Anna May Wong Must Die!
Anna Chen's funny & fabulous one-woman show — a personal journey through the life and crimes of Hollywood's first Chinese screen legend with satire, songs and a few laughs.-
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Steampunk Opium Wars extravaganza at Greenwich National Maritime Museum
Britain’s craving for chinoiserie in the 18th and 19th centuries resulted in a trade imbalance that threatened to empty the treasury. To pay for the tea, silks, spices and porcelain we liked so much, the East India Company sold enormous quantities of cheap Bengal-grown opium to China, turning an aristocratic vice into a nationwide addiction.
The profits from the opium trade made fortunes, earned revenues for the British government, paid for the administration of the Empire in India and even financed a large slice of Royal Navy costs. When the Chinese tried to halt the import of the drug, the narco-capitalists persuaded Foreign Secretary Palmerston and Lord Melbourne’s government to go to war in 1839. The first military conflict, lasting a bloody three years, resulted in the Treaty of Nanking and the transfer of territory including Hong Kong to British rule.
Want to find out more about this dark period in Anglo-Chinese history? To celebrate Chinese New Year and mark the opening of the National Maritime Museum’s new Traders Gallery, I’m presenting The Steampunk Opium Wars extravaganza with songs poetry and music from legendary writer Charles Shaar Murray; The Plague’s Marc “The Exorcist” Jefferies; Deborah Evans-Stickland performing her Flying Lizards mega-hit “Money (That’s What I Want)”; Gary Lammin; and DJ Zoe Baxter AKA Lucky Cat from Resonance FM.
Historical characters will be slugging it out in verse to persuade us of the pros and cons of waging war to push drugs: with John Crow Constable, Paul Anderson, Hugo Trebels, John Paul O’Neill and Louise Whittle.
The evening is centred around Farrago Poetry‘s History Slam where the audience will have a chance to write poetry on the theme in workshops led by the historical characters, and then perform them in the slam.
Come and play with us.
Free entry but places have to be booked in advance.
Anna Chen presents “Traders”
National Maritime Museum, Sammy Ofer Wing
Greenwich
6.30-10pm
Thursday 16th February 2012
Tickets: Free but book in advance
Tel: 020 8312 6608
FACEBOOK PAGE FOR THE STEAMPUNK OPIUM WARS
Posted in China, Event, Live performance, Music, Poetry, Politics
Tagged Anna Chen, Charles Shaar Murray, East India Company, Farrago Poetry, National Maritime Museum, Opium Wars
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St Ives and Me: my programme on my favourite town
I’m most chuffed to see that my programme on the delights of St Ives in Cornwall has been made Pick of the Day in the Radio Times, The Times, Telegraph, Daily Mail, Observer and the Independent on Saturday.
My connection with the seaside town began before I was born, when my aunt and uncle spent their honeymoon there. I was later taken on holidays with my family as a child. I loved it so much that I lived there for two years as a teenager, dragging my best friend along. Denise fell under its spell and didn’t go back home for months, working as a hotel chambermaid and for the legendary (in my mind) Mr Peggotty’s discotheque. That’s a story that’s been repeated in various forms down the years.
In St Ives and Me, I wanted not only to share my love of the place but to explore why it is such a powerful draw for artists and bohemians. It was vital in my spiritual and creative development, and still is, especially in the way the various events stimulate, showcase and encourage poets, musicians, performers and writers.
The arts are democratised in St Ives, class differences dissolved, human potential realised. Money and privilege doesn’t get you as far as talent and enthusiasm. But they do buy you a niche down there. The bankers and second home owners are pushing out the locals. We may be witnessing the end of a golden age if they push out the creatives, in which case we may end up with just another pretty coastal town.
