PAT and The Finger Players take out Best Set Design at Fringe Awards!

Roots written by Oliver Chong was presented by PAT in the 2018 Auckland Fringe at Uxbridge Arts Centre in Howick and Q Theatre in central city.

Starring Amanda Grace Leo, directed by Chye-Ling Huang and original design by The Finger Players, Chye-Ling Huang, Tom Dennison (sound) and TFP's set design took out Best Set Design in the fringe Awards.

125 kgs of rice raked perfectly into a square across the stage, a cymbal with a mic and loop pedal and a humble broom created shapes taking us through the journey of one woman finding her roots in China from Singaporean diaspora. 

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Photos: Julie Zhu Photography

Photos: Julie Zhu Photography

Congrats to all the winners and happy fringe! Read Scoop's roundup below:

 

Auckland Fringe Closes with the Fringe Awards

Monday, 5 March 2018, 4:06 pm

Photo: Andi Crown Photography

Photo: Andi Crown Photography

After a jam-packed two-week showcase of the weird and wonderful, Auckland Fringeare delighted to announce the winners of the Auckland Fringe Awards. A celebration of the unique experiences on offer as part of the avant-garde festival, Auckland Fringe officially went annual in 2018, and the Fringe Awards have also become a staple part of the festival calendar.


Twenty-one industry experts were tasked with the challenge of wrangling the immense programme, taking them across the region for journeys into the womb, on dates in gutters, back in time to a Roman amphitheatre, and grappling with the big ideas and hard questions. Awarded on Sunday night in the original home of Auckland Fringe, Basement Theatre, the winners are…

Overall Awards:
Unfuck the World (Social Impact Award): Drowning in Milk by Saraid Cameron
Spirit of the Fringe: The Plastic Orgasm by Julia Croft & Virginia Frankovich
Best in Auckland Fringe: Fuck Rant by Nisha Madhan

Industry Opportunity Awards:
Auckland Live ‘Free Your Mind’ Award
The winning Artist/Company of the ‘Free Your Mind’ Award will be given $1500 of cold hard cash to fuel a pitch for a project that they would like to put on at one of Auckland Live’s venues.
This award will also entitle its bearer to at least one complimentary flat white at the Box café, and a philosophical discussion about a topic of your choosing with our contemporary programmer, Anders Falstie-Jensen.
Winner: Meg Rollandi (Performance Designer for Force Field)

Basement Theatre Migration Award
The Basement Theatre Migration Award goes to a show that took place in any venue other than Basement Theatre during this year’s Auckland Fringe. The winning show receives an automatic spot in a future Basement Theatre season, with free venue hire, as well as $500 cash.
Winner: The Contours of Heaven

Auckland Arts Festival Fringe Award
The Auckland Arts Festival Fringe Award recognises a truly excellent production in the 2018 Auckland Fringe, and awards the recipient $2,000 cash, as well as access to Auckland Arts Festival producing staff for mentorship and advice.
Winner: The Contours of Heaven

Best in Category Awards:
Best Circus: Krīdati by Ariel Cronin & Jay Clement
Best Music: Rattle Showcase One - The Gristle of Knuckles by Eve de Castro-Robinson
Best Storytelling: Humourism by Brendon Green
Best Visual Arts: Liminal: Motion as Manifest by Joshua Lewis
Best Cabaret: TRIAGE! A Nursing Cabaret by Zulieka Khan
Best Dance: Dance Danced Dancing by Josie Archer & Kosta Bogoievski
Best Comedy: Chef Masters by Johanna Cosgrove, Freya Finch & Vida Gibson
Best Theatre: The Contours of Heaven by Puti Lancaster & Ana Chaya Scotney
Best Live Art: Fuck Rant by Nisha Madhan

Best Performance Awards:
Best Performance (Comedy): Brynley Stent (Wigging Out)
Best Performance Ensemble (Comedy): Mackenzie’s Daughters
Best Performance (Music): Amalia Hall (Amalia Hall Plays Ysaye)
Best Performance (Theatre): Ana Chaya Scotney (The Contours of Heaven) & Duncan Armstrong(Force Field)

