Category Archives: Theatre

The ODD COUPLE is presented by Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre, Asian style!

What would happen if a well-known Neil Simon play “The Odd Couple” was played with an almost all-Asian cast?

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I've always wondered if West Side Story could be set in Vancouver East Side, but instead of Italians and Puerto Ricans… what would happen if the gangs were Italians and Chinese?  East Side Story!

If the story is really good, does the actor's race really make a difference?
Look at Lucy Liu in Charlie's Angels?

If the acting is good, does the actor's race really make a difference?
Look at Kirsten Kreuk in Smallville?

If Vancouver's population is largely Asian, doesn't it make sense to have a regular Asian theatre series?  With Asian actors?

Vancouver Asian Theatre is continually challenging the predominently Caucasian-minded Vancouver theatre community and audience.  This month, they take a beloved traditionally caucasian theatre script and cast it entirely with Asians, with Chinese subtitles…. and runs in Richmond and Vancouver.

Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre challenged Vancouver audiences by presenting Sex in Vancouver, Vancouver's first serial soap opera theatre, running over a few episodes.  VACT has also pioneered Asian Comedy Night bringing Asian stand-up and sketch comedy to a developing audience.

Now… Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre… is changing the face of Vancouver Theatre… again!
They are going after 3 audience target groups at the same time.  1) their established audience of young 20 to 30 something Asians born in Canada or raised in Canada, 2) All Canadians who love Neil Simon's 1965 comedy The Odd Couple, and 3) Asians who want to see Asian actors in an Asian-Canadian theatre company.

Hmmm…. now what would Shakespeare look like, done with an all-Asian cast, and set in Aberdeen Centre in Richmond? or Oakridge Centre in Vancouver? or Metrotown in Burnaby?

Check out their media release.

For
Immediate Release


MEDIA RELEASE


 


Latest
VACT comedy asks:


Can
two polar-opposite Asian guys live together?


*THE
ODD COUPLE
July •
17–27 &

August
13-21, 2008


 


 


VANCOUVER,
BC (
June
16, 2008
)
– This summer, Vancouver Asian Canadian
Theatre
(VACT) is bringing a fresh and unique twist to the classic Neil
Simon play, THE ODD COUPLE. In this
hilarious version, the cast will be predominantly actors of Asian-heritage – and for the
first time for the theatre company, all performances will include Chinese subtitles. Also, the show will
run in two locations – in both
Richmond
and
Vancouver.
Through July 17 to 27, the play will
be at the Richmond Cultural Centre
and through August 13 to 21, the
production moves to
Vancouver’s
Roundhouse Performance Centre.
Tickets are available in advance online at www.vact.ca and at the
door.


 


VACT,
now in its ninth season continues its run as
Western
Canada
’s
only theatre group devoted solely to staging cultural stories focusing on the
modern Asian experience in
North
America
.
With its new production of Neil Simon’s 1965 smash hit, THE ODD COUPLE, VACT is hoping to bring
several segments of the community together. “We really have an opportunity here to grow
our audience base in a big way,”
says producer and VACT president Joyce Lam. “This production appeals to our core
audience of first generation and “Generation 2.0” young acculturated Asian
Canadians, but we think we’ll also attract recent immigrant Chinese especially
those living in Richmond, plus older Asian Canadians and parents especially
those who are familiar with the works of Neil Simon, and then finally every one
else who aren’t Asian Canadian but are looking for a unique and entertaining
cross-cultural experience.”


 


THE
ODD COUPLE, first performed in 1965, is about two men – one divorced and one
estranged and neither quite sure why their marriages fell apart – move in
together to save money for alimony and suddenly discover they’re having the same
conflicts and fights they had in their marriages. Oscar is a messy, slovenly sportswriter
who takes in Felix, a neurotic neat
freak news writer. They skip the honeymoon phase of their new arrangement and go
straight into the hilarious bickering.


 


THE
ODD COUPLE is directed by actor/director Raugi Yu. Most audiences will recognize
him as the hilarious gangster Kam Fong from the CBC Television series, jPod.
Oscar is played by actor/journalist Ron
Yamauchi
and Jimmy Yi plays
Felix. In the supporting roles as the poker buddies are Sean Cummings (Speed) and past Sex In
Vancouver members Jono Lee
(
Murray),
Tom Chin (Vinnie) and Ed Fong (Roy). And rounding out the
cast as the sexy Pidgeon sisters are Carmine Bernhardt (Gwen) and Lissa Neptuno
(Cecily).