St Ives and Me: BBC Radio 4 11:30 Thursday 1st December
Produced by Chris Eldon Lee for Culture Wise
A few photos from my September visit when I recorded St Ives & Me for BBC Radio 4. Plus more from past visits. Click on pix for full size versions.:
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- On the Island overlooking Porthmeor Beach and the town
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- With Jan Jefferies on the Island below St Nicholas Chapel
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- With Clare Wardman in her Porthmeor studio
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- Anna & Jan in Patrick Heron’s former studio No 5, Porthmeor Studios, Sept 2010
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- In the Tate St Ives looking at Martin Creed’s balloon installation 2011
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- Immersed in Martin Creed’s balloon installation at Tate St Ives
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- Tour guide Valerie Hurry and producer Chris Eldon Lee in the Tate rotunda
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- On the Tate St Ives roof, Sept 2010
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- Sculptures in Barbara Hepworth’s garden
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- Sitting in my favourite chair in my favourite place
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- With Jan in the Hepworth conservatory in September 2011
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- With Bob Devereux, Rod Bullimore and Kelvin Bowers, Salthouse Gallery after we all read from our books in progress
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- Steve Jones and Charles Shaar Murray in Norway Square
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- Bob Devereux at Norway Square, St Ives in 2008
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- Why I wrote “Ode To A Detox on Leaving St Ives”
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- Much Ado About Nothing on the Island, St Ives 2008
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- Charles Shaar Murray watches Buffalo Bill Smith and Colin Burchill at the Big Frug, St Ives Arts Club
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- Rod Bullimore and Bob Devereux among others in “Cornwall for the Cornish” at the Western Hotel.
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- With my mates Jan Jefferies and Denise Ingamells, Mermaid Restaurant St Ives
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- Friends at the Sloop Inn on the harbour front
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- Morris Dancers and Angels on the harbour front last year Sept 2010.
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- Porthmeor Beach at sunset
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- Mackerel landed on Smeatons Pier St Ives
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- Radio Times Pick of the Day
All pix copyright Anna Chen
Posted in Photographs, Pictures, Radio, St Ives
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Anna May Wong Must Die pix
This gallery contains 26 photos.
Satire, sex and politics. Photos of the final show of this run at the New Diorama Theatre, Saturday 12th November 2011. Legendary culture writer Charles Shaar Murray and The Plague’s Marc Jefferies rocked the house with live music. Still on-script … Continue reading
Anna May Wong Must Die! at the New Diorama Theatre
Anna Chen, Lucy Sheen, Veronica Needa
ANNA MAY WONG MUST DIE!
Written and performed by Anna Chen
Live music accompaniment from Charles Shaar Murray and Marc Jefferies
New Diorama Theatre, NW1 3BF
Thursday 10th November 19:30
Saturday 12th November 20:30
£8.50/£6.50
(There will be a Q&A after the Saturday performance)
Presented by True Heart Theatre
Anna May Wong Must Die! at the New Diorama Theatre
At last, I’m performing two shows of my multi-media Anna May Wong Must Die! as a “work-in-progress” at the New Diorama Theatre as part of True Heart’s In The Mirror season. Also performing during the week: Lucy Sheen and Veronica Needa. (Details on the webpage.)
I’ll be on-script as it’s still early days in the life of this piece (so no press), but I hope to come out of the week with the play nailed. I look forward to to hearing some solid feedback, especially if you come to the Saturday Q&A session where the three of us plus True Heart artistic director Wing Hong Li will be chatting to the audience.
It’s unusual, possibly unique, to get three Chinese diaspora writers and performers together like this in one UK venue in one week so please do try to make it.
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Big Society: a conversation at the Foundling Museum
A little bit of politics, laydees an’ gennelmen with “Big Society: on a conversation at the Foundling Museum”.
Recorded at Café Art during the St Ives Arts Festival September 2011. Written in June 2011.
St Ives Festival 2011: Intro and Kicking A Dinosaur video
St Ives Festival 2011 pix: Artists & Tate Balloons
St Ives Festival 2011 pix: The Island and St Nicholas Chapel
Posted in Poetry, Politics, St Ives, Video
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