Production Element Awards:
Best Set Design: Roots by Proudly Asian Theatre
Best Lighting Design: Sean Lynch (Watching Paint Dry)
Best Sound Design: Jazmine Rose Phillips (Blood, Innocence & The Void)
Best Director: Isobel MacKinnon (Force Field)
Best Overall Production Design: Meg Rollandi, Jason Wright & Marcus McShane(Force Field)

Best Newcomer Awards:
Best Newcomer (Company): Dance Plant Collective for The Cost of Arms & Legs
Best Newcomer (Individual): Vida Gibson (Women & Water)

Auckland Fringe Community Awards:
Best “Off-Broadway” Venue: Federal Delicatessen
Outstanding Community Engagement: An Oldie But A Goodie by Active Arts
Judges Special Commendation for the One-on-One programme: To Basement Theatre for initiating it, and to the artists who took it on!
Lifetime Fringe Hero: Helen Sheehan

'Stuff' covers Roots presented by Proudly Asian Theatre

Roots was presented in the Auckland Fringe Festival - check out our write up and video on stuff here or read on below!

Photo: Julie Zhu Photography

Photo: Julie Zhu Photography

 

Singaporean play searches for roots in New Zealand for the first time 

MANDY TE

A one-woman bilingual show will be exploring identity and heritage on stage. 

Roots will be performed for the first time in New Zealand as part of the Auckland Fringe Festival and the Auckland Lantern Festival by Proudly Asian Theatre (PAT).

Formed in 2013 by Chye-Ling Huang and James Roque, PAT aims to support Asian New Zealanders who want to tell their stories through theatre and film.

Roots was first staged in 2012 by Oliver Chong. The show won awards in Singapore for its production and script. 

The main role has been changed to reflect Singaporean Kiwi actress Amanda Grace Leo and PAT co-founder Chye-Ling Huang would be directing the show. 

Huang said the play was about one woman's journey to find her roots.

"She's from Singapore and goes back to China to uncover some meaning and answers to the questions of 'what are my roots?' and 'where do I come from?'," Huang said.

"Roots is very translatable and the themes of identity and ancestry relate well, especially for Chinese diaspora in particular."

uang spent eight weeks in Singapore with theatre company The Finger Players which was where she met Chong and found an affinity with his work, she said. 

"I went to China to discover my familial identity and what happened to Oliver happened to me," Huang said. 

Huang hoped that those who felt connected to Roots would feel "less alone" and got a sense of "affirmation," she said.

"We're in the same diaspora tribe. 

"We live in between worlds which is really grounding and we can share in that."

The play would also be performed in Howick as it opened opportunities to connect with the Chinese community in East Auckland on their "home turf," Huang said. 

"Parents and kids who may have different first languages can come together and experience the same show, and have their different lived experiences acknowledged."

In Chong's original version the play is primarily in Mandarin. The New Zealand version will be bilingual, and Mandarin and English supertitles would be projected throughout the performance.

A native Hainanese speaker, Leo would be performing in Mandarin as a non-native speaker which was challenging, she said.

However, Leo enjoyed the bilingualism as both Mandarin and English were equally acknowledged, and it was also accessible for deaf and hard of hearing audiences, she said. 

Hainamana Review: Roots written by Oliver Chong

"There’s a peculiar joy at seeing pākehā faces comprehend and enjoy something that is an intrinsic part of your identity, and have it be a realistic representation rather than a parody." - Amy Weng, Hainamana

Another great write up for Roots, presented in the Auckland Fringe Festival by PAT. Read the full article below!

 

A review of Roots [根] presented by Proudly Asian Theatre

by AMY WENG

As part of the Auckland Fringe FestivalProudly Asian Theatre presents the New Zealand premier of Roots [根], in association with Auckland Lantern Festival. Amy Weng caught the show at Uxbridge in Howick. Roots [根] will also play at Q Theatre from 1 – 3 March 2018.

