Talking Fringe – Chloé Hung writes and directs All Our Yesterdays at Toronto Fringe 2015

Photo of Chiamaka Umeh and Amanda Weise from All Our Yesterdays by Anthony Saleh

All Our Yesterdays, playing at the Toronto Fringe Festival, tells the story of two fictional sisters, both victims of the 2014 mass abduction of schoolgirls in Nigeria.

Chloé Hung showcases her immense capabilities as a playwright and director, and also gives voice to the voiceless — the mandate of her theatre company, AnOther Theatre Company. Chloé discusses the importance of this story.

1) Describe your show in 7 words or less.

#BringBackOurGirls was not enough, we can’t forget.

2) What sets your show apart from other Fringe shows?

Our show focuses on a real world event and a shocking one at that. Unfortunately people have forgotten about the Chibok schoolgirls so our goal is not just to raise awareness but also to remind people how quickly we forget about our fellow global citizens.

3) What is the most interesting or surprising thing you have you learned in the process of developing the show?

When I interviewed Hadiza Aminu from #BringBackOurGirls, I asked her about attitudes towards people with mental disorders like autism in rural Nigeria. She said that because people don’t understand what it is (either lack of education or exposure) they would think that the child was born this way because their mother had done something bad. Hadiza even used the term “genie” – as in they would think someone asked a “genie” to put a curse on the pregnant mother. I found it fascinating that the blame is put on the mother.

4) What events or experiences in particular inspired you to create this show?

The Chibok schoolgirls are STILL missing. Pablo Idahosa (a Nigeria-born professor at York University, whom I interviewed) posited that the girls have probably been trafficked out of the country. It breaks my heart that these girls are being punished for getting an education. They were girls at school about to sit their physics exam and now they’re being used as vessels, sex objects, slaves. A month or so after #BringBackOurGirls made so many headlines the Chibok girls fell out of the news cycle and thus out of our collective social awareness. I didn’t want to forget about these girls.

5) What are you hoping people will take away from your show?

Overall I hope people leave the show with a sense of understanding; that these girls are not just statistics in a faraway place. They’re just girls, they’re kids. I was once 16, and you were once (or will be) 16. And when I was 16 I loved reading, I loved playing with my friends, I didn’t like doing chores, I was moody, I was happy. These girls are just like us. They’re real. And even though we can’t physically go to Nigeria to help, we can’t just forget that they exist.

Details

All Our Yesterdays plays at the Factory Studio Theatre (125 Bathurst street)

Remaining Dates
July 11 at 09:15 PM
July 12 at 12:00 PM and 9:15 PM

Ticketing

  • Tickets are $12 in advance, $10 at the door.
  • Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062), from the festival box office down Honest Ed’s Alley (581 Bloor West), or from the venue box office starting one hour before the peformance. Venue sales are cash-only.
  • Be advised that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and latecomers are never admitted. Set your watch to CBC time, and arrive a few minutes early to avoid disappointment.

Photo of Chiamaka Umeh and Amanda Weise by Anthony Saleh.