 


Event Details


The
Odd Couple


by
Neil Simon


 


 


Venue #1

Richmond Cultural Centre


7700
Minoru,
Richmond


July
17 through 27


All
evening performances at
8:00
PM
,
matinees at
2:00
PM


Thursdays
to Saturdays

(evenings) + Sundays
(matinees)


 


Venue #2

Roundhouse Performance
Centre


Pacific
Blvd

&
Davie
(Yaletown),
Vancouver


August
13 through 21


All
evening performances at
8:00
PM
,
matinees at
2:00
PM


Tuesdays
to Saturdays

(evenings) + Sundays
(matinees)


 


 


Ticket
prices


$23
in advance (www.VACT.ca)


$25
by reservation (cash only, pickup at the door) (Phone
778-885-1973)


$25
at the door (cash only)


Service
charges are included


Please
call for Group Rates


 


For
more ticket information please visit http://vact.ca.


 

Recommended Robert Burns poems for Celtic Fest “Battle of the Bards”

image

Modeled after the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl, but with a “Vancouver Twist”… Battle of the Bards is a unique Steve Duncan creation for the Vancouver Celtic Fest.  Three actors will play poets W.B. Yeats, Dylan Thomas and Robert Burns (with me – Toddish McWong as Burns). 

We will go on a pub crawl reciting poetry to (un)suspecting patrons starting at Doolin's Irish Pub at 5:30pm.  Then we will go to Atlantic Trap and Gill for 6:05.  Johnny Fox's Irish Snug at 6:45.  Then the finale at Ceili's Irish Pub and Restaurant for 8pm, where we will be accompanied by a DJ and a celtic fiddler.

The judging will be done by Audience members holding up numbers, and I hope an applause meter.

Robert Burns
Last week on Wednesday, I went to visit the Robert Burns statue in Stanley Park.  It was my first visit since visiting as a child, when my father used to take me and my younger brother for regular outings to Stanley Park.  This stature is located near the park entrance, across from the Vancouver Rowing Club.

Not being a complete expert or scholar on Robert Burns, I asked my friends in the Burns Club of Vancouver, as well as Ron MacLeod, Chair of the Scottish Cultural Studies program at Simon Fraser University for advice.  They readily obliged:

The mind boggles at the thought of this event. Celtic poets could cause
a fight on the moon. Watch out for Celtic passions. Burns had many
poems of a nature pertinent to this event . If you wish to concentrate
on wine and women, then  give consideration to “Ae fond kiss”, “The
Belles of Mauchline”, “O’ a’ the airts the wind can blaw” “Mary
Morrison”, “Willie Wastle”( completely NPC), “Scotch drink”




Good Crawlin”




Bob. 

From Dr. Ian Mason

“Willie
brewed a peck of maut” would be one of the more famous of his drinking songs but
it so replete with Lalland words (i.e. the old language of the Scottish borders)
that it might be nigh near impenetrable to your average
Canuck.

 “John Barleycorn. A Ballad” a fifteen
verse parable of the invention of Scotch would be much more accessible but
might be a bit long.

As a compromise I have attached the peroration from
his cantata “Love and Liberty” as being both brief, stirring and to your
point.  'Budgets, Bags and Wallets' are all alternate
names for purses or cases. “Brats' are offspring while 'Callets' and
'doxies' can both be read as wenches.  Those, I think, are the only
unusual words

From Ron MacLeod:

Todd, my hope and expectation is that you will be in good 
singing voice, well lubricated with the precious dew.
Here are three songs that you might consider:
The Deil's Awa' W' Th' Excise Man (first choice)
Rantin' Rovin' Robin
Guide Ale Keeps the Heart Aboon
or perhaps, 

There’s cauld kail in Aberdeen

An’ custocks in Stra’bogie

Where ilka lad main hae his lass,

But I main hae my coggie.

For I main hae my coggie, sirs,

I canna want my coggie;

I wadna gie my three-girred cog

For a’ the wives in Bogie.

Toddish McWong to appear as Robbie Burns in “Battle of the Bards” literary pub crawl

The word is out.  Scotland's favorite poet son, will be represented in Vancouver CelticFest's Battle of the Bards by 5th generation Chinese Canadian Todd Wong aka Toddish McWong – creator of Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner, and other intercultural events.

