17-20 Nov 2022
Paradoxical Gasp
"In the air we couldn't breath, we found each other."
I joined Hidden Keileon as a devising performer for their immersive show, Paradoxical Gasp. The show took place in Euston's Crypt Gallery, which used to be a real Crypt!
The show explored the use of tear gas in protests. It was a part of Hidden Keileon's ongoing research on the topic, 'Out Of Breath'.
First EVER TV Writers Room in the North East
I was invited by Tiger Aspect to help develop a brand new TV show commissioned by the BBC in Sunderland.
There I was, spending two days in this North East city that I've never stepped foot on before.
I was in a room with a group of very talented comedy writers - some were performers too, like me.
We were all surprised to find out that this was the first EVER TV writers room in this region.
I suppose we've made history then!
Thank you Tiger Aspect, BBC Comedy and North East Screen and all the wonderfully brilliant writers.
A Bouffon Play About Hong Kong
Work-in-progress @ Live Theatre
Having received their Live Bursary in 2020, and after two years of pandemic delays, I was finally able to take part at Live Theatre's Elevator Festival, showcasing a work-in-progress performance of A BOUFFON PLAY ABOUT HONG KONG. This was the first time bringing my vision of the play to a live audience, and I am thrilled about the positive feedback.
The play is on its way to come to a full-length realisation. Stay tuned!
Photo credit: Anson Shum
Audience feedback:
"Otherworldly and unique"
"Electrified, unsettled, refreshed, gleeful"
"Powerful and very funny"
"Wacky off the wall stuff that makes no sense"
FINALIST!
The Women's Prize for Playwriting
My first full-length play, A BOUFFON PLAY ABOUT HONG KONG has been been selected as one of the 8 FINALISTS out of 850 entries for this year's The Women's Prize for Playwriting. I am so proud that this play is being seen, especially because it is about my home.
Synopsis:
Set against the backdrop of Hong Kong’s skyscraper, the bouffons emerge from the swamp to tell the truth about their home. They must be careful with their choice of words, they must conceal their fear and anger, they must put those who abandoned them in their rightful place, and their weapon is humour. Laughter helps the bouffons to find freedom in an absurd world where politicians are comedians, soldiers and police are troubled poets, and at the centre of it all, a woman with all the power, living a glamorous life of empty daydreams.
Check out all the wonderful finalists here:
https://womensprizeforplaywriting.co.uk/2021-finalists/
"Mooncake" - an immersive audio play with Nicola T. Chang
Nicola T. Chang and I collaborated on MOONCAKE, an audio-drama, which I'd describe as 'a journey dedicated for the food of our ears'. Nicola is a brilliant sound designer with bright ideas and exceptional knowledge in her field; I am a storyteller with dramaturgical experiences and a bit of quirk. This is our first collaboration and I hope there are many more to come!
MOONCAKE is now streaming online as a part of Season 2 of Written On The Waves, by 45North.
"very sensitively written and the audience feels completely immersed "- LoveLondonLoveCulture.com
"where the drama refuses to tie up loose ends or provide that leading edge for us to follow, is where MOONCAKE succeeds" - The Reviews Hub
Created by Nicola T. Chang and Isabella Leung
Starring Heather Lai, Rebecca Yeo, Michelle Yim and Tony Tang.
Commissioned and Produced by 45North
Image by Elizabeth Lai
Click to check out our interview with Theatre Full Stop:
19-31 July 2021
#12ArtWorks
12 Live Performance Artists, 12 Artworks of Our Time
with Ghost and John
Images by Dominic Farlam
I was invited by Ghost and John, along with 11 other live performance artists, to reside at the lovely space London Performance Studios.
Throughout the two-weeks residency, we shared skills and ideas, conducted and participated in each other's workshops, and worked on 12 pieces of score-based improvisational works.
Using bouffon as groundwork, I explored beauty within an 'ugly' exterior. I thought: hey, wouldn't it be a perfect opportunity to work with live artists, dance artists and theatre-makers alike, to find the humour amongst us?
Really Ugly but Really Beautiful…“Oh Really? Absolutely darling, absolutely” an explosion of funny characters with a grotesque physicality and a heart of gold. (View all the scores here)
Participating Artists:
Adam Moore - Transdisciplinary Aahtist & Qurator
Alina Sakko - Dance artist
Bettina Fung - Visual artist
Bonnie Chan - Theatremaker
Elina Akhmetova - Dance artist, Activist and Bashkir
Iris Chan - Dance artist
Isabella Leung - Actor, Writer, Clown
Jay Yule - Dance artist
Mark Bleakley - Dance artist
Peggy Yau - Installation artist
Yik Sau - Actor and Theatremaker
Ghost and John - Multidisciplinary art duo
2-6 March 2021
A Game Not Lost - a one woman show
I was thrilled to return to the theatre during this difficult COVID times with A Game Not Lost, a one-woman show bringing an amazing and powerful female character, Ching Shih 鄭石氏, to life. But, as unpredictable as the pirate life of Ching Shih herself, the show had to be live-streamed when theatres were forced to remain closed.
Thanks to The Space Theatre we were able to have a smooth recording of the show in this beautiful church-converted theatre.
"full of incident, drama and female agency." - The Reviewer's Hub