Firehall Arts Centre Closes 2022-2023 Season With World Premiere Of HAPPY VALLEY

The Firehall closes its 2022-23 season with the world premiere of rice & beans theatre's Happy Valley from Thursday, May 25 to Sunday, June 4.

Conceived and performed by Sydney Risk Award-winning playwright Derek Chan 陳嘉昊, Happy Valley is a solo, interdisciplinary performance. Through text, song, multimedia and music, Happy Valley is a new performance piece that dissects the historic, political, and cultural context surrounding Hong Kong's current democratic struggles. Named after the historic race course that hosted the (in)famous Concert for Democracy in China back in 1989, almost exactly one week before the Tiananmen Massacre, Happy Valley is a follow-up to Derek Chan's 2021 yellow objects theatrical installation at the Firehall Arts Centre.

Mainland China promised Hong Kong a high level of autonomy and the right to self-determination back in the '80s, in preparation for the 1997 Handover from British colonization. It has been almost 25 years since Chris Patten and his family tearfully waved Hong Kong goodbye at Victoria Harbour. It has been 3 years since the first yellow raincoat drifted from the sky at Pacific Place. And it has been never since the people of Hong Kong had any agency over their fate. Fast forward to 2023: everything that has happened since is in danger of having never happened at all. To us, democracy is a luxury.

Happy Valley remembers everything. But what will you remember of Hong Kong in 50 years? Meet 'Uncle Chan'. Will he ever be able to go home? In English, Cantonese, and memoriam. He'll give that a go.

*Credits for Happy Valley:
Playwright & Performer: Derek Chan 陳嘉昊Director: Anjela MagpantayDramaturg: Heidi TaylorSet/Props/Costume Designer: Megan LaneVideo Designer: Andie LloydLighting Designer: Jonathan Kim Sound Design: Sapphire HazeUnderstudy: Angus YamStage Manager: AnonymousProduction Manager: Pleasant ClearingTechnical Director: Anonymous
*Although this production is taking place and was created in Canada, there are some artists living in our country who are self-censoring their work and themselves because of what is going on in China. For this reason, these artists have chosen to use pseudonyms or remain anonymous.