Rosie Simon, Actor

What VACT shows have you been in?
I’ve just done Flower Drum Song. That was my first show. That was actually the first time I’d heard of VACT.

What is the ideal role you’d like to do?
My dream role is playing Eponine in Les Mis. The original production I saw of that was a “dream cast” as they call it. It was a video recording and the girl who played Eponine was Lea Salonga. She’s Filipino, and when I was that young, I’d never seen an Asian actress who was really good and not playing someone with an accent play such an important role. Ever since then, I’ve always wanted to play that role, because I think she has the best part in the show.

What does VACT mean to you?
It means quite a bit actually, because it went from knowing nothing about it to it kind of being the kick-start of my acting in Vancouver. I think it’s a great company where Asian people can be showcased as leading roles in shows where the audience is going to be very respectful of that. And because my experience with Flower Drum Song was so positive, the cast was so amazing, that I feel like 10 years down the road even if I don’t do another show with VACT, if they call me up and say “Do you want to audition for this?” I’d say “Yeah!”

What has been your most memorable VACT moment so far?
It was actually a comedic moment. It must have been our third to last show, maybe forth to last, and the overture was playing faster than usual. In the overture, there’s all this stuff happening in setting up the story. Me and Tom Chin, who plays my father, get to the top of the staircase and we’re supposed to be looking out over Chinatown. We’re supposed to be miming words to each other, like “Oh, look at the city! Isn’t it beautiful?” And Tom is standing there and saying “Oh, it is so fast, my daughter!” I just start cracking up and can’t stop laughing. And then there’s a giant freeze, for the whole first scene. I’m up there frozen and I can see Tom laughing next to me because he’s holding this gong and it’s swaying. So I start laughing and there are all these people below us looking up at us. They see us laughing, but their backs are to the audience, so they start laughing. And then my eye makeup starts to run, so I’m crying, and then it goes into my eyes, so my eyes start to hurt. So I just have to run offstage as soon as I’m allowed to. It was the funniest thing.

What is your favourite word?
I like “dude”
What is your least favourite word?
I really don’t like the f-word. Not the f-u-c-k word, but the f-a-g word. It bugs me when people use that or when they use “gay” as a derogative. I don’t understand it; I don’t know how it came into use as an insult.
What turns you on?
I’m not the biggest fan of glitz and glamour musical theatre where you have to depend on the sets and the costumes and the effects to put a show through. What really brings me into a show is when I feel like I’m seeing the actors do it for the first time. That’s when I stop feeling like someone’s acting and when I start feeling like I’m watching a moment that you’re not supposed to be seeing because it’s a private moment.
What turns you off?
Mean actors, or directors or choreographers that think they’re the world. They’ve probably worked really hard to be where they are, and they’ve probably dealt with people like that too when they were starting out, but to me it kind of makes me wonder why I’m trying so hard if these are the people I’m trying to win over. I like to go into situations thinking that people already have my respect, and if you do something to knock it down then you lose it, but I like to give everyone equal chance in the beginning. Sometimes in the acting world, you can get really bogged down by the negativity that’s shot at you. Those are the days when you’re just thinking “I don’t want to do this anymore.”
What sound or noise do you love?
There are so many! I’m big on sound effects. I love the sound of rope being twisted, like on a pirate ship; I love the sound of leather being twisted too, like someone’s stiff leather jacket; I like wine being poured into a glass; I think everyone loves horse hooves; I like it when cats yawn… Those are my instant ones.
What sound or noise do you hate?
I hate car alarms, no matter when or where.
What is your favourite curse word?
The f-word is a favourite, but I like to put “cluster” before it, so “clusterfuck.”
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
I’d like to work with animals, maybe something to do with PAWS or the SPCA. Animals just have this way of making you feel loved without even having to do much and you have a trust there.
What profession would you not like to do?
I probably wouldn’t want to work in the news. Just because of how unbiased you’d have stay. I just think that for politics, news, world issues, your should have your opinions but you shouldn’t necessarily support an opinion you think is wrong. People in the news can get sucked into that a lot.
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
’d probably be satisfied with a big smile and also having all my old pets behind him. And then maybe just saying “Everything’s going to be OK.”

