The laughter it generates makes one look inside to the prejudices that must be overcome in all their absurdity and backwardness. It plays with the acceptance of stereotypes with a wit about itself that puts humour first to make the message more effective. Nobody really learns from shouting.

Rapid fire dialogue peppered with current jargon and the occasional f-bomb gives momentum while a clever set design reinforces visual purpose. The story revolves around family and fortune, some good, some less so. It also plays into a larger context of current affairs.

One must applaud La Boîte for their continuing support of new and young playwrights, talents with a classic sense of what the theatre has been and with an eye to what it can be.

Playwright: Michelle Law
Director: Claire Christian
Set design: Moe Assaad
Cast: Emily Burton, Patrick Jhanur, Michelle Law, Tatum Mottin, Courtney Stewart, Hsiao-Ling Tang

Single Asian Female is playing at the La Boite Theatre until March 9 – for more information or to book tickets head to www.laboite.com.au

Single Asian Female follows the story of the Wong family as they deal with some of life’s big questions and explore what it means to be an Asian woman in Australia. Step into the afterhours of a suburban Chinese restaurant and meet the whip smart women who are definitely talking about you in their native tongue.

With two sisters at odds with each other and a mother harbouring a secret that threatens to tear her family apart, Single Asian Female is Australian domesticity like you’ve never seen it before.

Catch the Wong family in their return to the La Boite stage, following a sold out 2018 season in Sydney at Belvoir.

This work was developed with the assistance of the Lotus Playwriting Project, an initiative of Playwriting Australia and Contemporary Asian Australian Performance (formerly Performance 4a).

“Joyful, and laugh-out-loud funny from start to end…” Suzy Wrong

Single Asian Female
16 February – 9 March 2019
La Boîte, Brisbane
www.2019.laboite.com.au

Set on the Sunshine Coast, this hilarious play looks at three women at three key stages of their lives; high school, one’s reproductive prime, and menopause – all grappling with specifically female issues. From the pressure of choosing between fertility and career goals, to navigating high school and girl gang politics, to trying to survive and be strong for yourself and others when you’re trapped in an abusive relationship. Single Asian Female is about women navigating distinctly female relationships; sisters at odds with each other, frenemies undermining each other, and a mother trying to overcome generational and cultural gaps to connect with her daughters.

Michelle Law said “Single Asian Female is a comedy that skewers race and gender issues in ways that will challenge how you think about our country and the people who live in it. It’s a play that speaks to the daily realities of my own life and the lives of many Australians who often feel voiceless and targeted.”

Todd MacDonald, CEO & Artistic Director of La Boite housed in the Roundhouse Theatre, Australia’s only purpose-built theatre-in-the-round said; “The heart and soul of La Boite’s 2017 Season is dominated by creating opportunities for a diverse range of emerging and established artists to develop their work. We are excited to be working with Michelle Law to present Single Asian Female, which represents a fresh new Australian arts voice.”

The production is directed by Claire Christian (2016 Text Prize winner) and features actors Hsiao-Ling Tang, Alex Lee (The Checkout, The Feed), Courtney Stewart, Emily Burton (La Boite’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and 2016 Raw Comedy finalist Emily Vascotto. With set and costume design by Moe Assaad and sound design by Wil Hughes.

Ms Law said “Expect to see women, specifically women of colour, to hear their voices, which are at once strong, irreverent, and hilarious. Expect to see a family in turmoil. Expect to see audiences who don’t normally go to the theatre, who don’t normally see themselves reflected on stage. Expect to see laughter, tears and kitschy karaoke in equal measure and be prepared to sing along.”

La Boite’s 2017 Season delivers the next generation of theatre with a focus on Your Stories, Your Community & Your Theatre.

Single Asian Female
11 February – 4 March 2017
Roundhouse Theatre, La Boite
www.laboite.com.au