writer

It’s the last night of Bound Feet Blues – but the stories will live on in the BOOK!

/ Yang-May Ooi / Leave a comment

Tonight is the last night of writer/ performer Yang-May Ooi’s solo performance of the stage work Bound Feet Blues! But the story does not end here – the book Bound Feet Blues (now available, published by Urbane Publications) will continue the legacy of this astonishing creative work. The BOOK contains the full script of the show PLUS the stories that Yang-May could not fit in to the hour long show.

** Bound Feet Blues is on at the Tristan Bates Theatre for one more show only – tonight Sat 12 December 2015. Don’t miss this “mesmerising” and “powerful” show – there may be some tickets left or as returns so you can  buy tickets below or via bit.ly/bfbtickets **

Rehearsal – Aunty Diana’s tells her story

To conclude our daily blog on the show, here are some highlights from reviews and audience feedback:

“Bound Feet Blues is a warm, funny and groundbreaking exploration of women’s expectations, concerns and desires. With deft strokes, renowned storyteller Yang-May paints a nuanced picture of her coming-out (too-new hiking boots), explores Chinese-Malaysian culture (bare feet, bound feet) and considers the span of generations and mother-daughter-relationships. Her voice is a honed musical instrument, and her performance – a blend of voice and movement – feels like a generous gift.” – Mooky Chick

Performance – “.. I step off into air”

“It was genuinely one of the most moving, engaging and intimate shows I’ve ever seen in a theatre. By coincidence, the previous evening, my wife and I went to see The Winter’s Tale, with Kenneth Branagh and Judi Dench; but of the two, Bound Feet Blues was by far the more rewarding and memorable experience!”

“I loved your physicality and performance. The piece was beautifully written – complex, moving, so many layers.”

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BUY THE BOOK from Urbane Publications’ website and use the discount code ‘shoes‘ for 25% off the RRP

Two final performances of Bound Feet Blues tonight Fri 11 Dec and tomorrow Sat 12 Dec

/ Yang-May Ooi / Leave a comment

The two final performances of Bound Feet Blues EVER are tonight Fri 11 December and tomorrow Sat 12 December. Writer/ performer Yang-May Ooi looks back on her amazing debut on the London stage over the last three weeks as she considers these last two nights when she will be performing Bound Feet Blues for the last time.

Yang-May writes:

Performing Bound Feet Blues has been challenging, terrifying and exhilirating all at the same time.  As a first time performer with no formal drama training, taking to the stage five nights a week for three weeks has been a huge test of my stamina and everything I’ve worked for with director Jessica HIggs in terms of my dramatic abilities. To have pulled it off with 5 star feedback from audiences and terrific reviews in the press has been amazing for me!

** Bound Feet Blues is NOW ON  at the Tristan Bates Theatre until Sat 12 December 2015. Don’t miss this “mesmerising” and “powerful” show – buy tickets below or via bit.ly/bfbtickets **

In every performance, when we get to the footbinding scene, it is electrifying in the theatre. From the stage, I can sense the utter stillness in the audience as if they are all holding their breath, totally riveted to every word and gesture. There are occasional gasps and winces as the process of the footbinding becomes more and more intense.

I’ve also appreciated the warmth of the audiences as they laugh during the lighter scenes of me as a child and with my family. Their generosity and engagement spur me on each night to give my best performance for them.

As a performer, each night has been special with each different audience and I will always cherish this unique experience of performing in my own show in the heart of London’s West End. As a writer, it has been immensely rewarding to see audiences respond to my words and the drama that I have created for the stage.

I am looking forward to these last two performances which will have a very special meaning for me as the show comes to an end. I will savour each moment even more!