Jimmy Yi, Actor

What VACT shows have you been in?
I’ve done The Odd Couple and Flower Drum Song.

Is there any ideal role you’d like to do in the future?
Yeah! My dream role would be in a Neil Simon play called They’re Playing Our Song. It’s actually a musical. The role is Vernon Gersh. He’s a singer-songwriter, more of a songwriter. He looks for new songwriters that he can work with, and it ends up being this odd but really pretty girl and they end up falling in love. It’s just this big love story of ups and downs. It’s got very few characters. The only other characters in the play that actually show up are the other versions of Vernon and the girl and they’re like the chorus.

What does VACT mean to you?
I think it’s very significant that there’s an Asian-focused production team like this. Just because there are a lot of Asians in town who aren’t able to get a lot of opportunities in the mainstream theatre for various reasons. It just gives a little more encouragement for Asian actors to give it a try. People get sort of intimidated and they hold back a little sometimes, but something like VACT encourages people who are maybe on the fence about acting, or trying out for a musical or a play to actually go for it. In The Odd Couple we had Ron Yamauchi who played the lead in it, Oscar, and he hadn’t acted since high school. And he did a pretty darn good job for never acting since high school. It’s a great story, that people like that are able to get in there.

And also it showcases a lot of the Asian talent in town, playing roles that are not just ethnic roles, but normal, regular roles. That’s just the way it goes, I guess. Being a minority, they’re not able to get as many parts. That’s just a fact of life. I don’t think Asian actors resent it or anything, we just have to make do with what we’ve got. And to have VACT is a great opportunity to play roles that you normally don’t get to play.

What has been your most memorable VACT moment so far?
I really enjoyed doing The Odd Couple, but in Flower Drum I just thought it was really neat to look out into the audience, especially on closing night or when it was right towards the end, seeing a lot of the older folks standing up. There was a large population of Asian elderly people there who knew the movie – as well as Caucasians, people of different backgrounds – and they were all standing up and giving an ovation, their faces lighting up. And you could see a lot of thoughts going through their minds. It was such a stroll down memory lane for them. There was just something really magical and special about being in that show. Such great chemistry with all the cast members and the crew. It was a really fun time.

What is your favourite word?
Harmony
What is your least favourite word?
Shame
What turns you on?
Anything to do with creativity that really lights me up.
What turns you off?
Mundaneness, drudgery.
What sound or noise do you love?
I love the sound of the driver going “smash!” when I hit a drive off the tee deck. And all the picturesque sounds on a beach or just really nature stuff, I could dig that.
What sound or noise do you hate?
Anything that’s grinding or scratching.
What is your favourite curse word?
I guess it’s “shit”.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Like a dream? It would be awesome to be a professional athlete. But that’s just not a reality. If I could be good at any sport, I guess I’d choose basketball… or golf.
What profession other than your own would you not like to do?
Anything to do with law or accounting.
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“Good job. I’m glad you’re here.”

Grace Kim, Actor

What VACT shows have you been in?
Sex in Vancouver Episodes 1, 2 and 4. I played Elizabeth. She was the pining, prudish girl who lost the guy to the sexier, more voluptuous, and sexually exciting woman.

Is there any ideal role you’d like to do in the future?
There’s nothing in particular that comes to mind. I wouldn’t say that I’d like to play the vixen, or the heroine or anything, just something in all the roles I like to choose, that I like to play and feel most satisfied playing. It’s the roles that I feel I have a strong personal connection to. I especially liked the Elizabeth character because that was my wannabe nick-name when I was growing up – Elizabeth – and I’m totally that kind of character, so it’s not so far removed.

