Monica Ogden

Monica Ogden (she/they) is an award-winning queer, disabled, Filipinx, Polynesian, British actor and comedian. Her Lilang migrated to Kapuskasing ON from Santa, Ilocos Sur, Philippines in 1966, and Monica lives uninvited in lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ territories. Her solo show Monica vs. The Internet (★★★★★ Winnipeg Free Press) directed by K.P Dennis toured nationally in 2019, was presented at Second City Toronto (2019) and the National Theatre School of Canada (2020), and was recognized with the 2020 Witness Legacy Award for Social Purpose and Responsibility Through Art from the Pro Art Alliance and the Witness Legacy Blanket. Monica vs. The Internet is part of RISER 2023 with Why Not Theatre, and will be presented by Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre in May 2023.

Monica holds a BA with distinction in Gender Studies from UVic and produces with Rage Sweater Theatre Productions, their disabled QT2BIPOC led/centered theatre company.

To be Asian Canadian in the performing arts for me means to be a generational curse breaker, as well as expecting racism everytime I walk into a room. The culture in the Canadian arts needs to shift so drastically and I feel my entire career has been helping people reckon with that fact. But I’m tired. And I just want to see more Asian joy. BIPOC joy. Asian/BIPOC comedy, laughter, healing. I want to see more solidarity coming from Asian communities when it comes to colourism, anti-Black racism, representing all Asian people in Asian discourses etc. We all have the capacity to look beyond whiteness as our guide for how things should be. As an Asian Canadian artist, I want to be a part of transforming the art landscape as we know it, so that we are not equal to white artists, but we have abolished the systems that make us want/need to be white.