KIMâS CONVENIENCE
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Kimâs Convenience made its debut at the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival, where it was first performed on July 6, 2011, at the Bathurst Street Theatre. The play was revived in Toronto on January 19, 2012, by the Soulpepper Theatre Company at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. The original cast members are:
APPA Paul Sun-Hyung Lee
UMMA Jean Yoon
JUNG Ins Choi
JANET Esther Jun
RICH, MR. LEE, Andre Sills (Fringe Festival production)
MIKE, and ALEX Clé Bennett (Soulpepper Theatre production)
Fringe Festival production directed by Ins Choi
Soulpepper Theatre production directed by Weyni Mengesha
CHARACTERS
APPA
A 59-year-old first-generation Korean-Canadian man, and owner of Kimâs Convenience store. Speaks with a thick Korean-Canadian accent.
UMMA
A 56-year-old first-generation Korean-Canadian woman. APPAâs wife. Speaks with a thick Korean-Canadian accent.
JUNG
A 32-year-old second-generation Korean-Canadian man. APPA and UMMAâs son.
JANET
A 30-year-old second-generation Korean-Canadian woman. APPA and UMMAâs daughter.
The following characters are played by one actor:
RICH
A young black man
MR. LEE
A successful black real estate agent and a friend of APPA
MIKE
A black man with a thick Jamaican accent
ALEX
A 32âyear-old black police officer and a childhood friend of JUNG
SCENE
A convenience store in Torontoâs Regent Park, a low- to middle-income neighbourhood made up mainly of recent immigrants.
1. Open
Autumn. Morning. Inside a convenience store.
APPA is heard humming a medley of hymns as he enters from the back of the store with a pocketful of money, a mug of coffee in hand, and scratch-and-win card trays. He puts the coffee mug on the counter, inserts the money in the cash register, and slides in the scratch-and-win trays. He turns on the lights, then goes to the window and flips the CLOSED sign to OPEN. He unlocks the front door. He returns to the counter, pours sugar in his coffee, and stirs. As he looks out the window, he sips. He sighs. He turns on the radio and begins pricing a case of cans with a price gun.
2. I am Korean
Early afternoon. Bell. RICH enters.
APPA: Hi.
RICH: Hey, wassup?
APPA: Nice day.
RICH: Yeah. Hook me up with a scratch-and-win card, please? (APPA pulls out the tray and RICH chooses a card.) Thanks.
APPA: Is that one you car?
RICH: Sorry?
APPA: Pointing to a car outside. Is that one you car?
RICH: Is that one my car?
APPA: Yah.
RICH: Which one?
APPA: White Honda in no-parking zone. Is that one you car?
RICH: No, man, I donât even have a car.
APPA: Oh.
RICH: And a du Maurier Balanced, please.
APPA: Large or small?
RICH: Small.
APPA: King size or regular?
RICH: King size.
APPA: If you donât have car, why you ask, âWhich one?â when I ask, âIs that one you car?â
RICH: I donât know. Didnât know what you were talking about.
APPA: Indicating the case of cans on the counter. Insam Energy Beverage?
RICH: What?
APPA: Itâs Insam Energy Beverage. Itâs new one, very good from Korea. Made from â
RICH: Ginseng.
APPA: No, insam.
RICH: No, like what itâs made from, looks li...