MIXIE and the Halfbreeds
"The dancing and choreography (by Ming-Bo Lam), mostly performed by the chorus and Mixie and Trixie’s blonde shadows, is terrific, energetic, and lots of fun."
- Mooney on Theatre
It was such a treat to spend the past few weeks immersed in the wacky & wonderful world of Mixie & the Halfbreeds. It was my first time choreographing for a play & I'm thankful for the wonderful team that supported my learning curve & taught me so much!
This experience inspired much journaling, & a few heartfelt conversations with my sister, as I confronted my personal mixed race experience. Despite presenting with physical features that are easily mistaken for fully Caucasian or any number of ethnicities, my (very) Chinese name has always held me grounded to that "half". This process has made me especially aware of this, & in turn, incredibly grateful for it.
To sum up my feelings, as I move forward from this treat of a project:
Belonging is important.
Feeling whole is important.
Learning we have the right to choose, to figure out who we want to be, how we want to balance & express all of what makes each of us unique, is important.
Thank you to the cast & crew of Mixie & the Halfbreeds, for these important lessons. xo
NOW Magazine gave us a NNNN in their books, which was really special! You can check out their full report here.
The Toronto Star gave us some hype with this introduction as well:
In theatre, two worlds co-exist simultaneously.
In a traditional setting, there’s the world of the performance and characters onstage, and then there’s the reality of the performers and audience. One does not erase or diminish the other; in fact, both are necessary for the play to even occur.
To playwright Adrienne Wong that’s not far from her experiences living as a mixed race person. Wong’s French and Chinese, two sides of her heritage existing simultaneously to make the complete person. So it’s fitting that Mixie and the Halfbreeds, her collaboration with actor and playwright Julie Tamiko Manning, is coming to Toronto with an all-female cast and crew, including director Jenna Rodgers, who is also of mixed race.
CREDITS
Creators: Julie Tamiko Manning & Adrienne Wong Director: Jenna Rodgers Featuring: Zoé Doyle and Vanessa Trenton
Lead Dancers: Alexandra Crenian & Dedra McDermott
Blond Chorus: Bethany Pethick, Fly Lady Di & YUI Costume Designer: Jackie Chau Sound Designer/Composer: Deanna H. Choi Set/Lighting Designer: Alison Yanota Choreographer: Ming-Bo Lam Stage Manager: Bradley Dunn
Assistant Stage Manager: Kathleen Jones Production Manager: Suzie Balogh
Producer: Jenna Harris Assistant Producer: Alex Franks
Presented by: fu-GEN Theatre Company / David Yee, Artistic Director
