An Interview with the Creative Team of “Kim’s Convenience”
A discussion with A.C.T.’s team who is bringing you “Kim’s Convenience.” Plus, SF Opera closes two shows this weekend and big news in casting from Berkeley Rep.
A.C.T. Artistic Director sits down with Kim’s Convenience playwright and star Ins Choi and director Weyni Mengesha to talk about the play, its background, and why it’s the perfect story to tell now, in San Francisco.
Pam MacKinnon: Ins and Weyni, here we are. I’m very excited that A.C.T. is bringing in Kim’s Convenience, and maybe, Weyni, you can kick us off. Where is this play set, and what is it about?
Weyni Mengesha: This play is set in downtown Toronto, in a neighborhood that is gentrifying rapidly in 2011, and it is a story about a convenience store owner and his family. They are coming to terms with the changes in their community, and presented with an option to sell the store, which throws the store owner into deeper questions around his legacy, and his purpose. That is the kick off to a day that will be transformational for him and his family.
Pam: Yeah, I’m struck by the pressurization of time. There’s something wonderful in the comedic fact that anyone can walk through that door of a convenience store. And also the day keeps getting more pressurized: professional pressure, personal pressure, both external and internal. The setting is just ripe for exploration of intergenerational tensions that have been unspoken until today, a day like no other. Let’s go way back, to the play’s origin story. Ins, what inspired you to write this play?
Ins Choi: Nina Lee Aquino is the founding director of Fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company, and she wanted to nurture new voices and new Asian plays. So it was really that invitation that inspired this. I had written poems and songs and other things like that, but I’d never written a play, but neither had the other 10 people who were in the group. It led to a nice rookie camaraderie that helped foster encouragement, accountability, and support...
On the Stage
The Reservoir
Theatre | Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Now – October 12 | Tickets
Josh is a hot mess of a queer twenty-something. He’s dropped out of school to get his life together — but can’t manage to stay sober. Struggling with fogginess and memory loss, he finds unlikely allies in his four hilarious grandparents.
Post-show Discussion: September 30
More Events
- Dead Man Walking | San Francisco Opera | Now – September 28 | View the Print Program
- Open Captioned: All performances
- Daniil Trifonov | Cal Performances | September 28
- TwoSet Violin | San Francisco Symphony | September 29–30 | View the Program
- Kim’s Convenience | American Conservatory Theater | Now – October 19 | View the Program
- Post-show Discussion: September 30
Next Line
- Big casting news from Berkeley Rep: Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jimmy Smits and acclaimed actress Wanda de Jesús will share the stage in All My Sons. Under the direction of Associate Artistic Director David Mendizábal, this new production brings fresh energy to Arthur Miller’s searing tale of moral compromise.
- Tune in: A new podcast takes you inside Red Carpet, Hofesh Shechter’s ballet coming to Cal Performances with the Paris Opera Ballet. From the atmosphere of the piece to the costume designs, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the performance comes alive.
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