by Vivian Chong
WORLD PREMIERE | 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 15
Blind Dates
by Vivian Chong | A Theatre Passe Muraille Production”
Graphic design by Emily Jung
Pictured: Vivian Chong
Award-winning author, triathlete, dancer, and Dora Award-nominated performer Vivian Chong takes you on an unforgettable journey through the messy, hilarious, and heartwarming world of dating. With her signature blend of captivating storytelling, comedy and original music, Vivian crafts a performance that’s as honest as it is funny, leaving you laughing and reflecting long after the curtain falls. Don’t miss this wild ride through romance—where vulnerability meets fierce empowerment.
We invite you to listen to this short informational message about the Blind Dates from creator and performer Vivian Chong.
Show Dates
Feb. 13 – March 15, 2025
Running Time: 65 min
Location
Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave. | Backspace
Tickets
Pay-What-You-Can-Afford
$15 | $40 | $65
If you would like information on the topics or themes in our productions, or to determine the suggested age for attending a performance, please reach out to our Box Office staff at 416.504.7529 or by email at info@passemuraille.on.ca.
Relaxed Environment: The full run of Blind Dates will be a relaxed performance. For more information visit our Relaxed Environment page.
Blind Friendly– The full run of Blind Dates will be Blind Friendly for more information visit our Blind Friendly page.
Captioning – This is live and AI-based, so it will be of the spoken text only and there may be spelling and grammar mistakes. Songs will be available in text format if requested.
Mask Mandatory:
- Friday February 28 at 7:30 pm
- Sunday March 9 at 2:00pm
- Water Based Haze
- 2 instances of flashing lights
- Mention of harassment
Digital Program
Credits
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
Vivian Chong is a theatre creator, playwright, painter, author, comicbook artist, singer songwriter, dancer, potter and athlete. Her graphic novel DANCING AFTER TEN was the winner of the US Library Journal Award and was shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award in 2020. Vivian was a pioneer of making accessible graphic novel, she transformed Dancing After Ten from a graphic memoir into an audio play for people with print disability. The accessible version is available at The Centre For Equitable Library. Her one woman show The Sunglasses Monologue was on tour from Toronto to Canmore. The Sunglasses Monologue was part of the Next Stage Festival in 2022.
Her performance in Dancing with the Universe was nominated for the Dora Theatre Award for best performer of the year in 2022. In addition in 2021 Vivian was recognized by Achilles Canada as the most inspirational female athlete and was also the recipient of the Ontario Volunteer Service of the Year Award. Participants with vision loss all across Canada have been benefiting from Vivian’s weekly accessible yoga classes on the digital platform. She is a leader of inclusion and wellness in the community.
For the past 5 years Vivian has been passionate about working as an audio description consultant for theatre, graphic novels and children picture books. Vivian is inspired by everything in her life. In 2019 her ceramic life size seeing eye dog, Catcher sculpture was showcased at The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art in Toronto. In 2022 Vivian was featured in CoMotion Disability Art Festival at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. In 2023 she was a keynote speaker representing Canada at Otros Territorios, Encuentro De Artes Festival in Monterrey, Mexico. Her first commissioned film project Strong Woman is featured on Common Boot Theatre digital platform in 2024.
To schedule an interview with the artist, or staff members at Theatre Passe Muraille regarding this production, please email B-Rebel Communications at ashley@b-rebelcommunications.com. We will try our best to accommodate your media requests, however they are not guaranteed.
The TPM Book Club meets online monthly to discuss books – selected in collaboration with our artists – that spark a deeper conversation on the themes of our current season. For Blind Dates, we will be reading artist Vivian Chong’s graphic biography, Dancing After TEN, co-created with cartoonist Georgia Webber. Sign-up for our virtual book club here.
“Red Circle Events” is our annual community event series inspired by the productions in our current season. In celebration of Vivian’s own wellness practice, we have invited meditation and movement artist, Renelyn Quinicot (she/ her), to lead a community restorative practice workshop and sound bath in our Mainspace on Saturday February 22. For more information or to sign-up for this free event, please visit this link.
If you have any questions about our community programs, please contact our Community Engagement Manager by emailing outreach@passemuraille.on.ca or by calling 416-504-8980 ext. 2140.