Wong first participated in Celtic Fest's first St. Patrick's Day parade, when he put a Taiwanese dragon boat on a trailer and towed it down the street in the parade.  Seated in the boat were bagpiper Joe McDonald, and guitarist Andrew Kim, the Brave Waves.

Both McDonald and Kim were also featured in the CBC Vancouver television performance special Gung Haggis Fat Choy – another spin off from the Todd Wong creative braintrust.


View Clip

Check out official CelticFest promotional blurbs from event organizer and poet Stephen Duncan
http://www.poetryradio.blogspot.com/

With CelticFest and St. Paddy's day fast upon us, we decided a tribute
to the Scotch and Irish would be appropriate, so we are raising the
dead for this show and bringing in William Butler Yeats and Robbie Burns to help celebrate.
Yeats and Burns (really two great performers, Mark Downey and Todd Wong) will be going head-to-head, along with Dylan Thomas in a unique literary event this year on Thursday, March 13: The Battle of the Bards Literary Pub Crawl, a
combination pub crawl/poetry slam where the legendary poets go from pub
to pub downtown performing their works and being judged by members of
the audience armed with scorecards. The event culminates in a Jack Karaoke-style match at Ceili's Pub, where they must do their pieces accompanied by a DJ (All Purpose's Michael Louw) and fiddler Elise Boeur. Once the contest is over much drinking and dancing is done into the wee hours.

Click on the image below for more details.

“The Quickie” is very Vancouver play about diversity and expectations in relationships

We saw Grace Chin's new play “The Quickie” on Friday night.  Two words quickly came to mind – “Very Vancouver.”
Two people drag their friends to a Speed Dating event, meet new people, have a follow-up date, then let the sparks and fur fly when they ask their friends to tag along on a double date.

It is a witty comedy play that had the audience talking about it during the intermission, and even making the “awwww” sound when one of the characters was rejected. 

Playwright Grace has captured the diversity of even the Vancouver's Asian population, incorporating Maylaysian Chinese, Korean, South Asian and Cantonese Chinese origins, as well as Irish-Italian, and Hong Kong origins.  Accents blend into the action, and you don't notice them as none of the four lead performers speak with accents.

Inter-ethnic dating is a topic discussion.  Do we or don't we?  It was funny, because my girlfriend and I were sitting with friends, and we were both inter-ethnic couples.  So very Vancouver, in Canada's capital of inter-ethnic relationships.

Check out http://www.scriptingaloud.ca/quickie/

More later….

Banana Boys: everything you never wanted to know about Canadian born Asians

Theatre review: Banana Boys jabs and pokes fun at Asian-Canadian inferiority complex… 

Banana Boys
Firehall Arts Centre
directed by Donna Spencer
until February 9th.

Bananas are everywhere in Canada.  They are the Canadianized Asians that are yellow on the outside and white on the inside.  Terry Woo wrote the novel, and Leon Aureas turned it into the play being performed at the Firehall Arts Centre.

Everybody knows a Banana.  They straddle in between the Mother tongue culture trying to distance themselves from the FOB (Fresh Off the Boat) new immigrants who still speak with an accent, and they don't quite fit in with the Mainstream White-Canadian dominant culture – because everywhere they go, people still refer to them as Chinese because of their skin colour.

In a negative perspective, Bananas are sometimes accused of denying their racial and cultural heritage, by trying to be mainstream.  Former Governor General of Canada, Adrienne Clarkson, could be considered a Banana, even though she was born in Hong Kong and came to Canada at age three.  She doesn't even use her maiden name Poy anymore, keeping the name of her ex-husband political scientist Stephen Clarkson.

In a positive perspective, Bananas emphasize Canadian values, and the integration (or assimilation) of Chinese culture into becoming good Canadians of Chinese ancestry.  My friend David Wong calls himself a Banana, and like myself, is proud of his multigenerational Chinese-Canadian pioneer ancestry.

But in both the book and play, Banana Boys are college friends at the University of Waterloo.  They are called losers by one of their girlfriends.  And the most successful of them, is at odds with trying to distance himself from them and fit into the rising corporate class of new Chinese-Canadian immigrants.  They are 5 friends that each  represent many of the Asian-Canadian male stereotypes: unassertive romantically delusioned male, family values dominated number one son that goes to medical school, computer/math/tech geek, commerce faculty BMW or Accura Integra driving Chuppie (Chinese yuppie).

