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UFV Theatre presents Moth Boy by Peihwen J. Tai
TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE
Directed by Tetsuro Shigematsu, Moth Boy, will run from November 27 until December 6, 2025. This will be the first production of UFV Theatre's 2025-2026 season and will be running at the School of Creative Art’s Performance Studio on UFV’s Abbotsford campus.
Presented by the UFV School of Creative Art’s Acting and Production Classes, Moth Boy is a new play in development written by UBC Graduate, Peihwen J. Tai. The play follows Taiwanese-Canadian Ikari Zao who, after a sudden tragedy, spirals into a catatonic depression leading to a surreal metamorphosis into a moth.
The student cast features Alaric Singh (Ikari Zao), Ayat Naqvi (Woman), Virge Farwaha (Greta), Svea Silver (Amber), Aidan MacDonald (Mr. Smith/Ensemble), Wyatt Janzen (Mr. Taylor/Ensemble), Joey Lim (Understudy/Ensemble), Jash Vashi (Understudy/Ensemble), and Harleen Dhiman (Understudy/Ensemble).
The student production team includes Avrey Jantz Krahn (Stage Manager), Marie Brideau (Lighting Designer), Tavleen Grewal (Props Assistant), Alvina Kumar (Assistant Stage Manager), Sukhsagar Singh (Sound Mixer/Foley Master), Tobey Donaghy (Dresser/Costumes Assistant), and Harmandeep Kaur (Dresser/Costumes Assistant).
Production students are mentored by UFV production class instructor and technical coordinator Jared Raschke, wardrobe manager Heather Robertson, and production manager Giuseppe Condello.
Performances will be held in the Performance Studio, Building D, Room 105, UFV Abbotsford Campus, (33844 King Road, Abbotsford).
Dates & Times:
Opening night, UFV Abbotsford, Performance Studio (D105):
Thursday, November 27th at 7:00 pm.
Regular performances, UFV Abbotsford, Performance Studio (D105):
Friday, November 28th at 7:00 pm
Saturday, November 29th at 2:00 pm
Thursday, December 4th at 7:00 pm
Friday, December 5th at 7:00 pm
Saturday, December 6th at 2:00 pm
Contact soca@ufv.ca for inquiries.
Follow the UFV School of Creative Arts @ufvsoca on Facebook and Instagram to be informed of future productions and events happening at UFV SOCA.
About the Director & Playwright:
Tetsuro Shigematsu
Director Q&A
Q - Tell us about your Theatre experience and your role as the director in the upcoming production Moth Boy.
Tetsuro - "Tuesdays and Thursdays have become my favorite days of the week, because that is when I get to co-create with the cast and production team for Moth Boy. Everyone has been generous with their offers and ideas."
Q - Why was the play Moth Boy chosen for this year’s production?
T - "Apart from teaching at UFV, my other job is co-leading the LEAP program (Learn Early About Playwrighting) at the Arts Club in Vancouver. One of our young playwrights, Peihwen Tai wrote this incredible play Moth Boy. Easily the best new play I’ve ever read. So I told her, if no one else produces it, I’ll direct it myself. So when I was invited to direct the Fall show at UFV, and they asked me what show I wanted to put on, I already knew my answer!"
Q - Can you tell us what makes this production unique, what types of performance techniques will be explored, and how will multimedia be integrated?
T - "The world of Moth Boy is very creature-like and natural, and I wanted the staging to reflect that. Whereas other productions might use the traditional means of sets, or furniture to establish a degree of realism, we’re using bodies as building blocks."
Q - What do you want audience members to take away from this production?
T - "I hope they come away with a greater appreciation for how hard it is to be human in this world. Especially if you’re not fully human."
Peihwen J. Tai
Playwright
Peihwen J. Tai (戴珮文) is a Taiwanese/Canadian writer and performer. She's an MFA candidate in Creative Writing at UBC, where she's adapting Moth Boy into the video game "Would u still love me if i were a moth?" Her most recent work is the short film script Pretty Boy$, with which she won the Vancouver Queer Film Festival Pitch Competition. Pretty Boy$ is about two closeted boy band idols and will go into production in 2026. She thanks the cast and crew of Moth Boy, particularly her mentor, Tetsuro, and lead actor, Alaric, for bringing her first play to life.
