A trio of senior citizens are none too pleased with yet another hipster coffee shop gentrifying their Chinatown, so they deal with the business the best way they know how: Sabotage! Things take a turn when a certain someone joins forces with the coffee shop to make it more successful. Betrayal? Perhaps. Sabotage? More.
PROJECT STATUS: Work-in-progress available for development and production
PERFORMERS REQUIRED: 5 or more
AGING YOUTH GANG
Workshop reading, 2024
Presented by fu-GEN Theatre Company in collaboration with Crow's Theatre
Directed by Marjorie Chan
Cast: Madelaine Hodges, Jane Luk, Kyle Orzech, Richard Tse, Russell Yuen
A dying Chinese not-quite-billionaire goes on a journey to reconcile with his Canadian tech-entrepreneur daughter, with the meddling of Zheng He, the celebrated 15th Century eunuch admiral, and Ching Shih, the 19th Century woman known as the most successful pirate in history.
This boisterous tragicomedy, invigorated by magical absurdism and metaphysical tomfoolery, spans seven centuries, several oceans, multiple countries, has dozens of characters and giraffes and camels and one spectacular sea battle... But at its heart is a story about a family torn by distance and time.
PROJECT STATUS: Work-in-progress available for development and production
PERFORMERS REQUIRED: 7 or more
EUNUCH X PIRATE
Reading and staging workshop, 2024
Presented by Outside the March
Directed by Lucy Coren
Cast: Karl Ang, Richard Lee, Janet Lo, Joelle Peters, Meghan Swaby, Richard Tse, Lindsay Wu
Dramaturge: Jeff Ho / Immersive Consultant: Mitchell Cushman
Isabelle, a young tenure-track professor, tests the limits of free speech by encouraging her students to contribute to an unmoderated discussion group. When an anonymous student posts offensive comments and videos, Isabelle must decide whether to intervene or to let the social experiment play out. Soon, the posts turn abusive and threatening, leading Isabelle and her unknown tormentor to engage in a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse that not only has Isabelle questioning her beliefs, but fighting back for her life.
PROJECT STATUS: Available for production
PERFORMERS REQUIRED: 7
"The play is admirably ambitious as it works through layers of complexity … a tribute to the sophistication of many of the ideas in this play … Please, readers, go along and judge for yourselves, and maybe bring someone with opposite values to your own with you. Let the debate begin." — Karen Fricker, The Toronto Star
"A frequently dizzying and extremely entertaining interrogation of the ways in which academia can become a hotbed for practical and theoretical implosion. … Theory is definitely worth seeing … a densely written, challenging piece of theatre that is being given a wonderfully entertaining and thought- provoking production…" — Bateman Reviews
"Theory is one of the most intelligently provocative plays one is likely to see this season. It will resonate with anyone who has ever had to question their own allegiances and discomfort those who are too certain of themselves." — Ian Thal, Washington City Paper
"Brazenly brainy ... invigorating drama of critical ideas that replays in the mind the next day the way a catchy tune gets stuck in one’s head." — John Stoltenberg, DC Metro Theater Arts
"A Truly Provocative Internet Thriller ... a must-see for anyone who’s ever had an internet-induced panic attack. ... masterfully tackles power dynamics, privilege, bias, and the tension between freedom of speech and oppression. ... The plot builds toward a heart-racing climax ... prepare for a heated discussion, because Theory gets an A for stimulating difficult but important conversation." — Angela Haupt, DCist
"[W]atching Lee and Isabelle's relationship deteriorate is heartbreakingly honest. ... makes some smart points about the distinctions between being closed off to any opposition and having a valid opposition to hate speech, about progressive ideals versus white saviors, about controversy and censorship ... opens conversations ... pushes audiences to reconsider their own perspectives..." — Rachael Goldberg, Broadway World
THEORY published by Playwrights Canada Press
Raymond is leaving home. Hours before the flight, Raymond and his father try to have a conversation but they don’t speak the same language. Through the need to communicate, and a bit of magic, they reconcile decades of regret and silence. Raymond returns five years later to a changed family, to a mother he hardly recognises. She has gone on a journey of her own. A story of unfulfilled hopes and remarkable achievement, Pu-Erh shows how language can divide and unite a family. With dialogue in English and Cantonese, this fresh and urgent examination of a modern immigrant family will speak to anyone who has wondered if life begins when you move away.
PROJECT STATUS: Available for production
PERFORMERS REQUIRED: 3
NNNN (out of five)
Critic’s Pick
“Yeung’s touch of magic realism – the two start to understand each other verbally and emotionally – gives surprising vibrancy to the confrontation. ... The emotional chemistry is strong ... The play builds to an artfully written climax, tautly performed, that resolves some issues but intentionally doesn’t dissipate all the family tension.” – Jon Kaplan, NOW Magazine
“The play breaks language barriers and time constraints at will. ...Yeung has written a complex play that sympathetically presents a new world son and his old world parents.” – Paula Citron, The New Classical 96.3 FM
PU-ERH
k’Now Theatre
Theatre Passe Muraille, Toronto / Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, 2010
Directed by Keira Loughran
Cast: Janet Lo, John Ng, Jeff Yung
Set and Costume Design: Jackie Chau / Lighting Design: Arun Srinivasan / Sound Design: Nick Murray / Stage Manager: Natalie Woodburn-Heron / Assistant Stage Manager: Shannon Jank / Production Manager: Doug Morum