Retina Maneuver
Daniels Spectrum Aki Studio Theatre
Toronto, ON M5A 2B7
How to get there
Retina Maneuver
Why is a Taiwanese military reservist so fascinated by Alicia Keys’ chart-topping hit Girl on Fire – a gay anthem he has sung countless times in karaoke bars? As he launches into the song’s climax, he is struck by a disorienting realization: He can no longer place himself in the timeline of his own life when this transformative song was released on September 4, 2012.
A fanatical search through his digital archives unearths fragments of memory and confronts him with a past haunted by violence and destruction. In a live performance that assembles a visual monument entirely from memory, Wang wrestles with the fragility of memory. No matter how he may try to dull and blur, the weight of the past is a continued threat.
Ping-Hsiang Wang is in a slow-motion trainwreck and you can’t do anything to stop it but watch as an unsettling reality that everything he has preserved could go up in flames in an instant.
*The August 8th / 4:00PM performance of Retina Maneuver will be followed by a brief post-show Q&A.
Company: k*hole Karaoke
Artistic Creator & Performer: Ping-Hsiang Wang, k*hole karaoke
Dramaturgy: Wan Shi
Lighting Designer: Raquel Rosildete
Lighting Assistant: Sára Enyingi
Artistic Producer: Aurora Kellermann
Graphic Designer: Meng-Jiin Hsieh
Stage Support & Consultation: Soojin Oh
Lighting Support & Consultation: Yi-Ju Chou
Assistant Director (Development Stage): Kang-Hua Chang
Accessibility
All performances of Retina Maneuver will offer Peer Support.
You can learn more about SummerWorks' Access Measures HERE.
Sensory Advisories: use of haze/fog; right/flashing/strobe lights; loud music or sudden noises.
Content Advisories: Available here. This link will open to a webpage that lists Content Advisories for ALL SummerWorks 2026 projects.
Duration: 55 Minutes
Venue: Daniels Spectrum Aki Studio - 585 Dundas Street E