To mark their 25th anniversary, British East and South East Asian theatre company Yellow Earth Theatre have announced that they will be relaunching as New Earth Theatre, and will be offering both virtual and outdoor performances.  

New Stories, a free digital short play festival, launches today and will be streamed across the company’s social media channels. It will feature 17 short plays written by playwrights on the Professional Writers Programme, and performed by over 60 BESEA freelance theatre makers. Beyond Chinatown: A British and South East Asian Guide to Manchester’s Past, Present and Future begins tomorrow and will be available via Zoom on 1 November. This performance led walking tour through Manchester features a number of short pieces.

The company has also announced three further new commissions. Pamela Carter’s digital film Duck Rabbit launched on 14 October in a co-commission with Chinese Arts Now and tells the story of an imagined exchange between the playwright’s two grandmothers. Chang and Eng and Me (And Me) by Toby Poster-Su premieres in February 2021 and is another co-commission with Chinese Arts Now. In association with HOMEmakers, Stacy Makishi brings forward Homeward (house) bound, which is a one to one phone call system taking place between 5-7 November, helping participants ride the second wave of Covid-19.

New Earth Theatre also presents Tsunagu/Connect, an 18-month project which launched at the beginning of this year for the Japan-UK Season of Culture. Volunteers, Mendl and performance artist Kazuko Hohki have begun to gather histories from Japanese women living in the UK. The piece will be presented in 2021 as part of an exhibition and live immersive performance incorporating augmented reality.

For further information, please click here.