Pre-Registration for True Voices: Pride Storytelling & Tea is officially FULL! We will still have some spots available at the door, so if you are interested in attending, please arrive early and we will do our best to seat you at the event.
Join us at Gateway Theatre for a celebration of Richmond Pride Week! You are invited to our free storytelling event, where you’ll hear powerful and inspiring stories from local queer voices. Afterwards, enjoy a warm cup of tea and engage in an intimate Q&A with our storytellers. We are proud to provide a safe space for the queer community and allies, so whether you are curious, anxious, or looking to connect with the community, we welcome you to join us.
REGISTRATION for TRUE VOICES
Pre-registration is now FULL but we encourage you to drop in at the door. We will make every effort to find you a spot.
Looking for more ways to get involved in Richmond Pride Week? Visit richmond.ca to learn more about 2025 Pride Week events!
Storytellers
Prairie Wolfe
Storyteller
Story: My Fiddle Story
Prairie Wolfe
Storyteller
Story: My Fiddle Story
Prairie (she/her and all pronouns) is a Cantonese and Hui ethnic minority settler from British Hong Kong. Trained as a clinical social worker, she writes out of therapeutic necessity, exploring psychological conflict, layered identities, and the racialized and queer experience. Her emerging storytelling is interwoven with her Celtic fiddling performances, jumbling expectations and conveying the contradictions of diasporic life.
Website: prairiewolfe.com
Instagram: @prairiewolfefiddle
Noelle
Storyteller
Story: First Person Perspective
Noelle
Storyteller
Story: First Person Perspective
Noelle (she/her) is an aspiring trans artist and writer, with a background in musical theatre. She’s recently graduated high school, and is taking a gap year to explore her passions before deciding what comes next. Noelle has previously told her story alongside Zee Zee Theatre’s Rainbow Youth Storytelling Project, and is thrilled to be telling her story once again.
Effie Pow
Storyteller
Story: Lola Bootlicks: The Drag Me
Effie Pow
Storyteller
Story: Lola Bootlicks: The Drag Me
Effie Pow (she/they) is a writer/editor and cultural connector who lives and works on the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Interested in storytelling and arts-based community engagement, Effie was a storyteller in Zee Zee Theatre’s Queer Asian Stories Collection, and has co-created events inspired by themes of identity, home, and migration, including Perilous Words (2025 LiterAsian Festival), Hakka Bridges, and Transforming Trauma through Words and Music.
Instagram: @perilouswords
Zed Payne
Zed Payne
Storyteller
Story: J’s Dress
Zed (he/she/they) is a queer writer, quilter, painter, potter, hairdresser, and enthusiastic storyteller.
Zed is a regular performer and 3 time year end finalist at The Vancouver Story Slam.
They have also shared stories at Once Upon A Time: Queer Stories and Fairytales, The Tellers’ Table, Story Time: Coming-OUT, The Short Story Show Podcast, and The Swan Song Festival.
They are excited to share a bit of Pride with you!
Instagram: @zedpayne23
JAYLON HAN
Storyteller
Story: I Want To Be a Boy
JAYLON HAN
Storyteller
Story: I Want To Be a Boy
Jaylon (ze/zir) is an immigrant and multidisciplinary artist who lives, works and creates on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and Səl̓ílwətaɬ Nations. Ze works to amplify the voices of the underrepresented through Theatre and Storytelling. Jaylon co-created/performed at two One of A Kind at VICF and directed Present Moments, a personal storytelling play in Chinese languages. Since 2018, Jaylon has been sharing zir stories at The Flame events, including The Flame Pride Edition, The Rainbow Flame: Surrey Pride Storytelling and more. Jaylon is proud of co-curating Zee Zee Theatre’s Asian Queer Stories Collection (2023) and supporting The Rainbow Youth Storytelling Project (2024).
CREATIVE TEAM
DEBORAH WILLIAMS
Storytelling Consultant
DEBORAH WILLIAMS
Storytelling Consultant
Deb Williams is a multi-talented artist with over 35 years of experience in acting, playwriting, and producing. She co-created and starred in the Mom’s The Word plays. Deb is also the co-founder and Artistic Producer of The Flame, Vancouver’s top storytelling event. She has written several plays, including Broccoli and Butterflies and Drift Wood, and has been an Associate Artist at the Belfry Theatre for ten years. Deb is also an experienced personal storytelling teacher, coach, facilitator, and consultant, having taught nearly 1000 tellers of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, cultural identities, and mental and physical abilities.
Website – www.theflame.live/about-deb-1
Alexander Wintschel
Active Listener
Alexander Wintschel
Active Listener
Alexander is a volunteer with the BC Crisis Centre where he supports marginalized folx in crisis. He is a passionate ally and cares deeply about supporting the queer community through active listening and activism. Alexander is currently undergoing education to become a social worker.
Yanting Qiu
Storytelling Facilitator, Curator & Host
Yanting Qiu
Storytelling Facilitator, Curator & Host
Yanting Qiu (she/they) is an immigrant and theatre creator based on the unceded lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and Səl̓ílwətaɬ nations. Yanting is a producer, translator, and cultural connector. She is a native speaker of Wu Chinese, fluent in Mandarin and English. As a long-term Flame storyteller, and personal storytelling facilitator/producer, Yanting works closely with Deborah Williams in bringing true stories to the stage, especially from immigrant and queer storytellers. Yanting’s recent storytelling projects include: The Flame: TAIWANfest Special Edition (2019), The Flame: Hope Springs Eternal Edition (2021), The Flame: Home@Chutzpah! Festival (2022), Zee Zee Theatre’s Queer Asian Storytelling Collection (2023) and The Rainbow Youth Project (2024), as well as Gateway Theatre’s first Pride celebration – True Voices: Pride Storytelling & Tea (2024). Yanting is very excited to present 5 unique stories at the upcoming 2025 True Voices event.
What is an Active Listener?
During the storytelling session, if any audience members experience strong emotions and feel like talking to someone, an active listener will be available to have an open and safe conversation with them and make them feel heard, valued and understood. In the following Q&A session, patrons are also welcome to check in with the active listener about the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community Resources and Support that they can receive in the Great Vancouver area.
SPONSORS
Anna’s Cake House
Catering Sponsor