Photo: Julie Zhu Photography

Photo: Julie Zhu Photography

Howick is strange place, for someone who grew up on the North Shore. The highway heading out east stretches so long and continuously that you would be mistaken for thinking that you were no longer in Auckland, but another city with its colonial sentiments and polite picket fences. But Howick is also a area in flux, and has been for the better part of three decades. As of 2013, a Council reportshowed that 39% of Howick’s population identified as Asian, with 49% of all residents born overseas. This should make Howick one of the most cosmopolitan neighbourhoods in Auckland, yet it remains a sleepy enclave of predominantly conservative temperaments and stratified interests.

It is here that Proudly Asian Theatre have alighted to open their latest production, Roots [根], by critically acclaimed Singaporean playwright Oliver Chong. The original play is an ambitious, one man act telling the tale of the protagonist’s search for his roots. Proudly Asian Theatre have chosen to adapt this story, casting the charismatic Amanda Grace Leo as the now-female lead, Hsu Hsien. The team have also decided to translate the work into a bilingual English/Mandarin play, surtitled in English and, surprisingly, traditional Chinese.

Roots [根] presents the intensely personal journey of Hsu Hsien, who decides to travel to Taishan (Toishan) in search of her ye-ye’s long lost daughter and the potential to reconnect with her heritage. Armed only with a few vague clues and implausible tales from her nai-nai, and no understanding of the local Siyi dialect, Hsu Hsien embarks on what should be a calamitous endeavour. Instead she lands in Guangdong, guided by her ancestors spirits and a motley cast of familiar characters.

Photo: Julie Zhu Photography

Photo: Julie Zhu Photography

Along her journey Hsu Hsien paints a beautifully vivid picture of the Chinese landscape with the assistance of an ingeniously elegant set. The floor of the stage is laid with a carpet of rice, crunching underfoot like the dry mountain road, and hissing like the sway of crops or the premonition of heavy rainfall. It also serves as a powerful insight into Hsu Hsieh’s state of mind as she carves a path into her family’s history.

Leo is a larger than life character, and she breathes into Hsu Hsien a fiery tenacity that is at once immensely likeable and achingly earnest. Leo also embodies 21 different characters, from the gracious hotel receptionist to the friendly Uncle Li, the hostile landlord to the austere and monosyllabic patriarch. These characters are at once intimately relatable and absurd, conjured by the actor from our collective memories. Leo, a Singaporean-New Zealander of Hainanese descent, has more than her work cut out for herself delivering these roles in Mandarin and English. In fact, it is the Mandarin passages where Leo’s physicality as an actor really shines through, in the expressive dialogue and punchlines delivered with verve.

I can’t testify to the veracity of Leo’s pronunciation, not being a Mandarin speaker myself, but it is also the script’s linguistic duality that stops the play from really hitting its mark. When the actor switches between English and Mandarin, it’s not so much jarring as it becomes evident that the Chinese carries a fuller meaning, more poetic and rhythmically suited the emotional intensity of the play than the English translation, which lags with its wooden-ness and literal-ness. I was also left wondering why the scenes in Guangdong were not spoken in native Cantonese as intended, as this disrupts the logic of the show, and the authenticity that the play strives towards. New Zealand has a not insignificant Cantonese, as well as Toishanese, community so I don’t think it would be beyond audiences to grasp this.

At times, this mental shift between languages becomes a visible effort for Leo – kudos to her for this ambitious undertaking. As anyone who is bilingual can sympathise with, it can be difficult to maintain fluency in two or more languages, especially in a nation that is systematically monolingual, and in this sense Roots [根] is a bold and necessary addition to New Zealand’s mainstream theatre. When the protagonist laments her inability to speak in the Siyi dialect, she hits on one of the most sensitive and visible markers of cultural identity.

Photo: Julie Zhu Photography

Photo: Julie Zhu Photography

But audiences need not worry that the play will be lost in translation. There’s a peculiar joy at seeing pākehā faces comprehend and enjoy something that is an intrinsic part of your identity, and have it be a realistic representation rather than a parody.