What is wrong with being a Banana?

Nothing… and everything!

The play opens with the 5 friends declaring their friendship in a prologue.  The real action starts when we discover that main character Rick Wong (Victor Mariano) has died by self-impalement of a piece of mirror into his heart.  The rest of the play explores each of the character's relationship to their “Banana-ness” and how they relate to each other.  Simon Hayakawa plays Michael Chow, the medical student who is in charge of documenting Rick Wong's life, struggling between following his bliss of becoming a writer or his family expectations of becoming a doctor.

It is a manic romp through many issues of being Asian-Canadian such as: dating white women or Chinese Women; following parental expectations for academic achievement; facing racial discrimination and cultural stereotypes; and trying to blend in with the mainstream or immigrant cultures.  Simon Hayama, Victor Mariano, Parnelli Parnes, and Vincent Tong, are all back for this return engagement after closing the 2007 Western Canada premiere with sold out shows.

The first act is fast paced with some brilliantly insightful and funny scenes. A scene addressing why Banana Boys are at the bottom of the relationship desirability ladder, begins as a mock battle scene with the boys playing soldiers fighting with machine guns, but transitions into a description of Venn diagrams explaining the intersections of Asian women with White men, but not White women or Asian women with Banana Boys.  It's a hilarious tribute to the mathematical geek stereotype of Asian males.

But this play goes beyond mere racial issues, it also tackles the tough issues of identity, drug addiction, friendship and learning to love oneself. 

Kudo's to Firehall Arts Centre for premiering this wonderful play to the West Coast, and having the strong belief in it to re-launch it a year later, in the wake of Firehall's remount of Urine Town.  Director Donna Spencer has tightened up the production, and the actors seem much more comfortable with the material.  The actors are all  amazing, as this play pushes them to over the top performances that exaggerate the issues to extremes.  Highlights include two of the actors dressing up with blonde wigs, as go-go dancing game show hostesses with Chinese accents, or dressed up in a big Sumo Wrestler outfit as Michael Chow's mother wrestling his personal ambitions against family expectations.  Metaphor is big in this play, and it hits you with big outrageous scenes and imagery.

When the play premiered last year, Terry Woo the Banana Boys author, came out for the opening and was happily amazed by the production.  The play had originally been workshopped in Toronto, but still translated well to Vancouver.  While the original material was written with a Chinese-Canadian specific culture in mind,
the actors come from a diverse Asian ancestry including Filipino, Chinese, Japanese and Hapa-Canadian.  The issues are universal enough to relate to all Asian-Canadian and Canadian immigrant community groups.

I was amazed by all the pop-cultural references and Asian Banana Boy cultural specifics such as dragon boat racing, driving Acura Integras, and drinking Coca-cola – which I do personally in my life.  As a 5th generational Chinese Canadian, am I that much of a Banana Boy?  Or are some of these issues relatable to all Canadians?  Judging from the laughter in the audience, lots of people, White or Asian, were enjoying the play.

Chinese New Year week… Gung Haggis Fat Choy style

It's Chinese New Year week….

here are some FUN events this week…. after recovery from Gung Haggis Fat Choy Chinese Robbie Burns Dinner recovery….

Tuesday February 5, 2008 – 6:00 PM

CITY COOKS with Simi Sara

Channel 13 in Metro Vancouver
Our cooking dragon boat chef Dan Seto (Chinese Canadian Historical Society of B.C.)

  1. Lotus Root Soup
  2. Steamed Pork with Salt Fish
  3. Green Beans with Fooyi Bean Cake

Check out
TUESDAY to Saturday FEB 5 – 9th
BANANA BOYS
Firehall Theatre
The fun play by Leon Aureas, based on the Terry Woo novel
Back from a hit run last year… manic comedy and Asian identity… or Asian confusion.

