OUR COVID PLAN

HST is incredibly excited to present a safe and secure experience at the theatre. To ensure public safety we have implemented a COVID Safe plan. Social distancing, density and hygiene practices will be adhered to at all times. Only attend the event if you are feeling well. If you have any COVID-19 symptoms please ensure you get tested as soon as possible and follow social isolation guidelines until you recover.

If you are unable to attend your event please call 8225 8888 or email manager@holdenstreettheatres.com to discuss your ticketing options.

The safety and health of our patrons, staff and performers is our main priority and we will do everything we can to ensure a fun and safe evening out.

Learn More about our Covid Safe Practices Here.

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Acclaimed writer and performer Tetsuro Shigematsu (creator of hit play Empire of the Son) tells the story of Mas Yamamoto, whose life was swept up by major currents of the 20th century. An award-winning work from Canada’s leading Asian theatre company saturated with the most vivid colours of our times.

A part of the HST ON-SCREEN PROGRAM.

Tickets available through the Holden Street Theatres Box Office and adelaidefringe.com.au

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Due to the current climate strict Covid restrictions will be in place, please follow all rules on density, social distancing and follow directions from staff.

This is a Masked Event, please help reduce waste by bringing your own mask.
This event requires proof of double vaccination or exemption upon entry.

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HST ON-SCREEN PROGRAM

HST ON-SCREEN is bringing you some of the best theatre from Canada to the big screen at HST. Four theatre performances have been recorded in Canada and will be played in our gorgeous new cinema room, Ruby's

Boasting comfy seating, plenty of leg room, snacks and drinks available from the Bar and a big screen provided by Nova Tech, you'll be able to catch some of the best theatre in a cinema experience like no other. With multiple sessions a night you can see several shows in one evening, or even mix it up with a screening and a live show in one of our other venues.

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Praise for 1 Hour Photo

★★★★★ "It is a tale of dramatic turns and regretted love, and has an entirely satisfactory resolution." - The Advertiser

★★★★★ "an exploration of memories, the said and unsaid and the trajectories of different worlds and stories. It gives a fascinating insight into the struggles of a people who many would not even have heard of outside of Canada." - Global Media Post

★★★★★ "Shigematsu is a compelling and entertaining story teller, his use of models enhances the tale, and the recordings of Mas telling how it was give it authenticity. A very different and interesting production." - Glam Adelaide

★★★★★ "This is a hugely compelling production of showmanship and science, history and humanity." - Barefoot Review

★★★★1/2 "With warmth and affection, Tetsuro Shigematsu spans both the larger history of a cruel time and the poignant star-crossed fortunes of the human heart. It is more than a snapshot, it is an album of memory all in one hour." - InDaily

★★★★1/2 "It’s an intriguing and mesmerising 75 minutes" - All About Entertainment

★★★★ "1 Hour Photo is a one man play from Canada performed by writer Tetsuro Shigematsu, who presents with all the charisma of a theatre magician" -The Clothesline

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Previous Praise for 1 Hour Photo

"1 Hour Photo is a powerful piece of writing that insists that the complex history of Canada, including the wrongs imposed on groups of people, must be remembered." — University of Toronto Quarterly

"Wrestling with questions of life and death, 1 Hour Photo is most heartfelt in its exploration of Yamamoto's life. Ultimately, we are all a little better off for his willingness to share it through Shigematsu." — Mark Robins, Vancouver Presents

“1 Hour Photo animates an extraordinary life with vivid props and projections…the play is a buffet of sensory textures.” — Kathleen Oliver, The Georgia Straight

Show Credits

Playwright/Performer Tetsuro Shigematsu*

Director Richard Wolfe*

Dramaturg Heidi Taylor

Stage Manager Susan Miyagishima*

Production Manager/TD Adrian Muir

Set Designer Pam Johnson

Lighting Designer Gerald King

Assistant Lighting Designer Harika Xu

Sound Designer/Composer Steve Charles

Video Designer Jamie Nesbitt

Model and Miniature Designer Susan Miyagishima

Costume Designer Laura Fukumoto

Costume Design Mentor Barbara Clayden

Audio Dramaturg Yvonne Gall

Virtual Tour Host June Fukumura

Brightlight Picture Film Team:

Director Aaron Au

Director of Photography Alfonso Chin

Editor Dylan Murray

Sound Mixer Mark Barry

A Camera Operator Dean Webber

B Camera Operator Alfonso Chin

A Camera First Camera Assistant Sammy Su

B Camera First Camera Assistant Thomas Wang

A Camera Second Camera Assistant Mengxue Xia

B Camera Second Camera Assistant Eva Brownstein

Lighting Crew Tim Laks

Lighting Crew Agustin Little

Key Grip Trevor Pedersen

Post Sound Kirby Jinnah

Colorist Allan Pinvidic

vAct Team:

Artistic Producer Donna Yamamoto

General Manager Annie Jang

Associate Producer Susan Miyagishima

Marketing Associate Sally Yoo Jun Lee

With the generous support of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association

vAct is a member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT), and engages under the terms of the Canadian Theatre Agreement, professional artists who are members of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association.

