PLAYWRIGHT'S NOTES
some plays are written to breathe.
when the chest is too full, when the words have nowhere else to go, they turn into a play.
this is one of those.
it comes from confusion, from frustration, from anger, from the quiet weight of being a first gen immigrant girl, moving forward with no rearview mirror.
i hesitated for a long time. writing so close to myself felt almost shameful, as if speaking my own life were an act of ego.
i’m ordinary, i told myself. my feelings are small. my experiences barely register.
but friends read the first draft and said: i see myself here.
they recognized those tiny, awkward, unnamed discomforts — the ones we swallow every day.
and suddenly, i felt lighter. less alone. relieved in a way that‘s hard to explain.
so i’m sharing this moment.
Yu Theatre Toronto is proud to present this work by Irene Yi at the 2026 Ottawa Fringe Festival.
This production will be rehearsed in Toronto and world-premiered in Ottawa.
Venue:
La Nouvelle Scène Studio B
333 King Edward Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 7M5
SYNOPSIS
I Have a Dream in Chinese is a solo play moving through migration, racialization, and the unstable border between memory and survival.
I hear a scream.
I’m back in the windowless workplace.
I’m in the chair.
Who are you.
One interrogation after another.
Then I’m standing on the chair, waving a piece of paper, until the chair disappears beneath me.
I’m falling, falling, falling, and then — the sound of the sea.
It is a dream.
Or it is not.
TEAM
2026 OTTAWA FRINGE
Irene (Fan) Yi
PLAYWRIGHT
Daisy Mengru Jia
DIRECTOR
Charlee Ning 宁唯而
ACTOR
Ziqi (比卡) Liu
STAGE MANAGER
Noel Pendawa
PROJECTION DESIGNER
Nick Fangzheng Wang
SET / SOUND DESIGNER
Thank you for helping this play arrive.
This summer, we’re bringing I Have a Dream in Chinese to Ottawa Fringe 2026, and we’re raising funds to help make this production possible. Your support will help cover the real costs of presenting an independent theatre work: rehearsal expenses, production support, design and technical needs, promotional materials, documentation, and the labour it takes to bring a new play to the stage with care and integrity. Every contribution, no matter the amount, makes a real difference.
$30 raised
1%
Amount
$10
$30
$100
$200
Other
0/100
Comment (optional)
About the Production
Production Development History
I Have a Dream in Chinese participated in Ruby Slippers Theatre’s 2026 Advance Theatre Festival in Vancouver in January 2026. The creative team included playwright Irene Fan Yi, director and dramaturg Daisy Mengru Jia, and performer Huirui Zhang Su. A public reading was held on January 26, 2026, at Studio 103 Recital Hall, 6450 Deer Lake Ave, Burnaby, BC V5G 2J3.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all those who made invaluable efforts and contributions toward bringing this work to the Fringe stage.
Ticketing Policy
All ticketing for this production is managed through the official Ottawa Fringe website. Ticket policies, including sales, exchanges, refunds, and admission terms, are subject to Ottawa Fringe’s official ticketing policy.
Trigger Warning / Content Advisory
This production contains references to racism, xenophobia, political persecution, and emotional trauma, including depictions of state interrogation and pandemic-related grief. The performance also includes loud sounds and strong language. Recommended for audiences ages 14+. This is a bilingual Mandarin-English production, with English surtitles for Chinese-language sections.