Welcome to the digital program for Blind Dates
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Blind Dates by Vivian Chong
A Theatre Passe Muraille Production
Image description:
On the bottom right side of the image is Vivian Chong wearing a life jacket and sunglasses with a smile on her face. She is sitting in a kayak holding a kayak paddle above her head. The kayak is bright yellow and there is a reflection of her image in the kayak in the baby blue water below her. On the top right side of the image is the stern of another yellow kayak with a paddle on top of it and its reflection in the water.
Theatre Passe Muraille’s crimson red branding lines are on each side of the image and the TPM logo is on the bottom left of the image.
The copy reads:
“February 13 – March 9
Blind Dates
by Vivian Chong | A Theatre Passe Muraille Production”
Graphic design by Emily Jung
Pictured: Vivian Chong
Written, Performed & Composed by
Vivian Chong
Directed and Dramaturged by
Marjorie Chan 陳以珏
Set Design by
Echo Zhou 周芷會
Sound Design by
Gloria Mok 莫嘉詠
Lighting Design by
Steph Raposo
Stage Management by
Flávia F. Martin
Non-visual Dramaturgy by
Jessica Watkin
Projections & Captioning Consultant
April Leung 梁筱彤
Access Support & Dramaturgy Associate
Mandy E. MacLean
Production Management by
Aidan Hammond
Touring Production Management by
Carlos Varela
Venue and Touring Technician
Chris Sutherland
Production Crew
Set Construction and Technical Support: David Fisher
Scenic Paint: Edith Nataprawira
Theatre Passe Muraille Team
Artistic Director | Marjorie Chan
Artistic Producer | Indrit Kasapi
Associate Artistic Director | April Leung
Producer | Jenn Sartor
Bookkeeper | John Cabanela
Community Engagement Manager | Angela Sun
Fundraising and Development Manager | Keith Fernandez
Fundraising & Development Coordinator | Faizah Syeda
Marketing and Communications Manager | Shanae Sodhi
Marketing and Communications Intern | Cindy Zogu
Patron Services Manager | Aws Waham
Production and Facilities Manager | Aidan Hammond
Mainspace Technician | David Fisher
Access Guide
To access the visual story, please click the button below. An Access Guide is a package that aims to support people with communication difficulties, learning disabilities, English as a second language and Autistic People. It can be used to help anyone access and understand the play. The package may include spoilers.
Accessibility
Relaxed Environment: The full run of Blind Dates will be a relaxed performance. For more information visit our Relaxed Environment page.
A Relaxed Environment (RE) is created for audiences who have various access needs that a traditional theatre environment does not accommodate. Before a Relaxed Environment performance, audiences will get a visual story that gives them all the information they need to know for the performance (directions to the theatre, pre-show warnings, etc.)
During a Relaxed Environment performance an audience member can: enter and exit the theatre, move around throughout the theatre, can make noise or sounds, and those who need to keep their phone on will be able to do so as long as it is on silent or on vibrate. Our Relaxed Environment is a Scent Free Environment. Throughout the show, there will be some light over the audience.
Water Based Haze
2 instances of flashing lights
Mentions of Harassment
Blind Friendly– The full run of Blind Dates will be Blind Friendly for more information visit our Blind Friendly page.
Mask Mandatory:
- Friday February 28 at 7:30 pm
- Sunday March 9 at 2:00pm
Note from the Director
Thank you so much for joining us at Theatre Passe Muraille for our first show of 2025. We’re so thrilled to have Vivian Chong create and perform with us this season, bringing her blend of song and storytelling to our stage. Developed through TPM’s BUZZ Program, the show also benefitted from support from Diaspora Dialogues, and the Ontario Arts Council.
For Blind Dates, it has been an incredible journey of affirming’s Vivian’s desire to speak to her intersectional experience of finding love. This has been reflected in our approach in rehearsals, access and transportation support, and with the collaboration of the amazing designers of the project (Echo Zhou, Gloria Mok, and Steph Raposo). Every design aspect has been carefully considered to provide the most accessible and empowering experience for the creator/performer – from the adjustment of performer-friendly lighting, to audio-led dramaturgical discussions, as well as a tactile set.
