Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Baklâ

Tell us about your show and what audiences can expect?

Baklâ takes from butoh dance theatre, performance art, circus rope and experiments with the form of one person performance. It takes from personal accounts paired with a mosaic of striking imagery, preferring the use of montage over a linear narrative. The show draws parallels between the colonisation of one’s body and one’s country. Flicking between indigenous ceremonies in pre-colonial Philippines, skin whitening adverts and to a BDSM party in London, Baklâ explores how Catholicism has been weaponised to oppress both people of colour and the queer community across the country’s history. The result being the erasure of our cultural identity. 

Audiences should expect a fun night (or afternoon) out, wild and sexy times 

Can you talk about some of the creative team involved?

Yes, Baklâ began development in 2020, with me and Natalie Chan who’s been a long-term producer for much of my work, mainly because we were deep into Covid and were trying to make work that we could do with one person. We are excited to have brought James Newton from Wardrobe Ensemble on board as director and Lauren Lambeth Moore as Stage Manager. 

Where do you draw inspiration from for your work, both in terms of creation and performance?

My Asian and queer identity, being mixed race, as well as growing up in Hong Kong, inspires me a lot. I like to make work that tells authentic stories. 

Looking at this production, how would you say it links to previous work personally and thematically?

Our show last year, which won a Fringe First, This Is Not A Show About Hong Kong, is my way of expressing how I’m feeling about the situation in my hometown Hong Kong. For Baklâ, it’s much more internal about how I feel about my identity, sexuality, relationships etc. 

As an artist who’s emerging and growing, I am always reflecting on work, and drawing parallels, to start forming my styles and unique selling point. I can definitely see parallels between Baklâ and This Is Not A Show About Hong Kong – I’d say both works are directly inspired by lived experience and comes from an authentic place which I hope to share with more audiences. 

Why is this an important story to tell?

Although Filipino people account for the largest Southeast Asian demographic in the UK and the second most common foreign workers in the NHS, the community’s social-invisibility persists. We hope Baklâ will be part of amplifying these stories in a fun, entertaining way.  

How do you feel about the current arts landscape in your country and your part in it? Does it excite you and inspire you to keep pushing the boat out? 

I will talk about the UK here. Being completely honest, I am finding it increasingly difficult to survive as an independent artist making work, funds from Arts Council England are getting increasingly competitive, and also the recent announcement with the government’s plans to crack down “low-value” degrees, I worry about the pipeline/next generation of artists. For me, I’m going to continue to be innovative, both in ways I make my work, as well as dreaming up different business models. I am currently on the Immersive Assembly Programme with Mediale, learning to work more with new technology.

Why are arts festivals such as the Fringe so important for international exchange?

From experience, the arts sector in each country and region internationally has its specific context, and it takes years of experience working within it to understand, the Fringe allows us to meet with fellow artists and can exchange these insights, which we have really valued. We can also see each other's work and more easily identify whether there’s a cross over/potential future collaboration. Because we’re all in it together, I found that fellow artists are generally very generous in saying your show would definitely fit xx venue in my country, I’ll help you invite them, and vice versa. 

What can the wider arts community do to get more people involved in their specific disciplines?

In terms of potentially accessing pathways to develop their creativity and craft, I think we all should try and be more generous and open in sharing our knowledge, processes, and tips and tricks for navigating careers and working in this industry. It’s really tough getting started, as I think there’s still a lot of etiquette that they don’t teach you in education settings, like how to email, how to pitch, how to network, so more open and informal support of others who definitely get more people involved in various disciplines

Have you got your eye on any other shows that are part of the programme?

We’re really excited by Fazial Abdullah’s SIAPA YANG BAWA MELAYU AKU PERGI? (WHO TOOK MY MALAY AWAY?) – it covers similar themes of identity, colonialism, and we’re so pleased to see so many of us telling these vital stories. 

Myself and Natalie (Producer) are both originally from Hong Kong, a local company TS Crew are bringing No Dragon No Lion, a contemporary dance-circus show to C Venues. It’s based on their cultural roots, as a gift to their fellow citizens, so we’re particularly excited to see that.

What’s next for you and how are you feeling about the future in general?

I’m excited to continue to showcase Baklâ to audiences. I'm really passionate about this story and it has a deep meaning for me, so I hope audiences will join me on this journey. 

As for my next steps working in theatre, I’m exploring more opportunities to work within a larger organisation, as a producer. I started making work through self-producing, and am still heavily involved even since partnering with Natalie, and it is an area I am interested in learning and growing more on, so I’ll also hopefully be utilising the fringe to speak to other venue producers to learn from them. I’m feeling excited about my next chapter  

How can Edinburgh audiences keep up with you beyond the festival?

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