Yellow Earth Theatre announce Beyond Chinatown: A British East and South East Asian Guide to Manchester’s Past, Present and Future, a performance-led outdoor walking tour through Manchester. The production is part of Signal Fires, a series of productions being presented nationwide this Autumn by the UK’s leading touring theatre companies. Beyond Chinatown runs on Saturday 31 October with a digital presentation via Zoom on Sunday 1 November.
Audiences will meet at the restaurant Sweet Mandarin in the Northern Quarter to hear an excerpt from Yellow Earth’s 2018 play Mountains – The Dreams of Lily Kwok by In-Sook Chappell. This will be followed by a torch led audio walk, written by disabled artist Chris Shapiro and guided by performance artist, Megan Arnold; leading onto new short pieces by Jasmine Chong, Houmi Miura, Anna Nguyen, and Mei Yuk Wong. The production completes its journey with a performance by Yellow Earth Manchester Performers Academy 2020.
Kumiko Mendl, Artistic Director of Yellow Earth Theatre, said today, “Alongside our colleagues from touring theatre companies across the UK, we wanted to come together and highlight the precarious situation our industry currently finds itself in. Signal Fires is the result, acting not only as a warning, but also as a beacon of hope. Beyond Chinatown will give voice to the presence of British East and South East Asians in the city of Manchester past, present and future and serve as a reminder that to reimagine theatre means reimagining an inclusive one.”
To ensure the safety of audiences, artists and staff, Yellow Earth Theatre is operating in line with current government guidelines. COVID secure measures including strict hygiene protocols and social distancing will be in place throughout rehearsals and performances.
Beyond Chinatown is produced by Grace Ng-Ralph and Anna Nguyen with dramaturgy by Naomi Sumner and direction by Nickie Miles-Wildin and Kash Arshad. The production is supported by The Lowry.
