Mike Payette, Artistic Director of Tarragon Theatre and Managing Director Andrea Vagianos are excited to announce the world premiere of Three Women of Swatow. The play written by Chloé Hung runs in Tarragon’s Extraspace January 18 - February 20, 2022 (opening January 26).

“Swatow (汕头市) women are supposed to be fierce.” That’s what Grandmother tells her daughter. Grandmother’s a butcher and to her disappointment, her daughter’s a vegetarian. But to her satisfaction, her granddaughter killed her first chicken at the age of three. In this ferocious comedy, the three generations of women grapple with their dark history, emotional inheritance and the legacy of mothers’ life lessons and daughters’ love lives. And there is blood. Lots of blood.

Three generations of women take ownership of their lives in this dark and bloody comedy, as they deal with bad men, abusive relationships, addictions… and inappropriate emojis. Three Women of Swatow brings humour to a play driven by generational trauma and navigates the traditions and cultural identities of women in this Chinese family’s dark history.

“Three Women of Swatow was days away from opening when the pandemic forced Tarragon’s closure. Though I’m new to the Tarragon family, I’m so excited to follow through on the commitment we made to these amazing artists and to bringing this story to the stage,” notes Artistic Director Mike Payette, who commenced his work at Tarragon this Fall. “We’re so excited for Tarragon audiences to discover this deeply felt, darkly funny work by Chloé Hung, and to reopen the Extraspace!”

Three Women of Swatow features Carolyn Fe, Diana Luong and Chantria Tram. Written by Chloé Hung (Tarragon’s 2017-18 RBC Emerging Playwright), with direction from Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster (For Tarragon: The Message). During Tarragon’s closure, Three Women of Swatow was part of Tarragon Acoustic, co-produced with CBC’s PlayME podcasts and Expect Theatre.

Three Women of Swatow runs in Tarragon Theatre’s Extraspace from January 18 - February 20, 2022, opening officially on January 26, 2022.

The health and safety of our patrons, staff, artists and volunteers remain a primary concern. Tarragon will welcome audiences back to the theatre in 2022, opening at the start of the new year with a reduced capacity. Tarragon Theatre will follow Toronto Public Health and Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines and join our colleagues from cultural organizations in Toronto and across North America taking similar steps. Our goal is to reignite live and in-person theatre for our artists, our audience and our community. You can find the full list of safety measures, including our vaccination policy, here.

Three Women of Swatow (World Premiere)

written by Chloé Hung

directed by Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster

assistant director Karthy Chin

January 18 - February 20, 2022 (Opening January 26)

Extraspace

CAST + CREW

written by Chloé Hung

directed by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster

assistant directed by Karthy Chin

starring Carolyn Fe, Diana Luong & Chantria Tram

set and lighting design Jareth Li

costume designer Shannon Lea Doyle

sound designer Deanna Choi

Showtimes are Tuesday - Saturday at 7pm, Sunday at 1:30pm, and select Saturdays at 1:30pm.

Single Tickets range from $25 - $50 and can be purchased online at www.tarragontheatre.com, or by phone at 416-531-1827. Discounts are available for students and groups and arts workers, Front Line Workers, and the Underemployed. Contact the box office for more information.

Tarragon offers the most flexible subscription packages in the city with Pay-What-You-Can Pricing available until January 4th. Plus, allowing patrons to choose their productions, change their dates free of charge. Visit the website or call Patron Services today for more information.

Rush tickets are sold for $20, in person at the theatre two hours before showtime. This year Tarragon will also be offering select Pay-What-You-Can performances. Both Rush and PWYC tickets are subject to availability.

Photo: Carolyn Fe. © 2021 Jim Ryce.