Filmed in association with Brightlight Pictures

1 Hour Photo was developed in dramaturgical collaboration and partnership with Playwrights Theatre Centre.

Playwright’s Notes

There are many things that drew me to Mas’ story. In particular, his “love story” is unconventional, and yet true to life. I was also fascinated how Mas’ life so closely follows the contours of the 20th century, from the chaos of World War II, The Cold War, to the economic boom of the 1980’s. This story is about the major currents that shaped our century, yet it is also a very personal story, about suffering egregious injustice, and resilience, in the face of overwhelming odds. Sometimes, it’s easy to look at an old person, and never give them another thought. For me, learning Mas’ story has made me better appreciate how everyone has a story, especially our elders.

–Tetsuro Shigematsu

Director’s Notes

I’m very pleased to be working with Tetsuro Shigematsu and the VACT family on our follow-up to Tetsuro’s Empire of the Son. I’ve always loved biographies. Maybe that’s why I’ve always loved theatre. When a person’s life is thrown into relief against the backdrop of history, both can become more vivid, more real. Time and time again, history has shown that the human spirit can rise above the walls that others put in its way. This is a glimpse into the life and times of Mas Yamamoto, one of those remarkable people whose resilient spirit could not be held down.

–Richard Wolfe

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Cast & Crew

Donna Yamamoto (Producing Artistic Director): Since taking over the helm of vAct in 2013, Donna has devoted herself to the development of stage productions that are written and performed by Asian Canadian artists. Under her tenure, vAct has garnered three Jessie Awards and 21 Jessie nominations, for Ga Ting, Empire of the Son, 1 Hour Photo, The Ones We Leave Behind, and Kuroko. Donna was awarded the Vancouver NOW Representation and Inclusion Award at the 2016 Jessies for outstanding leadership in developing works by three Asian Canadian playwrights in The Cultch’s 2015/16 season. That same year, she was chosen as the UBCP/ACTRA Women’s Committee International Women’s Day Honouree in recognition of her outstanding contribution to causes of social justice.

Tetsuro Shigematsu (Writer/Performer/Filmmaker): Described by The Georgia Straight as “one of the city’s best artists,” Tetsuro Shigematsu is a former writer for This Hour Has 22 Minutes, in 2004, he became the first person-of-colour to host a daily national radio program in Canada, where he wrote and produced over 50 pieces of radio drama. His solo-work, Empire of the Son, has played in 18 cities to over 20,000 people, and was described by Colin Thomas as, “one of the best shows ever to come out of Vancouver. Ever.” 1 Hour Photo, was a finalist for the 2019 Governor General’s Award for Drama.

Richard Wolfe (Director): is a multi-award winning director, producer, dramaturg, and specialist in contemporary theatre who’s received, among other awards: The Ray Michel Award, The John Moffat and Larry Lillo Prize, as well as six Jessie nominations and two awards for Outstanding Direction. Richard is the Artistic and Producing Director of Pi Theatre which will be premiering At the Speed of Light, a new audio drama by Peter Dickinson, and Dance Like No-one is Watching, an immersive moment of connection in Vancouver’s parks with Munish Sharma, both coming out this summer.

Heidi Taylor (Dramaturg): is a dramaturg, director, and Artistic & Executive Director at PTC, based on the traditional unceded, occupied territories of the xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. She recently dramaturged the world premieres of Carmen Aguirre’s Anywhere But Here, Tetsuro Shigetmatsu’s Kuroko, Chicken Girl by Derek Chan, and Public and Private by choreographer Ziyian Kwan. Current projects: Derek Chan’s yellow objects, Zahida Rahemtulla’s The Wrong Bashir, Amber Funk Barton’s How to Say Goodbye, and Mermaid Spring, created by Barbara Adler and Kyla Gardiner. Heidi served as Board Treasurer of LMDA and was the founding president of LMDA Canada.

Pam Johnson (Set Design): is thrilled to be designing 1 Hour Photo. This is Pam’s 40th year as a set designer since graduating from Studio 58. She has designed for Bard on the Beach, Arts Club, Theatre Calgary, and Shaw Festival to name just a few companies. Pam is a multiple Jessie Award winner, along with a Career Achievement Award.

