Gateway Theatre's leadership duo pioneers new ways to connect with Richmond's diverse communities

Barbara Tomasic and Jasmine Chen are showing the region what collective arts leadership can look like

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      It's been a long tradition in the arts world for one visionary person to serve as an organization's creative leader. In Vancouver, examples include Christopher Gaze at Bard on the Beach, Otto Tausk at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and Ashlie Corcoran at the Arts Club.

      In many cases around the world, artistic directors routinely become the most visible public symbols of a cultural organization. As a result, they are often the focal point for marketing and fundraising campaigns.

      Gateway Theatre in Richmond also embraced that model, most recently with Jovanni Sy.

      He was a visionary creative thinker who served as its artistic director from 2014 to 2019.

      During his tenure, Sy oversaw several edgy productions, including King of the Yees, How to Disappear Completely, and Straight White Men.

      In the process, he transformed what was once a traditional suburban theatre company into something much bolder, more diverse, and often every daring.

      But when Sy stepped down at the end of February 2019, Gateway decided to do something different. It appointed two people to play major creative roles.

      Theatre director, actor, and educator Barbara Tomasic was named director of artistic programs. And actor, dancer, and director Jasmine Chen—a former artist in residence—became the new artistic and community producer.

      "This is a position that has never existed before at Gateway," Chen told the Straight by phone. "And it was created very much in response to the new direction that Gateway is going in."

      Collective leadership is not unprecedented in the arts world.

      To cite one example, Shakespeare in the Ruff in Toronto recently announced that it has appointed five "leaders". The leadership team includes people from the queer, disabled, Indigenous, African Canadian, and Chinese Canadian communities.

      Chen said that she and Tomasic applied together to lead Gateway's artistic programming because they recognized that Richmond is very diverse and multilingual. And that meant a great deal of effort needed to be focused on creating new relationships and forging community partnerships.

      "We're seeing this more and more across the country—shared leadership models," Chen said. "We need to have more voices involved in order for our institutions to better reflect our community."

      When Barbara Tomasic was interim producer at Gateway Theatre, she created a 2019-20 season of plays that were all directed by women.

      Pandemic prompted soul-searching

      Tomasic had been working as the interim producer before she and Chen were appointed to their roles in March 2020. As the interim producer, Tomasic created a 2019-20 season of plays that were entirely directed by women.

      By the time she and Chen moved into their permanent positions, COVID-19 case counts were starting to increase in B.C. and venues began shutting down.

      The pandemic provided an opportunity for Tomasic and Chen to ponder the best ways to enhance the bonds between Gateway Theatre and Richmond residents.

      “I think we really got thrown into the deep end, because we were already in a place where we were questioning how we traditionally do things," Chen said.

      They asked themselves if the community really wanted a traditional seasonal model when audiences could not enter the theatre.

      "Is that something that is exciting to them, that inspires them, that actually creates connection and strengthens relationships?" Chen said. "We quickly decided, okay, nobody needs another Zoom reading. No one needs that."

      From there, they considered other ways in which they could encourage Richmond residents to feel more connected to arts and culture.

      They knew that a big part of theatre is the social aspect. That includes the camaraderie that comes from meeting in the lobby.

      So they went about creating safe spaces where people could feel supported.

      Gateway Theatre has been an artistic hub in Richmond since the mid 1980s.

      Countering screen fatigue

      As one example, Gateway Theatre developed a Hallows' Eve paper theatre kit, complete with multilingual instructions, to encourage young people to create their own play.

      "That was in response to...a lot of work that was going online," Chen said. "But we really heard from people—especially families—that they were really screened out. They were getting a lot of screen fatigue. They were really craving something that was tangible."

      In January, Gateway unveiled a video by Johnny Wu, a Canadian artist of Taiwanese ancestry, delving into the relationships between a son and his family. It was presented in Mandarin with English subtitles.

      "As a child of the East Asian diaspora," Wu says in the video, "I saw the same toxic relationship I have with my parents emerge in how I, and those who share the same cultural identity as me, negotiated being in Canada.

      "In the same way that I never felt quite at home with my family, we, children of diaspora, never feel quite at home in Canada," Wu continues. "So, we apply similar tactics of filial piety towards this country that has given us a new life."

      Wu's provocative video was part of a national initiative known as the Transformations Project. To engage the community, its release was followed by a Facebook discussion hosted by Chen, who also speaks Mandarin.

      Video: Johnny Wu's "Relearning Filial Piety: the journey from keeping my head down to speaking up."
      Peter Carlone (editor)

      New mural engages residents

      For Lunar New Year, artist Annie Katsura Rollins led Chinese shadow puppetry workshops online.

      Then in May, comedian, self-described mad activist, and playwright JD Derbyshire hosted on online mental-health meet-up.

      This summer, there's another project that includes community engagement of a different sort.

      Visual artist Carmen Chan was commissioned to paint a giant mural on the theatre's western wall facing Gilbert Road, which is a fairly busy thoroughfare.

      But rather than having Chan simply proceed, Gateway created a video encouraging community input in advance. The video was published as part of Doors Open Richmond, which aimed to connect the public with organizations across the city.

      Video: Learn more about Gateway Theatre and its new mural being created by artist Carmen Chan.

      "We want to know: how do the arts enrich your life?" Chan says in the video. "What does community mean to you? How do you want to feel when you look at this mural?"

      In the same video, Tomasic points out that more than 35,000 people pass through Gateway's doors in a normal year. That includes those who view plays, dance recitals, or a Chinese opera performance, as well as to attend the Gateway Academy theatre classes for young people between the ages of 6 and 18.

      Tomasic also says in the video that the stage is really a blank canvas. "What brings it to life is our community."

      Chen's parents speak four languages. And she places a high priority on promoting greater understanding between English and Mandarin speakers in Richmond.

      That was reflected in a piece that she created when she was the artist in residence. Titled The Gateway Language Exchange Game Show, it brought people together in a fun way to bridge cultural gaps.

      "Language doesn't have to be a barrier," Chen said. "With a little bit of effort, we can come to understand each other and have empathy for each other."

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