What is your name? Grace Li (If you want the Chinese name, its 李冰冰 lǐ bīng bīng)
What is your role in the show? I am a cast member, and one of the notable characters I play is the Whiskey Seller. My character is a wonderful shop keeper–always has the best deals for high quality items. Do I know anything about alcohol? Irrelevant to giving a good sales pitch.
Why should audiences come to see King of the Yees? It is a fun story with heart. I think because of the title and premise, certain expectations may come up on what the play should be about, but I believe the story plays on that, and subverts those ideas. Come to the show with an open mind, and let yourself be carried away for an evening!
What would you say would be a highlight of working on King of the Yees so far? A highlight would definitely be getting to work with other Asian people in the theatre community. Theatre is a predominantly White field, so honestly, getting to see other people of color is such a joy in my book. Another highlight is learning Lion Dancing–definitely fulfilling a childhood dream, though with a lot more leg pain.
Many characters in King of the Yees struggle with different elements of their identity. What is an element of your identity that you discovered, rediscovered, or started to appreciate as you got older? I think one thing that I started to get comfortable with was incorporating my cultural and lived experiences into my writing. I never felt comfortable exploring that part of my identity, as I felt like I didn’t have the authority to. Previously, I thought that my experiences were not “valid enough to write as a Chinese person.” But that’s not true, and I’m getting better at wrapping my head around those feelings. I am allowed to express aspects of experience in my writing, because they are a part of my life. I am a child of immigrants, a part of the Chinese diaspora within North America, and I am ethnically and culturally Chinese. There is no “right way” to express my experience, nor am I barred from writing about them.
What was the best birthday party you attended? Not to be a downer, but I wasn’t really allowed to go to birthdays growing up. And my own birthday is just chill occasion.
