Bachelor Man

It’s July 1st, 1929, Dominion Day, known as ‘Humiliation Day’ in John’s Toronto Chinatown teahouse where his regulars take refuge. It’s the 6th anniversary of the Exclusion Act, which prevented the wives and families of Chinese men, who came to Canada largely to build the railroad, from joining them. How did this Bachelor Society survive? This gritty and poetic depiction unveils a microcosm of Chinatown – including a one-armed WWI vet, a half Chinese scholar, a teenage stowaway, – during the twenty-four years that the Canadian Government prohibited Chinese immigration.

Winston Kam was born in Trinidad and Tobago of Chinese descent. Bachelor Man was originally produced at Theatre Passe Muraille in 1987. Written by Winston Kam, and directed by the legendary Peter Hinton in one of his first productions. To play the role of the aging Queenie he hired a too young Brenda Kamino. Now, Kamino reprises her role as Queenie thirty years later.

Renaissance Canadian Theatre Company was founded by Andrew Moodie and Brenda Kamino to revive lost classics and overlooked gems of Canadian theatre. Many great works have faded into obscurity over time. Without ongoing productions, these culturally significant plays from our theatrical heritage are in danger of being lost forever.