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A Soulpepper Production
KIM’S CONVENIENCE
by Ins Choi
STUDY GUIDE
prepared by Kathy Quayle, Education Coordinator, The Grand Theatre (London, ON)
January 2013
photo of Ins Choi by Cylla von Tiedemann
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Kim's Convenience directly supports learning in the subject areas and ... The play Kim's Convenience began as a conversation between Mr.
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A Soulpepper Production
KIM’S CONVENIENCE
by Ins Choi
STUDY GUIDE
prepared by Kathy Quayle, Education Coordinator, The Grand Theatre (London, ON)
January 2013
photo of Ins Choi by Cylla von Tiedemann
Curriculum Connections
Kim’s Convenience directly supports learning in the subject areas and curriculum in the following ways:
Language (Elementary) / English (Secondary): listening to understand, question, view, evaluate, think critically, reflect, connect to the world and appreciate the cultural impact and aesthetic power of text.
The Arts: observing to deepen awareness and appreciate diverse perspectives; experience empathy; identify aesthetic and human values; encourage innovative thinking, spontaneity, intuition, divergent thinking, and improvisation. Supporting the arts encourages responsible and critically literate citizens in society and of the world.
Canadian and World Studies: observing interactions with and within social and physical environments; understanding Canada’s heritage and its physical, social, cultural, governmental, legal, and economic structures and relationships; helping to perceive Canada
in a global context and understand its place and role in the world community.
Business: observing the effect on the standard of living and quality of lives; on the environment in which students live and which future generations will inherit; observing the function of a family-run business, the role it plays in our society, the opportunities it generates, the skills it requires, and the impact it can have on the family’s lives and on society, today and in the future.
Social Sciences and the Humanities : observing human beings and their behaviour within their world and society; observing individual development, family life, resource management and conflict resolution.
Synopsis
Setting: Regent Park convenience store, Toronto, 2012.
MR. KIM owns and runs his own business, Kim’s Convenience. He is an honest worker and a family man, who prides himself on being a good judge of character. He began his convenience store business years ago to support his family, and he hopes it will provide a secure future for his daughter JANET.
As Mr. Kim looks forward to retirement with his wife UMMA, he is faced with choices and challenges. Regent Park is growing with new condos and a potential business competitor, Walmart. Realtor MR. LEE offers to purchase his store and property. Furthermore, daughter Janet has her heart set on photography, with no interest in taking over the store.
Kim’s Convenience premiered in the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival, where it played to sold-out houses and was awarded Best New Play. The production was then invited to open Soulpepper Theatre’s 2012-13 Season, again playing to sold-out crowds, and winning Toronto Theatre Critics’ Awards for Best Canadian Play and Best Actor for Paul Sun-Hyung Lee.
Respected Toronto website Theatromania placed Kim’s Convenience in the Top 4 of 13 theatre shows in Toronto to be celebrated in the year to come.
Director Weyni Mengesha was named a ‘Top Theatre Artist’ as director for Kim’s Convenience by critic Jon Kaplan of Now Magazine, for “capturing emotional truth,” and knowing how “to touch an audience’s collective heart, sometimes with a feather-light nudge and sometimes with the force of a lightning bolt.”
Cast and Artistic Team
INS CHOI Jung / Playwright
SOULPEPPER: Resident Artist, 2013; Kim's Convenience, Alligator Pie, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Death of a Salesman, Double Bill: (re)Birth: E.E. Cummings in Song & Window on Toronto.
OTHER THEATRE: lady in the red dress (fu-GEN/Factory); Hamlet, The Odyssey (Stratford); Banana Boys (fu-GEN); Hongbu and Nolbu (YPT).
OTHER: Ins is creating a solo show called Subway Stations of the Cross. His play, Kim's Convenience is touring across Canada in 2013/14.
GRACE LYNN KUNG Janet
SOULPEPPER: La Ronde, Kim's Convenience.
OTHER THEATRE: Yukonstyle (CanStage); a nanking winter (Nightwood); Paper Series (fu-GEN).
