|
Mu-Lan New Writing
& Innovation Mu-Lan Theatre Company, founded in 1988, is the country's first award winning British-East-Asian Theatre company. We are concerned about the fact that there is not a single published play written by a British-East-Asian writer. In conjunction with the Royal Court in 1998, a programme designed to reach out to this community and provide encouragement and training was implemented by Paul Courtenay Hyu, which led directly to the 1st Mu-Lan Festival of New Writing. Sun is Shining was the first of these plays written as a consequence of these workshops to come to full production. Our next play, Lilting to the Past, by Hong Khaou, will become the first play to be written by a British-Chinese writer to come to full production via this process. ................................. The Missing Chink - 2004 This 4 part television programme is a first in British television history, in that it is the first television series to be written by, feature and deal with issues that concern British-East-Asian people. The series' controversial title sparked an outcry within the British-Chinese community before it had even been aired and was featured at the Electric Shadows Film Festival. ................................. Sun is Shining - 2002, 2003 & 2004 This production was unique for many reasons not least because an associated educational programme was attached, which offered free drama workshops to local schools in Deptford and culminated in a free preview in Lewisham to these students prior to the opening of the show at the Kings Head, Islington. Funded by Lewisham Borough and the Baring Foundation, over 150 school children attended these free previews as well as members of the local community. The show surpassed even the success of Takeaway by becoming number 2 in the Time Out Critics' Choice list. Remounted in April 2003 at the BAC's 'Best of Critics' Choice' season, the production was hailed as "effortlessly enjoyable" by the Guardian's Lyn Gardner and again made it on to Time Out's Critics' Choice list. The hsow was invited to be part of the inaugural Brits Off Broadway season at the 59E59 Theater, New York in April 2004. ............................................. Romeo and Juliet - 2001 Technically not new writing, this was however an unprecedented event and so merits inclusion under the title "innovation". The UK's first Shakespeare with a Chinese setting and a large cast of British-Chinese actors was produced by Mu-Lan in co-production with the Haymarket Theatre in Basingstoke. The production saw the play set in 1920's Shanghai and employed eight British-Chinese actors. Funded by Southern Arts, their assessment officer hailed it as "Easily the best thing I have ever seen at the Haymarket" .................................. My Chinese Family / Chinkerella - 1999 / 2000 Mu-Lan established a Youth Theatre for East-Asian young people in the heart of London's Chinatown. On the 26th June 1999 this unique project culminated in a showing of two devised plays, both entitled, "My Chinese Family", at the Institute of Contemporary Arts as part of the City of Westminster's LEAP festival. "Chinkerella", our 2nd devised piece, was rehearsed and performed on tour in the borough of Lewisham the following year after the company re-located its premises to the Albany Empire Theatre in Deptford. ............................................. Mu-Lan's Frying Circus - 1999 Mu-Lan established the country's first ever all-East-Asian sketch comedy team, entitled, "Mu-Lan's Frying Circus". We presented our first ever 45 minute show at the Yan Huang International Chinese Arts Festival at Canary Wharf in February 1999 and have performed subsequent gigs at South East London's Albany Empire. The project is currently being considered for television by BBC3 with Steve Coogan and Henry Normal's Baby Cow productions picking it up. ............................................. Rehearsed Readings:
- 1999 - present In September 1999 one of the plays from the writing workshops, Chinky by Andy Gunn Yu-Cheng, received a rehearsed reading at the Royal Court upstairs. In 2001, Lilting to the Past and Mental Arithmetic received a rehearsed reading at the 2nd Mu-Lan Festival of New Writing at Soho Theatre. Sun is Shining received rehearsed readings at both the Southwark Playhouse and Drill Hall on its way to receiving funding for its production from the Regional Arts Lottery Programme. ............................................. Jackie & Bruce - 1999 Mu-Lan commissioned this play, "Jackie & Bruce", by British-Chinese writer Kevin Wong. It is hoped this will be developed further to become a full Mu-Lan major production. A rehearsed reading of this was given on 11th November 1999 at Shared Experience Theatre.. ............................................. Takeaway - 1999 With assistance from the Arts Council of England, Mu-Lan produced a mid-scale tour of the play "Takeaway", the play devised by the company and presented in London in 1998. This tour was the biggest ever undertaken by a British-East-Asian theatre company and the first mid-scale tour by a British-East-Asian theatre company in the UK. The show toured to the Manchester Library theatre, the Liverpool Everyman and the Gardiner Arts Centre in Brighton as well as opening at the Albany Empire in South East London. It picked up two Manchester Evening News Award Nominations for that year - Best Actress (Pik-Sen Lim) and Best Touring Production. ............................................. There are a number of other projects that are ongoing at any time and should you wish to find out more about these or about the history of the company please feel free to get in touch or subscribe to our mailing list. ............................................. |