About
the Plays:
The Canadian play anthology Love and Relasianships is a
definitive record of a theatrical movement, a movement that reflects
a multiplicity of styles and genres, joined together by the singular
fact that they are a series of plays written by Asians, for Asians…
and for Canada. Editor Nina Lee Aquino's anthology is an
important resource for teachers and actors alike.
The second of two volumes Love
and Relasianships draws from a rich history of
Asian-Canadian theatre on stages across Canada featuring
six plays in chronological order starting from 2002:
Yes Yoko Solo
by Jean Yoon: A solo work that features music, instruction
poems, images and other works by Yoko Ono. (Premiered in 2002 at Art
Gallery of Ontario: Cast: 1 female)
Tiger of Malaya
by Hiro Kanagawa: The play is inspired by the war crimes trial
of General Tomoyuki Yamashita, whose quick defeat of American forces
in the early days of the war earned him the nickname "Tiger of
Malaya." Set in Manila in 1945, Yamamoto is on trial for
atrocities committed by the Japanese in the Philippines. He's
represented by two unwilling American military lawyers, played by
Alexander Ferguson and William MacDonald. At stake is Yamashita's
life as conviction will result in a death sentence. (Premiered in
2003 at Toronto's Factory Theatre;
Cast:
2 female, 3 male)
Miss Orient(ed)
by Nina Lee Aquino and Nadine Villasin: Examines the
politics of cultural identity through the eyes of three young beauty
pageant contestants who vie for the title of Miss Pearl of the
Orient. Miss Orient(ed) gently satirizes the struggle between
conflicting cultural identities and beauty ideals. Do beauty contests
ever go beneath the surface to the contestants' hearts and minds?
This play was Canada's first professional Filipino-Canadian
theatrical production. (Produced in 2003 by Toronto's Carlos Bulosan
Theatre; Cast: 5 female)
China Doll
by Marjorie Chan: The story
of Su-Ling, a rebellious young woman in Shanghai during the last
years of Imperial China and the first years of the Republic, whose
self-worth is determined only by her tiny, bound feet – until her
world and view of it expands when she learns to read. China
Doll powerfully reaffirms the
theme of women's awakening and emancipation. (Premiered in
2004 at Toronto's Tarragon Theatre; Cast: 3 female, 1 male)
Banana Boys
by Leon Aureus: A smart, contemporary, and wickedly funny play
about five young Asian-Canadian men, "Bananas" (read:
yellow on the outside, white on the inside), wrestling with issues of
race, identity, and the death of a friend. Not really Chinese and not
quite Canadian, the Banana Boys stumble through situations,
incidents and interactions that ultimately explore the nature of
identity and reveal the possibilities each character has within
himself. (Premiered in 2004 at Toronto's Factory Theatre;
Cast:
5 male)
Paper Series
by David Yee: A piece of paper can shape your life. It can
record your history or build something new. A series of monologues
that imaginatively explore six lives and their curious connections to
something as inconsequential as a piece of paper. Particularly
suitable for schools and play contests. (Premiered in 2011 Toronto's
Young Centre for the Performing Arts; Cast: 4 women, 3 men)
About the Editor:
Nina Lee Aquino is a director, dramaturge, actor and
playwright, who completed her B.A. in Drama at the University of
Guelph and her M.A. in Theatre at the University of Toronto. She is
currently the artistic director of fu-GEN Asian-Canadian Theatre
Company, the artistic producer of CrossCurrents Festival.