A genius Chinese rocket scientist is accused of being a communist during McCarthyism, interned and deported to China where he develops the Silkworm missile and helps shepherd in the atom bomb. His brilliant biographer exposes the truth about the Rape of Nanking war atrocities and is caught up in the geopolitical intrigue. Can they break the never-ending cycle of destruction with their own souls?
CONTENT WARNING: This play deals with the after-effects of war atrocities, including depictions of intergenerational trauma and mentions of sexual assault.
TSIEN – Raugi Yu (he/him)
Raugi Yu is a graduate of The Dome Theatre program in Montreal and The BFA Acting program here at UBC. Raugi has been acting professionally on Stage, TV and Film since the 90’s and is an instructor and private coach of acting. Raugi has acted in various theatres across Canada and the U.S. He has been on the ground level of development for many plays in his decades long career and is honoured to be working on Geomancer. Raugi is currently in the final phase of post production for a feature film he directed.
IRIS- Evelyn Chew (she/her)
Evelyn has appeared on stages across Canada and on screen. She is a mentor, teacher and loves working on new material. Selected credits include: The Mysterious Benedict Society (Fox/Hulu), Narcoleap (KGP Films), Canada, It’s Complicated (Canada 150), TBD (Radix Theatre), Bedstefader (Caravan Farm Theatre), She Has A Name (Burnt Thicket Theatre), Are We There Yet? (Jessie Richardson Award Recipient, Neworld Theatre). She is a graduate of both Douglas College and Studio 58 Acting Programs.
COLONEL/DEL GUERICO – Craig Erickson (he/him)
Craig’s most recent theatre credit didn’t quite happen a year ago – Carried Away on the Crest of a Wave (Arts Club). Actual recent productions include Coriolanus (Bard on the Beach), East Van Panto: The Wizard of Oz (Theatre Replacement) and the award- winning Shakespeare/Clown mashup, Titus Buffonius (Rumble). Film & Television: Mysterious Benedict Society, The Man in the High Castle, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Bates Motel, Once Upon a Time, Supernatural.
Chinese Woman Survivor – Maydene Pang (she/her)
Maydene started acting in HI being a “triple threat” in musicals. Before leaving, she did a “Magnum, P.I.” episode and now has added “Station 19”, “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Man In a High Castle” to her resume. Highlighted favorites: “Joy Luck Club” (Ying-Ying), “Paper Angels” (Miss Chan), “King and I” (Topsy), “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” (Linda Lou) and “Evita”.
Jenna Masuhara (they/them) Communications Coordinator
Jenna Masuhara has worked for various arts organizations in administrative and marketing roles. They graduated from SFU with a degree in Communications and minors in Business, Publishing and Dialogue. They are excited to be part of the ‘Geomancer’ team!
David Hsieh (he/him) Director
A multi-discipline theatre artist, David is the Founding Artistic Director of Seattle’s ReAct Theatre. His recent credits include directing the West Coast Premiere of Salty at ReAct, co-directing Kim’s Convenience for Taproot Theatre, doing Scenic Design for Washer/Dryer at SiS Productions, designing props for Head Over Heels at ArtsWest, and performing in The Elixir of Love at Seattle Opera and A Very Die Hard Christmas at Seattle Public Theatre. A founding board member of Theatre Puget Sound, David also serves on the faculty at Freehold. He has spent the pandemic uploading some of ReAct’s theatrical archives onto the theatre’s YouTube channel.
VON KARMAN – David Adams (he/him)
David has enjoyed a varied career in the Performing Arts as an actor, singer, director, producer and teacher. As an actor, he has appeared in many Canadian Theatres in a variety of roles, from the National Tours of Show Boat, Phantom of the Opera and Sunset Boulevard, to 5 seasons as a member of the ensemble of The Shaw Festival. On Film and TV, David appears regularly as a doctor, judge, politician or scientist and his voice can be heard narrating many documentaries, training films and audio books.
YAMATO – Tetsuro Shigematsu (he/him)
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.
LESTER/Psychiatrist – Russell Roberts (he/him)
Russell Roberts was born and raised in Wales. Emigrated to Canada aged 17. Professional actor since 1978. Performed in theatres across Canada from Victoria to Charlottetown, and in New York and Los Angeles. Extensive film, TV, and radio credits (IMDB). Resident of New Westminster, BC, and married to actor Colleen Winton for 31 years. Parents to theatre professional sons Sayer and Gower Roberts. He and Colleen have a lovely garden and grow beautiful flowers and wonderful vegetables.
Chinese Woman Survivor – Kathy Hsieh (she/her)
Kathy Hsieh is an award-winning actor, writer and director. Recent projects include 14/48 Projects’ It’s a Wonderful Life, Harlequin Productions’ radio version of Snow in Midsummer, Parley’s Patch and Piper Save the Multiverse, and Macha Theatre Works’ Notes for My Daughter. She has also worked with SIS Productions, Pratidhwani, Pork Filled Productions, Raisins in a Glass of Milk, Sound Theatre, ReAct, Seattle Rep, Book-It, ACT, Intiman, Taproot, ArtsWest, Living Voices, and Seattle Shakespeare’s Wooden O.
Marianna de Fazio (she/her) Dialect Coach
Since receiving her MFA at the University of Washington’s Professional Actor Training Program, Marianna has coached dialect at theaters across Seattle, including Book-it Rep, Taproot, ACT Theatre and many more. She also coaches individuals in accent modification, public speaking and voice & speech: mariannadefazio.com
Krys Yuan (she/her) Production Coordinator
Krys Yuan (she/her) is an emerging theatre artist and aspiring cat parent. Born and raised in Singapore, she dances between her work as an actor, playwright, poet, arts admin, child and youth work, amongst many things. Her practice is invested in alternate realities, speculative fantasy, and investigating Asian heritage alongside inheritances of colonialism. She is immensely grateful for this opportunity to learn from many talented and generous people in the room.
Leslie Lum (she/her) Playwright
Poems and short fiction published in Canadian Literature, Wascana Review, Canadian Anthology of Short Fiction Volume II, Into the Fire: Asian American Prose, Asian Week, Asian American Journal, and more. Geomancer is my first play. My undying gratitude to Heidi Taylor, the original dramaturg for this piece, who had complete faith in literally a few scraps of paper and an incoherent playwright. Thanks also to director David Hsieh, the amazing performers, dialect coach, production and communications coordinators who are so passionate about making this happen.
Geomancer was first read as part of the MSG Workshop at the Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (vact.ca) in February 2017, with Heidi Taylor dramaturging through PTC’s support. Much gratitude for giving this opportunity to emerging playwrights.
This presentation is made possible with the support of Playwrights Theatre Centre and Canadian Actors’ Equity Association.