PL AYBILL kim’s convenience
kim’s convenience ins choi }{
a pproxim at e ru n n i ng t im e: 1 hou r a nd 25 m i nu t es t her e w ill be no i n t er m ission
ARTIST NOTE: INS CHOI When I was a kid, every summer my parents packed the car with camping gear and we drove to different parts of Canada. Everywhere we went, aside from the cities, I remember people staring at us a lot. It had a little to do with our overstuffed black Pontiac T-1000 hatchback, but I think it was mostly because we were Asians... in the flesh. My dad always tried making small talk with the locals whenever he could. But with English as his second language, even small talk seemed to be too much work for such a trivial connection. But that never stopped him as he um’d and stumbled towards a mutual understanding of the weather, historic landmarks nearby, favourite restaurants in the area, etc. Kim’s Convenience began at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2011. And then it was Soulpeppered and it toured to London, Port Hope, Calgary, Hamilton, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Edmonton and now is back in Toronto at Soulpepper for the fourth time. Thousands of people – different people from all sorts of backgrounds – from 9 different cities across Canada, all laughed at the same moments, were touched by the same words, and made a connection with us through the play. And through the play, in a weird way, made a connection with each other; a common framework, a mutual point of reference. Not trivial at all. I am extremely grateful to be the bearer of this great blessing. Thank you Soulpepper, cast, crew, team, families, for helping us share this play.
C h a n t e l l e H a n , PAUL SUN-H Y UNG LEE . p hoto: b ruc e mon k
p.s. Here are some favourite tour memories from the cast and crew: the shoreline around Stanley Park; the fish and chip truck in Port Hope; Nancy Dryden discovering Korean Melona bars; lunch at the Korean Ambassador’s house in Ottawa; “Flawless Execution”; no judgement Saturdays; the waterfall in Hamilton; Denise Clarke; being introduced in the Senate Chamber by Senator Yonah Martin; the birth of Lola; Andre shucking oysters; a moment before the show in a waterfall rainforest lobby; being cramped in a van on the QEW for longer than we were on stage; the booth at the NAC; the birth of Desta; Paul grumbling about the weather; Neha grumbling about Paul; everyone grumbling at some point; the Aqua bus; skating to work on the canal; Grace Kung’s mom; crazy cookie; steak night; Korean restaurants; building Halloween props in the prop shop; the birth of Rian; the crew at each theatre, meeting other Asian artists; death march 1 led by Albert Schultz; death march 2 led by Paul (I think); Rae & Jerry’s; and when family came to see the show.
ins choi, Playwright, 2014 Soulpepper Resident Artist, and graduate of the Soulpepper Academy
CREATIVE TEAM
KIM’S CONVENIENCE
CAS T Chantelle Han
Jane Luk
Janet
Umma
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee
Andre Sills
Appa
Dale Yim
Jung
Rich, Mr. Lee, Mike, Alex
Produc tion Ins Choi
Lorenzo Savoini
Playwright
Lighting Designer
Weyni Mengesha
Thomas Ryder Payne
Director
Albert Schultz
Remount Director
Ken MacKenzie
Set & Costume Designer
Sound Designer
Kat Chin
Stage Manager
Neha Ross
Kelly McEvenue
Alexander Coach
Liza Paul
Dialect Coach
Sean Baek
Fight Director & Dialect Coach
Assistant Stage Manager
SOULPEPPER PRODUC T ION Jacqueline Robertson-Cull
Head of Hair & Makeup
Geoff Hughes
Cutter
Barbara Nowakowski
First Hand
Isidra Cruz
Dresser
Greg Chambers
Props Builder
Sorcha Gibson
Wardrobe Intern
s p e c i a l t h a n k s: S J So -J e ong C hoi .