Gerald King (Lighting Design): has designed lighting for many local dance, theatre, and opera companies. Some of those include: Ballet British Columbia, Bard on The Beach, The Vancouver Opera, The Arts Club, and Kokoro Dance. Outside of Vancouver his work has been seen with The National Ballet of Canada, Theatre Calgary, The Citadel, The National Arts Centre, Western Canada Theatre, and numerous others. Gerald has received a number of awards for his Lighting Design and is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada.

Laura Fukumoto (Costume Design): arrived on the stolen land known as Vancouver over a decade ago, and is now a performance poet, playwright, and local cloth wizard with a BFA from UBC. Favourite costume design credits: Straight White Men with Itsazoo, The North Plan with UpintheAir, and The Ones We Leave Behind with VACT. More recently Laura wrote and directed the sold out and honourably mentioned ‘Where the Quiet Queers Are’ at Vancouver Fringe 2019, co-wrote and performed ‘The Mending Circle’ at the Powell Street Festival Telethon with Carolyn Nakagawa, and has performed her poetry at events and festivals across Vancouver.

Jamie Nesbitt (Video Design): designs across North America and Europe. His resume includes: Stratford Festival, Shaw Festival, Canadian Stage, NAC, Soulpepper, Vancouver Playhouse, Citadel, Theatre Calgary, Palazzo Circus (Berlin), Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show, Bard on the Beach, Arts Club, Charlottetown Festival, Electric Company, Kidd Pivot (Germany/Canada), Pacific Opera, Opera de Quebec, Company 14 (New York), Vancouver Opera, Why Not, Neptune, The Belfry, Old Trouts, ARC, Cahoots, PTE, Touchstone, Vertigo, Pi Theatre, Theatre Network, Birdland, Rumble Productions, Gateway, Greenthumb, Yukon Arts Centre, and many more. Jamie is a graduate of Studio 58.

Susan Miyagishima (Associate Producer/Stage Manager/Model & Miniature Design): is an accomplished stage manager, props designer, production and event coordinator, and has recently expanded her expertise into both directing and producing. As well as having worked locally with many of Vancouver’s esteemed theatre companies, she has toured extensively across Canada and abroad into the US and Asia. Susan is honoured to have stage managed four main stage productions with VACT: Empire of the Son, The Ones We Leave Behind, Kuroko, and 1 Hour Photo, for which she, Tetsuro, and Jamie jointly received a Jessie Award for Technical Design. Susan is a graduate of Studio 58.

Adrian Muir (Production Manager & Technical Director): Previous credits for Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre include: Kuroko, The Ones We Leave Behind, several touring versions of Empire Of The Son and the original production of 1 Hour Photo. Adrian has also worked as a production manager, technical director, and lighting designer with many local theatre companies over the past 25 years and is multi-Jessie Award winner in both lighting design and production.

Steve Charles (Sound Design/Composer/Performer): is a composer, performer, multi-instrumentalist, and sound designer from the Pacific Northwest. Highlights include working with Bard on the Beach, Arts Club, Playhouse/MTC, Boca del Lupo, Bluemouth Inc., Galala on TV Unis, and Pacifique en Chanson. With the Escape Artists, he collaborated on Miss Shakespeare, Hey Viola, and he continues to perform in their show Chelsea Hotel in theatres across Canada. He tours internationally with bands The Fugitives and Viper Central and is in demand as a musician and theatre artist for his expertise and versatility. He is delighted to be back with the incredible team at vAct for 1 Hour Photo! stevenjohncharles.com

June Fukumura (Virtual Tour Host): is a Japanese-Canadian inter-disciplinary theatre artist with a BFA in Theatre Performance and a Certificate in Sustainable Community Development from Simon Fraser University. June is the Co-Founder of New(to)Town Collective an artist collective with a mandate to create new experimental works; provide ongoing accessible physical theatre training and experimental research workshops called Training Jams. June is also the Co-Artistic Director of Popcorn Galaxies an experimental theatre company interested in re-enchanting the everyday through unconventional site-responsive and site-specific works. Popcorn Galaxies has produced over eleven independent productions in seven years and has been presented at Centre A Gallery, Vancouver Fringe Festival, BC Culture Days, rEvolver Festival, The Array: First Contact, and will be presenting a new work at PuSHOFF 2021. Additionally, she was the Assistant Dramaturg at the Playwrights Lab at the Banff Centre for the Arts in 2019/20 and the Emerging Dramaturg for Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre’s MSG program in 2019. She independently produces the Nikkei Artist Mixer, the Emerging Dramaturg Mixer, and is the founder of Dyslexic Players Canada. Her artistic practice includes: experimental theatre creation, acting for theatre/film, performance, clown, dramaturgy, directing, producing, curating, Japanese language translation and language coaching, and cultural leadership. Junefukumura.com