What does VACT mean to you?
To me, VACT means opportunities. Just opening up people’s perspectives on things, sharing stories, sharing the Asian story, sharing the contemporary Asian story, which is totally where I fit in, making it accessible to everybody. I really appreciate VACT because without such a venue I’d have to be auditioning to, like, Theatre West Van all the time and put on a fake British accent and pretend that I’m not Asian and they’d have to be really colour blind to cast me. Or, I find that a lot of the theatre in this town has been very Anglo-Saxon in approach. And that’s who the audience has been in the past. VACT creates new shows for a new audience.

VACT puts other images in our heads about Asian people in specific, about our relationship with each other too, not just Asian people but Asian people in relation with everybody.

What has been your most memorable VACT moment so far?
The first thing that came to my mind was backstage high jinx. It’s basically the excitement that the cast and crew would feel backstage as the opening music comes on and we’re ready to perform a show, and we’ve rehearsed and gone through all the growing pains and are ready just to have a good time and remind each other that we’re here to have a great time – feeling that camaraderie backstage, and just seeing everybody doing his/her own little mini-dance before we go onstage. I have a lot of fond memories of that, and a lot of good friends from VACT too. We share such similar backgrounds, so it’s very easy to develop really quick friendships.

What is your favourite word?
Green
What is your least favourite word?
Hate
What turns you on?
Flowers and a sunny day in a meadow.
What turns you off?
Bickering.
What sound or noise do you love?
I love muzak, like Safeway music.
What sound or noise do you hate?
High-pitched screeching.
What is your favourite curse word?
The first one that came to my mind was “fuck” but I rarely use it.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Grocery store cashier. Because I look at flyers a lot, and seem to like comparison shopping, and it just seems like a very efficient job. And I like to talk to people, but not for too long. That’s what I’m hoping for in about two years, good benefits…
What profession other than your own would you not like to do?
Police officer.
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“Welcome.”

BC Lee, Actor

What VACT shows have you been in?
Just one. Flower Drum Song.

Is there any ideal role you’d like to do in the future?
I don’t have any one ideal role but love every opportunity to challenge myself, to see if I can do that part.

What does VACT mean to you?
I think what it really means is a kind of platform for the larger community to appreciate what talents we have. But I do not think that VACT should be a place where Asians can only play. It should be a stepping stone for people to appreciate what a huge pool of talent we have.

What has been your most memorable VACT moment so far?
TThe sense of family on Flower Drum Song. And then I instantly became the father figure of a lot of people because I play the father. Many people say there are a lot of egos involved in theatre, but my experience is that everyone is having fun. Everyone is working so hard, particularly the young actors and actresses. Their professionalism is really impressive.

What is your favourite word?
No favourite word, but I have a word that I always use: enigma.
What is your least favourite word?
I can’t think of any. Nothing jumps out.
What turns you on?
Beautiful things.
What turns you off?
Arrogance.
What sound or noise do you love?
No sound, no noise. I’m a meditator, so pure silence is my favourite.
What sound or noise do you hate?
It’s not the noise, it’s the content. I don’t like to hear people nagging and nagging and nagging, on and on. No matter how beautiful that voice is, it will turn out to be an ugly sound. The content turns you off.
What is your favourite curse word?
I don’t curse. It’s not really a curse, but when I’m surprised I say “Shoot!”
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
I don’t have a profession. In my life, I’ve been an actor, a politician, a PR manager, a singer, an MC… I did a lot of things. I don’t believe in having one profession that dominates your life. Right now, I’m challenging myself to run a restaurant. I need to learn. I think the best performers in any profession have the ability to learn.
What profession other than your own would you not like to do?
Cleaning a skyscraper. I would shit my pants.
Hey – you said you didn’t swear!
That’s not swearing, that’s describing a fact! I’m so scared of heights that every time I see people up there, I don’t even need to look at them and my legs go weak.
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“You graduated.”