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Photos and Write Up from Papergang Theatre’s Echo Night at the Bush Theatre – incl Bound Feet Blues extract

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Writer/ performer Yang-May Ooi was invited to perform an extract of Bound Feet Blues at the Echo event of East Asian performers at the Bush Theatre, hosted by Papergang Theatre back in October. Here are some photos from the night – and also a write up by Papergang on their blog.

Yang-May writes: “It was great fun – and also a privilege to be performing alongside so many talented East Asian artists. Thank you to Papergang Theatre for inviting me to show an extract from Bound Feet Blues. The audience were warm and enthusiastic – some of them said the character of my Mum that I played reminded them of their old aunties from Malaysia! I am delighted!”

With the other performers on the night, and Papergang Theatre founders Simon Ly and Clarissa Wylde (extreme left) Photo credit: Papergang Theatre

Performing “Some Enchanted Evening” extract from Bound Feet Blues

 

Team BFB L – R: producer Eldarin Yeong, director Jessica Higgs, writer/ performer Yang-May Ooi

For a write up of the evening, check out Papergang Theatre’s blog post “Echo at the Bush”:

“Tuesday 20th of October, saw our first collaboration with the Bush Theatre, a new writing and storytelling event ECHO. We showcased an evening with Continue reading →

Yang-May Ooi, writer and performer of Bound Feet Blues, talks about the power of storytelling and writing from personal experience [video]

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Yang-May Ooi, writer/ performer of Bound Feet Blues talks about the inspiration behind her extra-ordinary solo story performance and the memoir accompanying the theatre piece.

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You can buy tickets for Bound Feet Blues via bit.ly/bfbtickets

DETAILS

Tristan Bates Theatre
1A Tower St, Covent Garden WC2H 9NP

Tue 24 Nov – Sat 12 Dec, Tue – Sat at 7.30pm.
Tickets £16 / £12 concessions.
Q&As post-show, 27 Nov & 4 Dec.

Yang-May Ooi, writer and performer of Bound Feet Blues, reveals her secret to Fearless Public Speaking

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How did an introverted writer who used to hate public speaking find the courage to take to the West End stage in her own solo theatre show? Yang-May Ooi, writer and performer of Bound Feet Blues – A Life Told in Shoes, reveals on the Ginger Public Speaking blog her fearlessness secret to supercharge your confidence as a public speaker.

Click on the image below to read the full article on the Ginger Public Speaking blog….

ginger screenshot

Ginger Public Speaking is a public speaking coaching company founded by Sarah Lloyd-Hughes, a popular speaker on confidence and inspiration and an award winning social entrepreneur, whom I am honoured to call a friend.

Featured in the TEDx series of public speeches, Sarah is an energetic, original and deeply authentic speaker who works with professionals and entrepreneurs to help them communicate with courage. She has successfully taught thousands of people across three continents. As a speaker on confidence, Sarah builds inspiration in her audiences, whatever their experience levels. She challenges and supports them on the journey to become passionate, authentic and inspiring communicators.

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You can buy tickets for Bound Feet Blues via bit.ly/bfbtickets

DETAILS

Tristan Bates Theatre
1A Tower St, Covent Garden WC2H 9NP

Tue 24 Nov – Sat 12 Dec, Tue – Sat at 7.30pm.
Tickets £16 / £12 concessions.
Q&As post-show, 27 Nov & 4 Dec.

Meet Kristian Morgan, personal trainer to Bound Feet Blues writer/ performer Yang-May Ooi

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Kristian Morgan is an unofficial member of the Bound Feet Blues team but he has the important role of working with writer/ performer Yang-May Ooi on her fitness and stamina for the challenging task of performing on stage for 5 nights a week over 3 weeks.

Kristian Morgan, personal trainer

Kristian is a freelance mobile personal trainer based in Dulwich, South London. He is a national ultra marathon 50k champion. He has completed over 50 marathons and ultra marathons (an Ultra is any distance greater than 26.2 miles). He is also an ironman triathlete but most of all he is a friendly approachable personal trainer.

He has been personal training in and around Dulwich since 2007 helping people achieve their goals, whether it’s been preparing for a marathon or just regular exercise. www.kristianmorgan.com Continue reading →

Introducing the world of Bound Feet Blues: the Australian Outback

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Bound Feet Blues is a solo theatre performance – but on an epic scale. Writer/ performer Yang-May Ooi takes the audience across continents from Asia to Europe and Australia. We’ll be sharing with you the landscapes of Bound Feet Blues here on this blog over the next few weeks. Today, the vast desert scenery of the Australian Outback.

