True Voices celebrates Pride with queer and immigrant stories

Pride Month has ended in some places, but Richmond’s Pride Week is in full swing. 

Gateway Theatre will host True Voices, a Pride storytelling and tea from 2SLGBTQIA+ people and immigrants, on July 30.

The third-annual free event will feature six to eight minute long pieces from six storytellers.

“We invite local storytellers, who are either from the queer community or allies, who have a rainbow themed story to share,” says Yanting Qiu, True Voices’ host and curator.

This year’s lineup includes nature photographer and author Marylee Stephenson’s Partner of 51 Years, I Wish You Were Normal by Irene Hwang, and Jeff Rotin’s We’re Here, We’re Queer, Deal With It!

True Voices will also feature Failing Clown School by Esmé Demers, Peter Riddell’s A Pop-up Gay Bar in 1980’s Prince George, and Stage Fright from artist Oliver Isbister.

Qiu adds that this year’s event includes storytellers from different generations, with two youth and four seniors storytellers.

“Some of the senior storytellers will share stories of their childhood or their teenagehood, and you will be able to understand that the world 30 years ago was totally different,” she says. “It’s really nice to put different generations of storytellers together … and there’s also more diverse stories that audience members from different age groups can relate too.”

The storytelling will be followed by a Q&A, where audiences can also share their own stories. 

“We also have an active listener on site … for any audience member who needs some professional support to channel out their emotion, confusion, or trauma that they have experienced. We always have someone there for them,” Qiu says.

Their journey to storytelling — and True Voices — began at The Flame, a storytelling showcase originally based in East Vancouver.

The Flame’s co-founder and artistic producer Deb Williams, who is also True Voices’ storytelling consultant, encouraged Qiu to share their stories as a queer immigrant for more than five years.

“Every time [Williams] asked me, … ‘do you want to share your story?’ I was like ‘no, no, no. I have no interest. I have no story. I have no time,’” Qiu says.

“Back then, I had no capacity or awareness of how important it is to know more about yourself, until I actually entered.”

When Qiu began working with Williams in 2018, they started offering storytelling courses in English and Mandarin to encourage new immigrants, women, queer people, youth, and people who speak English as a second language to share their stories.

“I believe there is a storyteller in every one of us,” Qiu says. “Once you get inspired, once there’s a story sprouting in you — just let it grow. Talk about it. Tell people, and ask people about their own stories.”

For tickets, visit bit.ly/TrueVoices.