From Shore to Shore, 30th-31st May
The long-awaited performance, inspired by the stories from members of the Chinese community across the north of England, brought Chinese culture to life in the Tai Pan Restaurant on 30th and 31st May.
Those lucky enough to get tickets before they sold out were treated to a story spanning three generations, performed in the setting of a Chinese restaurant and combined with a traditional Chinese banquet.
Representatives from Liverpool’s Chinese community, including groups from the Pagoda Arts Centre, the Wah Sing Community Centre, Chinese Wellbeing, Pine Court Housing Association and Assistant Mayor of Liverpool, Gary Millar, were all in attendance. The audience were enraptured by the performance, which brought to light many of the shared experiences of Chinese immigrants to the UK. The message of the play’s protagonist Cheung Wing was simple: “Tell your stories, so that your children will know where they came from.”
Director David Tse drew outstanding performances out of the small cast and the quality of Mary Cooper’s writing shone through. Collaborator Mimi Sun’s cultural and linguistic knowledge helped to give the play its clever multilingual twist – actors used a mixture of English, Mandarin, and Cantonese in a way that everyone could understand.
The play will continue to develop, and the stories and writing collected will be turned into printed materials and educational resources.