In Cantonese it means family. Ga Ting, playwright Minh Ly’s story of homosexuality and Chinese culture, gets its world premiere in a co-production from The Frank Theatre Company and Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre.
Ga Ting tells the story of two parents struggling to come to terms with their son Kevin’s sexuality in the wake of his death due to a drug overdose. Taking place over the course of a dinner after the funeral, the couple learn who their son truly was, but the dinner eventually evolves into a fiery cultural and generational clash.
“In Chinese culture and other ethnicities being gay is even more taboo than other communities and it’s important to get a story like this out to show that we exist. Ideally I would love for some people of color to see the play to open up a dialogue on sexuality,” said Ly in an interview with GayVancouver.Net last year.
Culture Vulture David C Jones speaks with Minh Ly to find out more.
Ga Ting plays the Richmond Arts Centre March 22 – 30, 2014. Visit https://vact.ca for tickets and information.