About us

This project blog will capture the experiences and voices of the senior and youth participants as they engage in discussions on multiculturalism, diversity and racism through individual and collaborative creative expressions with the artist team.

About the Project

Mosaic Firefly: Richmond Edition invites seniors (ages 55+) and youth (ages 13 to 18 years old) to create and share original stories together through theatre, literary and visual arts. Through games and exercises, artists will guide participants to discover their own voices, capture unique lived experiences and/or personal migration stories, then write and act them out within the group cohorts. The collaborative artist project will foster intergenerational learning and exchange with participants.

Mosaic Firefly: Richmond Edition invites and encourages participants to be vulnerable, playful, and creative in a safe and inclusive environment.

The ABC: Aspire | Build | Celebrate project is funded in part by the Government of Canada through the Community Support, Multiculturalism, and Anti-Racism Initiatives (CSMARI) Program and aims to:

support communities in confronting racism and discrimination, promoting intercultural understanding and fostering equitable opportunities to participate fully in Canadian society
promote and engage in discussions on multiculturalism, diversity, racism
strengthen research and evidence to build understanding of the disparities and challenges faced by racialized minority communities.

This unique storytelling project will encourage multigenerational residents to share their cultures, traditions and perspectives to support action against racism, promote learning and build a stronger community.

All blog posts are written by project participants. Special thanks to all the senior and youth participants for their contributions and to Kalia He and Elena Sun for their work in creating and maintaining this site for the duration of the project.

The project ran from October 2022 to October 2023.

Artist Team

The leaders of our youth and seniors

Derek Chan (陳嘉昊)

Derek grew up in colonial Hong Kong. An award-winning multilingual playwright, director, translator, and performer, he is the Managing Artistic Director of Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre.

https://vact.ca/

Linda Carson

Linda is a graduate of Studio 58 and a professional actor, writer and teacher. Her writing credits include Dying to Be Thin, Mom’s the Word (co-writer) and Driving Me Crazy (co-writer). She was last seen acting in Where the Wild Things Are and Learning and Forgetting at Presentation House Theatre.

Lynna Goldhar Smith

Lynna is a multi-disciplinary artist who divides her time between her visual art practice and creating live theatre. Her work in both disciplines has been seen throughout North America and parts of Europe. She identifies as mixed ancestry and her tangled ethnic roots are continually becoming a part of her artistic practice.

Manami Hara

Manami immigrated from Japan to pursue a theatre career in North America. She is an award-winning actor, playwright, instructor, interpreter/translator, dramaturge, producer and director who is passionate about teaching the magic of storytelling and collaborative processes to students of all ages.

https://www.phtheatre.org/

Patti Allan

Patti is a graduate of the Simon Fraser University School for the Contemporary Arts and a multi-award-winning actor, instructor, writer and singer. She has appeared in film, TV and theatre productions locally and across the country and has performed on numerous radio dramas for CBC radio.

Senior Team

The senior team is comprised of a group of Richmond senior residents (ages 55+) who represent a diversity of cultures, ages, genders and unique lived experiences. They were selected through an open call for project participants administered and supported by Richmond Multicultural Community Services, Minoru Seniors Society, City Centre Community Association and City of Richmond.

Youth Team

The youth team is comprised of a group of Richmond youth residents (13 to 18 years old) who represent a diversity of cultures, ages, genders and unique lived experiences. They were selected through an open call for project participants administered and supported by Richmond Multicultural Community Services, City Centre Community Association and City of Richmond.