CTR
110 Spring 2002
Chinese Canadian Theatre
Edited by Jennifer Kay Chan
Editorial
Chinese
Theatre in Canada: The Bigger Picture
A historical perspective on Chinese Canadian theatre.
JEAN YOON
The
Ethnic Playwright’s Dilemma
An exploration of the issues that non-Caucasian writers face.
MARTY CHAN
The
Spirit of China Lives in Canadian Theatre
A producer reviews three shows in Toronto.
DERRICK CHUA
Hey,
Mr. Producer!
A spotlight on producer Derrick Chua.
JENNIFER KAY CHAN
Missed
Stories:
Has inadequate script development hampered the success of Chinese
Canadian theatre in Toronto?
JOHN KARASTAMATIS
Theatre
in Québec: A Test of Perseverance
An interview with an actor from mainland China who now makes Montreal
her home.
BERNARD NGUYEN
Marjorie
Chan
A discussion of the acting and writing process with this Toronto-based
actor.
GLORIA KIM
Simon
Johnston – Two Cultures, One Vision
The life so far of one of Canada’s most prolific directors.
DORETTA LAU and JIM WONG-CHU
Gold
Mountain Guest: A Director’s Diary
The making of a world premiere.
JOHN JAMES HONG
My
First Opera
The composer recounts the ten-year journey Iron Road travelled to
get to the stage.
CHAN KA NIN
Beijing
Opera in Canada
The traditional opera form and its place in Canada today.
CATHERINE HERNANDEZ
Into
the Heart of Beijing Opera
How Beijing Opera has been brought to young audiences in British Columbia.
HEIDI SPECHT
One
Side of the River – A Chinese Odyssey
A theatre artist returns to her homeland to discover her roots.
KEIRA LOUGHRAN
“I”
as Collage: Playwright John Ng on The Modern Immigrant Experience
A discussion of the themes of immigration and family with playwright
John Ng.
JENNIFER YAP
SCRIPTS
The
Meeting
Marty Chan’s short play of an encounter between a writer and
his editor.
Half-Chinx
Taking Over the World
Bobby Del Rio’s hilarious account of bi-racial role models
in the entertainment industry.
I
The first play in the Panda Trilogy by John Ng, I focuses on three
siblings and their relationship with an illegal immigrant.
I
Chink
Yung Luu’s third play in his Fringe trilogy, I Chink focuses
on the experience of an immigrant family.
VIEWS
AND REVIEWS
Canada
Dry!
Commentary by Guy Sprung on a Canadian theatre company in Egypt.
Perceiving
Hommages at Toronto’s World Leaders: A Festival of Creative Genius
Commentary by NATALIE REWA
Down
Dangerous Passes Road, Marion Bridge and A Guide to Mourning
Three plays reviewed by PAUL RIVERS
Editorial
Never
before have I been so happy to be dateless for dim sum. Last spring,
many of my Asian theatre friends were busy with acting work, as several
Chinese shows were being mounted within a very short time-frame. Was
the timing of these Sino-productions merely coincidental, or had Chinese
Canadian theatre come of age?
The
three shows that stormed Toronto stages were inherently different
from one another, but they were all written by and about my community
– the Chinese – and even featured my dialect, Cantonese.
While one was an opera, another was a play for young audiences and
the third was a contemporary drama, all dealt with the hardships experienced
in the community and the immigrant experience in Canada.
This
wave of Chinese-themed work did not go unnoticed. Both the mainstream
and the Chinese media covered the plays extensively. It also provided
the impetus for the editorial team at Canadian Theatre Review to focus
on the Chinese community.
However,
initially, the decision to produce this Chinese edition caused a bit
of controversy. The Chinese performing arts community in Canada is
still relatively young, small and scattered. One of our contributors,
Jean Yoon, feels that this CTR is exclusionary to focus on only one
of the Asian communities, when the Asian community as a whole has
not yet been addressed by this magazine. Her point is a valid one,
but logistics and the sheer number of communities that would need
to be covered (Korean, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Malaysian,
Thai, etc.) precluded an Asian Canadian edition before this current
one on the Chinese. Also, to choose one contributor or playwright
to represent his or her community in such an edition would not do
justice to the diversity of the communities.
