Nina Lee Aquino on "getting her teeth kicked in" for theatre

In this episode of Q with Tom Power, acclaimed Filipino-Canadian theatre artist Nina Lee Aquino reflects on her groundbreaking career and the premiere of her new eco-thriller play, Cicadas, at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. Aquino shares how her journey in theatre began at age six through a school musical, and how a pivotal moment during her university studies—when she searched for 'Asian Canadian drama' in a library database and found zero results—spurred her to create change. She co-founded Fujin Theatre Company and edited influential anthologies to make Asian-Canadian stories visible. Now as the first woman of colour artistic director of English Theatre at the NAC, she speaks candidly about the emotional toll of being 'the first'—a role that often means being the first to 'get your teeth kicked in'—yet she remains resilient, driven by a deep belief in theatre as a transformative, empathetic force. She discusses how Cicadas, originally an audio production, evolved into a live stage experience to explore climate anxiety through visceral, imaginative storytelling, avoiding didacticism in favor of emotional resonance. Aquino emphasizes theatre’s enduring power in a digital age, arguing that its immediacy and communal nature are irreplaceable by AI or streaming.