There’s a new citizen in town at Upintheair Theatre’s rEvolver Festival 2026—one who may just be a little confused. Stand-up comedian Scarlet Chen brings her solo show, Citizen Chen, to Jim Green House Studio from May 29 to 31, sharing observations from her lived experience as a first-generation immigrant. 

“I just talk about what I see in the world through a [lens of] ‘I don’t know much, what is going on here?’” Chen says. “I find odd things, and I point it out, and people just laugh.”

Making sense of cultural differences

Before moving to Gabriola Island, Chen had been working as a screenwriter and filmmaker in China for over a decade. Her entrance into stand-up comedy was situationally comedic: she signed up for a comedy writing workshop during the island’s 2022 Isle of the Arts Festival—thinking it would help with her comedy-focused screenwriting project at the time. 

“I thought the workshop was about writing novels and screenplays,” Chen recalls. “Then, the instructor started talking about how to hold a mic.”

She also learned how to position herself on stage. Despite the unexpected lesson, Chen felt like she “was in the right place”

“That’s the first time I heard my voice coming out of the speaker, and I liked it,” the comedian recalls. “I tell the truth and people laugh.”

A lover of people watching, Chen puts her “writer’s mind” to use—creating jokes about the number of liquor stores on Gabriola Island, the B.C. ferry and other nuances of daily life. 

Another source of inspiration is observing the Chinese diaspora in different countries—both the old and new waves of immigration. Her materials also draw on differences between “island life” and her previous life in Beijing. 

“People’s life focus is very different…we have a sensitive word [on the island], it’s called, ‘bridge,’” Chen speaks of the proposal to build a bridge between Gabriola Island and Nanaimo—which is only separated by a roughly 25-minute ferry ride. “In China, with this kind of distance, there’ll be at least two bridges…it’s all about [having an] efficient, fast and booming economy at all costs, but here people want a slow life.”

Finding new communities

For Chen, the core of stand-up comedy is about sharing perspectives—encouraging the audience to see the world through the comedian’s eyes. Rather than loading her sets with moments of pre-designed laughter, she relies on storytelling to connect with the audience. 

“That’s what we need right now in this world,” the comedian adds. “I hope I change some of people’s minds about Chinese people, women or immigrants.”

Recently, Chen noticed her show posters being taken down on the island. She believes the act may be a result of anti-immigration sentiments.

“I recently released a video talking about this, and I said, ‘I just assume you like my poster too much, so come to my second show—I actually sell my poster there,’” she shares. 

Comedy has allowed Chen to find a community of like-minded individuals—a support system crucial to newcomers. Chen points out how being connected with other female comedians has made her feel safer in a new place and more comfortable in herself. 

“I hope people watch the show and think, ‘I can do stand-up,’” the comedian shares. She has co-taught stand-up workshops for immigrant youth in Nanaimo, where she witnessed their transformation to confident public speakers. “In the final showcase, they become comedians, and they have good jokes about their school lunch or their sister. You see the same kids—[who were previously] quiet—open up.”  

For more information on Scarlet Chen, see https://www.instagram.com/scarletchen_comedy/. 

For more information on Citizen Chen, see https://upintheairtheatre.com/presentation/citizen-chen/. 

For more information on rEvolver Festival 2026 (May 22 – 31), see https://upintheairtheatre.com/revolver-festival/.