Me. Asian?

This was one of the very special events of Fringe World, a beautiful self-devised piece, created and performed by high schoolers from Vietnam, which should have been one of the most publicised and exciting aspects of Fringe World. Unfortunately this little treasure of a piece, flew under the radar, and did not get the full houses it deserved.

Me. Asian? looks at what it means to be Asian, as asked by a group of young theatre makers from Vietnam and Korea, who are being educated in an International School, under a western system, who listen to international music and spend much of their life on the internet. Although they never use the term, it also looks at being a “third country kid” as well as what it means to belong. Can you truly be Asian if you don’t like rice?

Wonderful use of physical theatre, strong use of dance and drawing on the cultural traditions of Vietnam and Korea, created group routines that were visually stunning, a wonderful contrast with some candid and very funny storytelling and lovely use of verbatim theatre. This was a wonderful reminder that teenage angst is universal and would have resonated well with local students.

Gorgeous teamwork from Serafina Chun, Sofia H. Chun, Lieu Ngoc Bao Than (Jenny), Louisa Vy Nguyen, Emily Bae, Clarry Nguyen, Nick Taylor Tran, Duong Triu An (Estelle) and Kim Sung Won (Tyler) who form a seamless ensemble with excellent rapport. The Urban Lights Theatre is an auditioned elective class at The American School of Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City. All of the students in this class are of Vietnamese or Korean descent (often with other mixed heritage) and have been working on this project since September.

A fascinating production that deserved much more attention than it garnered. Congratulations to all concerned.

Kimberley Shaw

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