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AHM | World Premiere of Pu-Erh | Toronto | May 6-15, 2010
By Tiffany Zhao
k'Now Theatre Presents the World Premiere of
Pu-Erh: Life begins when you move away.
Written by Norman Yeung / Directed by Keira Loughran
A hit at the 2005 and 2007 SummerWorks Theatre Festival in its early stages, k'Now Theatre is thrilled to present the world premiere of Norman Yeung's highly acclaimed full-length play Pu-Erh, to coincide with Asian Heritage month.
Running May 6-15 in the Backspace at Theatre Passe Muraille, and May 21, 22 & 23 at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, Pu-Erh, (named for the tea that the family shares) is a portrait of a Chinese-Canadian family who have endured the often destructive effects of moving away from their homeland.
A son is leaving. Hours before the flight, son and father try to have a conversation. The father speaks only Cantonese, the son only English. They drink tea. They have decades of regret and silence to reconcile. The son returns five years later to a changed family, to a mother he hardly recognizes. She has gone on a journey of her own. She must rediscover the joy of being a parent to her child; the son must learn the responsibility of being a child to his parents. A story of unfulfilled hopes and remarkable achievement, Pu-Erh shows how language can challenge, 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.
Born in Guangzhou, China, playwright Norman Yeung works in theatre, film and visual arts. Pu-Erh was a finalist for the 2009 Herman Voaden National Playwriting Competition, receiving an Honourable Mention. His play Oolong will be presented at fu-GEN's Potluck Festival/Factory Studio Theatre in May, 2010. His play Theory will be produced at SummerWorks in August, 2010. Other playwriting credits include Lichtenstein's an 8: A New Formula to Quantify Artistic Quality (Rhubarb Festival) and Mandy Panda (Over the Top Festival). He was a member of CanStage's BASH! artist development program and fu-GEN's Kitchen Playwrights Unit.
http://www.normanyeung.com
Director Keira Loughran (Artistic Director of k'Now Theatre) is a director, actor and playwright. No stranger to the immigration experience, Keira's grandmother, Jean Lumb, was the first Chinese-Canadian woman to receive the Order of Canada for her pivotal role in changing Canada's immigration laws that separated Chinese families. Keira's first play was the critically acclaimed Little Dragon (about a third-generation Chinese-Canadian woman who thinks she might be the illegitimate daughter of martial arts legend Bruce Lee), which she wrote, co-directed and starred in. She has served as Artistic Producer of the SummerWorks Festival and is currently the Associate Director of Dramaturgy and New Plays at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.
With a mandate to produce contemporary, culturally diverse and socially relevant pieces, k'Now Theatre was launched in 2002. Little Dragon, the company's first full-length, mainstage production garnered the fledgling company three Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations including Outstanding New Play.
A k'Now Theatre Production
Pu-Erh
Presented by TD Bank Financial Group
Written by Norman Yeung / Directed by Keira Loughran
Starring Janet Lo, John Ng, Jeff Yung
Set and Costume Design by Jackie Chau / Lighting Design by Arun Srinivasan
Sound Design by Nicholas Murray / Stage Manager Natalie Woodburn-Heron
THEATRE PASSE MURAILLE
16 Ryerson Avenue
May 6 - May 15, 2010
Opening Night: Friday, May 7 @ 7:30pm
Tuesday-Saturday @ 7:30, Saturday @ 2:30pm
Tickets:
$15 Previews
$25 General Admission
(plus all applicable service charges)
Saturday Pay-What-You-Can
Students, Seniors and Arts Workers $15
Discounts for Groups 10 and up
Box Office: 416.504.7529
http://www.artsboxoffice.ca
*SPECIAL PERFORMANCE on Thursday, May 13, in partnership with Canadian Stage's Festival of Ideas & Creation. Post-show discussion with playwright, director, and cast about the writing, translation, and evolution of Pu-Erh. http://www.canadianstage.com/festival
RICHMOND HILL CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
10268 Yonge Street
May 21 - 23, 2010
Opening Night: May 22 @ 8pm
Friday, May 21 @ 1pm, Saturday May 22 @ 8pm, Sunday May 23 @ 2pm
**BOOK YOUR TICKETS BEFORE MAY AND RECEIVE 10% OFF!!**
(Discount applies to tickets for the Richmond Hill performance only)
All Tickets $39*
Students & Seniors $25*
$30* for Groups of 15-34, $25* for Groups 35 and up
$15* for School Groups of 30 and up
* includes all service charges
Box Office: 905.787.8811
http://rhcentre.ca
Pu-Erh is generously supported by Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and Toronto Arts Council.
Media contact: FLIP Publicity
http://www.flip-publicity.com
NNNN
"A standout ... emotionally rich"
- NOW Magazine
Top 5 Pick of SummerWorks
- Lynn Slotkin, CBC Radio
Herman Voaden National Playwriting Competition - Finalist
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Hey do you guys have a Twitter account I could follow? I'm sick of using RSS feeds! Well anyways I submitted your post to Stumbleupon and Delicious for ya. Great post, thanks!
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