FILM & TELEVISION: Slings and Arrows, Away from Her, Being Erica, George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, InSecurity, Hypercube, House Party, Cubicle Warriors, P2, Open House, Billable Hours, The Listener, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Blue State, Lost and Delirious.
OTHER: Two Certificates of Distinction in Speech and Drama from Trinity College London (UK); Voice (Grand Central Studios - UK, Pirate Radio - CDA); Gemini Award nominee for Best Leading Comedic Actress
PAUL SUN-HYUNG LEE Appa
SOULPEPPER: Kim's Convenience.
OTHER THEATRE: (Selected credits) Ali & Ali: The Deportation Hearings (Neworld/Cahoots); The Monster Under the Bed (YPT); Godzilla (Crows); The Hobbit (YPT); 1837: The Farmers Revolt (TPM).
FILM & TELEVISION: (Selected credits) Robocop, Untitled Work of Paul Shepard, Ice Princess, The Echo, P2; Warehouse 13, XIII, Almost Heroes, Alphas, Covert Affairs, Degrassi, Train 48.
OTHER: 2012 Toronto Theatre Critics' Association Award for Best Actor ( Kim's Convenience ); Dora Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Principal Role 2012 ( Kim's Convenience ) & 2010 ( Monster Under the Bed ).
ANDRE SILLS Rich/Mr. Lee/Mike/Alex
SOULPEPPER: Kim's Convenience, You Can't Take It With You, Home, Window on Toronto.
OTHER THEATRE: Shakespeare's Nigga, Ruined (Obsidian); Intimate Apparel (ATP), Cruel & Tender, Much Ado About Nothing (Canadian Stage); Courageous (NewStages); Out At Sea (ARC); Richard III (Hart House Theatre); Taming of the Shrew, As You Like It (Theatre By The Bay); The Overwhelming (Studio 180/CanadianStage); Othello, Radio Golf (St. Louis Black Rep).
OTHER: Four seasons at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival of Canada, attended Birmingham Conservatory, member of The Actors Repertory Company and Graduate of the George Brown Theatre School.
Beginning in 1992, Albert spent three years on CBC's hit television series Street Legal , followed by two seasons as the lead in the series Side Effects. His feature film work includes Beautiful Dreamers , I Love a Man in Uniform , Maximum Risk , Balls Up , Under My Skin , and most recently the lead in CTV's made for TV film Shades of Black (a biography of Conrad Black) which aired in December 2006.
Albert is the Founding Artistic Director of Soulpepper Theatre Company and General Director of the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Albert regularly directs and appears on stage with Soulpepper. As an actor, recent highlights include Hamlet (2004 & 2005), Uncle Vanya (2001, 2002 & 2008), Our Town (1999, 2006 & 2007), The Real Thing (2006) and The Odd Couple (2008). He also leads the Soulpepper Academy and the company's youth outreach and access initiatives.
Albert's many honours include The City of Toronto Barbara Hamilton Memorial Award, the DareArts Foundation Cultural Award, The Toronto Arts Council William Kilbourn Award, the Salute to the City Award and the Joan Chalmers National Award for Artistic Direction. For his work on behalf of UNICEF, Albert received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal.
Albert has received Honorary Degrees from Queen's and Bishop's Universities in recognition of his contributions to Canadian Theatre.
KEN MacKENZIE Set and Costume Designer
SOULPEPPER: Resident Artist 2013. Set & Costume Designer: Kim's Convenience, Home, A Midsummer Night's Dream (2011). Set Designer: The Barber of Seville, The Norman Conquests. Lighting Designer & Actor: Alligator Pie. Production Designer: Double Bill (2011). Set & Video Designer: Oh What A Lovely War (2010). Set & Lighting Designer (collaborator): The Cherry Orchard (2010), Costume Designer: Death of a Salesman (2010).
OTHER: Ken is a graduate of the California Institute of the Arts. Ken was a nominee for the 2013 Virginia and Myrtle Cooper award in Costume design.
