RespectAbility Entertainment Professionals Lab, Summer 2023
Rabiya Mansoor
Rabiya Mansoor (she/they) is a Pakistani-Calgarian comedian, writer, actor, producer, and recovering lawyer. She’s co-CEO of Window Dreams Productions Inc. and runs indie theatre company, Poetic License Creations. They have helped develop shows at CBC Gem, Crave, 9 Story, Big Bad Boo, and more. They are a writer for Dino Ranch (Disney Jr/CBC Kids), Strawberry Shortcake: Berry In The Big City (Netflix) and POV:ME (Shaftsbury Kids). Her current projects include: digital series Get Up, Aisha (CBC Gem, 2023); ½ hour mockumentary Layla Is Relevant (JFL ComedyPro Stand Up & Pitch Finalist; Bell Fund Slate Development program); ½ hour comedy Queer Guide To Matchmaking (Netflix-Banff Diversity of Voices Fellow; Reelworld E20; Bell Fund Slate Development program); and feature Dignify Me (CCA Research and Creation). She produced, co-wrote, and co-starred in the critically acclaimed, multi-award winning sketch comedy show, Don Valley Girls (Toronto Fringe Patron’s Pick; David Seguin Memorial Award for Accessibility in the Arts; Why Not Theatre’s RISER Toronto; Buddies in Bad Times Queer Pride Festival), which is currently being adapted into a digital series with the support of the Toronto Sketch Comedy Project Fund, IPF, and the OntarioCreates Futures Forward Fund. They’re an alum of Second City’s Bob Curry Fellowship for emerging, diverse comedic voices and has performed at the Toronto, Chicago, and Montreal Sketch Comedy Festivals, including as her drag king persona, Amin Yourhouse. They have participated in playwright units at Expect Theatre, Driftwood Theatre, and Tarragon Theatre and her play, A Jam Kind Of Day, was digitally staged in Driftwood Theatre’s Digital Short Play Festival. Her TYA improv show, Education Know-It-All, was commissioned for Theatre Direct’s Forward March Festival and they are a graduate of the BIPOC TV & Film Kids TV Intensive, where she returned as a Teaching Assistant (2022) and Mentor (2023). If you got this far, her bank password is Yugioh!.
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After an extensive search and interview process, 20 individuals were invited to participate in the Virtual Cohort of RespectAbility’s 2023 Entertainment Lab taking place August 14 – September 21, 2023. This 6-week Lab aims to develop and elevate the talent pipeline of disabled entertainment professionals working behind-the-scenes in television, film, and streaming, while connecting them with industry professionals and creatives. Participants include people with physical, cognitive, sensory, mental health, other disabilities, and multiple disabilities ranging in age from the 20s through the 50s. The Lab is a recipient of The Roddenberry Foundation Impact Award and is made possible with support from The Harnisch Foundation and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Charitable Trust.
