The Great Leap [2019]

It’s 1989 leading up to an exhibition basketball game in Beijing. Chinese coach Wen Chang is a quiet Party supporter and Manford is a kid with hustle from San Francisco’s Chinatown who makes up for his short stature with tenacious basketball skills. The story jumps back and forth in time and tensions rise right up to the final buzzer.

The Great Leap borrows the form and conventions of basketball to reflect upon the Chinese American diaspora, the impacts of the Cultural Revolution, global migration, the mediated image, and what political dissent can look like across time and distances.

Production, The Arts Club
Playwright, Lauren Yee

Performers, Toby Berner, Milton Lim, Jovanni Sy, Agnes Tong

Director, Meg Roe
Set Designer, Heipo Leung
Costume Designer, Stephanie Kong
Lighting Designer, John Webber
Sound Designer, Alessandro Juliani
Projection Design Team, Chimerik 似不像 (Sammy Chien + Shang-Han Chien + Andie Lloyd + Ivan So)
Movement Coach, Agnes Tong
Stage Manager, Caryn Fehr
Assistant Stage Manager, Geoff Jones
Assistant Director and Cultural Creative Consultant, Jasmine Chen

Photos by Pink Monkey Studios
Video trailer by Moonrider Productions

Duration: approx. 2 hr 10 min, including intermission

The Great Leap is a Canadian premiere, presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

Presentations: