Fresh off the Page

Fresh off the Page is a series of monthly playreadings hosted by PAT and performed at The Basement theatre. Featuring Asian casts, directors and playwrights from around the world, we bring you the freshest contemporary scripts and the hottest new talent - all for FREE!

This month, we're excited to present:

Penned by one of Singapore's talented new writers, Tan Liting, whose work confronts gender expectations, says that Pretty Butch is not about sexuality, but gender expectations. "The focus is not that these people identify as straight or gay. It's how they tell you they have been gendered as male and female in the spectrum."

Pretty Butch has been perfomed in M1 Singapore Fringe Festival in 2017 and Tan is currently in Taiwan working on the Taiwan Edition of Pretty Butch. PAT is beyond excited to have their work read aloud here in Auckland, NZ!

Directed by Saraid Cameron and read by Chye-Ling Huang, Johannes Sewu, Angela Zhang, Nathan Joe and Sherry Zhang, with host Marianne Infante.
 

We are proud to be supported by Unitec, The Basement, Q Theatre, Creative Communities Scheme, albert-eden local community board and The Asia NZ Foundation.

This September, PAT and Q Theeatre present our steamy new show:

ORIENTATION

By Chye-Ling Huang

Shortlisted for the Adam Play Award 2018,

winner of the Asian Ink workshop 2017

What do Jackie Chan, Steven Yuen, and Raybon Kan have in common? 

They’re all on Mei’s list of eligible men to tap, gap, or tie down.

A hot mess of sexual stereotypes, no Asian man is left un-turned in Mei’s quest to root herself back to her roots. When a shock event leaves her questioning everything about love, Chinese-Pakeha Mei dives ferociously back into the dating game. A film star from Singapore, an Indian Taika Waititi and the Asian answer to Channing Tatum lift the sheets on how sex and race collide in little old New Zealand, where Asianess is both fetishized and feared.

An ensemble of the sexiest storytellers from the Asian diaspora play out your wildest dreams and cringiest tropes as Mei uncovers that love is simple but race is not.

Gird your loins. It's going to get messy. 

Thanks to Creative New Zealand, Foundation North, Unitec and the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust Fund.

Tickets aren't on sale yet, but keep an eye out on the Q Theatre website here.

Thanks to everyone who made it along to:

Roots

Written by Oliver Chong

Winner of Best Design at the Auckland Fringe Awards 2018 and presented as part of the Auckland Fringe Festival and the Auckland Lantern Festival!

"Human being make mistakes. Our ancestors are human, too."

One of Singapore's most beloved solo shows, Roots is one woman’s quest to find her familial identity in the cultural confusion of Singapore. With parallels to New Zealand's youthful cultural identity, Roots is a universal story of the surprises and hardships in discovering who you are and what you're made of.

Presented in two venues, Uxbridge Arts Centre in Howick and Q Theatre in central city, winning Best Design (Fringe Awards) for its set of 125kgs of rice strewn across the stage and cymbals, with sprinkled rice and clanging gongs creating an analog soundscape. Roots was performed in both English and Mandarin for its New Zealand premier, with surtitles projected in both Mandarin and English.

With big thanks to The Finger Players, Oliver Chong and Natalie Chai.

Starring Amanda Grace Leo | Directed by Chye-Ling Huang

Produced by Julie Zhu | Sound design by Tom Dennison | Stage manager/operator/Chinese marketing by Helen Wu | Assistant Stage Manager: Nahyeon Lee | Poster design by Lindsay Yee | Poster image by Andi Crown 

Proudly Asian Theatre为您带来，

为奥克兰元宵灯会节及奥克兰Fringe艺术节节目之一：

根

编剧:  钟达成

“人类都会犯错。我们的祖先也是人。

有没有人知道真相是什么？”

