ANIVIA
Tan Vu / ANIVIA Collective
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Musical Theatre
Weaving together musical theatre and Vietnamese folk music and folk tales, ANIVIA follows The Wanderer on his quest to recover fragments of a broken mirror and assemble them to see himself whole again. ANIVIA’s excerpt presentation at CAMINOS 2023 Festival portrays The Wanderer’s journey back to his roots, where he meets with two historical figures and receives guidance to move forward.
“Tan Vu and their work is like a breath of fresh air. As a recent immigrant queer artist from Vietnam, they are already making a name for themselves in Toronto. Their work as storyteller integrates original music, text (in Vietnamese and English), poetry, movement and symbolism to convey themes of cultural heritage and the immigrant experience.
This piece began its development as part of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre Emerging Creators Unit, which encouraged Tan Vu to reconnect with their land and mother tongue and create works that more accurately reflect Vietnamese culture, customs and people. Anivia is NOT a Miss Saigon! We are so excited for this piece. Welcome to the Aluna TransAmerican family.” – Beatriz Pizano
September 27, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Tickets are purchased through the Factory Theatre website above. A ticket to CAMINOS allows access to all presentations throughout an evening, and can be purchased on a pay-what-you-can-afford basis : $15 – $30 – $60.
CAST
The Wanderer / ANIVIA
Tan Vu
Spirit of Emperor Khải Định / ANIMUS
Ryota Kaneko
Spirit of Lady Triệu / ANIMA
Heeyun Park
Fisherman 1 / Pawn Chess Piece
Nam Nguyen
Fisherman 2 / Pawn Chess Piece
Aidan Reimer
Fisherman 3 / King Chess Piece
Alexander Franks
Ensemble
Yuki Fumoto
Mackenzie Langdon
Duy Tran
Steave A. Sidibe
CREATION TEAM
Creator of text / sung melodies & lyrics for songs
Tan Vu
Musical Arranger for “Home”
Vũ Việt Anh
Musical Collaborator / Arranger for other songs
Alice Ping Yee Ho
Movement facilitator for creation
Chase Lo
Traditional Costume Maker
Tạ Thanh Hoa
Vietnamese History & Culture Consultant
Nguyễn Thị Hồng Hạnh
Song Development Consultant
Đào Nhật Quang
Southern Vietnamese Folk Music Expert
Nguyễn Thị Mai Hiền
Northern & Central Vietnamese folk music artist
Lê Thu Hiền
CREATIVE TEAM
Director
Nam Pham
Music Director
Benjamin Page
Choreographer
Chase Lo
Festival Presentation Dramaturg
Nguyễn Thị Hồng Hạnh
PRODUCTION TEAM
Lead Producer
Tan Vu
Associate Producer
Shane Mai
Production Manager / Stage Manager
Tanvi Vyas
Vietnamese costume maker
Tạ Thanh Hoa
ANIVIA acknowledges the funders and supporters who are vital to ANIVIA’s research, creation, and festival presentation. Without them, this would not be at all possible. ANIVIA’s Public Presentation at CAMINOS 2023 Festival has been supported by The Canada Council for the Arts, The Ontario Arts Council, The Toronto Arts Council, Aluna Theatre, Canadian Stage, and The AFC. ANIVIA’s conceptualization (where it all started) was supported by Buddies In Bad Times Theatre, Cahoots Theatre, MT Space, and Talk Is Free Theatre.
About the artist
Tan Vu is a Vietnamese-Canadian artist. A Fulbright fellow, Tan performed in theatre and opera in Vietnam before moving to New York to train, under a scholarship, at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Tan immigrated to Canada in November 2019 and has since worked with Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Cahoots Theatre, City Opera Vancouver, Talk Is Free Theatre, Toronto Operetta Theatre, and others. His upcoming projects include the Canadian Opera Company’s FIDELIO, and Tarragon Theatre’s Greenhouse Festival 2024.
Tan is also a creator of new works that weave together musical theatre and Vietnamese folk music and folk tales, and has received grants from Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, and Canada Council for the Arts, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre’s 2020 Queer Emerging Artist Award, and Toronto Arts Foundation’s 2021 RBC Newcomer Arts Award. He recently performed his original songs rooted in Vietnamese heritage at the 2023 Asian Heritage Month Concert and Education Roundables, as well as Taste of Vietnam 2023 at Nathan Phillips Square.