THURSDAY Feb 7
CHINESE NEW YEAR DAY
– Kilts Night at Doolin's Irish Pub
FREE pint of Guinness if you wear a kilt.
8:00pm – Raphael to greet you.
Hockey game starts a 7:00 pm – expect music by Halifax Wharf Rats to begin afterwards around 9:30

FRIDAY Feb 7 – 16
THE QUICKIE
– Playwrights theatre centre on Granville Island
– this is the play excerpted at Gung Haggis dinner
– this is by the same group that did Twisting Fortunes last year

purchase tickets online via PayPal at www.scriptingaloud.ca/quickie.

Tickets
are selling fast, especially for the Friday, February 8 show.  Don't
miss it. Last year, seats sold out 36 hours in advance.

Friday and Saturday Feb 9 & 10
OOZOOMAY! UZUME TAIKO
with special guest Ben Rogalsky
Japanese Taiko drums with a multi-instrumentalist who plays accordion along with mandolin, tenor banjo and Javanese gamelan  – how can Gung Haggis not resist???

Norman Rothstein Theatre
950 West 41st Ave.

SUNDAY  FEBRUARY 10,
CHINATOWN
NEW YEAR PARADE

12 noon

Place: Parade starts from the Millennium Gate (Pender
and Taylor St.), winds through Pender, Gore and Keefer.


Remember to bring your camera along with family and friends!


Visit
www.cbavancouver.ca
for more info.

Poster


Flyer front
/ back


Sunday February 10

CHINESE NEW YEAR CONCERT
Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden Courtyard
(part of the 2010 Cultural Olympiad)
10:30 -11:30
1:30 – 3:30

– featuring Silk Road Music
+ Uzume Taiko
+ Loretta Leung Dancers
+ many many more!!!

download the program: click here

http://www.silkroadmusic.ca/sitefiles/olympiad.htm

DEAD SERIOUS
at CHAPEL ARTS
(CANCELLED due to illness)

2:30pm
featuring soprano Heather Pawsey and pianist Rachel Iwassa

but see them:

Friday, February 15 concert of DEAD Serious 
7:30 p.m. at Vancouver Memorial Services and Crematorium / Hamilton-Harron Funeral
Home, 5390 Fraser Street) will TAKE PLACE AS SCHEDULED.
If you would like to make reservations,
please call 604-325-7441.

Italian Girl delights opera audience – but BC's best kept secret is bass Randall Jakobsh as Mustafa


Italian Girl in Algiers

Vancouver Opera


Queen Elizabeth Theatre


January 26, 29. 31 and February 2nd 2008

An Italian girl in a Muslim harem?  A Korean soprano wife singing in
Italian to her German-Canadian bass husband?  Opera is so very
multicultural, and Vancouver Opera's new production of Rossini's
“Italian Girl in Algiers” is a delight!

Can you imagine anything crazier than one of the opera's stars, Randall Jakobsh playing Mustafa, dancing around “naked” behind a towel, or being “powdered” by his servants while singing to a beautiful Rossini score?

I have always loved Rossini's music.  Many generations have grown up
identifying Rossini's “William Tell Overture” as “The Lone Ranger
Theme” – the musicality burned into our brains.  The Italian
Girl in Algiers also has many memorable passages that dusted off my
early memories of listening to one of the essential classical music
collections – Rossini Overtures.

Vancouver Opera's new production of “Italian Girl In Algiers”
originally presented in 1813, is now set during the roaring '20's, a
time of mad-cap comedy described as Emily Earhart meets the Marx
Brothers.  This sets the stage for the audience to accept the absurd
comedic plots and situations that are to come, and all accompanied by a
gorgeous Rossini musical score.

Now imagine sitting in the audience, when a 1920's bi-plane flies over
your head, then sputters, crash landing on stage of the Queen Elizabeth
Theatre.  It actually happens… and the audience claps enthusiastically!

The opera opens with a super huge gigantic book on stage, that opens up to reveal the set design – the palace of the Governor of Algiers.  Just like a bedtime story,  the message is this: don't take this opera seriously… sit back and enjoy the story.

The Governor Mustafa has grown tired of  his wife Elvira, and thinks that an exotic Italian girl will bring him happiness.  He decides to send his wife off with Lindoro, an Italian slave at his court captured only 3 months earlier by Mustafa's pirates.  Suddenly, an airplane crashes, Isabella is looking for her lost love Lindoro.  The pirates take this “Italian Girl” to Mustafa who is instantly infatuated with Isabella, who is shocked to see her beloved Lindoro, who is supposedly being married off to Elvira, who is still in love with Mustafa. This is a comedy of love infatuations and a battle of the sexes begins.  Oh… and then there is Taddeo, the would-be Italian suitor of Isabella, during Lindor's absence. He accompanied Isabella in her search for Lindoro… what a stand up guy! Not!

