Vivian Chong is no stranger to storytelling. An accomplished multidisciplinary artist, she has used everything from visual arts to comics to dance to pottery to music to chronicle her unique experiences. Now, with her latest theatrical endeavour Blind Dates, Chong takes to the stage to share an intimate, heartfelt and often humorous exploration of dating, disability and self-discovery.
Presented by Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille, Blind Dates is an autobiographical one-woman show that invites audiences into Chong’s world—one filled with vulnerability and the universal search for love. At its core, the play is a deeply personal yet relatable narrative that delves into what it means to open oneself up to others, even in the face of past heartbreak and societal misconceptions.
For Chong, who is a 2022 Dora Award nominee for Best Performer of the Year, creating Blind Dates was more than just an artistic endeavor—it was a personal challenge. An introvert by nature, Chong saw the stage as a space to push herself beyond her comfort zone. “I wanted to do theatre, to do something that’s out of the box, out of my regular routine,” she explains. And the timing was right, she added, “I feel like the world right now needs more understanding, listening, love and more good vibes. That’s why I created a show that taps into the core part of humanity—understanding, empathy and awakening.”
Her sentiment is true; the play is more than a personal exercise in self-expression, it’s a spiritual journey, one that reflects her evolving understanding of love and relationships. Chong, who lost her sight due to a rare medical condition, does not shy away from her lived experiences. Instead, she embraces them, offering audiences an unfiltered glimpse into the realities of modern dating as a blind woman. In so many ways, then, the one-woman show proves that the search for love—whether romantic, platonic or self-love—is universal and timeless.
It’s a narrative that, as Chong puts it, is “120 percent truth.” Every story she shares on stage is drawn from real experiences, edited only for brevity. The artist’s approach is refreshingly raw. She captures the highs and lows of dating that so many of us know well: the excitement, the nerves, the laughter, but also the disappointments.
“Dating at any time—historical, modern, in-between—is always a vulnerable experience,” Chong says. “But to carry your personal history with an open heart, no matter what happened before, is a transcendent experience. It’s timeless, too; from when you’re in kindergarten having a crush to developing as a teenager to a grown-up carrying all kinds of responsibility. You have your hopes and dreams with the other person, your individual growth, your projection of what you want from your partner, your expectations to an older focus on companionship. It’s all very vulnerable. I wanted to capture that [evolution] within a short time and express each of those roles.”
The play marks an important moment for Asian and disabled representation in the arts. Chong’s collaboration with Governor’s General Award-nominated playwright Marjorie Chan, who directs the show, brings together two powerhouse Asian artists actively expanding the boundaries of storytelling in Canadian theatre with hopes of carving a bigger space for artists of colour. Of Chan, Chong said, “I really believe everything is a spiritual practice for me. If I meet a person, it’s meant to be.”
Their partnership, forged after a serendipitous meeting at the Dora Awards, has resulted in a production that is as self-actualized as it is heartbreaking.
“I think being a person is a lot,” says Chong. “A person with the ability to share is another kind of a lot, because you have to be open enough to bring yourself fully to the table, open for criticism, for judgment, for people. So, every time I do a big show, whatever skills I bring in, I make sure I ground myself and have a lot of quiet time to situate myself. This is how I hope to bring some light into the world and continue to develop my artistry.”
In Blind Dates, Chong gets to fully embrace her love of music, too, with her own original pieces that create an even more immersive theatrical experience. Each night, the audience’s energy shifts, she shares—some nights are filled with laughter, others with quiet contemplation. For Chong, this variability is part of what makes live performance so thrilling. “Sometimes they are just gasping. You can hear them. Sometimes it’s the fidgety energy, you can hear people shifting in their seats,” she says. “It’s [part of the] process for me to grow as an artist.”
Her generosity and accessibility as an artist are clear. Chong recalls moments when audience members were moved to tears, sometimes for reasons even she didn’t fully understand, but their own personal journeys felt reflected back at them as the show progressed. Needless to say, the show has so far made a lasting impression.
With Blind Dates, Chong invites audiences into her world with humour and honesty. The play is a testament to the power of storytelling, the importance of representation and the beauty of embracing life’s uncertainties. Whether you’re navigating the complexities of dating, exploring your identity or simply looking for a memorable night at the theatre, Blind Dates is a show not to be missed.
Blind Dates runs in Toronto until March 15 and will move to Peterborough for a performance on March 20th at Public Energy Performing Arts. For tickets and more information, visit Theatre Passe Muraille.
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