Event Overview
PCHC-MoM is proud to co-sponsor Citizen Chen, a one-woman show highlighting migration stories and cross-cultural narratives through comedy, proving that laughter can indeed be the best medicine bringing diverse people together in spaces of collective joy and intercultural harmony.
Citizen Chen blends stand-up and true storytelling into a comedy of culture whiplash and daily low-key panic: language fails, border anxiety, small-town awkwardness, and rebuilding a life in Canada—one misunderstanding at a time. Fast, sharp, and weirdly tender, it’s big laughs with real moments underneath (no lectures, I promise). Come for the comedy, stay for the truth I didn’t mean to say out loud.
Schedule
🗓️ Performances
Friday, May 29, 2026 | 7:15 PM – 8:15 PM (See more details for this section below)
Saturday, May 30, 2026 | 8:30 PM
Sunday, May 31, 2026 | 6:30 PM
Note: Panel + Friendraiser only available after May 29 performance
📍 Venue / Box Office
Jim Green House Studio
Box Office Check-in at The Cultch
1895 Venables Street, Vancouver, BC V5L 2H6 (Google Maps)
🎟 Tickets
Pay what you can: $18–$33
Please purchase tickets early as seating capacity is limited.
Special Talkback Session + PCHC Friendraiser
Please join us for an intimate talkback session immediately following the Friday, May 29 performance of Citizen Chen.
Audience members will walk over to the Founder’s Lounge inside The Cultch for a moderated panel discussion led by Sophea Heang featuring comedians Scarlet Chen, Nancy Ho, and Molly Chen, who will share stories and conversations around migration, identity, and belonging.
This is a limited seating session. Once you arrive for the Citizen Chen show, please let Jasmindra Jawanda know if you would like to attend the talkback session.
After the discussion, PCHC-MoM warmly invites everyone to stay for a Friendraiser where guests can mix, mingle, and make new connections.
Nancy has lit up comedy stages across the country, from bustling big cities to the quaint and quirky small towns in between.
She came to Canada as a boat person and refugee during the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. The boat her family was on was shelled, but they were lucky enough to be on the part of the boat that wasn’t hit. Her life story gives her comedy a sharp, fearless perspective — finding humour, resilience, and humanity in the most unexpected places.
She has opened for Emma Willmann and other acclaimed comedians, including Juno and Canadian Screen Award winners and nominees. Her comedy credits include Just for Laughs Vancouver, South Rock Comedy Festival, Nanaimo Fringe Festival, and Don’t Tell Comedy. She has also performed nationally at renowned venues such as Yuk Yuk’s and the House of Comedy.
Molly Chen is a whimsical comic fascinated by the strange, unwritten rules of human interaction. As an immigrant, she brings a (self-proclaimed) cool awareness to everyday life moments. Offstage, she reads cheesy mysteries and sings One Direction at karaoke.
About the Comedian: Scarlet Chen
Scarlet Chen is an award-winning screenwriter and performer (stand-up/theatre/storytelling). Originally from China, her narrative work includes an original series produced by HBO Asia. Based on Gabriola Island, BC, she has opened for Maria Bamford and Julie Kim, and appeared at the Burbank Comedy Festival (LA), South Rock Comedy Festival, and Nanaimo Fringe. Her comedy shows blends cinematic storytelling with sharp, heartfelt humour about immigration, identity, and belonging.
Past Reviews for Citizen Chen
Series Creator & Writer: Dream Raider (Original series produced by HBO Asia)
Winner: First Place, UCLAx Feature Screenplay Competition (Co-writer, Fortune Springs)
Core Artist & Filmmaker: Messages on Doors (The Fox Queen)
Co-Playwright & Performer: Percolate, a sold-out site-immersive production (Pacific Coast Stage Co. / Nanaimo Fringe Festival)
Successful Producer: Produced and hosted a series of consistently sold-out stand-up comedy showcases across Vancouver Island
“Will engage its audiences with poignant, intelligent writing.” - Tamara McCarthy (Award-winning Director, testimonial regarding Citizen Chen)
“Scarlet! You are awesome!” - Maria Bamford (Legendary Comedian & Netflix’s Lady Dynamite, personal note)
“A real opportunity to see something unique” - The Discourse (regarding Percolate)
“The kind of show that reshapes expectations for what a procedural can be.” - Screen Rant (regarding Dream Raider)