Harika Xu (Assistant Lighting Designer): graduated from UBC with BFA in Theatre Design and Production, and in Visual Art. Past lighting designs include: Madama Butterfly (Burnaby Lyric Opera), Jerusalem, Chimerica, Life of Galileo (United Players), Poly Queer Love Ballad (Queer Arts Festival), The Star-Spangled Girl (The Group Van Theatre), Wives and Daughters (UBC Theatre). Assistant lighting design credits: No Child…(Arts Club Theatre Company, LD Gerald King), Goodnight Desdemona (Douglas College, LD Gerald King). Projection designs include: Irreparable Harm? (Heart of the City Festival), Chimerica, Life of Galileo, ENRON (United Players), Dear Elizabeth (Wunderdog Theatre), Wives and Daughters (UBCTheatre). Harikaxu.com

ABOUT

EAST VAN TO ADELAIDE is a season of works which continues a new global presentation platform (East Van to…) launched last year for some of the most exciting theatre companies and artists from Vancouver, Canada, created and curated by Heather Redfern, Executive Director of East Vancouver’s leading performing arts theatre The Cultch, and award-winning British artistic producer Richard Jordan.

Its 2021 inaugural season, East Van to Edinburgh, was produced in collaboration with Edinburgh Fringe venue ZOO and was recipient of the Holden Street Theatres Edinburgh Award.

Each of the selected shows has previously been very successful in Vancouver and is now presented for the first time to Australian audiences, ready for breaking new ground and aiming to create greater visibility for British Columbia artists and companies on the national and international stage.

COMPANY

Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre occupies a unique role within the ecology of Canadian theatre.We are only one of two professional companies in Canada whose mandate focuses on Asian Canadian theatre artists, and one of the only diversely mandated companies committed to creating new Canadian work.

Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre was originally founded in 2001 as a community theatre group led by Joyce Lam. Joyce saw that Vancouver’s stages didn’t reflect the REAL Vancouver, with its dynamic, diverse, and ever growing Asian Canadian community. vAct, became an incubator of some of the best Asian Canadian talent in the country. Over the next 12 years, VACT collaborated with over 500 Asian Canadian theatre artists, and produced over 40 shows.

In 2013, Donna Yamamoto was appointed as Artistic Director and began vAct’s rapid transformation from a community theatre to one of the most exciting diversity-mandated professional theatre companies in Canada. She wanted the company to become not just professional, but world class—one that nurtured the incredible talent of the many Asian Canadian artists who needed more professional opportunities and support. Which is why we do what we do—the development and premiering of new Asian Canadian dramatic works.

Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre is now a PACT member with operations funding support from three levels of government, producing a seasonal mainstage production, tours of past mainstage productions to theatres across Canada, development workshops, and the MSG Lab, the annual new play development program in association with the Playwrights Theatre Centre.

A central part of our mission is working to subvert the stereotype that Asian Canadians constitute a monolithic community. Central to how we dismantle this perception is through the unpacking and exploration of the iridescent diversity that can be found within Asian Canadian communities. This approach directly informs how we seek out, develop and curate both our play development and mainstage programming. Not only is there a wide range of nations or cultures within the Asian Canadian community, further to that, there is even more diversity to be found within each community in and of themselves. vAct operates on the traditional, unceded territories of the xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

The Cultch: Since 1973, The Cultch (formally the Vancouver East Cultural Centre) has been one of Vancouver’s most diverse and innovative arts and cultural hubs. The organization operates three theatrical venues, a gallery, and various ancillary spaces in the heart of East Vancouver. The Cultch offers dynamic contemporary programming in theatre, dance, music, and the visual arts, bringing world-class cultural presentations to thousands of citizens each year through its own programming and through providing rental opportunities for community users. Our purpose is to provide a venue for performance that serves a diverse and engaged public and provides space for artistic experimentation and development, building an audience for local companies and presenting cutting-edge national and international work.

Richard Jordan Productions is an Olivier, TONY and EMMY Award-winning creative production company based in London under the artistic leadership of British producer Richard Jordan. Described by The Stage newspaper as "one of the UK's most prolific producers", since 1998 his company has produced over 260 productions in the UK as well as 28 other countries.