For the audience, there has been consideration to make the production as ‘Blind-Friendly’ as possible as well. The set itself with different surfaces provides staging information for the audience as Vivian moves around it. We created a tactile wall on the way into the theatre, that provides access to some of the textures of the show, as well as an audio visual description of the set. Additionally, the run is relaxed, with re-entry permitted and as well, Vivian’s text is projected above the stage via AI for audiences who might require surtitling support for the show.
We’re so thrilled at TPM to be able to offer such a diverse season with so much representation from the Deaf and Disability community on our stages. Although not our specific intention to program in this way, at the same time it is indicative of our continued commitment in working in these communities, including both development of the plays as well as building trust with artists. At TPM we are interested in works with a potential to create conversation, that can affirm or challenge, and ultimately entertain.
Enjoy Blind Dates!
Marjorie Chan
Artistic Director, TPM
Director & Dramaturge, Blind Dates
Image description: Photo of Marjorie smiling to the camera. She has shoulder length dark hair and wearing black, and red lipstick.
Photo credit: Dahlia Katz
To listen to an audio version of the note from the director, please click on the button below!
Note from the Playwright
Hey friends, I’m Vivian Chong. I hope you enjoy my theatre show Blind Dates. As a theatre creator, I’m here to entertain and enlighten you and bring more joy in this world. Sometimes when we make new connections, it might not always be successful. We get scared by the largeness of it, and it challenges us.
Sometimes we forget who we are. And I get scared, too. I’m with you on that. Whenever that happens, remember who you are and bring your best forward. Then you remember how to recreate new connections, make new friends, and find new experiences. Everything is for our growth. Remember who you are and then you can radiate your best outward.
We need more love in this world. Love is here for all of us.
Playwright, Composer and Performer, Blind Dates
To listen to an audio version of the note from the playwright, please click on the button below!
Music
Music (in the order it appears)
All music and lyrics by Vivian Chong
Performed by Vivian Chong
Lily Pad – instrumental piano
Cabin Fever – ukulele and vocals
One Blue at a Time – piano and vocals
Mirror Image- instrumental piano
Self Made Woman – piano and vocals
How We Met – piano and vocals
Cast
I am an artist, potter, sculpter, painter, singer song writer, playwright, theatre creator, actor, dancer,drummer, film maker, comic book author, yoga instructor, tri-athlete.
Dora Award nominee, finalist of the Toronto Book Award. Youth leader for the blind community, accessible yoga teacher, audio description consultant
Image description: Vivian posing in front of grafiti in mexico wearing yellow sunglasses and purple top.
Photo credit: Jeff Dusome
Creative Team
Marjorie is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist, based in Toronto, and currently the artistic director of Theatre Passe Muraille, where she shares company dramaturgy with Artistic Producer, Indrit Kasapi. Most recently, she directed ANTIGONE: 方 by Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho) for the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria. Other directing credits at TPM include: THE YEAR OF THE CELLO (Music Picnic/TPM), JOHN & WALEED and ULTRASOUND (Cahoots/TPM). Other directing credits include THE CHINESE LADY (Crow’s/Studio 180/fu-GEN), CHINA DOLL (Gateway Theatre), THE ENCHANTED LOOM (Cahoots/Factory), LATE (Obsidian Theatre), I CALL MYSELF PRINCESS (Paper Canoe/Cahoots/Native Earth), FRANKENSTEIN’S BOY (Eldritch Theatre), KNIVES IN HENS and A DOLL’S HOUSE (Theatre du Pif – Hong Kong). She also assistant directed MARIA STUARDA (Pacific Opera Victoria), A SYNONYM FOR LOVE (Volcano Theatre) and PIRATE WIDOW CHENG (Puppetmongers). Nominated for 11 Dora Awards as writer, director and performer and the recipient of four Doras, Marjorie has also received the K.M. Hunter Artists Award, Entertainment World Award (Best New Work), Harold Award, Bra D’Or Award, as well as the George Luscombe Award for Mentorship. Her plays CHINA DOLL and LADY SUNRISE have also been nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award. www.marjoriechan.com
Image description: Photo of Marjorie smiling to the camera. She has shoulder length dark hair and wearing black, and red lipstick.