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BUY TICKETS

**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.

**BUY ONLINE via: bit.ly/bfbtickets **

More high praise from audiences who have seen Bound Feet Blues

/ Yang-May Ooi / Leave a comment

Audiences who have seen Bound Feet Blues have praised the show in the highest terms. We are delighted to share with you some of their terrific feedback for writer/ performer Yang-May Ooi’s debut solo show:

“Go and see this challenging, affirming and funny one-woman show. One woman .but many characters, all drawn with moving insight”

“Amazing performance”

** Bound Feet Blues is NOW ON  at the Tristan Bates Theatre until Sat 12 December 2015. Don’t miss this “mesmerising” and “powerful” show – buy tickets below or via bit.ly/bfbtickets **

“Wonderful, so moving and thought provoking and the message is so powerful. I love the way everyone can take it and apply it to some part of their life. I can’t wait to read the book! .. Truly inspiring.”

“Beautifully woven stories” – Kumiko Mendl, Yellow Earth Theatre

“You were absolutely amazing! What a brilliant, powerful performance and such a moving story.”

“It was genuinely one of the most moving, engaging and intimate shows I’ve ever seen in a theatre. By coincidence, the previous evening, my wife and I went to see The Winter’s Tale, with Kenneth Branagh and Judi Dench; but of the two, Bound Feet Blues was by far the more rewarding and memorable experience!”

“Fabulous”

“It was a tour de force of your creative spirit, pleasure to witness.”

“I loved it when I saw it on the first night & it was even better this time. I was able to appreciate the richness & depth of your story telling even more.”

“Your story resonated with me & your talent was truly inspiring. Thank you.”

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BUY TICKETS

**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.

**BUY ONLINE via: bit.ly/bfbtickets **

Yang-May Ooi talks toes, feet – and bras! – with Jo Good on BBC London #BoundFeetBlues

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Writer/ performer Yang-May Ooi returned to the BBC London Studio again to talk with Jo Good, one year on from her previous appearance on Jo’s show. Their conversation takes in Yang-May’s versatile toes, bras and the psychology behind the brutal practice of footbinding as depicted in Bound Feet Blues.

** Bound Feet Blues is NOW ON  at the Tristan Bates Theatre until Sat 12 December 2015. Don’t miss this “mesmerising” and “powerful” show – buy tickets below or via bit.ly/bfbtickets **

You can listen again by clicking on the image below:

jogoodcomposite

OR via this link

Yang-May Ooi with Jo Good, BBC London 27 Nov 2015

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BUY TICKETS

**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.

**BUY ONLINE via: bit.ly/bfbtickets **

 

Meet Bound Feet Blues Q&A Chair, Betty Yao (8th December 2015)

/ Yang-May Ooi / Leave a comment

There are a series of 3 Q&A sessions during the 3 week run of Bound Feet Blues. One of them – on Tue 8th December 2015 – will be chaired by China consultant and curator, Betty Yao. We are super thrilled that she is taking part in that particular evening – the  Pan Asian Womens’ Association (PAWA) have bought up the whole theatre for a special outing for their members.

** Bound Feet Blues is NOW ON  at the Tristan Bates Theatre until Sat 12 December 2015. Don’t miss this “mesmerising” and “powerful” show – buy tickets below or via bit.ly/bfbtickets **

 Betty Yao, MBE

A sharp eye on everyday ChinaBetty is the Director of Credential International Arts Management, a consultancy providing project management expertise to organisations in the UK and China.  She has organised the Wellcome Library exhibition China: Through the Lens of John Thomson 1868 -1872 which has toured to 17 cities in China, Europe, US and seen by nearly 900,000 visitors.   

The evening is sold out but you can get tickets via PAWA as part of their charity theatre outing.

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You can buy tickets for Bound Feet Blues on other nights during its 3 week run 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.

 

Local author Yang-May Ooi talks to Dulwich OnView about Bound Feet Blues – now on at Tristan Bates Theatre

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Dulwich OnView, the online magazine celebrating all things Dulwich and South East London interviewed writer/ performer Yang-May Ooi about Bound Feet Blues and the shows relevance for modern women today. Yang-May also shares her stories about the role of fashion and shoes in her life.

** Bound Feet Blues is NOW ON  at the Tristan Bates Theatre until Sat 12 December 2015. Don’t miss this “mesmerising” and “powerful” show – buy tickets below or via bit.ly/bfbtickets **

To read the full article, click on the image below…

dov screenshot

Dulwich OnView magazine celebrates the people and culture of Dulwich and the surrounding areas of South East London.

