Lady Sunrise

February 15 – March 8 2020, Mainspace Theatre

#ftLadySunrise

Running Time: 105 minutes
Recommended for ages 18+

Written by Marjorie Chan
Directed by Nina Lee Aquino

A Factory production

Money is ridiculous isn’t it? It gets in the way of everything, it’s everywhere. It can save a life, or ruin it all in the same breath.

Set in Canada’s condo and casino playground of Vancouver, this hard-hitting new play from multi-award winning playwright, Marjorie Chan, is a tale of social climbing and the fraying social fabric among the wealthy and hangers-on of Vancouver’s Asian Canadian community. Inspired by the modern classic, Sunrise by Cao Yu, this exquisite World Premiere features a cast of six powerful Asian Canadian women, and examines the damning effect of today’s hyper-consumerist society. A not-to-be-missed new play sure to speak to Torontonians as our city continues to rise to new heights while forgetting the people who live on the ground.

Tues – Fri Performances

Regular Tickets: $40
Senior Tickets: $30
Student Tickets: $25
Artsworker Tickets: $25

Sat & Sun Performances

Regular Tickets: $50
Senior Tickets: $40
Student Tickets: $30
Artsworker Tickets: $25

Relaxed Performances

For audiences who may benefit from a more relaxed theatre environment, the following performances of Lady Sunrise will be relaxed performances: Wednesday February 26th at 8pm and Sunday March 1 at 2pm

Content Warning

The play is about women, Asian women yes, but really all kinds of women. Women who are rich, women who are poor, women trying to make their way. This play is also about things that could happen to anyone, the good, the sad, and the bad.

Please note, there are specific content warnings available below. The truth is, I write about hard things, and I don’t want you to be surprised by something in the play. I want you to be safe. If being safe for you means that you think you can’t come to this play or can’t stay for the entirety of the play, that is okay. I am happier knowing that you are taking care of yourself. Peace.

– Marjorie Chan, Playwright, Lady Sunrise

If you have any additional questions or concerns about the subject matter in Lady Sunrise, please feel free to reach out to our Box Office at (416) 504-9971 or boxoffice@factorytheatre.ca

Specific content warnings

L to R: Ma-Anne Dionisio, Lindsay Wu. Set Design by Camellia Koo, Costume Design by Jackie Chau, Lighting Design by Michelle Ramsay, Photo by Joseph Michael Photography

L to R: Lindsay Wu, Rosie Simon, Zoé Doyle, Ma-Anne Dionisio, Louisa Zhu, Belinda Corpuz. Set Design by Camellia Koo, Costume Design by Jackie Chau, Lighting Design by Michelle Ramsay, Photo by Joseph Michael Photography

L to R: Belinda Corpuz, Louisa Zhu. Set Design by Camellia Koo, Costume Design by Jackie Chau, Lighting Design by Michelle Ramsay, Photo by Joseph Michael Photography

L to R: Zoé Doyle, Lindsay Wu, Rosie Simon, Ma-Anne Dionisio, Louisa Zhu, Belinda Corpuz. Set Design by Camellia Koo, Costume Design by Jackie Chau, Lighting Design by Michelle Ramsay, Photo by Joseph Michael Photography

About the playwright

Marjorie Chan

Marjorie was born in Tkaronto (Toronto) to Hong Kong immigrants, and makes her home in the East End. As a theatre and opera artist, she works variously as playwright, librettist, director and dramaturge as well as in the intersection of these forms and roles. Her work has been seen and performed in the United States, Scotland, Hong Kong, Russia and across Canada. Marjorie started her professional writing career with CBC Radio Drama and is happy to return to this medium. For Factory Theatre, Marjorie has appeared as an actor in Noran Bang: The Yellow Room, and Mother Tongue. Her play Lady Sunrise debuted at Factory in pre-pandemic February 2020, directed by Nina Lee Aquino, and will be published by Playwrights Canada Press. As well, her plays a nanking winter (Nightwood/Cahoots) and The Madness of the Square (Cahoots/Factory) also premiered on Factory’s mainstage. Her other plays include her Governor General-nominated China Doll and Tails From A City. Marjorie is the recipient of 4 Dora Awards, the K.M. Hunter Artist’s Award, the Entertainment World Award for Best New Work, and the George Luscombe Award for Mentorship. She balances her writing with her role as the Artistic Director of Theatre Passe Muraille.

About the director

Nina Lee Aquino

With a string of firsts in Asian Canadian theatre, Nina was the founding Artistic Director of fu-GEN Asian Canadian theatre company, organized the first Asian Canadian theatre conference, edited the first (2-volume) Asian Canadian play anthology, and co-edited the first (award-winning) book on Asian Canadian theatre. She was previously the Artistic Director of Cahoots Theatre and Factory Theatre and is now the Artistic Director of English Theatre at the National Arts Centre. Awards for her work include the Ken McDougall Award, the Canada Council John Hirsch Prize, the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Margo Bindhart and Rita Davies Cultural Leadership Award, the Toronto Theatre Critics Awards for Best Director, and three Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Outstanding Direction.