERFORMING ART’S COVID HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

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Srutika Sabu

Srutika Sabu

Srutika Sabu (she/they) is a doctor turned clown and multidisciplinary artist. A medical school existential crisis led her to Toronto, where she embraced her late-bloomer theatre kid era. Through clown training at Sweet Action Theatre, she discovered her drag king persona, Santosh Santosh (aka Tosh), who starred in the Toronto Fringe show 1 Santosh Santosh 2 Go, directed by Ken Hall.

She has since performed at Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival, Montreal Sketchfest, and WTFestival, crafting work that blends absurdity, vulnerability, and joy. Srutika sees storytelling as a form of knowledge creation, using performance to challenge dominant narratives and explore identity, connection, and cultural memory.

This year, in addition to Paprika Festival’s Creative Producers Unit, she is part of Buddies in Bad Times’ Emerging Creators Unit, Theatre Gargantua’s Artist Roundtable, and Nightwood Theatre’s Shadow Residency in Fundraising—expanding her practice across performance, production, and artistic development.