Kim’s Convenience was originally produced as part of the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival at the Bathurst Street Theatre. It won the New Play Contest, the Patron’s Pick and went on to be part of the Best of Fringe Uptown Festival at the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts. The play premiered in 2012 at Soulpepper, receiving the Toronto Theatre Critics award for Best New Canadian Play, being published by House of Anansi Press and spawning a 2013/2014 Canadian National tour. The original cast included Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Jean Yoon, Esther Jun, Andre Sills and Ins Choi. It was designed by Ken MacKenzie, directed by Ins Choi, stage managed by Kat Chin and produced by Leon Aureus and Ins Choi.
BACKGROUND NOTES
K
im’s Convenience began as a vignette for an event at fu-GEN Theatre. Director Nina Lee Aquino, among others, felt there was more to be mined: a story rooted in this city but not often portrayed on our stages. A story needing to be told. With Aquino’s encouragement and guidance, Ins Choi set out to create a full-length play.
But first he acted at the Stratford Festival, won a place in the Soulpepper Academy, and became a father twice over. The play grew slowly, gaining supporters as it went. Choi’s faith community at Grace Toronto Church, for example, funded a week-long workshop. When Kim’s Convenience was finally submitted to the Fringe Festival New Play Contest in 2011, it won. The subsequent production and extension were sold out. Soulpepper saw a chance to champion a new work that celebrates a completely Torontonian story. Our audiences took Kim’s to their hearts; this is its fourth remount in four years. Having already been across the country to London, Port Hope, Hamilton, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary. Not bad for a vignette. While not autobiographical this play is grounded in a thorough knowledge of the milieu. In fact, Choi originally wanted to stage it in an actual convenience store. “You got that smell,” he says. “You got that convenience store smell, the dust, the grime, the bell...” That idea didn’t come to pass but this tender, funny and surprising script evokes the setting brilliantly anyway, giving the play a powerful integrity and authenticity. One of its many pleasures is the “behind the scenes” look we get at this staple of our economy. From the 1980’s, when the Kim family of the play moves into Regent Park, Koreans have been a fixture in Toronto convenience stores. In the enormously appealing character of Mr. Kim, or Appa (father), we see the smarts, courage, resourcefulness, and humour these immigrants brought with them. Through his customers and perhaps most vividly through his children, we also see Mr. Kim’s prejudices, hopes, fears and longings. He is a fully rounded, richly realized creation, and a gift for any actor. Listen to Mr. Kim on the subject of who’s stealing and who isn’t. Watch him deal with other businessmen. His daughter may speak better English but she has her hands full in an argument with her tough-minded Appa. Mr. Kim’s all too
familiar difficulty is he has knowledge but no one to pass it on to: neither of his children will take over the business when he retires. They have other dreams – desires Mr. Kim and his wife’s hard work and sacrifice have helped make possible. One of the script’s most revealing aspects is its portrait of Regent Park. The closeness and pride among those who live there is perhaps most simply and beautifully summed up in Mr. Kim’s response to the idea of closing his store, “This community need me.” The gentrification now underway may improve some buildings, there’ll be certainly be more pricey condominiums but what will happen to the people who have called this community home for years? What will happen to the small businesses that have so faithfully served them? Through this one family, their business, and their loyal clientele, Ins Choi has given us a hilarious, touching glimpse of a corner of our own world. Here. And now.
play wrigh t Biograph y Ins Choi is an actor and a playwright who was born in South Korea, grew up in Scarborough and now resides in Toronto with his lovely wife and their two children. Some of his acting credits include Kim’s Convenience, Alligator Pie (Soulpepper); Hamlet (Stratford); and Banana Boys (fu-GEN). Ins’ award-winning play, Kim’s Convenience, is returning to Soulpepper this year and his other lesser known play, Subway Stations of the Cross, appeared at Pacific Theatre in November and will be at Soulpepper in March of 2015. Ins is a graduate of the Soulpepper Academy and a 2014 Soulpepper Resident Artist.
Background Notes by 2014 Soulpepper Resident Artist Paula Wing
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