Jane Li
The award of $2900 has been endowed in memory of Kensaku Asano by his family, friends and colleagues. Kensaku studied Theatre and English Literature at UBC and worked as a theatre and television actor in the years after he graduated and, sadly, died of cancer at the age of 25. The prize is given to a theatre major or minor in third or fourth year, in any stream, who exhibits the traits for which Kensaku was known: an unshakeably positive attitude toward theatrical work, a gift for encouraging other students, and a healthy sense of humour at all times. The award is made on the recommendation of faculty in the Department of Theatre and Film from nominations by the department’s student body.
Jane’s colleague and fellow Theatre Design and Production 4th year student, Emily Chen, nominated her and here is a section of her nomination letter:
“Despite facing hardships, I have never seen her sad or without a warm, welcoming smile on her face. Every day you meet her, no matter how awful the weather is outside or how soon deadlines are approaching, a chipper, “Hello! How are you?”, and a great beaming smile are sure to greet you. I believe she embodies everything this award represents: she is the first person who comes to mind when the words “an unshakably positive attitude toward theatrical work” are said. Her positivity radiates on everyone around her, and her warmth instantly makes everyone her friend. I believe she is a force to be reckoned with and I am sure this is only the beginning of her bright career.”
Jane Li’s Bio: Born in Vancouver and raised in Japan and China, Jane Li is a passionate production designer and visual artist working mostly in theatre and film. Currently pursuing a BFA in Theatre Design and Production at the University of British Columbia, her recent selected credits include production design for Problem Child (Theatre at UBC), Ghosts (UBC Players Club), Thursday Night (Film at UBC), and art direction for Magpie (Film at UBC), and on-set dresser for This is a Period Piece (Crazy 8’s Film Society).
Jane is very happy about the Kensaku Asano Award and feels very thankful that her friend, Emily Chen, nominated her and is touched by what Emily wrote in the nomination letter. The Kensaku Asano Award reminds her, especially now during the quarantine, to stay positive and to encourage one another to stay safe while moving forward. This award also encourages her to work her best on all the theatre projects and finals and practice drafting on Vector works and model making.
UBC has always been Jane’s dream university. During her study at the UBC Theatre Design and Production program, with the support from her family, friends and faculty members, she is very happy that she has found out what she wants to do in future. She hopes to work with more production teams and talented designers to create a brand new form of stagecraft that no one imagined to be possible. In order to reach her dream, she believes that the next step is to apply to design a set for the UBC main stage next year.
Her website/portfolio: http://www.jane-li.com/
