About the Play:

Finalist for the 2022 Governor General's Literary Award for drama (Canadian equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize)

Lady Sunrise is a full-length drama by Marjorie Chan. From the glittering high-rise condos to the desperate streets of Vancouver, Lady Sunrise is a tale told by women of social climbing and the fraying social fabric among the wealthy and hangers-on in the city's Asian-Canadian community, where the pursuit of money is the only serious occupation.

Lady Sunrise introduces us to six women – ranging from a second rate beauty queen, a wealthy condo developer, a ruthless bank executive, a madam, a blackjack dealer, and a trafficked sex worker – who are risking everything, all motivated by the need for more money and the freedom it could buy, whether it's the allure of expensive items and real estate to substitute what's been lost or the safety of not being in abusive debt to anyone else just to survive. It follows the fun-loving Penny, who sometimes prefers to go by her stage name Lulu, as she desperately tries reconcile the life she has always desired, with actual reality. A model who once earned the title Lady Sunshine as the runner-up at a beauty pageant, Penny relies on others to support her lifestyle. As she struggles to seek money and meaning, her journey intersects with other Asian women, all trying to navigate the brutal realities of modern life. Inspired by the Chinese modern classic Sunrise by "China's Shakespeare," Cao Yu, Lady Sunrise takes us from the high rises to the underworlds of Vancouver and Richmond, B.C. This heartbreaking examination of the effects of today's hyper-consumerist society will challenge perspectives of strength and power, exposing painfully raw consequences.

China Doll premiered in 2020 at Factory Theatre in Toronto with an ensemble of six Asian-Canadian women.

Cast: 6 female

What people say:

"Its reluctance to sugarcoat harsh realities will leave audiences stinging from the engrossing narratives." — NOW Magazine

"Seeing stories of strong and complex Asian-Canadian women on stage (or any other ethnic group, for that matter) is way overdue. What really stands out for me about Lady Sunrise is seeing all these women working together in telling these stories. They are finally able to control the narrative and bring these stories to life." — Hye's Musings

"It was beautiful and tragic and left me breathless." — Mooney on Theatre

About the Playwright:

Marjorie Chan is a Canadian writer and performer based in Toronto, working in stage, screen and radio. Her debut as a playwright was the acclaimed drama China Doll in which she played the role of the young protagonist, Su-Ling. She was born in Toronto to Hong Kong immigrants who arrived in the late 1960s. Her plays have been performed all over the world, including Hong Kong, where she has also directed. She has received nine Dora Award nominations, and won four. China Doll received a Governor General's Literary Award nomination.