Aaron Jan is a director, playwright, dramaturg and educator who has worked with theatres across Canada. Some of his directing credits include: Woking Phoenix (co-directed with Silk Bath Collective), The Alchemist, Cockfight, The Servant of Two Masters (Theatre Erindale), Give ‘Em Hell (Theatre Direct), From Up Here (University of Winnipeg), Kim’s Convenience (Assistant Director – Soulpepper/Adam Blanshay Productions/US National Tour) and The Winter’s Tale (Assistant Director – Stratford Festival).

He is one third of the critically acclaimed Silk Bath Collective, whose production of Woking Phoenix won the Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Dora Award as part of Theatre Passe Muraille’s 2023/2024 season. Aaron is serving his fourth year as a casting associate for the 2027 Stratford Festival season.

This month, Aaron’s back at the helm directing Sophia Fabiilli’s Liars at a Funeral at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre, which runs June 12-28.

Fabiilli’s farce deals with funeral homes, death, and the comic shenanigans that ensue. Two years ago, I first saw Liars in July at the Springer Theatre, Thousand Islands Playhouse, Gananoque. My mother had died in May, just two months prior. Even though I knew Liars was a comedy, I wasn’t certain if I should attend out of respect for a close relative.

I’m glad I did because I had major belly laughs. I also believe my mother was right there, sitting next to me and chuckling along.

What Jan loves about the script is that it allows audiences to laugh at something inevitable for all of us. So, as the character Mavis says: “Grab life by the balls”,  let’s all go out and do just that.

Aaron acknowledges that the Capitol production will be so, so funny and silly:

“It has to be because you laugh with these characters, and then when gut punches hit, they really land. We’ve built a very silly farce with door gags, lots of people falling down and near misses with doors opening and closing – but anchored in a sense of truth because every character who enters the funeral home is determined to prove themselves, that something about being in this funeral home will change their lives if they play their cards right.”

One of the joys of the theatre involves the director taking a playwright’s script and somehow making it work in his mind. When Aaron first read Liars, he immediately thought of his own family – a Chinese one filled with contradictions, unspoken grudges, sometimes tough love but often silly, silly lies. He was shocked that the play was not written by an East Asian writer, as he read many of the characters as such.

Something magical occurred that pleased Aaron:

“With Sophia’s blessing, I have changed the funeral to be a Chinese funeral – not only to reflect the family but to explore a different dynamic as to how the show is usually cast…Sophia has altered some lines to reflect this change in funeral practice.”

As someone who works in casting,  Aaron knows that it’s not just enough to cast colourblind. It means something different to actually embrace the cultural specificity of a cast in the dramaturgy of the piece itself. 

For this production of Liars, Jan has been working with a consultant, Nick Wang, to do further research into Chinese funerals beyond their own understanding. The Capitol Theatre’s set and direction will be filled with a different funeral palette of Chinese funeral practises and customs. 

Aaron further adds an important element about three simple yet powerful words the audience hears not only at a funeral but everywhere:

“I think also, as a Chinese person, grief and celebrating life ring differently – especially in a culture where saying “I love you” is often so rare. So when characters in our production of “Liars’ say it, it feels like a momentous occasion.”

According to Aaron, rehearsals have been really great, but it’s also a roller coaster.

While he rarely works in farce, he says he can be a pretty silly guy, so it’s delightful to build a show that’s consistently funny but also has a raw beating heart underneath 

Liars moves fast but has to be so precise, so the shifts and twists aren’t vague:

“It feels like juggling balls and balancing plates while eating spaghetti in comparing the five actors who play nine roles…while navigating folks entering and exiting through four doors and a coffin.”

Jan says he has also been gifted with such an incredible cast who are endlessly inventive and who think just as fast as he does.

They include Aidan deSalaiz, Jane Luk, Carolyn Fe, Gregory Solomon and Ericka Leobrera. Aaron has worked with deSalaiz before. Aaron has not worked with June, but his colleagues have spoken so highly of her. Aaron has always wanted to work with Carolyn because he has admired her onstage work. Aaron calls Gregory a ‘lucky charm’ he works with every few years, and calls Ericka a theatre wunderkid with a wild and fantastic imagination.

While Aaron hopes audiences will laugh and perhaps even shed a little tear, there’s something extremely important for him as opening night approaches:

“There’s a joy in this play that I feel is universal. I’m excited that we’re performing the show in a way that hasn’t ever been done before in centring the action on an East Asian family of colour.”

While the family in this vision is a mixed one that may have cultural differences with the audience, Aaron hopes audiences can laugh at the shared foibles, gaffes, and goofs. Laughter and poignancy remind all of us that we all grieve and laugh in similar ways, even though we may look different:

“I’m really thankful the Capitol Theatre is so enthusiastic about the vision of this production.”

What’s next for Aaron Jan after the show closes near the end of June?

Immediately after, he returns to Stratford this summer to assist in casting the 2027 season. He’s also excited to continue laughing at his boss’s (beloved Casting Director Ari Weinberg) jokes.

After the casting, Jan will direct a show at George Brown in the fall, which he’s quite excited about because he loves the text. The cohort is really strong, and working with a large-scale cast is always a real treat.

After the show, his company, Silk Bath Collective (composed of him, Bessie Cheng and Gloria Mok), will take their Dora Award-winning production of Woking Phoenix on tour across Canada in 2027. Jan is also excited to be an outside eye and writer for a new dance piece with international choreographer Hanna Kiel and her company, Human Body Expression, that’ll also premiere in 2027. 

But first things first.

Outside of his artistic professional responsibilities, he says:

“I also want to have a barbecue this summer on my balcony, ride the log ride at Centre Island, and eat at hilariously awful Chinese buffets with my friends. Please send buffet suggestions.”

Liars at a Funeral runs June 12  – 28 at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre. For further information: https://capitoltheatre.com/events/liars-at-a-funeral. 

To learn more about Aaron, visit: aaronchihojan.wixsite.com/home