• The play is inspired by the modern classic Sunrise by Cao Yu
• First produced in February 2020 by Factory Theatre, Toronto

Marjorie Chan was born in Toronto to Hong Kong immigrants who arrived in the late ’60s. As a theatre and opera artist, she works variously as a writer, director, and dramaturge, as well as in the intersection of these forms and roles. Her work has been seen and performed in the United States, Scotland, Hong Kong, Russia, and across Canada. Her full-length works as a playwright include the plays The Madness of the Square, a nanking winter, Tails From the City, as well as libretti for the operas Sanctuary Song, The Lesson of Da Ji, M’dea Undone, and, most recently, The Monkiest King. Some of the companies Marjorie has directed for include Gateway Theatre, Cahoots Theatre, Native Earth Performing Arts, Theatre Passe Muraille, Obsidian Theatre, and Theatre du Pif (Hong Kong). Marjorie has been nominated for nine Dora Mavor Moore Awards and won four. She has also received the K.M. Hunter Artist Award in Theatre, the My Entertainment World Award for Best New Work, a Harold Award, as well as the George Luscombe Mentorship Award. Other notable nominations include the John Hirsch Director’s Award, the Governor General’s Literary Award for her playwriting debut, China Doll, and the Canadian Citizen Award for her work with Crossing Gibraltar, Cahoots Theatre’s program for newcomers. She is also Artistic Director of Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto.

With a string of firsts in Asian Canadian theatre, Nina was the founding artistic director of fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company in 2002, organized the first Asian Canadian theatre conference, edited the first (two-volume) Asian Canadian play anthology Love + Relasianships, and co-edited the first (award-winning) book on Asian Canadian theatre. She became artistic director of Cahoots Theatre in 2009, Factory Theatre in 2012, and the National Arts Centre English Theatre in September 2022. Awards for her work include the Ken McDougall Award, the Canada Council for the Arts John Hirsch Prize, the Toronto Theatre Critics Awards for Best Director, Toronto Arts Foundation Margo Bindhart and Rita Davies Cultural Leadership Award, and three Dora Awards for Outstanding Direction.

“Its reluctance to sugarcoat harsh realities will leave audiences stinging from the engrossing narratives.”

“Seeing stories of strong and complex Asian-Canadian women on stage (or any other ethnic group, for that matter) is way overdue. What really stands out for me about Lady Sunrise is seeing all these women working together in telling these stories. They are finally able to control the narrative and bring these stories to life.”

“It was beautiful and tragic and left me breathless.”