Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto, ON – April 12, 2016: Albert Schultz, Founding Artistic Director of Soulpepper Theatre Company, today announced Tiger Bamboo, a free theatre festival celebrating Asian Heritage Month curated by Soulpepper Resident Artist Ins Choi with Associate Curators Rong Fu and Miquelon Rodriguez. Tiger Bamboo, a mix of theatrical presentations, theatrical retellings of Asian folktales, cabaret evenings and dramatic readings, takes place on May 28 and 29 at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Support for the Tiger Bamboo Festival is generously provided by Eleanor and Francis Shen.
“The aim of Tiger Bamboo is to provide much-needed opportunities for playwrights and performers from the Asian diaspora while giving audiences new to theatre, or new to Asian stories, free access to the work of some incredibly talented artists,” said Choi. “With the generous support of the Shen family, it is an honour to be curating this unique festival at Soulpepper.”
Theatrical presentations at the Festival include The Tashme Project: The Living Archives from Matt Miwa and Julie Tamiko-Manning and Communist ‘Til Payday by Anand Rajaram. Staged readings at Tiger Bamboo feature plays currently in development from some of today’s leading playwrights: Through the Bamboo from Andrea Mapili and Byron Abalos; Someone Between by Chantria Tram; and Theory by Norman Yeung; plus a special reading of Sarah Ruhl’s The Oldest Boy directed by Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster. Tiger Bamboo’s Cabaret performances feature a mix of music, dance, and spoken word from artists such as Leonard Cervantes, Ins Choi, DATU, Shaista Latif and Arlene Paculan hosted by Rong Fu and Miquelon Rodriguez. Tales for Folks, short, family-friendly theatre offerings based on Asian folktales, are presented by a collective of artists under the direction of Esther Jun with music by Suba Sankaran, and Paula Wing with music by Deanna Choi. Also part of the Festival, Asian theatre students currently enrolled in professional theatre training in the GTA will have access to an audition masterclass and an industry panel Q&A. Panel hosts include Soulpepper Artistic Director Albert Schultz and Baillie Fellow and Soulpepper Resident Artist Ravi Jain.
Tiger Bamboo events are free! For the full schedule visit Soulpepper.ca/tigerbamboo or call 416.866.8666.
Presentations
The Tashme Project: The Living Archives
Matt Miwa and Julie Tamiko-Manning
A one-act, documentary-style play painstakingly pieced together from over 70 hours of interview time with Nisei (second generation) Japanese Canadians from Vancouver, Toronto, Hamilton, Kingston, Ottawa, and Montreal, the play traces the history of the Nisei through their childhood, internment, and post-WW2 resettlement east of the Rockies. Now seniors, the Nisei were children at the time of internment and their memories of adventure and play are presented here in sharp relief to the more common internment narratives of hardship and injustice.
Recommended for adult audiences (12+). May 28 at 3 p.m. & 7:15 p.m.; May 29 at 1 p.m.
Communist ‘Til Payday
Anand Rajaram
Communist ‘Til Payday is a giant sandwich of short scenes that are part-mime, part-clown, part-song, part-audience interaction, and part-party.
Which part do you like? Do you like the part-party part? Or just part of the part-party part? Like, the part of the part-party part that is part part? Or the part of the part-party part that’s party? I bet you like the part of the part-party part that’s part party, but not the part of the part-party part that’s part part cos that part is not the part of the part-party part that’s the party part. Am I right?
Suitable for all ages. May 28 at 1 p.m. & 5:15 p.m.; May 29 at 4 p.m. & 6:15 p.m.
Tales for Folks
Tales for Folks are short, family-friendly theatre offerings based on Asian folktales. There are two different shows to choose from: Folktales from Mongolia and Laos under the direction of Esther Jun with music by Suba Sankaran; and Folktales from Nepal and Pakistan directed by Paula Wing with music by Deanna Choi. These original theatrical creations are collectively developed by Soulpepper artists and guest artists.
Suitable for all ages.
Folktales from Mongolia and Laos: May 28 at 11:30 a.m. & 1:45 p.m.
Folktales from Nepal and Pakistan: May 28 at 12:30 p.m. & 2:45 p.m.
Tiger Bamboo Cabaret
Two evenings of music, dance, and spoken word from some of Toronto’s top artists, hosted by Rong Fu and Miquelon Rodriguez. Confirmed artists include Leonard Cervantes, Ins Choi, DATU, Shaista Latif and Arlene Paculan.
May 28 and May 29 at 9 p.m.
Play Readings
Staged readings at Tiger Bamboo feature plays currently in development from some of today’s leading playwrights and a special reading of Sarah Ruhl’s The Oldest Boy:
Through the Bamboo
Andrea Mapili and Byron Abalos
Through the Bamboo is an ensemble quest-fantasy for young audiences exploring loss, grief and the importance of storytelling. When her Lola (grandmother) dies suddenly, a young Filipina-Canadian girl is magically transported to a fantastical world filled with characters from mythology where she finds herself an unlikely heroine. In the tradition of Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, Through the Bamboo is a re-imagining of a balikbayan story (Tagalog for ‘return to one’s homeland’) interwoven with the vibrant cultures and artistic traditions of the Philippines.
Recommended for audiences 8+. May 28 at 4:00 p.m.; May 29 at 2:30 p.m.
Someone Between
Chantria Tram
Beginning with the story of her family’s escape from Cambodia, Someone Between chronicles the struggles of a daughter as she tries to reconcile the traditional values of her Khmer parents with her own emerging intercultural beliefs. From the challenges of childhood as a new immigrant, to the negotiation of conflicting adult roles, responsibilities and desires, the play follows this young Cambodian-Canadian woman as she realizes that she will always be “someone between.”
Recommended for adult audiences (12+). May 28 and May 29 at 5:45 p.m.
Theory
Norman Yeung
When Isabelle, a young, progressive professor of film theory creates an internet discussion board for her class, a mysterious student starts posting offensive content. Amid backlash from her students and urging from her wife, Isabelle must decide on whether to take action against the online offender or stand by her anti-censorship principles, as she and her tormentor blur the lines between predator and prey.
Recommended for adult audiences (18+). May 28 and May 29 at 7:30 p.m.
The Oldest Boy
Sarah Ruhl. Directed by Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster
In Sarah Ruhl’s The Oldest Boy, an American mother’s world is shaken when she learns that Tibetan monks believe her young son is the reincarnation of a high Buddhist lama. A reading of The Oldest Boy presented by Sheep No Wool and The Howland Company will be made at Tiger Bamboo in support of The Tibet Fund - Earthquake Relief. Donations will be collected for The Tibet Fund.
Suitable for all ages.
May 29 at 1:00 p.m.
Audition Masterclass & Panel Q&A
Asian theatre students currently enrolled in professional theatre training in the GTA will have access by invitation only to an audition masterclass and an industry panel Q&A. Panel hosts include Soulpepper Artistic Director Albert Schultz, and Baillie Fellow and Soulpepper Resident Artist Ravi Jain.
Access to Tiger Bamboo is free!
Tickets for Soulpepper’s 2016 mainstage productions range from $32-$94. $25 tickets for Soulpepper productions are also available for arts workers, and for 21-30 year-olds at stageplay.ca. StagePlay is sponsored by TD Bank Group. The $25 Rush Ticket / $5 Youth Rush program is sponsored by Sun Life Financial. Ticket prices include a Young Centre facility fee, service charge and HST. Pricing is subject to change.
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2016-04-12
Toronto: Soulpepper presents the inaugural Tiger Bamboo Festival May 28-29