In Bound Feet Blues, the open skies and vast desert of Australia gives Yang-May’s younger self a freedom she never had in the narrower landscapes of London and Oxford…

Australian Outback – Photo from flickr.com, thanks to Mark Wassell – https://www.flickr.com/photos/61520356@N07/ (CCL0

Uluru – once known as Ayers Rock . From flickr.com, thanks to Rita Willaert – https://www.flickr.com/photos/rietje/ (CCL)

A pivotal moment in Bound Feet Blues occurs on the precipice at Kings Canyon, Australia – photo from flickr.com thanks to Los viajes del Cangrejo – https://www.flickr.com/photos/viajescangrejo/ (CCL)

 

Continue reading →

Yang-May Ooi, writer and performer of Bound Feet Blues says: More East Asian stories needed in UK mainstream media

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Yang-May Ooi, writer/ performer of Bound Feet Blues talks about the lack of East Asian stories in UK mainstream media and what could be done to redress the balance.

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You can buy tickets for Bound Feet Blues THE SHOW via bit.ly/bfbtickets

DETAILS

Tristan Bates Theatre
1A Tower St, Covent Garden WC2H 9NP

Tue 24 Nov – Sat 12 Dec, Tue – Sat at 7.30pm.
Tickets £16 / £12 concessions.
Q&As post-show, 27 Nov & 4 Dec.

Meet Hua Tan, set and lighting designer for Bound Feet Blues

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Hua Tan travels between Shanghai and London, working on diverse productions from Chinese language dramas and operas to international collaborations like the National Theatre’s Chinese language production of War Horse. She has created an amazing set for Bound Feet Blues as well as complementing Yang-May’s performance with a nuanced and atmospheric lighting design.

HUA TAN – Theatre Designer

Hua TanHua Tan is an established creative lighting designer and scenographer based in London who works for theatre productions in the UK and China. Hua completed an MA in lighting design from The Central Academy of Drama in China, and an MA distinction in Scenography from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. In her varied, successful career Hua has lit and designed for opera, drama, dance, and traditional Chinese operas. The highlights of her career to date include ‘Under The Hawthorn Tree’ (National Theatre of China), ‘Queen of coquetry’ (Shanghai Drama Art Centre) and ‘Open Country’ (Beijing Dance Academy). Her work has attracted awards and prizes including the ‘best lighting design’ at China Lotus Dance Festival, Shanghai Stage Art Society, Henan Theatre Festival, the ‘best set and Continue reading →

Bound Feet Blues featured in Nee Hau, the online magazine for British Chinese and East Asian Culture

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Yang-May Ooi, writer and performer of Bound Feet Blues, has been featured in Nee Hau, the online magazine for British Chinese and East Asian culture. You can read the full article by clicking on the image below.

neehau-screenshot

Here is an extract: “From internationally best-selling fiction author to performing her personal story, with a three-week run at Tristan Bates Theatre scheduled from November 24th to December 12th2015, Yang-May has evolved to become the confident storyteller she is today, shining in her 50s. The show is part of the South East Asian Arts Festival 2015 and funded by The Arts Council and The Housing Finance Corporation. Yang-May is supported by a team of experts including Jessica Higgs, creative director, Eldarin Yeong, producer and Hua Tan, theatre designer.” Read the full article..

 

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You can buy tickets for Bound Feet Blues via bit.ly/bfbtickets

DETAILS

Tristan Bates Theatre
1A Tower St, Covent Garden WC2H 9NP

Tue 24 Nov – Sat 12 Dec, Tue – Sat at 7.30pm.
Tickets £16 / £12 concessions.
Q&As post-show, 27 Nov & 4 Dec.

In Memory of “Walter Plinge” – archive audio interview An Actor’s Life for the London Theatre Blog from 2006

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Yang-May Ooi writes:

My dear friend “Walter Plinge”,  a retired actor, passed away a few weeks ago.

I interviewed him in 2006 on my Fusion View podcast for the London Theatre Blog and in his memory, I am publishing again the podcast in its entirety below. He talks about his life as a repertory actor in the 1950s. It is a fascinating journey into history and into the craft of acting for anyone who is interested in theatre – and a lovely way for me to remember “Walter”, especially his warm, resonant voice that has a touch of Anthony Hopkins to it.

Click on the image below for the pop up player to listen to the interview. (To return to this page from the player, click the Back button on your browser)

walter plinge player

 

What LGBTQ stories can teach the world [video] – interview with Yang-May Ooi, writer and performer of Bound Feet Blues

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Yang-May Ooi, writer/ performer of Bound Feet Blues, talks about what LGBTQ stories – and esp lesbian stories – can teach the wold about the universal human experiences of love, courage and heroism.

Bound Feet Blues is about more than bound feet. The brutal practice of footbinding in ancient China is a metaphor in the show for the cultural norms that bind us – as women and also in terms of our individual sexuality. An integral part of Continue reading →