Exquisite Pressure x theatrecorps
April 7 & 8, 2023
7:30pm, 7pm doors
$10
No one turned away for lack of $
tickets online or at the door
theatrecorps and What Lab are very excited to welcome you to back to Exquisite Pressure! ExP is a night for artists to try something new, to share their works in progress in front of an audience, gather feedback, and put their investigations to the test.
ExP x theatrecorps features the work of:
Cece Ludwar
Garvin Chan
Peihwen Tai
Curated and hosted by theatrecorps
Questions? Email us at studio@whatlab.ca
Accessibility Info
What Lab is located at 1814 Pandora Street. There is no dedicated parking, only street parking. The venue is located on the second floor up one flight of stairs, but there is a ground level accessible entrance through the back of the building. Seating is typically informal, and will include some combination of chairs, floor seating, couches, and cushions. There is one single-occupancy, gender-inclusive washroom. The washroom is not big enough for larger style wheelchairs to completely turn around in while the door is open. We are a trans-inclusive space.
I’m in Love with an Alien Woman (working title)
By Cece Ludwar
Gaylien, an angel sent from above, born from pure starlight. Her love is all encompassing but my strength is sparse… In order to survive, how do you repair a damaged heart? In order to thrive, what does it mean to be in love?
Created and performed by Cece Ludwar
What the F-Word is Going On?
By Garvin Chan
What the F-Word is Going On? is an evening talk show about sex and gender on a set with shoddy craftsmanship.
Created and performed by Garvin Chan in collaboration with Mikeeto Zavorotny
The Yoko Ono Cult
By Peihwen J. Tai
As two roommates attempt to decode the legendary artist Yoko Ono, both find themselves on a road of no return…Expect calligraphy, commotion, confusion, and…laugh tracks.
Created by: Peihwen J. Tai
Directed, written, and performed by: Yi Ming Liu, Peihwen J. Tai and Daniel Yang
About the Artists
Garvin Chan
Born in the unceded lands of primarily the Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm), Squamish (Skwxwú7mesh), and Tsleil-Waututh (Səl̓ílwətaʔ) First Nations, raised in Hong Kong, and recently received a BFA with honours from Simon Fraser University, Garvin Augustine Chan is a text-focused theatre artist with strong ties to the idea of home and culture.
Their works as a theatre maker include 9 Lives or (Le) Chat in a Box, Artificial Eden, and a multi-platform online adaptation of scenes from Final Boarding Call. Most recently, they wrote, directed, co-designed and performed in Year of the Frog.
With What the F-Word is Going On?, Garvin is creating for the first time art about their queer identity.
Outside of the theatre, Garvin can normally be found making coffee at home or sitting in a café drinking other people’s coffee.
Mikeeto Zavorotny
Mikeeto Zavorotny explores human relationships to inanimate objects. Through garabage collection, furniture hunting, and shoddy craftsmanship, Mikeeto ponders the needs, abilities, and desires of everyday things. His work plays with forgotten objects, reveals the blurriness of the living/nonliving boundary, and brings forth strange and uncanny creations.
He’s also a raging queer.
Cece Ludwar
Cece Ludwar (they/them) is a nonbinary multidisciplinary artist living in so called “Vancouver,” on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tslei-waututh First Nations. Born and raised in Surrey, BC, Cece moved to Vancouver to reinvent themselves and pursue their artistic passions. While attending Studio 58, they developed an interest in sewing and design, and honed those skills throughout the pandemic. Additionally their drag persona, Gaylien, was invented during Studio’s production of FORT. (RISKY NIGHTS, STUDIO 58). Her debut was a short film called “GAYL.”, a story of a glamorous alien woman who crash lands on Earth, forced to find a sense of belonging in her new home. Gaylien continues to be an amazing creative outlet for Cece to this day. If interested, more of their drag can be seen on their Instagram: @ccgaylien.
Select Acting Credits Include: Alex (TO PERFECTION, SHAMELESS HUSSY), Bobbee (BEE BEE-AUTIFUL, CAROUSEL THEATRE), Deadname (ON A STARLESS NIGHT, ARTS CLUB), Magenta (THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, STUDIO 58). During THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, Cece not only played the role of Magenta, but was the Head Makeup Artist as well as a consultant on the production.
Cece is determined to deepen their work, creating art that strengthens their craft and betters themselves as a human. They would like to acknowledge that without the unwavering support of both their community and family, achieving their goals would never be possible. Thank you.
The Yoko Ono Club
Yi Ming Liu
Yi Ming (she/her) is a third-year BFA Acting student. She previously trained at Rogue Studio’s Film Acting Intensive (2018-2020). Recently, she appeared in UBC’s Commedia dell’arte show The (Un)usual Suspects. Her previous credits include Check Please!, The Scarlett Heart and Among Friends & Clutter. She has also worked on the award-winning short, Cut Off.
Peihwen J. Tai
Peihwen J. Tai is a Taiwanese-Canadian actor. She is based on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ Nations. A recent UBC graduate with a double major in acting and Japanese, she is constantly anxious about her existence and prone to spontaneous tears. Being creative helps her cope with her existential voids and crises. She is therefore immensely grateful towards Daniel and Yi Ming for their generosity, support, and jumping on this weird culty boat. She also loves her family, close friends, and partner so so much.
Daniel Yang
Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, Daniel Yang is a local actor who is also part of the BFA Acting program at UBC.
ExP is supported by