Soprano Sandra Piques Eddy is perfect as a Katherine Hepburnish, pants wearing, independent woman named Isabella looking for her lost love Lindora, played by lyric tenor John Tessier, who was captured by pirates. Their voices are wonderful.  But despite this ensemble cast, Eddy clearly shines the brightest, as she loves her role as an Isabella who can tame men with a look or a wave.

Randall Jakobsh plays Mustafa, the governor of Algiers, who is instantly smitten by the vivaciously exotic Isabella. This is his debut performance with the Vancouver Opera, and his first appearance as Mustafa.  It's a perfect fit, and expect Jakobsh to be getting calls from around the world for this Rossini play as he brings so much life into a this hilarious role.

Sookhyung Park, plays Elvira the Governor's wife that he is handing her over to Lindora, to make way for this new “Italian Girl” to be added to his harem.  The Korean born Park, balances both her anger and love for Mustafa, and learns from Isabella what it takes to properly “train a husband.”

Rounding out the cast is Hugh Russell as Taddeo, who brings additional comic relief.  Mustafa wants to impress Isabella, and so he names Taddeo as Grand Kaimakan (a lieutenant position amongst his followers).  Taddeo meanwhile does everything he can to thwart Mustafa's advances on Isabella.

But who is Randall Jakobsh, and why should BC opera goers be proud of him?

Imagine a younger, sexier, slimmer Ben Heppner singing Bass – and born and rasied in Vernon BC.  This is Randall.

If there ever was a role made for Randall Jakobsh to demonstrate his abilities, this might be it.  It allows Randall to be charming and sexy, but this also pushes him in his first bufo-comedy role.  He shared with me that this is the hardest role he has ever done, and he was quite anxious about his Vancouver Opera debut when I talked with him on Boxing Day in Vernon. 

But after watching Jakobsh on stage in not much more than a “towel” while singing in a “bath” while the audience laughed at the unexpected rubber ducky, we can all be assured that Randall's star is rising.  He was calm, and looked to be having fun in his role, even when not singing.  He asked what we thought of his “dancing bear” as he hammed it up on stage singing about his infatuation with the Italian Girl, while his slaves powdered him and washed him “behind the towel.”  I had to laugh because when Randall had come over to the house to visit in Vernon, it had been us sitting in the hot tub, and inviting him to come join us.

FREE fun-raiser for Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre

We like Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre… Tom Chin has been a past co-host for Gung Haggis Fat Choy.  VACT created Asian Comedy Night, and Sex in Vancouver.  VACT specializes in being funny and creating fun.  Hope you can attend their January 26th event.  Check it out:


T’s FiRst-evEr Fund-raisEr is now a FREE FUN-raiser!

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Year of the Rat good fortune comes early to VACT – and you.

With tremendous support from our friends at ExplorASIAN, VACT is thrilled to announce that admission to this weekend’s incredible VACT Fundraiser event is now FREE*!

The Rat signals new beginnings so this is a great way to introduce VACT to your FRiEnds, old and nEw, and your family. Come to the Norman Rothstein Theatre on Saturday January 26 at 7:30 PM to jumpstart 2008 with us with an evening of guaranteed good laffs!

* However, we do suggest a donation at the door if you can… We’re always very appreciative of your support and we prove it with every show we produce!

WHAT?     VACT’S FUN-RAISER
WHEN?    Saturday, January 26, 2008, @ 7:30pm
WHERE?    Norman Rothstein Theatre, 950 West 41st Avenue (at Oak), Van.

HOW MUCH?    FREE! Or with a suggested donation $10
WHO?     Funny Man, Tom Chin
                Beautiful and Talented Actor, Olivia Cheng
                Standup Comedian, Jeffery Yu
                Elvis Tribute Artist, Aaron Elvis Wong
                Sketch Comedy Groups:
                5-Spice Girls
                Lick the Wax Tadpole
                SFUU MAN CHU
                The Yangtzers
                Caricature Artist, Geoffery Wong

WHY?        To See a FREE show and party with VACT performers, volunteers to help raise funds for VACT’s 2008 season! Here’s your chance to find out what VACT is all about!

