Produced by Punctum Productions
Written and directed by Nathan Joe
PERFORMANCE ESSAY MEETS SPIN CLASS.
Nathan Joe returns with the spiritual follow-up to I Am Rachel Chu with A Short History of Asian New Zealand Theatre. Starring a different Asian Artist every night, A Short History cycles through a problematically Pan-Asian rollercoaster ride through the murky cultural memories & theatrical milestones of Aotearoa colliding with personal histories past, present and future.
PERFORMANCE HISTORY:
Tiny Fest | 22 November, 2024 (Nathan performing)
Basement Theatre | 30 July - 3 August, 2024 (alternating performers)
Welcome to
A Short History of Asian New Zealand Theatre
A retrospective and history lesson in 10 Exercises
A performance lecture
A personal essay with many persons
An epic poem spanning the last 30 years (or so)
An essay within an essay within a…
A sometimes linear
Sometimes non-linear
Chronology of events
Of feelings, of thoughts
After all, history like memory, is fragmentary, elliptical, untrustworthy
But worth searching for
An Asian performer is tasked with the mission to deliver a presentation on Asian New Zealand theatre history while riding a stationary bicycle. Performance essay meets spin class.
“She hadn’t read the script prior to that night, but it fell right in her wheelhouse: the format demanded charisma, a familiarity with Aotearoa’s theatre scene, and existing relationships with its key players. Hong had all three.”
—Jean Teng on Jess Hong, Metro
Tuesday 30 July
ft. Nathan Joe
Wednesday 31 July
ft. Ravi Gurunathan
Thursday 1 August
ft. Jess Hong
Friday 2 August
ft. Kalyani Nagarajan
Saturday 3 August
ft. Amanda Grace Leo