Don’t Call Me China Doll
All Chinese people do kung fu, right?
As she prepares for the audition of a lifetime—playing Anna May Wong, Hollywood’s first East Asian starlet—China Doll must confront and untangle the ingénue’s legacy as she discovers astonishing parallels between them. Disdainful of Anna for perpetuating the stereotypes she still fights to overcome, China Doll wakes up to find herself magically transported to the 1930s in the body of the revered and reviled starlet. Over the course of several nights, she discovers profound similarities in the ways they navigate love, life, and identity as East Asian actors in the west.
CAST
CAST
Diana Feng
Performer, Writer
Diana Feng is an actor, playwright, and producer. She graduated with an MA in Acting from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Diana is also set to be the first person to receive a PhD in Culturally Specific Performance Practice and British East and Southeast Asian Representation from the same school. She is at the forefront of exploring and challenging cultural narratives that shape our understanding of representation in entertainment.
She is a co-founder of WWWC, a non-hierarchical creative collective dedicated to fostering creativity and uplifting marginalised voices. Through her writing and performance, Feng is known for crafting compelling narratives that are both innovative and necessary, pushing the boundaries of theatre to make space for important, often overlooked stories.
Her recent acting work includes Bat Night Market at the LIFT Festival 2024, Surrogates at A Pinch of Vault, and Chinese TV shows such as Tientsin Mystic Seasons 1 and 2, and Young Blood.
She also co-wrote and co-directed Artist/Muse with Tegan Verheul and Clarisse Zamba, her creative partners from WWWC. The play premiered at last year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival to great acclaim after being shortlisted for the LET Award in January 2023. This year, she returns to the Fringe Festival as a solo performer with her debut show Don't Call Me China Doll.
Voice Actors
Anna Sylvester - Film Crew 3, House Keeper
Austin Yang - Film Crew 2, Man 1
James Byng - Film Crew 1, Eric
Ting-Ning Wen - Madam Koo
Yin Wang - Adam
CREATIVES
CREATIVES
Francesca Hsieh
Director
Francesca Hsieh is an Asian-American theatre director, maker and facilitator. She has her MA in Theatre Directing from Royal Holloway, University of London and a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance from the University of Utah. Francesca’s work as an assistant director and director has been seen at the Barbican Centre, Camden People’s Theatre, and on the West End. She is the Creative Engagement Coordinator at Complicité and is on the Higher Education faculty at Shakespeare’s Globe. She strives to make work that centres the voices of minoritized communities in joyful ways.
Hsing Yu Hsiang
Sound Designer
WAWA, a Taiwanese Canadian electronic music artist based in London, stands firmly at the forefront of the electronic music scene, continuously pushing boundaries and venturing into unexplored sonic territories.
Her latest single - 'AI QUE TUDO!' released via Eat the Bomb label is making waves in the bass music scene, backed by the support of Vision Radio. Her track record of sonic exploration has garnered widespread recognition within the industry, highlighted by the inclusion of her latest single "SOUL" on BBC Radio 1's November Introducing Dance with Phoebe I-H.
Shu-Ang Yeh
Lighting Designer
Ang is a London-based interactive experience designer with theater background. He has four years of working experience as a lighting designer and stage manager in Taiwan. His works appear across stage performance, immersive theater, and commercial events. He also has extensive experience in international production and touring. Engagement and storytelling are at the heart of his work. His recent interest is in how sensory design can shift the audience's perception and be used as a way of narrative.
Huazheng Qi
Set Designer
Huazheng Qi is a young visual artist, double majoring in stage design and lighting design. He graduated from the Stage Art Department of the Central Academy of Drama, and was guaranteed admission to the Central Academy of Drama to pursue a master's degree in Theatre, Film and Television, and has been awarded the China National Scholarship for many times. He graduated from Wimbledon College of Art, University of the Arts London, specialising in theatre stage design, and was awarded the first prize for international students in the UK. He design works cover a wide range of theatre genres such as drama, dance, musical, children's theatre, etc. He has participated in or been invited to many famous theatre festivals at home and abroad and won awards for her design works.
Lu Xinran
Set Designer
Lu Xinran, graduated from the Central Academy of Drama with a Bachelor's Degree in Stage Lighting Design this year, and is now working as a freelance set and lighting designer
Upcoming Shows
Edinburgh Fringe
All shows @ 12:55pm
Venue
Underbelly Bristo Square - Clover
Teviot Place, Edinburgh
EH8 9AG
Website // Phone: 0131 510 0395
| Wed 31 July (Preview) | £8.25 | Tickets |
| Thu 1 August (Preview) | £8.25 | Tickets |
| Fri 2 August (Preview) | £12.25 | Tickets |
| Sat 3 August | £12.25 | Tickets |
| Sun 4 August | £12.25 | Tickets |
| Mon 5 August | £12.25 | Tickets |
| Tue 6 August | £12.25 | Tickets |
| Wed 7 August | £11.25 | Tickets |
| Thu 8 August | £11.25 | Tickets |
| Fri 9 August | £12.25 | Tickets |
| Sat 10 August | £12.25 | Tickets |
| Sun 11 August | £12.25 | Tickets |
| Tue 13 August | £11.25 | Tickets |
| Wed 14 August | £11.25 | Tickets |
| Thu 15 August | £11.25 | Tickets |
| Fri 16 August | £12.25 | Tickets |
| Sat 17 August | £12.25 | Tickets |
| Sun 18 August | £12.25 | Tickets |
| Mon 19 August | £11.25 | Tickets |
| Tue 20 August | £11.25 | Tickets |
| Wed 21 August | £11.25 | Tickets |
| Thu 22 August | £11.25 | Tickets |
| Fri 23 August | £12.25 | Tickets |
| Sat 24 August | £12.25 | Tickets |
| Sun 25 August | £12.25 | Tickets |
| Mon 26 August | £11.25 | Tickets |
Accessibility Info
Wheelchair access
Wheelchair accessible toilets
Accessible entry: This venue is accessible at ground level and can accommodate up to 2 manual or powered wheelchairs. The seating in the venue is all on one level.
Wheelchair access type: Ground level
Stairs: 0
Seat dimensions: TBA
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
A very special thank you to our sponsors and all those who contributed to our crowdfunding campaign for Chokeslam and Don’t Call Me China Doll.
Adam Gaffney, Cher Lin, Chia Ching Ho, Clarisse Zamba, Daniel Hsieh, Eero Liu, Emily Gleave, Haider Abdullah, Ivan Weiss, James Colgan, Jessica Bryson, Joyce Tsai, Julie I. Rohwein & Jonathan B. Aibel, Joyce Tsai, Kay Hatton, Kelby Campbell, Kelly Wang, Lai Ka Yi, Liam Verheul, Matthieu Komorowski, Michael Garrity, Morwenna Rowe, Nic Westwood, Nicholas Barclay, Peter Lin, Philipp Brada, Sarah Costa, Sarah Szloboda, Sullivan Brown, Tobin Gringras, Yu-ting Lin, Zac Bange.
