Howard Dai doesn’t describe himself as an actor of Asian ancestry. Nor does he define himself as “Chinese Canadian” or “Asian Canadian”. The Vancouver-based theatre artist prefers the term “Taiwanese actor”.
“Even saying the word ‘Taiwan’ seems like a political act,” Dai tells Pancouver over Zoom.
He mentions that he’s proud to be Taiwanese in his biography as a cast member of the Stratford Festival’s Salesman in China, which continues until October 26. Dai is playing two roles—Ding and Policeman—in Leanna Brodie and Jovanni Sy’s highly regarded play.
Brodie and Sy were inspired by U.S. playwright Arthur Miller’s book Salesman in Beijing, which recounted his 1983 collaboration with Beijing People’s Art Theatre on Death of a Salesman. Miller travelled to Beijing just as China was starting to open up to the West. Sy, a former artistic director of Gateway Theatre in Richmond is also directing Salesman in China.
“He’s been a great leader,” Dai says. “He has had a really significant career in Canada… I’m continuing to learn how he runs the room.”
Dai was born in Canada but he attended elementary school in Taipei. A fluent Mandarin speaker, he moved back to Canada at the age of 13, not knowing much English. But Dai still wanted to be a performer. So, he asked his drama teacher how he could be involved in a large school production of the musical Grease. He had missed the audition, but he was welcomed to join the stage crew.
“I ended up attending every rehearsal—and just felt like I was home in that rehearsal room with everyone,” Dai recalls.
Dai performs in Romeo & Juliet
Much to his delight, he was invited to join the ensemble for the two final songs of the production, which was staged in New Westminster’s Massey Theatre. At that moment, he realized that he wanted to do much more of this in his life.
“Within the first few years of be being in Canada, I found music and drama,” Dai says. “That was really the thing that made me feel like I’m part of the community. It made me feel like I belong in this country and this place.”
Arts and culture are valued in Taiwan, right from a young age. Dai remembers students putting a great deal effort into performances for the annual elementary school fair days.
“Then our entire grade will have these choreographed big dances that we would do for our parents,” he says. “Back then, I never thought I wanted to be a performer. When I was in Taiwan, it was really…part of the curriculum.”
As Dai looks back, he doesn’t remember ever experiencing stage fright. And these experiences have served him well as an adult performer. According to his biography, he has appeared on stage, in films, and on Zoom screens, Google Sheets, automated phone calls, interactive websites, and virtual reality.
Dai debuted at Stratford earlier this year as Gregory in William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, which runs until October 26. Prior to that in Vancouver, he was the digital artist in residence at the 2022 PuSh International Performing Art Festival. He also served as assistant director for the Cultch’s 2023 East Van Panto, Beauty and the Beast.
Creating a show in virtual reality
In addition, Dai is a member of the Vancouver-based Five Blessings Collective. It has created six family-friendly audio plays to help young audiences learn about the meanings behind Chinese and Taiwanese festivals. Plus, he has performed in several other productions, including Sy’s The Five Vengeances and Library Performance Collective’s Passenger Seat.
Dai says that if he reflects on the history of the elite Stratford Festival, he can’t imagine seeing himself in one of its plays in the past, let alone two in the same year. He’s quick to credit his Asian mentors in theatre, including Sy, who had to break through barriers in order to succeed.
“They’re pulling me up so I don’t have to through the same hard path that they’ve gone through before,” Dai emphasizes.
There was a time when Dai had to be nimble to keep working in his chosen field. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 2019 from Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts, specializing in theatre performance. But by the following spring, the theatre world was rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic as performance stages were shuttered across North America.
Dai responded by creating, rehearsing, and performing a show in virtual reality. The intersection of art and technology reminded him of full body puppetry. In 2022-23, he learned how to make use of motion capture from his mentor in this field, Charles Douglas.
A shout-out to his mom
That’s just one of many areas in which Dai has advanced his skill set. Since leaving SFU, he has taken courses in musical theatre and classical vocal training, Wushu martial arts, contemporary dance, and film immersion. He also studied acting under Raugi Yu.
“I’m lucky to be doing well in many ways, but then I still have to meet all of that with hard work,” Dai declares.
In the interview, he gives a couple of shout-outs to his mom for being so supportive, as well as to all the teachers and mentors who continue encouraging him. Dai wants younger theatre artists of Asian ancestry to be aware that there are many organizations and companies willing to invest in their stories, including rice and beans theatre and Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre.
While he acknowledges the great diversity within the Asian Canadian community, he insists that they should remain united in addressing anti-Asian racism.
“Especially in North America, I think Taiwanese, Chinese, and any Chinese-looking folks probably experience the same or similar things here,” Dai says. “So, it’s always in solidarity.”
But then he slyly adds, “If I get a chance to say that I’m Taiwanese, I would love to say it.”
Howard Dai discusses his journey from student theatre in Taiwan to going on-stage at Stratford.
The Stratford Festival is presenting Salesman in China in English with Mandarin surtitles at the Avon Theatre until October 26. The National Arts Centre will present Salesman in China from January 16 to 25 at the Babs Asper Theatre. To learn more about Howard Dai, visit his website. Follow the Toronto Spark on X @TOSparkOfficial. Follow Charlie Smith @charliesmithvcr.bsky.social.
