Ottawa's vibrant theatre scene is getting a deeply personal new voice this season, as performer and playwright Jasmine Chen takes the stage at the Great Canadian Theatre Company with a one-woman show that's as intimate as it is ambitious.
The production draws directly from Chen's own life — specifically her journey to learn Mandarin and, through that language, reconnect with her family heritage. It's the kind of storytelling that rarely gets a spotlight on Canadian stages, and GCTC is giving it exactly that.
Language as a Portal to the Past
For many second- and third-generation Canadians, the decision to learn a parent's or grandparent's language is about more than grammar and vocabulary. It's an act of recovery — a reaching back toward something that immigration, assimilation, and time have slowly worn away.
Chen taps into that emotional territory with her solo show, using Mandarin not just as a subject but as a dramatic tool. The language itself becomes a character, a bridge, a barrier — sometimes all three at once. The result is theatre that speaks to a broad swath of Ottawa audiences who have navigated similar questions of identity and belonging.
A Solo Show, a Full Story
One-person shows live or die by their performer, and Chen pulls double duty here as both playwright and lead actor. Writing from personal experience gives the material an authenticity that's difficult to manufacture, and performing it solo means every moment of connection with the audience is entirely hers to create.
The Great Canadian Theatre Company has long been a home for bold, character-driven work, and this production fits squarely within that tradition. Located in Ottawa's Westboro neighbourhood, GCTC has built its reputation on championing Canadian voices — and Chen's show is exactly the kind of homegrown story the company exists to tell.
Why This Story Matters in Ottawa
Ottawa is one of Canada's most multicultural cities, and stories about navigating dual cultural identities resonate here in a particular way. Whether you grew up speaking Cantonese at home and English at school, or you're three generations removed from a grandmother who never learned to write in English, the themes Chen explores are woven into the fabric of this city's daily life.
Theatre that holds up a mirror to that experience — that says your story belongs on this stage — is a gift to a community that doesn't always see itself reflected in mainstream cultural offerings.
Go See It
If you're looking for something that will move you, make you think about your own family, and remind you why live theatre still matters, Jasmine Chen's one-woman show at GCTC is worth your evening. Check the Great Canadian Theatre Company's website for showtimes and tickets.
Source: CBC Ottawa / Sandra Abma