A new writing and musical theatre specialist, Richard has been at the forefront of discovering, developing, and producing world premieres of works by a diverse range of new and established UK and international writers and artists often with a strong social and political agenda. He has enjoyed a long theatre association in Canada regularly working with The Cultch Performing Arts Venue in Vancouver producing and developing the work of some of its country’s most exciting new and leading contemporary artists and companies at many of its theatres as well as internationally. His past productions have won over 60 major awards. With the East Van to Adelaide season at Holden Street Theatres, he continues his relationship with Adelaide where he has regularly presented productions at both its fringe and international Festival since 2006.

ZOO (Original Associate Producer) operates multiple venues at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe every year, presenting over 60 shows in 25 days to around 20,000 audience members each year. Following the cancellation of the Edinburgh Fringe in 2020 due to the pandemic, the ZOO team launched ZOO TV, a new online streaming service for theatre and dance, making high-quality performance easily available to audiences. ZOO have a history of supporting the most exciting emerging companies and internationally renowned mid-career and established artists to create the very best work they can, presented in the best way possible, at the Edinburgh Fringe and further afield. ZOO is a winner of the Herald Archangel for Outstanding Programming.

“No individual Edinburgh venue has risen to the challenge of making their presence felt in 2020 quite like ZOO” – The Scotsman

Special Thanks

Filmed with the support of…

Heather Redfern and The Cultch

Bonnie Mah – Diamond Donor

The Jack Gin Family Foundation, held at Vancouver Foundation – Platinum Donor

Elsie and Audrey Jang Fund, held at Vancouver Foundation – Gold Donor

Easy Park – Gold Sponsor

Shinobu Homma – Silver Donor

Susan and Bruce Stout – Bronze Donor

D. Wendy Lee – Bronze Donor

Penelope Tham – Bronze Donor

Stanley and Kathy Hamilton – Bronze Donor

Individual donors: Anita Wu, Anonymous, Audrey Ho, Christina Yan-Lee & Michael Lee & Family, Claire Sakaki, Constance Kadota, David & Kate Pedlow, Denise Goodkey, Ellie O’Day, Emily Larkman, Heather Kennedy, Helen Law, Helen Wong, J. Lam, Jade Lim, Jean Lum, Janette Lee, Julianne Nieh, Karen and Brian Funt, Karin Terado, Kathryn Shaw, Kelly Bourne in honour of all new and emerging playwrights, Kenton Low, Linda Lee, Loretta Seto and Peter Wiholm, Lydia Hsu, Michael Chutter in honour of Abigail K. and Flo, Naomi Yamamoto, Norman Yeung, Patricia Tanaka in memory of Shin and Reiko Endo, Patrick Duffy, Ross Paul and Jane Brindley, Sandy Tanaka, Teresa Mew, Terry Whitehead, Therese Soong, Valerie Sing Turner, Vicki Lum

vAct would also like to acknowledge the generous support of…

Canada Council for the Arts

BC Arts Council / Province of BC

Government of Canada

City of Vancouver

Y.P. Heung Foundation

Vancouver Foundation

Wuchien Michael Than Foundation

Jack and Sylvia Gin Foundation – Platinum Donor

Individual donors: Anonymous, Beverley Carol Wong, Dana Turner, Gwendolyn Yip, Jennifer Jang, Jocelyn Pitsch, Karen Chan, Kevin Chong, Kim Mah, Linda Hoffman, Shirley Lum, Susan Cox in honour of Wally Chung, Walter Quan

As well as sponsors of the original theatrical production…

National Association of Japanese Canadians

National Association of Japanese Canadians Endowment Fund

Prospero Realty

Koffman Kalef LLP

Iven K.S. Tse Law Corporation

Inspirit Health Group

Ganache Patisserie

Special Thanks to…

Naomi, Donna, Brian, Joan and Mas Yamamoto

Ayukawa family

vAct Board: Penny Tham, Wendy Lee, Sandy Tanaka, Kenton Low, Helen Wong

vAct Advisory Board: Claire Sakaki, Stan Hamilton, Terry Whitehead

Shawn Williamson, Chairman Brightlight Pictures

Ando Su, Andrew O’Bray, Bruce Kennedy, Cameron Fraser, Carla Ayukawa, Chris Sheldon, Christopher Larkin, Elia Kirby, Howard Jang, Jennifer Stewart, Jonathan Shore, Joseph Bardsley, Judy Dowd, Leslie Dos Remedios, Linda Reid, Lisa Uyeda, Mae Locke, Marietta Kozak, Natalie Tin Yin Gan, Peter Hall, Raymond Shum, Steve Demeter, Steve Plitt, Terry Wong, Tim Carlson, Ward Pearson, and Ziyian Kwan.

Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre

Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre

Carousel Theatre for Young People

Electric Company Theatre

Arts Club Theatre Company

Canadian War Musuem

The Cultch and Richard Jordan Productions staff