Photo credit: Dahlia Katz
Echo is an award-winning, proud Chinese immigrant and Tkaronto-based scenographer. In her professional career, she has been mainly focused on IBPOC and queer storytelling and making live performances as accessible as possible. She has designed for many art organizations nationwide, including the National Art Centre, Stratford Festival, Tapestry Opera, Tarragon Theatre, Buddies in the Bad Times, Theatre Passe Muraille, Thousand Island Playhouse, and many live performance festivals. Her designs have been presented in Japan and China. Her favourite recent credits are Cymbeline (Stratford Festival), Blind Dates (Theatre Passe Muraille), Shaniqua in Abstraction (Crow’s Theatre), Rocking Horse Winner (Tapestry Opera), A Poem for Rabia (Tarragon Theatre), The Chinese Lady (Studio 180); Benevolence (Benevolence Collective); Between a Wok and a Hotpot (Cahoots Theatre); The Year of the Cello (Theatre Passe Muraille); HMS Pinafore (Vancouver Opera); Every Brilliant Thing (Thousand Island Playhouse); White Girls in Moccasins (Manidoons Collective); Mr.Shi and His Lover, and I Swallowed Moon Made of Iron (Music Picnic). Echo is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada. For Grandpa, 獻給敬愛的嗲嗲。 www.echozhoudesign.com
Image description: A Chinese female with short hair with black glass. wearing black cardigan and dr martin sits on a window looking to the right.
Photo credit: Dahlia Katz
Gloria Mok 莫嘉詠 is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s Production Design and Technical Arts program. She is the Producer at Nightswimming, a dramaturgical company focused on commissioning new theatrical projects and supporting performance research. Alongside Aaron Jan and Bessie Cheng, Gloria is a co-founder of Silk Bath Collective, a company focused on creating multidisciplinary plays about the Chinese diaspora. Gloria is the proud daughter of immigrants from Hong Kong, and is grateful to her family and friends for their love and support.
Selected Credits: Sound Designer for The Chinese Lady (Studio 180/fu-GEN/Crow’s).
Awards: Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Dora Award for Woking Phoenix by Silk Bath Collective (Theatre Passe Muraille).
Upcoming: Production Dramaturg for The Wolf in the Voice (Nightswimming/Tarragon), Creator & Performer of Long Distance Relationships for Mythical Times (2b/Nakai).
Image description: Gloria is smiling. Behind her is the blue Yukon river and in front of her is pink fireweed, the Yukon’s territorial flower.
Photo credit: Bob Nishikawa
steph raposo (they/them) is a toronto-based theatre designer. as a trans artist they have a deep interest in presenting queer histories, uplifting queer communities, and celebrating queer joy through their work and within their life.
selected credits: Sound Designer, Oraculum (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 2024); Technical Director, Women of the Fur Trade (Native Earth Performing Arts, 2024); Lighting Designer, No One’s Special at the Hotdog Cart (Theatre Passe Muraille, 2024); Lighting Designer, Rhubarb Festival (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 2024); Sound Designer, This Inescapable City (Audio Play, Probably Theatre Collective, 2021)
Image description: a white person with short, curly, brown hair sits facing the camera with a neutral expression. they wear a green button down, white tank top, round glasses, two silver necklaces, and have facial hair and visible arm tattoos. blurred in the background is a large embroidered map of west toronto.
Photo credit: Jesús Maza
Flávia F. Martin (she/her) is a Portuguese-born Stage Manager and Assistant Stage Manager based in Toronto. Recent credits include Anna Karenina (George Brown College), Into the Woods (The Grove Theatre), No One’s Special at the Hot Dog Cart (Theatre Passe Muraille), On the Other Side of the Sea (Aluna Theatre), A Carnival of Munch (George Brown College), Comedy of Errors and Million Dollar Quartet (The Grove Theatre), New (Necessary Angel), Rubble (co-production between Aluna Theatre and Theatre Passe Muraille), Two-Sided Mirror (Mixed Company Theatre), Beautiful Renegades (Peggy Baker Dance Projects), Cacao: A Venezuelan Lament (Victoria Mata Productions), Light: A Tribute to Toni Morrison (Luminato Festival), The House of Bernarda Alba (Modern Times Theatre and Aluna Theatre), and Lätt Lûtf (Teatro de Creación Remota).
