CULTURE GECKO
Suitcase Stories is a Heartwarming, Enduring Journey of Immigration and Soul Searching
By Ezekiel McAdams
February 28 2026
Burnt Thicket Theatre’s next show of their season is a remount of Maki Yi’s one woman show, Suitcase Stories. The production was originally conceived and produced through Vancouver’s Pacific Theatre.
Suitcase Stories has a limited run in Saskatoon from February 25th to March 1st 2026 at La Troupe Du Jour’s Studio 914.
Suitcase Stories is created, written and performed by Yi and directed by Colleen Lanki. Lanki unfortunately lost her battle with cancer on January 18 2023.
This iteration of Suitcase Stories was an incredibly heartwarming journey of endurance and perseverance as Yi detailed the tumultuous task of going through the Canadian immigration process.
Yi is a dynamic and charming performer, utilizing physicality, voices (anthropomorphizing her suitcase as a character), effortlessly switching vocal tones and cadences.
This culminates with masterfully utilizing the studio space and props such as a chalkboard, chalk outlines to visualize the emotional twenty year journey she entailed during the ninety minute runtime.
Yi evokes such a effervescent quality while holding back tragedy as her protective armor slowly crumbles throughout the production which served to magnify the emotional scope of Yi’s story that culminates into a opus of self discovery, identity, mental health under the umbrella of the Canadian Immigration system.
Lanki’s original direction helped Yi bring a strong, confident performance, vision and narrative to the stage.
Chengyan Boon’s lighting design was effective at helping lead the audience on Yi’s Journey through lighting changes, cues and spotlights throughout the production.
Additionally Xander Scribante served as both Stage Manager and House Technician, Frank Engel as Technical Director and Stephen Waldschmidt as Burnt Thicket Theatre’s Artistic Director.
Suitcase Stories from Burnt Thicket Theatre runs from February 25th to March 1st 2026 at La Troupe Du Jour’s Studio 914 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Tickets can be bought online here, the box-office or the venue itself.
Yi’s Suitcase Stories was originally conceptualized to promote Pacific Theatre’s thirtieth anniversary in their 2013-2014 season.
Pacific Theatre was founded in 1984 by Ron Reed who severed as the artistic director until 2020, when Yi proposed the idea of the “Lobby Project” where Yi performed ten minute vignettes that transformed into Suitcase Stories.
Reed whom was the theatre’s artistic director at the time, encouraged Yi to develop the idea further. The full production would eventually premiere in 2016.