About the Cast & Crew
Alaric Singh
Playing Ikari Zao
Last year, Alaric took to the stage as the Fairy Godmother in The Paper Bag Princess and thought – quite sincerely – that nothing could ever top the sheer joy of moonwalking onstage in a corset and top hat. And yet, Alaric was delightfully, spectacularly wrong.
In a year that has felt like a string of thrilling acts stitched together, nothing has stirred Alaric quite like this one. To work with Tetsuro Shigematsu – an idol of Alaric’s – is an honour Alaric still hasn’t wrapped his head around. And to originate the role of Ikari Zao, penned by the astonishing Peihwen J. Tai – a prodigious playwright barely five years their senior – is as humbling as it is electrifying.
Alaric is thrilled, intimidated, inspired, and above all, incredibly lucky to be collaborating with such an accomplished and passionate team.
Ayat Naqvi
Playing Woman
Ayat Naqvi plays Woman in Moth Boy. They feel incredibly lucky to be part of this production and have enjoyed learning from the cast and crew. Although Ayat has limited theatre experience, having taken a few drama classes, they are excited to be gaining practical experience in a professional setting. Currently pursuing a Psychology degree, Ayat finds their studies surprisingly relevant to the play’s mentally fascinating themes. They have always wanted to be part of a production like this and are thrilled to finally have the opportunity.
Virge Farwaha
Playing Greta
Virge plays Greta in Moth Boy. Virge primarily performed in musical theatre and is currently appearing in Beetlejuice Jr. Virge's previous roles include productions of Seussical Jr., School of Rock, Anastasia, and several other plays. Virge likes the colour purple, enjoys drawing, singing, and acting, and although they like dancing, they admit it’s not their strongest skill. They invite the audience to say hi after the show! Live laugh cheese.
Svea Silver
Playing Amber
Svea has thoroughly enjoyed creating and developing a new character, finding the process incredibly rewarding. Collaborating with the cast and team to bring Moth Boy to life has been a truly meaningful experience.
Outside of school, she works primarily with children. Her theatre background includes years of acting, directing, crew work, and scriptwriting. Exploring these diverse roles has opened her eyes to the many different pathways within the performing arts, and she hopes to continue pursuing her passion for many years to come.
Aidan MacDonald
Playing Mr. Smith
Wyatt Janzen
Playing Mr. Taylor
Wyatt Janzen is an actor and singer, excited to be part of a brand-new Canadian play at UFV. You may recognize Wyatt from Legally Blonde, The Odd Couple: Female Version, and Shrek the Musical in Abbotsford. Wyatt is excited for audiences to be part of this historic production.
Joey Lim
Understudy/Ensemble
Joey (they/them) is part of the ensemble for Moth Boy, contributing acoustic musical accompaniment through both voice and ukulele. They have enjoyed sharing their culture and experiences as part of the Chinese diaspora through this production. Joey is a second-year Media Arts student focusing on the Digital Performance and Digital Entertainment Arts streams while also working on voice acting projects. Their goal is to pursue a career in voice acting for animation and video games.
Jash Vashi
Understudy/Ensemble
Jash is a fourth-year Bachelor of Arts Theatre student. In this production, Jash is part of the ensemble and serves as an understudy. Acting has always been his passion, and he has been performing for the past 15 years. Some of his previous roles include King Duncan, Uncle Siward, and a Murderer in Macbeth, as well as Ravana in Ramayana: The Epic, along with multiple street plays. Outside of theatre, Jash hosts a radio show on CIVL Radio 101.7, where he talks about movies and music.
Harleen Dhiman
Understudy/Ensemble
Harleen Dhiman is an ensemble member and understudy in Moth Boy. As a first-time actor, she has appreciated the supportive rehearsal environment that allows her to grow and feel genuinely heard. A second-year Film student at UFV, Harleen is eager to gain acting experience to better guide actors in her future career. Although theatre and film acting differ, she believes learning both makes her a more effective storyteller.