Hurry! This event is free – and tickets are first-come-first-served at the door. So come early to avoid disappointment.

But you can reserve a seat by signing up for our free newsletter of VACT events – one name and working email address per ticket. Email your info to FUNraiser@vact.ca

All reserved tickets are held up to 7:15 PM, after which, they will be released to the public at the door.  For more information, visit www.vact.ca

Adrienne Wong playing “My Name is Rachel Corrie” about the peace activist killed by a bulldozer while defending a Palestine house


Rachel Corrie

My Name is Rachel Corrie
Havana Theatre
Push Festival
January 25 – February 9, 2008

Rachel
Corrie was 23 years old when she was crushed to death by an Israeli
army bulldozer on March 16, 2003. She was working with others trying to
protect the home of a Palestinian pharmacist from demolition in Rafah,
Gaza Strip, Palestine. “My Name is Rachel Corrie” is a powerful

Sometimes we can be pulled so strongly into doing things by our passions.  Rachel Corrie was driven by passion to stand in front of Palestinian homes on the Gaza Strip, being threatened by Israeli bulldozers.  As an U.S. citizen from Olympia WA, she felt it was her duty to protest the actions of the U.S. government.  Unfortunately Rachel was killed by a bulldozer, but called a martyr by Palestine leader Arafat.

Adrienne Wong is playing Rachel Corrie in the Push Festival's “My Name is Rachel Corrie.” Wong was also similarly driven by her passion to play the young activist.  Read the article: Hour.ca – Stage – My Name Is Rachel Corrie to learn about Wong's unusual audition for the role.

My Name is Rachel Corrie, is a play composed from Corrie's journals and e-mails from Gaza, written by British actor Alan Rickman. I've checked the blogosphere, and it looks like a real interesting play with controversial themes.  Was Corrie being used for Palestinian propaganda?  Did the bulldozer driver not see her? Why is it important to to destroy Palestinian homes on the Gaza Strip?

The initial 2005 opening in London, directed by Rickman at the Royal Court Theatre in London, England won the Theatregoers' Choice Awards for Best Director
and Best New Play, as well as Best Solo Performance for actress Megan Dodds.  It was subsequently scheduled to open in New York City at New York Theatre Workshop
in March 2006. But due to fear of reactions from Jewish groups, the play was “postponed indefinitely.”

What will Vancouver's Jewish community say about My Name is Rachel Corrie?  What will White audiences and critics say about an Asian actor playing a blonde American character?  Hopefully, they will all say that both the actor and the play are full of passion.  Adrienne is actually Eurasian or Hapa-Canadian, as her mother is French Canadian.  Wong already has many ethnic “roles” on her resume.  Ethnicity shouldn't be a quality for casting, but sometimes it is.

Adrienne is a committed actor involved on many levels in Vancouver theatrical community.  A few years ago she was writer in residence at the Firehall Arts Centre, and I have seen her in lead roles in Golden Child and Gold Mountain Guest.  She has also been a past co-host for the 2004 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner event.

Banana Boys back again at the Firehall Arts Centre

Banana Boys
Firehall Arts Centre

January 17 – February 9 , 2008


Last year Firehall Arts Centre brought back Urine Town the following year, after a smash initial run.  This year, they have brought back Banana Boys.  I saw the play last year and found it a hysterical, fast-paced, action-packed with both ideas and physical comedy.

Some of our female dragon boat team members said “Hey what about the Banana Girls?”  This play hits the nerves about Asian-Canadian identity.  What is it like to be considered a banana? Yellow on the outside but White on the inside.  No doubt many Canadian-born Asian Canadians are considered more and more banana with each passing generation, as they lose their mother tongue language, and traditional customs. 

But can you lose something you never really had? Often times this 5th generation Chinese-Canadian bristles at being asked “Where are you from?” 

On the other hand, the Asian traditionalists and new immigrants have often asked me “Are you Chinese?  You look Chinese… You should speak Chinese!”

This play addresses all these issues… the push and pull of living between cultures, while trying to establish your own identity.

This Leon Aureus play is based on the original book by Terry Woo.  Terry came to Vancouver last year for the rehearsals and the opening night performance, and was really pleased with the Firehall's production.  No wonder the play sold out its final nights and has been brought back for 2008.