You can also understand the appeal of wanting to present a story like this in Howick. Beyond tapping into a large Chinese population, there’s a real potential to bring together audiences that might not necessarily do so otherwise, in an area where anything outside of the mainstream is rarely heard of.

While Roots [根] is a quintessentially Singaporean narrative, there are enough similarities that the story finds resonance in Aotearoa New Zealand. Chong’s play has been described as a continuation of one pivotal idea within Singaporean playwriting and culture at large – namely that Singaporeans are ‘cultural orphans’ – a society composed of displaced and dispossessed immigrant with no homeland to return to, the figurative heirs to a fragmented culture. This anxiety still plagues many tauiwi and so we find ourselves drawn into Hsu Hsien’s journey, as she cast herself adrift in her hopes for reconciliation.

Ultimately, Roots [根] acts as a salve to these anxieties about cultural belonging without being dogmatic. It also promises greater things to come from Proudly Asian Theatre, a company that isn’t afraid to make work that can affect real social change.

Theatrescenes Review: Roots by Oliver Chong

"As with all great theatre, the play doesn’t provide a theatrical (or even literal) answer, but raises questions, because in the end it’s not about the truth, or even what you know, it’s about what you are willing to accept, and, once again, PAT have provided Auckland audiences with a show that accepts everyone." - James Wenley

Check out Theatrescenes review of Roots, presented by PAT, in the Auckland fringe Festival.

 

REVIEW: Roots (Auckland Fringe)

March 4, 2018 James Wenley Auckland Fringe FestivalTheatre Reviews

Photo: Julie Zhu Photography

Photo: Julie Zhu Photography

Journey to the Past and Future

New Zealand is a country with a strong migratory history, but too rarely are the stories of our Asian roots given room to breathe and grow on stage, which is one of the reasons why Proudly Asian Theatre represents an integral component to both our theatrical and cultural landscape. With only four stage productions since 2013, PAT is in many ways a boutique theatre company, presenting infrequent yet sophisticated works to what would once be considered a niche market to the now wider public. Roots, written by Oliver Chong, directed by Chye-Ling Huang, and performed by Amanda Grace Leo, examines the ancestral journey on which many people find themselves at some point in their lives, and, while presenting a protagonist, Hsu Hsien, who is both from and begins said journey in Singapore, it is one to which many can relate.

Huang’s direction is incredibly well-measured. It’s detailed yet subtle, allowing Leo to focus on the story being told while maintaining a natural strong and consistent theatrical flow – a vital necessity for Chong’s script, which reads more as a short story than an inherently theatrical piece. Presented in English and Mandarin, with surtitles in both, both the script and Leo’s performance flow seamlessly between the two languages. It’s an excellent example of interculturalism and our ability to accept bicultural narratives in New Zealand theatre.

Photo: Julie Zhu Photography

Photo: Julie Zhu Photography

Sound, an often misused if not altogether disregarded component to theatre, sets the tone of the show well, with Tom Dennison’s design evoking a mystery and nostalgia evocative of a time passed, but not forgotten. Add to this a lighting design by Ruby Reihana-Wilson which utilises the colour of the performance space as well as the contrast between its vastness and the performer, and Roots provides a successful theatrical trinity of story, creatives, and cast.

This cohesion means that’s Chong’s story makes the successful transition from page to stage, with audiences being taken on the journey with Hsien in a compelling yet comfortable way. As with all great theatre, the play doesn’t provide a theatrical (or even literal) answer, but raises questions, because in the end it’s not about the truth, or even what you know, it’s about what you are willing to accept, and, once again, PAT have provided Auckland audiences with a show that accepts everyone.

Roots is presented by Proudly Asian Theatre and played at Uxbridge and Q as part of Auckland Fringe. 

PAT Chats - Interview with Helen Wu

Theatre as a means of reconnecting with cultural roots

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We chat with Helen Wu, powerhouse filmmaker, stage manager, operator and the bilingual connection between the Chinese Community and Roots - PAT's fringe show for 2018 at Uxbridge Arts Centre and Q Theatre.

We ask Helen about the relationship with her own cultural roots and the ways that theatre can bring communities of people together.