Ammi Kim
Ensemble
Ammi Kim has no previous experience in theatre nor any school plays. Her role in Moth Boy includes playing background tracks with a guitar during specific scenes, as well as participating physically in some moments of the play as one of the background actors and helping with transitions by moving props.
Her present activities include attending school at UFV, teaching English and art to younger students outside of UFV, and committing to church services such as singing worship onstage and serving as one of the instructors and caretakers for the youth.
Ammi has enjoyed many aspects of the production of Moth Boy, particularly the opportunities to learn and expand her perspective through interaction with the actors, staff, and instructors—hearing their visions not only in art but in life as well, and listening to their various ideas when depicting certain scenes or demonstrating characteristics of particular themes and characters she had never considered before. She has recently thought about trying out more courses that intersect with theatre and forms of physical acting, as she has greatly enjoyed participating in this production. In this regard, she hopes to continue finding ways to grow her knowledge in the arts and eventually become adept enough to contribute to writing stories or scripts and transforming them into visual form.
Avrey Jantz Krahn
Stage Manager
Avrey is a fifth-year theatre student at UFV and is excited to serve as the stage manager for Moth Boy. She has choreographed dance pieces in Matilda the Musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and helped visualize an all-dance adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. She hopes to continue working in the entertainment industry as part of productions in both film and theatre. Avrey loved working on this production with her peers and is grateful to be a part of bringing this story to the stage for the first time.
Marie Brideau
Lighting Designer
Marie is the lighting designer for Moth Boy. She is excited to take on a new role and have the opportunity to create and be part of such a meaningful story. Marie is a fourth-year art student who has been exploring various mediums and forms, from sculpture to theatre. She has previously had the privilege of participating in other UFV productions, such as Macbeth and The Paper Bag Princess. She hopes to continue her education in theatre and explore every avenue until she can integrate it with her passion for writing and global development.
Tavleen Grewal
Props Assistant
Tavleen has taken on the role of props for the production of Moth Boy. Having spent most of her time in theatre as an actor on stage, Tavleen was excited to work backstage for a change and learn what goes on behind the scenes. After being in last year's production of Macbeth, Tavleen was thrilled to learn the backstage world, specifically in the world of props. Tavleen is currently working towards a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in history and a minor in theatre and is looking forward to working in both fields in the future.
Alvina Kumar
Assistant Stage Manager
Alvina is the Assistant Stage Manager for this production. A UFV Theatre and English Creative Writing student, Alvina is also working as an Education Assistant. She has enjoyed learning how to list props and costumes and collaborating with the theatre department’s talented faculty and students. Previously, Alvina performed a solo piece in Girmit. Her goal in theatre is to complete her BFA and become a teacher.
Sukhsagar Singh
Sound Designer/Foley Artist
Sukhsagar is the sound designer for Moth Boy, as well as the operator for sound, lights, and projection. This production marks his final show as a theatre student at UFV, as he is graduating this fall. He greatly enjoyed exploring the new element of theatre sound in this production and is grateful to the wonderful team who supported him in making it all work.
Moth Boy is Sukhsagar’s third consecutive production. Previously, he worked as an actor in The Paper Bag Princess and as a sound operator in Macbeth. Passionate about theatre and acting, he continues to pursue this field with dedication and hopes to become a great actor one day.
Tobey Donaghy
Costumes Assistant
Harmandeep Kaur
Costumes Assistant
Lake Butterworth
Hair & Makeup Designer
Lake is a first-year theatre student at UFV and is honoured to be doing the hair and makeup for Moth Boy. They have been in theatre since age 5 and enjoy working both on and off stage. They have been involved at Creative Edge School of Arts their entire life and are currently a youth drama teacher at the school. Lake has worked backstage on several productions such as Shrek the Musical, Suessical the Musical, and other year-end shows for schools. They are thrilled to be a part of this production and are thankful to have been a member of the community built from this show.