No pop culture photoshop this month because Connor came back from Canada for a few days! Christy was thrilled, as you can see.
Hello wonderful folks! Thanks for bearing with us whilst we recovered from ill health (wash your hands, cover your mouth when you sneeze and cough). We have returned with another round up of things the ESEA community are up to.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Dear readers, this newsletter has been going for almost a year and we’d love to hear back from you. How are you finding the newsletter? Any tweaks? Are you organising stuff and want to be added? Simple feedback would be greatly appreciated, please reply to this email and let us know!
August News
Roundup
Sat 10 Aug: Comediasians & Friends show
Fri 16 - Sun 18 Aug: ESEA unseen Weekender at the Southbank Centre
Thurs 22 Aug: Hackney Chinese Community Centre X Four Winds Mahjong session at the Barbican
Mon 9 Sept: Moongate and Kakilang are collaborating for a special Moongate Mix event
Comediasians - the UK's premier pan-Asian improv group bringing laughs from the diasporASIA
We're celebrating South Asian Heritage Month in style! We kicked off with our first-ever Comediasians team retreat (picture below) and had a great Comediasians & Friends show on 25th July. Our second SAHM show is coming up on Saturday, 10th August at Hoopla Impro. Don't miss out! And save the dates for the rest of our 2024 shows:
Sat, 10th Aug - Comediasians & Friends. Our monthly show is celebrating South Asian Heritage Month at Hoopla at The Miller. Join us for improv, stand-up guests and an audience jam. Tickets here.
Sat, 7th Sep - Comediasians 5th birthday bash! A very special Comediasians & Friends night at Hoopla to celebrate East & South East Asian Heritage Month plus our 5th birthday!
Tue, 24th Sep - Swipe Right Improv Tuesdays. Guest gig at our friends Swipe Right's show at Shoreditch Balls.
All details available on our Linktree. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our latest news and follow us @comediasians on Instagram and Facebook.
Watch clips from our last show here!
Moongate Mix - Raising the profile of ESEA talent whilst challenging stereotypes
Kakilang - Produces world-class art and pioneers multi-disciplinary art forms from a wide spectrum of Southeast and East Asian voices
September sees Moongate co-producing with Kakilang for an extra special Moongate Mix to mark ESEA Heritage month with ASIAN IS THE NEW COMEDY & ROCK ’n’ ROLL II
Featuring stand up comedians Huge Davies and Ria Lina and music acts Cathy Jain and Jason Kwan.
The event will be accompanied by Malaysian pop up kitchen GWEILO which starts from 5pm. There’s even more as the cafe space is the setting for the launch of ’The Land of Kings’ exhibition by acclaimed artist Donald Shekat Omnibus Theatre.
Hackney Chinese Community Services
Join HCCS (and one half of the Tea Readings team, Christy!) at The Curve Gallery in the Barbican!
It’s a night celebrating community through mahjong gaming, talks and music and performance from an exciting line-up of East and Southeast Asian talent.
This event will centre ESEA arts, culture and space of the diaspora with a panel talk with Wai Ting Chung, Co-Founder & People Director of BAO, artist and community organiser Dora Lam, music and dancing with Taiwanese DJ Raindrogyny, artist and performer Jason Kwan.
You're invited to join us for a night of playing and learning Mahjong with Ali Fung and poet and spoken word artist Christy Ku, both fantastic mahjong teachers and volunteers at Hackney Chinese Community Services.
All communities are welcome to celebrate those from the diaspora in the arts.
Please note this event is currently sold out (at time of writing) but keep an eye out in case tickets are released.
ESEA unseen
Textiles, imagination, and community as a vehicle for liberation
ESEA unseen are part of a weekender event on 16-18 Aug! This multi-talented collective will bring processions, performances, storytelling , immersive music and singing bowl soundscapes to the Southbank Centre’s terrace. It’s FREE and part of the Southbank’s You Belong Here summer celebration!
For more information, follow their Instagram here or check out the Southbank’s website here.