« Mixed Company Theatre Presents

春明 Spring Moon
Written by Diana Tso
Directed by Karthy Chin

« Mixed Company Theatre is pleased to present the second installment of their InterGEN Project, Spring Moon. Based on the real-life experiences of the Toronto Chinese community, Spring Moon tells the story of a resilient immigrant peoples through the eyes of three Chinese grandmothers who survived hardships and crossed oceans to give their granddaughters a better life. Although separated by differences of language, culture, and distance, the unconditional love that exists between grandmothers and their granddaughters is a connection that cannot be broken.

Spring Moon reveals that to find out who we are, we will have to understand where we come from.

Spring Moon plays from April 20th to 23rd at The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance (304 Parliament Street). The show will be performed in Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and French with Chinese and English surtitles. Written by acclaimed playwright Diana Tso (Comfort, Red Snow Collective) and directed by emerging artist Karthy Chin (The Enchanted Loom, Cahoots/ Factory Theatre), Spring Moon is an exploration of Chinese intergenerational relationships in Toronto and features Asian community performers and emerging artists from the GTA.

Spring Moon was created with the input of Chinese youth and seniors from Eastview Community Centre, Scadding Court Community Centre, Broadview Manor, The Phoenix Arts Academy, and Toronto Community Housing. Speaking about the process of creating Spring Moon, playwright Diana Tso raves “The seniors are full of surprises! I loved watching them practice Chinese folk dancing and being a part of their circle as they sang. The youth in the play…their input and sharing of their personal lives were very valuable.”

Spring Moon is the second production produced under The InterGEN Project, a three-year initiative generously funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation to connect seniors and youth in culturally diverse communities across Toronto. Community participants were invited to share their stories, family and cultural traditions in a series of workshops held throughout the last three years. These tales of family, migration, and cultural displacement were then collected and developed into two full-scale theatrical productions by renowned Toronto artists. The first production, Shelf Life, was brought to life on stage by Luciano Iogna with the direction of Artistic Director Simon Malbogat in December 2016.

Founded as an artist-run collective in 1983, Mixed Company Theatre produces innovative, socially relevant plays as a tool for positive change. Today Mixed Company Theatre is committed to inspiring schools and community organizations across Canada to create social change through theatrical practice. In addition to producing Spring Moon, they are also currently touring their hit teen show Half Full, on anxiety and mental well-being, to schools across the GTA.

“Mixed Company has created community-engaged work with various groups and in our discussion with Scadding Court we wanted to give voice to the intergenerational Chinese community which is under-served. I believe the only way for theatre as an art form to remain relevant is to connect with that community so people see themselves reflected on the stage.” – Simon Malbogat (Artistic Director, Mixed Company Theatre)

CBC coverage of The InterGEN Project: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/shelf-life-play-1.3880580

春明 Spring Moon
Written by Diana Tso
Directed by Karthy Chin
April 20 – 23, 2017
The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance (304 Parliament Street)
Thursday April 20th – 7:30 PM
Friday April 21st – 7:30 PM
Saturday April 22nd – 2:00 PM
Saturday April 22nd – 7:30 PM
Sunday April 23rd – 2:00 PM
Tickets: $10 Available online at: http://springmoon.brownpapertickets.com/
We are committed to making theatre financially accessible for everyone. For discounts and group rates, please contact info@mixedcompanytheatre.com or call 416-515-8080.

Cast
Betty Chou
Juvally Chan
Ashley Chan
Susan Chou
Angela Sun
Shasha Huo
Mikaela Cordero

Creative Team
Playwright – Diana Tso
Director – Karthy Chin
Stage Manager/ Production Manager – Becky Wong
Assistant Production Manager – Calvin Wong
Choreographer/ Movement Coach – Julia Hune-Brown
Set/Props Designer – Echo Zhou
Lighting Designer – Alan Trumble
Music Composer/ Pianist – Alice Ho
Costumer Designer – Laura Delchiaro
Poster Designer – Wenting Li »

For more information, please visit http://www.mixedcompanytheatre.com/2017/02/springmoon/ Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @MixedCTheatre and #SpringMoonTO

-from Mixed Company Theatre newsletter
Read Mixed Company Theatre’s profile in ArtBridges’ Community-Engaged Arts Directory and Map