[ad_1]
The Australian premiere of Destinations by acclaimed Taiwanese-Australian pianist Belle Chen is one of three shows offering a preview of the Adelaide Festival Centre’s OzAsia 2021.
At the forefront of classical British New Wave music, Chen is as unclassifiable as his music is captivating. His compositions retain the beauty of the classical piano while crossing the avant-garde and electronics to embody the natural wonders of the world.
Using electric touches, synthesizers and visual installations, Destinations will see Chen’s arrangements come to life in vivid color at Her Majesty’s Theater on October 23.
Tickets are also on sale today for Adelaide’s exclusive The Special Comedy Comedy Special featuring an exciting lineup of Asian Australian comedians, including host Jennifer Wong (of ABC Chopsticks or Fork?) And Jason Chong of ‘Adelaide, as well as Suren Jayemanne, Triple J Drive host Michael Hing and TV personalities Lawrence Leung (Offspring, Maximum Choppage), Alex Lee (The Feed) and Nina Oyama (Utopia).
The early release is rounded off with the Adelaide premiere of Sydney Theater Company’s White Pearl. Written by Thai-Australian playwright Anchuli Felicia King, the play is an incredibly funny satire about a skincare company whose new TV commercial is going viral for all the wrong reasons.
With the rest of the program due to be unveiled in August, this will be the first full-scale OzAsia Festival under the direction of new artistic director Annette Shun Wah:
“For the OzAsia Festival 2021, we are delighted to present the most important showcase of contemporary Asian Australian artists ever seen before. We have so many world class performers here in Australia, and these debut shows that we are announcing today are just the tip of an iceberg that includes world premieres and collaborations featuring some of Australia’s most respected artists alongside exciting new voices. “
CEO and Artistic Director of the Adelaide Festival Center, Douglas Gautier AM: “We can’t wait to share the full program for this year’s OzAsia Festival, and this early release is just a taste of what audiences can do. expect. In addition to theater, music and comedy, we will have a wonderful selection of dance, films, visual arts and community events – all offering unique interpretations of the cultural engagement between Australia and the ‘Asia.”
In another exciting development, OzAsia Festival 2021 will present In Other Words – a new writing and ideas program comprising a range of lectures, workshops and performances from November 5-7.
In Other Words will bring together some of the most inspiring contemporary writers from Asia and Australia as they engage in vital conversations about their past, present and future.
Led by former Adelaide Writers’ Week director Laura Kroetsch, the program features acclaimed authors Benjamin Law and Roanna Gonsalves as guest curators.
In other words, program curator Laura Kroetsch: “What I enjoyed most about reading and thinking about this event was that it gave me the opportunity to experience with a sensitivity that is not mine. I enjoyed traveling Australia and Asia Pacific through stories so much. The experience was quite enlightening. “
Guest Curator Benjamin Law: “OzAsia Festival is a brilliant celebration of Australian Asian culture and a community whose presence here predates the arrival of whites. It’s also a great opportunity to take stock of Australia’s place in the Asia-Pacific and to have some of the most pressing conversations about our common future. “
Guest curator Roanna Gonsalves: “Everyone needs good neighbors. But what if the neighbors were also a family, united and divided by two continents, two oceans and a big virus? In Other Words brings together the world’s most exciting contemporary writers who live and love Asia and Australia as they engage in vital conversations about the turmoil of our histories, our current aspirations and our interdependent futures. “
For more information, visit www.ozasiafestival.com.au.
A media kit including high resolution images and artist biographies is available here.
Destinations
Music | Taiwan / Australia | Australian premiere | Her Majesty’s Theater, October 23
At the forefront of classical British new wave music, Belle Chen is as unclassifiable as her music is captivating. Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, Chen’s compositions retain the beauty of the classical piano while simultaneously traversing avant-garde and electronics to embody the changing natural wonders of the world. Equipped with a stunning piano and immersive visuals, this incomparable musician takes audiences from tropical jungles to shifting coastlines and coral reefs. A celebration of our planet in all its glory, see the stage transformed through an exciting synergy of music and sound art for this exclusive Adelaide performance.
The Comedy Special Comedy Special
Comedy | Australia | Adelaide Exclusivity | Her Majesty’s Theater, October 30
This comedy special is so special that it only takes place for one night at Her Majesty’s Theater, starring some of Australia’s most hilarious comedians. Promising an evening so funny it had to be said twice, The Special Comedy Comedy Special brings together the largest showcase of Australian Asian stand-up ever gathered on one stage in the country. Hosted by the incomparable Jennifer Wong, revel in this handpicked lineup from some of the brightest superstars on the Australian TV and festival circuit. In addition to live music from cosmic / no-wave band Dragonfruit, enjoy a night of comedic excellence for what officially promises to be the best night ever (they told us to say this part).
With Alex Lee, Jason Chong, Jennifer Wong, Lawrence Leung, Michael Hing, Nina Oyama and Suren Jayemanne. Music by Colin Ho & Yvonne C Lam in the role of Dragonfruit.
White pearl
Theater | Australia | Adelaide Premiere | Dunstan Playhouse, October 20-23
An ‘insanely funny satire’ (Time Out) of one of Australia’s most exciting young playwrights, White Pearl returns after its sold-out Australian premiere in 2019 with the Parramatta National Theater and acclaimed productions in London and Washington DC
Things are heating up in the oh so cool headquarters of Clearday in Singapore, an upstart player in the Asian skincare game. Sales of their new line – ‘White Pearl’ lightening cream – are exploding and the ambitious team of young women have their eyes set on the sky. That is, until their new TV commercial leaks online and starts going viral for all the wrong reasons. As the views climb, the mood in the office crumbles and the team scrambles to contain the fallout and save more than their jobs in the process.
With a perceptive eye, acerbic wit, and machine-gun dialogue, Anchuli Felicia King skillfully disentangles toxic corporate culture, the complexity of Pan-Asian relations, and racism into an extremely entertaining and breathtaking evening of theater.
In other words
Writing & Ideas | Australian premiere | Adelaide Riverbank Laws, November 5-7
In Other Words from the OzAsia Festival is a free writing and ideas program, highlighting the urgent conversations we need to have. Leading thinkers and writers from Australia and Asia will come together for the final three days of the OzAsia Festival in a provocative and enlightening program that aims to provide a balanced, informed and insightful discussion.
[ad_2]