So,
I was thrilled when Jean Yoon chose to address these issues in her
article on the history of Asian Canadian Theatre. Rightfully so, she
could not speak of Chinese theatre in Canada without acknowledging
the contributions of many who are not Chinese, both Asians and non-Asians
alike. She provides a fascinating and exhaustive account of Asian
theatre in this country, and discusses this community’s development,
its triumphs and its future. Yoon’s piece highlights that while
the previous generation of ethnic artists in Canada has broken much
ground, many challenges remain the same for the younger generation
of artists.
One
of the common challenges encountered is: Does race stereotype or classify
a playwright? There is the frustration of being the hyphenated Chinese
Canadian writer, as opposed to being a writer, period. Marty Chan,
now the Playwright in Residence at Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, and
the author of numerous non-ethnic-specific shows, is perhaps still
best known for his play Mom, Dad, I’m Living with a White Girl.
He addresses this frustration in his article “The Ethnic Playwright’s
Dilemma” and in his short play The Meeting, both included in
this issue. Similar apprehensions were voiced by playwright Betty
Quan (The Dragon’s Pearl, Ghost Train, Mother Tongue) when I
interviewed her for a national magazine article last year.
Similar
struggles are faced by actors of colour. While some progressive companies
will cast colour-blind, there are still limited opportunities for
ethnic actors. Where are the roles, where are the Asian writers, and
why aren’t actors of colour being sent out for roles that are
not race-specific? The new generation of actors has discovered that
it needs to create its own work in order for theatre to be relevant
to them and their community (see this issue’s pieces on Marjorie
Chan and Keira Loughran).
But
while race can sometimes be a burden, it can also be a privilege.
Some artists of mixed heritage have found themselves discovering their
Chinese side as they grow older, and draw upon this experience as
inspiration for their theatre work. Artistic Director Simon Johnston
rediscovered his Chinese roots later in life, and has been practicing
his Cantonese. Bi-racial actor and director John James Hong now values
his Chinese heritage, whereas in his childhood, it was something to
be hidden. Playwright and actor Bobby Del Rio takes great pride in
his mixed heritage in Half-Chinx Taking Over the World, although he
still struggles when using chopsticks!
The
issue of race and the search for identity is an age-old theme, and
one that will always exist for artists of colour. When an artist’s
culture makes up so much of who he is, it is impossible for it not
to influence his work or his writing. This search for identity is
compounded for many artists because their families have immigrated
to a new country, and another search for the self begins anew. The
harsh life that immigrants (usually our forefathers or parents) faced
when they came to this country is something that is drilled into every
Chinese child. Perhaps that is why “professional careers”
are so valued by the older generation: stable incomes will guarantee
success for their children, and the next generation will not have
to struggle as they did. So the thought that their children would
turn their backs on conventional careers in accounting, medicine or
law to pursue the performing arts is still something that Chinese
families have great difficulty with (mine included). Yet the generational
conflict in the immigrant experience seems to be the source of much
creative work. In Jennifer Yap’s interview with playwright John
Ng, his own immigrant family and their cultural expectations are discussed.
Indeed, many of Ng’s experiences made their way into his script
I. Yung Luu’s I Chink is the touching story of a family’s
hopes and dreams for their children when they move to a new country.
Bernard Nguyen speaks to an actress who emigrated to Montreal from
China, although she initially spoke neither English nor French. And
artist Keira Loughran visits her family’s village in China, although
her family had emigrated to Canada three generations ago.
However,
some may argue that a proliferation of material, plays and actors
does not great theatre make. While I am inclined to agree, I believe
that credit should still be given for the many inroads that have occurred
over the past years in Chinese Canadian Theatre. The artists of today
would not be here were it not for the hard work of the mentors, writers
and artists that paved the way and set the standards.
In
all good theatre, universal themes (such as those of family and self-identity)
transcend racial borders, and speak to all communities. My wish is
that this issue will be seen as a celebration of Chinese theatre,
and will generate discussion for aspiring writers and actors, rather
than be divisive within the Asian community. I hope that this edition
will bring to light some voices that you may not have heard before,
and will inspire others yet to be heard. So while, yes, this is an
issue on the Chinese, this is only the beginning, and there is much
work yet to be done.
Note
Many
thanks to Alan Filewod for his guidance, and Ned Morgan for his patience.
Jennifer
Kay Chan is a Toronto-based writer and publicist. With her sibling
Marjorie, she runs their production company The Sisters Chan (not
to be confused with the Sisters Rosensweig).
