About the Play:

The Patron Saint of Stanley Park is a full-length drama by Hiro Kanagawa. On Christmas Eve, the one-year-anniversary of their father's disappearance, Josh and Jennifer go to Stanley Park to honour his memory instead of catching a bus to their uncle's place. When a mysterious homeless man leads them to a fantastical bunker beneath the park, they experience wondrous visions that help them understand the truth about their father.

The Patron Saint of Stanley Park begins on a wild and stormy Christmas Eve. Siblings 11 year old Josh and 14 year old Jennifer are coping with the loss of their father, who disappeared in a float plane accident on Christmas Eve one year ago. While Josh scours the Internet for proof that his father is still alive, Jennifer rebels against his denial and their mother Marcia's efforts to return the family to normality. When Marcia insists that Josh and Jennifer spend Christmas Eve with relatives, the children instead set out for Stanley Park to honour their father's memory. Trapped by a catastrophic storm, the children are rescued by Skookum Pete, an old, homeless man who takes them to a fantastical bunker beneath the Prospect Point café, where they experience wondrous visions that help them understand the truth about their father, the power of belief, and the healing strength of love.

The Patron Saint of Stanley Park premiered in 2010 at the Arts Club Theatre in Vancouver, BC. Since then it has been performed across Canada from Halifax to the east, to Prince George to the north and was well-received when Rumble Theatre re-mounted it in Vancouver in April 2015.

Cast: 2 women, 3 men

What people say:

"The Patron Saint of Stanley Park shows there is beauty in loss. ...It's a superb, layered piece of writing by Vancouver actor/playwright Hiro Kanagawa." — The Chronicle-Herald

"Hiro Kanagawa's The Patron Saint of Stanley Park is such a lovingly, eccentrically handmade Christmas gift that it will steal your heart." — The Georgia Straight

"All and all, a wonderful reminder that a little light, a bit of energy, a splash of hope, a ton of love and some darn fruit cake never did anyone any harm. A good night on the town for the whole family." — CJSF Radio

About the Playwright:

Hiro Kanagawa is a Vancouver-based actor, playwright, screenwriter, and teacher. Although best known as an actor, he was a story editor on several critically-acclaimed Canadian television series: Da Vinci's Inquest, Da Vinci's City Hall, Intelligence, and Blackstone. His plays Tiger of Malaya and The Patron Saint of Stanley Park have been performed across Canada. His distinctions include an Asians on Film award and Jessie Richardson Awards for both acting and writing. He teaches playwriting at Capilano University and is a Playwrights' Theatre Centre Associate.