Carried by the River (流源夢), a poignant and thoughtful theatrical work, by playwright Diana Tso, directed by William Yong. This original production runs from March 8 to March 23, 2025, at Tarragon Theatre’s Extraspace, offering audiences a deeply moving journey through myth, memory, and self-discovery.
Carried by the River is about Kai, a young Asian woman raised in Canada, who discovers a life-altering truth on her birthday when her mother passes away. Drawn to the river and the memories her mother once shared, Kai embarks on a transformative journey to China. Along the way, she meets three fateful women whose lives intertwine with hers in unexpected ways and encounters spirit animals who guide her toward an enigmatic reckoning with her roots. As she navigates grief and relationships, Kai uncovers a profound understanding of life’s deeper truths. This lyrical tale intertwines myth, memory, and identity, inviting audiences into an evocative world where the lines between reality and the imagined blur.
We had a chance to chat with Diana Tso to learn more…
Carried by the River is such a beautiful title for this play. What does this sentiment mean to you?
Diana: The title’s essence, Carried by the River, is to be open to possibilities, the freedom and healing through surrendering, and the beauty and impermanence of being. The Chinese title 流源夢 (Liú Yuán Mèng), translated by the director William Yong, poetically connects with the sentiments of flowing from the source of dreams.
The themes in this story line– what served as the inspiration?
Diana: When faced with the loss of my mother, her presence of unconditional love and home, I searched for ways to hold onto my roots, navigating a path of forgetting and remembering and affirming who I am. As a writer and artist, my stories shine light on women and their resilience. The themes of mother-daughter relationships, China’s one-child policy and lost daughters connected me with the voices that needed to be heard. Women are the carriers of our ancestry. Women shape our future.
You’ve woven in some folklore, please tell us more?
Diana: Within the Seven Crane Maidens’ folktale is the Weaver Girl and Cowherd story. Traditionally this story is recounted during the Seven Sisters Festival on the seventh day of the seven month in the lunar calendar, when women pray to the seven sisters for gifts and skills to find their true love. In Carried by the River, the gathering of the women at this time, opens up different meanings of love for the protagonist, Kai, to find her own path that is different from tradition. In her search for her roots in China, Kai finds new meanings of love for who she is and in her search for family.
Do you have a favourite moment in this play?
Diana: There are many favourite moments. One that stands out is the collective movement of the women offering the owl feather to the protagonist who remembers her mother at the river, accompanied by the music of Dong tribal women singing. This is a poignant moment because it bridges the spiritual ancestral world with our present and the transformative power in the moments of who we are becoming. The director’s beautiful vision brought this scene to life.
What did you learn about yourself in bringing this story to life?
Diana: In bringing this story to life I learned how challenging the cyclic path of grief, love and hope are and how their transformative powers are experienced when we, moment by moment, can surrender to it.
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Red Snow Collective presents Carried by the River is now on stage at the Taragon Theatre’s Extraspace in Toronto from March 8 to 23, 2025.
Tickets are available for purchase here: https://tarragontheatre.com/plays/2024-2025/guest-presentations/carried-by-the-river/