What are your own roots and do you feel connected to them?

My roots are quite tangled in itself actually. I was originally born in a city called Tianjin in Northern China and the relatives I have on my Mother's side all live in that city. But when I was a few months old, I moved with my parents to Shenzhen (a city in the South, opposite Hong Kong) where I grew up with very minimal contact with my relatives in the north. I was very much cultured there until coming to New Zealand at the age of 10. On my Father's side, when I asked he had told me I apparently share the heritage of one of the minority races of China, which may or may not trace back to the emperor's bloodlines during the dynasty periods.

So, I think it’s safe to say, I feel pretty disconnected to all this. Especially since none of it seems relevant after I've come to New Zealand. I think for a good number of kids who've migrated here at a young age, after using all that energy to deal with the initial struggle of identifying as neither completely Kiwi or completely (in my case) Chinese, you tend to become neglectful about your roots; I know I'm certainly guilty of that. Which is why, when I initially read the play 'Roots', I found it to be such a refreshing reminder for myself to be more interested in my heritage.

Helen operates the surtitles in 'Roots'

Helen operates the surtitles in 'Roots'

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Can you explain to us about your role in this production?

Officially my role is as the stage manager and assistant producer but a lot of my role involves putting my experiences and use my bilingual ability to help support Roots to better reach an audience.

In what ways are you trying to get Chinese people to feel Roots is important, and go to see the show?

I think it goes without saying we have different groups of Chinese audiences in Auckland. You have the younger generation of Chinese kids pursuing work and studies in order to build a life here, you have the elderly generation of Chinese grandparents coming to live with their sons and daughters, you also have the migrant Chinese families who've been here for many generations and more. But within all these differences there is one commonality they share, and that is, they all have roots from a place that's now very far away.

So I think "Roots" will be a very special show for these Chinese audiences. Because for that hour or so, they'll find themselves captivated; they could be in tears or laughter, be intrigued or be confused, there is no telling of what each might feel relevant to their own experience, but ultimately they will resonate with strong emotions, because "Roots" will give them a space where that universal inner longing for the search of your heritage can be fulfilled.

On the set of 'The Han Chronicles'

On the set of 'The Han Chronicles'

What do you think is currently lacking in Auckland, so that Chinese people don’t go to the theatre?

I think language barrier and the lack of content that interests Chinese audiences are major factors. And from there, a lack of high quality, authentic content that's produced for Chinese audiences is another issue.

How important is it to branch out to Chinese people who might not regularly go to the theatre?

I think with every show, the creators won't be choosing audiences, rather audiences will be choosing us. In that sense, believing that it’s a good production, we should absolutely be branching out with open arms to all audiences; whether they are regular theatre-goers or not. I mean really, it just takes one good show to convert one into a theatre-enthusiast!

The story is culturally specific, despite that, do you feel that there will be broader
appeal for Roots?

Of course, even though Roots is originally a Singaporean story, it's themes of finding-home is universal. Audiences across different ages can relate, and it certainly has the potential to be developed into plays for different cultures.

Helen Wu and Jen Huang on the set of "The Han Chronicles"

Helen Wu and Jen Huang on the set of "The Han Chronicles"

How do you think that Roots appeals to Asian people in New Zealand?

I think Roots will be especially appealing to all of the migrant Asian community in NZ. As its a story very close to the hearts of those who's had to leave a part of themselves behind to go to a new country. And because ROOTS is quite a unique play that'll be performed in Mandarin Chinese and English, with subtitles in both languages, not just Chinese audiences will be able enjoy this. It'd be a great opportunity for those that are interested in the Singaporean-Chinese culture to come in touch with more of it as well. My wish is that Roots will be able to reach out to not just Asian audiences, but Caucasian audiences as well. Because be it Theatre or Film, I think it’s important for society to step out of their filter-circles through Art, and enrich themselves with unfamiliar stories across different cultures.

What have been some challenges that you’ve had to overcome in your role?

Time. Balancing my jobs for Roots with my other jobs. But I'm sure that's everyone (laughs).

Interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.