After graduating from the Boston Conservatory , Ada was immediately cast on Broadway in '' Bombay Dreams '' . He then perfected his Shakespearean skills with the Publick Theatre in plays such as '' Troilus and Cressida '' . In parallel to this work , Ada came up with an original text based on his personal experiences during the Soviet invasion of his home-country , his difficult journey to relocate and integrate into Western culture and the hurdles of being an Afghan in America following the September 11 attacks . This piece , '' The Canny Afghani '' , premiered at the Boston Center for the Arts in 2004 as Ada 's first one-man show . He would explain that : Back in Canada , Ada made a name for himself during three seasons of the Shaw Festival , along with parts in productions of The Grand , Canadian Stage and Cahoots Theatre . His performances were appreciated and earned him '' The Shaw Festival Outstanding Newcomer '' award in 2007 and the '' Stage West – Equity Emerging Theatre Artist Award '' the next year . His subsequent role in '' Paper SERIES '' drew further attention and earned him a nomination for a Dora Award . After that , he was cast as a lead in '' My Granny the Goldfish '' , after which he was consistently given leading parts . Eventually , he would even be established enough as an actor that he did not have to audition anymore
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Kawa Ada