来到中国，Amanda 决心要甩掉她”文化孤儿”的标签。但她在这儿的根与许多秘密缠绕在一起-究竟谁和哪儿才是真正的家乡？

新加坡最受喜爱的独演话剧之一，钟达成的《根》是一个女人在文化迷乱的新加坡中，寻找自己家族身份的的故事。与新西兰青年文化身份接轨，《根》是一个能享誉全球，能让人们在欣喜和困难中寻找到自己的故事。

《根》将以中英双语在新西兰首映。界时将有中英双语字幕投影。

主演： Amanda Grace Leo 梁宿娴

导演：Chye-Ling Huang 黄采婈

Uxbridge Arts Centre, Howick

2月23- 24日

Loft @ Q Theatre, 305 Queen St

三月1-3日

TICKETS: 
https://www.aucklandfringe.co.nz/programme-2018/roots/

Asian Men Talk About Sex

PAT's venture into film began with the no-holds-barred 3 minute Loading Docs documentary, Asian Men Talk About Sex.

Whether it be the nerdy best friend, silent kung-fu master or the tech wiz of the office, Asian men are desexualized at every turn - it's rare to see Asian men on screen just being themselves, let alone as sexual beings. We interviewed 8 Asian men of different ethnicities, ages and orientations to challenge stereotypes and lift the lid on taboos.

Funny, surprising, intimate and wild - much like sex - these are their candid experiences, perspectives and stories on sex, love and dating.

A huge thanks to all our supporters on boosted, and the talented team behind the film, and especially to our incredible talent!

Let's start talking.

Check out the interview with director Chye-Ling Huang on VICE here

made with Eyes and Ears and loading docs

with support from BOOsted and Unitec.

The Han Chronicles

A Samoan prince, an Irish girl with a fiery temper and an unsuspecting duck play a part in the true stories of a young Chinese immigrant landing in New Zealand in the 70's. 

The Han Chronicles tells the true story of Han Huang, Chye-Ling Huang's (PAT co-founder) Chinese Dad. Created & screenplay by Chye-Ling Huang, narrated by Han Huang, produced by TVNZ and directed by Calvin Sang, these short webisodes are a cheeky, 70's twist on the Asian New Zealand immigrant story.

Watch young Han Huang navigate his way through romance, bromance and...ducks? 

Watch Episode One, 'Duck' now:

Watch Episode Two, "Glenda", now:

Made with TVNZ as part of the 'new blood' initiative.

Special thanks to Han huang and the fahey family.

About PAT

Proudly Asian Theatre is an Auckland based theatre company dedicated giving a voice to Asian talent in New Zealand theatre and film. 

Founded in 2013 by Chye-Ling Huang and James Roque, PAT's aim is to discover and support Asian New Zealanders to tell their stories in theatre and film and to inspire the growth of diverse new contemporary works in the New Zealand theatrical landscape.

In 2013, PAT presented the first New Zealand production of David Henry Hwang's Obie Award winning play FOB at The Basement. The following year PAT produced a sold-out, extra show added season of Renee Liang's Lantern at The Musgrove as part of the 2014 Auckland Lantern Festival. Later in the year, they took home four awards including Best Independent Theatre Company and Best Director at the 2014 Short+Sweet Festival for their short original piece Call of the Sparrows.

In 2016, PAT debuted a full length version of their award winning short with support from Auckland Live and UNITEC and funding from Creative New Zealand and Foundation North. 2017 saw the launch of event 'Fresh off the Page', monthly playreads for the public featuring Asian actors, directors and scripts from NZ and around the world. 

PAT's projects also expanded to film with Asian Men Talk About Sex, a 3 minute documentary made as part of the Loading Docs platform, which won best webseries at the NZ TV awards. The Han Chronicles,a two episode webseries pilot, was made under TVNZ, telling the true story of a Chinese immigrant in love in 70's New Zealand. 

PAT's Fringe show for 2018 'Roots' won Best Set Design (credit The Finger Players and Tom Dennison) and their next original show, Orientation, is set for September 2018.

PAT is committed to supporting the Asian storytellers of Aotearoa; get in touch if you're interested in supporting us or being involved!

pattheatrecompany@gmail.com