Taking Flight - Three New Plays, Three New Writers

Three New Plays, Three New Writers
Red Dragonfly Productions Proudly Present 'Taking Flight Festival'

Red Dragonfly Productions, the team behind the critically acclaimed 'DiaoChan' and 'The Autumn of Han' are proud to present an evening of new writing from first time playwrights at Seven Artspace, Leeds on Saturday 11 February 2017.

Six months ago Red Dragonfly launched Taking Flight a competition aimed at finding three new short plays from writers within the British East Asian, South Asian, and South East Asian communities, and from the many entries the Red Dragonfly team chose three plays to be taken through to final production in a unique evening of theatre.

The plays are:

'Ketchup' - By Sammy Wong
Her Mum might be Vietnamese but Emily is as British as... well as British as Ketchup. A humorous look at identity and just what food can say about us.

Sammy was born and raised in Longsight, Manchester to a Vietnamese Chinese family. She graduated from the University College of London this year and has since been working in film production. Her Chinese name is “Wong Mei Gwan”, which translates literally into “Yellow Beautiful Queen”. Since learning this, she refuses to be addressed by any other name.

'Hema Anjali' - By Chandni Lakhani
On the eve of her wedding, Anjali sets teenage sister, Hema, the responsibility of honouring an old family tradition; a mission that'll cast her back through the sweetness and bickering of their childhood years, as she faces the prospect of Anjali leaving home forever.

Chandni Lakhani is a London-based playwright and screenwriter. Born into a Gujarati-Indian family, but bred in the North-East Hampshire countryside, Chandni's writing career blossomed from a childhood obsession with telling stories, often trying to make sense of the vibrant fusion of cultures around her. 'Hema Anjali' is Chandni's first theatre commission.

'100% of Nothing is Nothing' - By Joan C. Guyll
When BC returns to Singapore for her father’s funeral she finds he had been living a double life, and now her brother has inherited the lot it looks like a case of like father like son. How traditions and tragedies can leave you with a share of absolutely nothing.

Joan and her husband Brian live in a small town on the Kent coast. She is the author of Valley of the Gods and Fascinating People of Battle. Ex-accountant, ex-shopkeeper and ex-mum, she is now retired, pigging out in her home town of Singapore during the winter months and cooling off in the UK for the rest of the year.

This project is supported using funding by Arts Council England.

For more information visit http://www.reddragonflyproductions.co.uk/upcoming