By Lansy Feng
“Yo! Covid! Go back to your country!” Being an Asian person in a non-Asian country means you’re likely to hear this from a stranger on the street.
It might make you sad or angry – or scared. But for an actor/artist like me, I also thought, “This is going into my next cabaret. Thank you, stranger!”
But jokes aside; back to my cabaret. Is it about COVID-19? No. Is it about being Asian? Well, I am Asian, and it’s a one-person show, so yeah.
It’s about my culture. I’m from Taiwan; a small country that lots of people don’t know about or – in some cases – don’t even recognise as a country. So when a stranger tells me to go back to my country, I wonder if they know where it is. And I wonder if they realise that some people have to fight to have their country recognised.
It’s a Taiwanese love story performed in modern English with classic pop songs. Because people are all the same, you’ll recognise the feeling, the behaviour, the cliche. We can all relate to each other if we want to. And here, you do it with a taste of Taiwan.
Because of lockdown, we’ve taken some bits and turned them into videos online! The time to re-imagine, rewrite and record is a surprise bonus of lockdown and all the lost work. (Yes, I see the good side of everything.)
Your masks and sanitiser help with physical health. Art will help with mental health. I can’t wait to share with you my work and my culture – I hope it brings some joy and laughter during lockdown.
Bits of Wit is released 8.30pm Tuesdays on YouTube until 14 July. Details at witinc.com.au
