Kim’s Convenience is a story of the Canadian immigrant experience

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"When I saw this play in 2011, it was like a punch to my chest," says the actor Patrick Kwok-Choon. "I was blown away and so raw after seeing it. Because it was my story."

Kwok-Choon is speaking about Kim's Convenience, a hit play written by Ins Choi for the Soulpepper Theatre Company that is mounting yet another run this month in Toronto, this time at Bluma Appel Theatre. The charming, relevant comedic drama about a Korean-Canadian family and a small quickie-mart they operate has toured Canada and is now being adapted for the small screen as part of CBC's 2016-17 schedule.

The 32-year-old Toronto-based actor is new to the Soulpepper cast, but Kim's Convenience and its story (about family, community and the immigrant experience) is anything but new to him. In the 1970s, his Chinese parents emigrated from the Indian Ocean island country of Mauritius to Montreal, where they owned and operated a convenience store for more than a quarter-century.

"They worked 12-hour days, six days a week, with no holidays," says Kwok-Choon, speaking on the phone after rehearsal last week. "My parents sacrificed a lot in their life to allow me to pursue my dream."

Although it is common for immigrants to desire an elite profession for their children, Kwok-Choon's parents harboured no such dreams for their only son, and pushed him in no preset direction. "It wasn't a question," says the actor, who has two older sisters. "They just wanted me to be happy."

After graduating from Concordia University, in 2009 Kwok-Choon moved to Toronto to attend the George Brown Theatre School. He's busy, with roles both on stage and in television paying the bills.

In Kim's Convenience, a burly, cranky but often thoughtful father is estranged from his son, the role previously played by actor-playwright Choi but now by Kwok-Choon. The son wonders whether he can live up to the kinds of sacrifices his father made when he immigrated to Canada. Kwok-Choon knows the feeling.

"I feel a responsibility to honour the sacrifices of my parents," he says. "I also have a responsibility as a person of colour who's making a career of acting. Growing up, I didn't see myself being on stage. I didn't even think it was a possibility. I want to inspire the next generation and to show them what's possible."

In his playbill notes, Choi remarks on the tour of Kim's Convenience across Canada, noting that people of various ethnic backgrounds all laughed at the same moments, connected the same dots and made a connection with each other – "a common framework, a mutual point of reference."

Kwok-Choon sees Kim's Convenience as a story of Canada. "It's such a multicultural country, and this play has been able to reflect that on stage, and to celebrate and embrace the diversity."

The actor's parents will be on hand on opening night. Kwok-Choon arranged for seats and train tickets from Montreal, but didn't tell them what the story was about. "I just told them it was [a] good show and that they should see it," he says. "I see this as an opportunity for myself to honour their life."

A role in a hit play and at the same time a chance to pay respects to his parents? The convenience is delicious.

Kim's Convenience runs until Dec. 26 at the St. Lawrence Centre's Bluma Appel Theatre in Toronto (soulpepper.ca).