Image description: A smiling woman with olive-toned skin and curly hair styled in a top bun, wearing a black shirt. The shot is a medium shot with a clean white background.
Photo credit: Ted Gerry
Jess Watkin is a blind artist scholar who finished her PhD in disability and performance in 2022. She is a blind dramaturg, educator, facilitator, and activist. Along with dramaturgy and facilitation Jess is also a Metcalf Intern with nightswimming theatre in 2024.
Photo credit: Kevin Bryan
Mandy E. MacLean (she/her) is a theatremaker and access practitioner living in Tkarón:to with her Cocker Spaniel, Mulder. She is a proud Maritimer, a member of the Mad Community, and lives with a non-visible disability. She was recently the Dramaturgy & Accessibility Associate (Metcalf Intern) at TPM. Recent works include; Live Line & Producing Support for The Flin Flon Cowboy (TPM), Access Dramaturgy for Flux in the City (MMT Collective, High Performance Rodeo), Access Coordination for Space Mosquse, and TDSB Creates Artist in Residence. Mandy recently coordinated an access-based research project with Prologue Arts and the W. Ross School for the Blind and served as Arts Activation Coordinator for Frog in Hand’s Art Shelter. She is developing The Concussion Play; or How I Learned to Wait, with support from the OAC, Why Not Theatre and Tangled Arts. As she interacts with structures and practices, she believes that considering access can lead to exciting work and experiences.
Image description: Mandy E. MacLean is a blonde woman in her mid-thirties. She is wearing a black silk dress with yellow flowers. She touches her hair with her right hand.
Photo credit: Samantha Hurley
Aidan Hammond is interested in supporting artistic work that explores access, abilities, and diversity. This is their second season as the Production and Facilities Manager here at Theatre Passe Muraille.
Some favourite management credits across Turtle Island include: Multipocalypse Livestream (Tricksters Media), Untitled Peter Tripp Project (Curtain Razors), The Huns (One Four One Collective), and Movements No. 1&2 (Babelle Theatre).
Photo Description: A pale faced person in the driver’s seat of a car, giving a tight smile and thumbs up, with rolls of frozen of AstroTurf slowly melting in the passenger seat.
Carlos began his career in his native Mexico, where he worked for 8 years with the TJMTC and Spotlight Foundation AC. touring local and internationally. He has also worked with OCESA, production managing tours of major Broadway productions. Since moving to Toronto in 2015, he has focused on work with theatre companies and festivals such as Summerworks, Rutas, The Fringe Festival, Riser Festival, The Theatre Centre, Crow’s Theatre, UofT, Obsidian, Tapestry Opera, The Royal Conservatory, among others. Selected theatre credits include: 21 Black Futures, Dixon Road, Take The Moment: Cynthia Dale, Broken Shapes, YERMA, Manman La Mer, Treemonisha, Appropiate (Dora Award winner) Rocking Horse Winner, Universal Child Care, Dialogues Des Carmelites, Hedda Gabler, Luminato Festival. Upcoming productions: Case Existence of God, In my own little corner.
Coming soon!
Support Resources
At Theatre Passe Muraille, we understand that amazing performances sometimes come with their challenging content. For that reason, we put together a list of support resources catered to each production.
Special Thanks to...
Stacie Dunlop, Njo Kong Kie, Diana Tso, Neha Ross, Olivia Zotti
Up Next!
Up next at Theatre Passe Muraille:
The Little Prince by Landon Krentz
Apr. 2 – 19, 2025
More info here!
Graphic design by Emily Jung
Pictured: Landon Krentz
Sponsors:
TPM Season Sponsor:
Thank you!
You make it possible! Thank you so much for coming out to watch the world premiere of Blind Dates as part of our 24.25 season.
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