The magazine came about when a group of us, who love the Dulwich area and Continue reading →

Bound Feet Blues opens tonight for 3 weeks – Buy tickets here!

/ Yang-May Ooi / Leave a comment

Writer/ performer Yang-May Ooi and the creative team are at the theatre right now working on the final preparations for opening night tonight. There is the final dress rehearsal, the technical lighting run through and making sure the set is just right.

Then, finally, after almost of a year of preparation, Bound Feet Blues will open as a full production tonight at 7.30pm at Tristan Bates Theatre for a 3 week run. The house lights will go down and as a haunting fusion ballad of East and West plays, Yang-May will step onto the stage to perform the work she wrote almost two years ago….

Have you got your tickets yet?

Go to the bottom of this page for the link to the box office or go straight to buy tickets via bit.ly/bfbtickets

There’s still an outside chance that there will be tickets left for opening night tonight – but if not, the show runs for 3 weeks to 12 Dec. So there’s still time to get your tickets to catch this extra-ordinary solo show.

Watch the highlights from the showcase performance in Oct last year:

 

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BUY TICKETS

**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.

**BUY ONLINE via: bit.ly/bfbtickets **

Meet Bound Feet Blues Q&A chair Beverley Glick (27 November 2015)

/ Yang-May Ooi / Leave a comment

There are 3 Q&A sessions taking place during the Bound Feet Blues three week run. The first one will take place after the show on Friday 27 November 2015. We are delighted to welcome back Beverley Glick to chair this first Q&A of the full production. Beverley was our Q&A host for the showcase in October last year and steered us through the evening with quiet warmth. This first Q&A is going to be engaging and discursive with her in the chair again. So please do come and join us on Friday 27 November to see the show and take part in the discussion afterwards with Beverley, writer/ performer Yang-May Ooi and director Jessica Higgs.

Beverley Glick

Beverley Glick has been a professional storyteller for 35 years – first as a music journalist and pop magazine editor and subsequently in a variety of roles on national newspapers. In recent years she trained as a presence-based coach and now help individuals and business owners dig for the personal stories that will change their lives and change the world. She is also a public speaking coach, co-host a live storytelling event (thestoryparty.co.uk) and the author of Dig for the Story in Your Soul – #StoryWisdom to help you author an authentic life (out now on Amazon).

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BUY TICKETS

**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.

**BUY ONLINE via: bit.ly/bfbtickets **

From storytelling to stage performance – Yang-May Ooi talks about her journey from writer to performer

/ Yang-May Ooi / Leave a comment

British-Malaysian writer/ performer Yang-May Ooi has been interviewed for Outstation.my, the online magazine for expat Malaysians, by writer/ journalist Ai-Leen Lim. In the interview, she talks about her journey from writer to performer in creating Bound Feet Blues, her solo stage show, opening in London’s West End on 24 November.

You can read the full article, – brilliantly titled “The Rebel Bearing Shoes”! – with background information about Yang-May by clicking on the image below…

outstation screenshot

Outstation.my is an online magazine for Malaysians living abroad. Ai-Leen Lim is a writer/ journalist from Malaysia, now living in London.

Continue reading →

The power of vulnerability to inspire others – Yang-May Ooi talks about performing Bound Feet Blues

/ Yang-May Ooi / Leave a comment

Yang-May Ooi talks about allowing herself to be vulnerable on stage in performing Bound Feet Blues and how vulnerability can inspire others to connect with their heart and  humanity.  You can read the full interview by writer/ journalist Anna Sayburn Lane on her blog, Bloomsbury Bluestocking.

Click on the image below to go to Anna’s blog to read the full article…

bloomsbury blue screenshot

Bloomsbury Bluestocking is a blog about writing and literature by Anna Sayburn Lane.  Anna is a novelist, short story writer and storyteller, inspired by the history and contemporary life of London. She is editing her first novel,Unlawful Things, and contemplating novel number two. She has published short stories in a number of magazines.

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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.