LORENZO SAVOINI Lighting Designer
SOULPEPPER: Resident Artist, Resident Designer, 2013. Set, Costume & Video Designer: La Ronde. Set & Costume Designer: Angels in America, High Life, The Crucible, Exit the King, The Threepenny Opera. Lighting Designer: The Norman Conquests, Kim's Convenience, Home, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Billy Bishop Goes to War, The Glass Menagerie. Set & Lighting Designer: Antigone. Set Designer: The Royal Comedians, Death of a Salesman, The Time of Your Life, The Odd Couple, Of the Fields, Lately, Three Sisters, The Caretaker.
OTHER THEATRE: Stratford Festival (6 seasons), Canadian Opera Company, Tarragon, Theatre Calgary, Canadian Stage, Neptune Theatre.
THOMAS RYDER PAYNE Sound Designer
SOULPEPPER: Kim's Convenience, Ghosts, La Ronde.
OTHER THEATRE: Designs for Stratford, Canadian Stage, National Arts Centre, Theatre Calgary, GCTC, Tarragon, Volcano, Aluna, Modern Times and many others.
OTHER: Starting as a songwriter with a 4-track recorder, Thomas has followed a varied musical career including studying with composer James Tenney, recording and touring for six years with the Juno nominated band Joydrop and producing numerous records. Winner of two Dora Awards and six nominations.
KAT CHIN Stage Manager
SOULPEPPER: Stage Manager: Kim's Convenience. Assistant Stage Manager: Death of a Salesman (2012), The Sunshine Boys, Double Bill: (re)Birth: E.E. Cummings in Song + Window on Toronto, Glengarry Glen Ross. Apprentice Stage Manager: Black Comedy & The Real Inspector Hound, Uncle Vanya (2008), The Odd Couple, As You Like It.
OTHER THEATRE: Stage Manager: Kim's Convenience (Fringe); The Magic Flute, Der Freischütz, Don Giovanni, Iphigenie en Tauride (Opera Atelier); Ivona, Princess of Burgundia (George Brown); The Invisible Girl (LKTYP); lady in the red dress (fu-GEN).
OTHER: TIFF since 2004, National Ballet of Canada, Stratford Shakespeare Festival.
NEHA ROSS Assistant Stage Manager
SOULPEPPER: Assistant Stage Manager: Kim's Convenience.
OTHER THEATRE: Stage Manager: Iceland (Factory); Fare Game: A Life in Toronto's Taxis (Theatre Passe Muraille); Brown Balls (fu-GEN); People Power (Carlos Bulosan). Apprentice Stage Manager: Brothel #9 (Factory); who knew grannie: a dub aria (Obsidian); Hallaj (Modern Times Stage); The Bird (Union8); The Taste of Empire, The Madness of the Square (Cahoots Theatre Projects); lady in the red dress (fu- GEN).
OTHER: Graduated from Theatre Arts - Technical Production, Sheridan College. Has worked on various events and theatre productions in Mumbai, India (2011-2012).
Drama Activities
Create character outlines of family members or people close to you. Script monologues for your characters or imagine a ‘what if’ scenario for an interesting fictional dialogue. In small groups, act out scenarios of a store theft and its aftermath. Portray the characters of store owner, thief, police officer, and possible witnesses. What are each character’s stories? Could you tell the story in a series of tableaus? Explore what happens if the thief is caught or not.
Language / English Activities
Write a theatre review of Kim’s Convenience. Compare your review to existing online theatre reviews of Kim’s Convenience. If you were to write about your family history, what story would you choose to share?
Business
Imagine a new product on the market. Create a business outline with a description of your product (including its features, advantages, and benefits), along with your sale price, target audience, and marketing plan.
Geography and History
Research the history of convenience stores in your neighbourhood. How do convenience stores contribute to the community and business market where you live? Interview your classmates or school staff about their personal experiences with convenience stores. Do they have a story to share?
Resources
Wikipedia. “Regent Park”[Online.] Jan. 4, 2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regent_Park
YouTube. “Ins Choi.” [Online.] Jan. 7, 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jjl2PdM8sw
YouTube. “Interview with Ins Choi”. [Online.] Jan. 7, 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVEylYgIHQo