1 April 2002
Laiyan Man

Following last month's performances of 'The Sun is Shining' by the British Chinese theatre group Mu-Lan, Laiyan Man speaks to Paul Courtenay Hyu, director, for his opinion of Chinese representation in British theatre, and his plans for Mu-Lan in the future.

Can you summarise what Mu Lan is about and its achievements to date? Would you say you have achieved/ or are on target to achieve your objectives?

Mu-Lan is about challenging Oriental stereotypesand giving opportunities to British-Orientals to get involved in theatre. We are known for the high quality of our productions and work. Our productions have been critically acclaimed and our most recent made it to number two on the Time Out Critics' Choice list. We have achieved a great deal but there are still no famous British-Chinese actors / personalities / household names out there.

What has been the highlight so far?

It depends on the criteria. For me personally it was directing the country's 1st and to-date still the only British-Oriental sketch comedy show to a packed house of 400 (Chinese and non-Chinese) audience and having them rolling in the aisles with laughter. Artistically, it is the fact that we have such a great reputation for producing quality theatre that is not patronised by the press as "ethnic". On yet another level, we are proud of the fact that we ran the country's 1st Youth Theatre for Oriental kids and even got some of them appearances on TV. Producing the 1st Shakespeare with a British-Oriental cast and theme is also a great feather in our cap.

Can you tell me about the quality of writers/writing that are coming through?

Some good raw talent, but not a great deal of commitment or knowledge of theatre and how it works.It is as though they like the idea of being a writer but not the idea of writing itself. Mu-Lan are the 1st company to concentrate on new British-Oriental writing and our 1st Festival of New Writing in 2000, which showcased 11 new works with a cast of 15 was a great achievement. Unfortunately only 2 of these are worthy at present of being considered for full production. The 3rd was Sun is Shining, which has done so well and is being translated into (at present) 3 languages. The majority of the scripts have been left unattended by the writers - perhaps it is a collective writer's block - and there is very little anyone can do to develop a script if the writer has given up. I believe that most British-Oriental writers are more educated in film and television and are therefore directing their attention there. Some of the Chinese TV and film writers are very good so its a question of finding the writers who have a passion for the theatre.

What about the range of issues being addressed?

We do not dictate anything when it comes to creating.The issues tend to be specifically to do with Oriental 'affairs'but not necessarily. In fact the 2nd of the two good scripts is to do with mental health and murder and nothing at all about anything Oriental.

In general, what do you feel about the quality of roles for Chinese people or people of APR (Asia Pacific Rim) origin? Do you think that they have improved since 1989 (when Mu-Lan was established).

There has not been a single Oriental actor in the West End since 1989 (M. Butterfly) due to there simply not being any parts written either by Oriental writers or not. There have been a load of Oriental dancing queens in musicals such as King and I, Miss Saigon, etc... but these simply don't count as real acting roles. I was in Miss Saigon myself, and feel I can say quite safely that it was the most rubbish job of my entire career - deeply unsatisfying - if you analyse it just a tiny bit you can see how patronising it is to Orientals. As for TV / film, I ask you this: when was the last time you saw a British-Oriental actor on your TV screen doing any acting? Not very recently, if at all. And definitely not in a decent part. However it is getting better. It is much better than 1989, but the rate of progress is too slow for my liking.

Do you have any advice for Chinese people wanting to get in to acting?

Good luck! Its a tough world out there! If you want to do it you will - in spite of anything anyone says.Its a lonely and difficult existence. I would never encourage anyone to do it. Try medicine - its easier...!

How about the people in the audience - do you attract people from a wide range of ethnicities?If so how do they feel about the subject matters that you cover?

Yes we do attract a wide range of ethnicities, and they tend to want to see more. The feedback is almost always positive. When we did Romeo & Juliet, we got a few letters during rehearsals from Haymarket regulars saying they would NOT be attending the show as they liked their Shakespeare"traditional"!! We probably turned some people off coming - but the show was hailed by Southern Arts own assessment officer as "easily the best thing I have ever seen at the Haymarket".

Can you tell me about your next project?

'Lilting to the Past' - a play by British Vietnamese writer Hong Khaou. It deals with the issues of love, guilt and duty among others. Language plays a huge part in this story of an elderly Chinese woman in a British suburban retirement home coping with the loss of her daughter while simultaneously trying to deal with the advances of another male resident. Touching and poignant, funny and heart-warming, this play is totally different from our last production. It deserves to become the 1st published play by a British-Chinese writer.

How do you feel that organisations like Mu-Lan and Dimsum are helping to break down existing racial and cultural barriers?

By forcing people to listen to what we have to say and above all by being quality through and through. We feel it is no good doing a play with Chinese plinky-plonk music with performing Kung-Fu monkeys. There are other theate companies that do that and although its great for them, its not what best represents to all of us what being Oriental in the UK means . Mu-Lan is there to provide an alternative to the pigeonholes that Orientals are stuck in. Kung Fu and backflips are options for us. We don't enter any event where there is a compulsory element - we like freestyle.

Will there still be a need for us in 10 years time and if so what do you think Mu-Lan will doing?

I believe that all in Mu-Lan will be stars of our own sit-coms / detective series, and sitting on a beach smoking an enormous fat Havana cigar. Mu-Lan will have evolved into whatever is contemporary in Britain at that time. Maybe we will be learning how to back-flip!