Alberta Theatre Projects and One Yellow Rabbit Bring Hit Solo Show CAFE DAUGHTER to High Performance Rodeo

By: Jan. 16, 2019
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Alberta Theatre Projects and One Yellow Rabbit Bring Hit Solo Show CAFE DAUGHTER to High Performance Rodeo

Inspired by a true, Canadian Success story, Award-winning artist Tiffany Ayalik charms audiences in this touching play.

Alberta Theatre Projects is honoured to co-present Café Daughter with One Yellow Rabbit as part of the 33rd Annual High Performance Rodeo. Running January 15 to 27, Kenneth T. Williams' warm, uplifting play follows the story of a Chinese- and Cree-Canadian girl growing up in 1950's small-town Saskatchewan. A one-woman show performed by the Juno Award-winning artist and musician Tiffany Ayalik and directed by Lisa C. Ravensbergen, Café Daughter is an spirited, coming-of-age tale inspired by the life of the Honourable Dr. Lillian Eva Quan Dyck, a celebrated neurologist who became the first female First Nations senator and the first Canadian-born Chinese senator.

Produced by Workshop West Playwrights' Theatre in association with Alberta Aboriginal Performing Arts, Café Daughter introduces us to Yvette Wong and her unique struggle with identity as she searches for her place in the world. When Yvette is ten her mother extracts a promise from her: She must never tell anyone she is Cree. Yvette holds this secret close to her heart - until the moment when she can no longer hide her heritage from herself.

A play of "lethal insight and wit" (Liz Nicholls, The Edmonton Journal), Café Daughterfeatures a virtuoso performance by Tiffany Ayalik, who takes on not only the character of Yvette, but the entire cast of people who help shape her life. Designers T. Erin Gruber (Set/Lights/Costumes/Projection) and Shawn Gan (Sound) create the beautifully vibrant and immersive worlds for Ayalik to inhabit, seamlessly shifting environments as Ayalik shifts characters.

Playwright Kenneth T. William's original research into Dr. Lillian Eva Quan Dyck's life inspired the play. Workshop West Playwrights' Theatre has toured its production of Café Daughter throughout Canada since 2015. In 2018, Café Daughter was the Gold Medallion winner at the International Festival of Monodrama and Mime.

"Kenneth T. Williams' play pulls together many different threads: the experience of Canada's Indigenous peoples, the challenges faced by a mixed-heritage family, small-town life on the prairie, the need fit in, and the desire to break free," says ATP's Executive and Artistic Director Darcy Evans. "This play seems to encapsulate the complexity of the Canadian condition more succinctly and insightfully than many works that have come before it. We are thrilled to partner with One Yellow Rabbit to have this critically acclaimed show here in Calgary for this season's High Performance Rodeo."

The Rodeo is equally excited to bring this show to Calgary: "It's rare, vital, and truly spectacular to have such a powerful story about an indigenous, Canadian woman told on a significant stage like ATP's Martha Cohen Theatre," says Festival Producer Laurel Green. "We are honoured to feature Café Daughter in our festival and champion the work of this creative team."

Café Daughter runs from January 15 to January 27 at the Martha Cohen Theatre at Arts Commons (215 8 Ave. SE) as part of the 33rd Annual High Performance Rodeo. Tickets are available at www.atplive.com or 403-294-7402.

Café Daughter is suggested for ages 12+.

Starring
Tiffany Ayalik - Yvette Wong

Creative Team
Lisa C. Ravensbergen - Director
T. Erin Gruber - Set/Lighting/Costume/Projection Design
Shawn Gan - Sound Design
Betty Hushlak - Stage Manager

Follow the hashtag #CaféDaughter on Twitter and Instagram for the latest news about this production.

ABOUT ALBERTA THEATRE PROJECTS

Alberta Theatre Projects is a Calgary-based, not-for-profit, professional theatre company that celebrates the art of live theatre. From its home in The Martha Cohen Theatre at Arts Commons, the company produces world-calibre shows with a focus on idea-driven new works, plays by Canadian playwrights, and contemporary theatre from around the world. It is also a national leader in new play development and dramaturgy.

www.ATPlive.com
Twitter: @ATPlive
Instagram: @ATPlive
Facebook: Alberta Theatre Projects



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