A voice for the future

I was one of five British East Asian (BEA) actors to set up Yellow Earth Theatre in 1995. One of the reasons we set up the company was to address the types of roles and range of work we were being offered as actors – mainly thin underwritten stereotypes.

There is no simple solution to breaking down the cultural and social barriers that prevent our young people from considering a career in the arts

We wanted to investigate our own stories and what it meant to be to be of East Asian descent living in Britain today, and in so doing raise the profile of BEA theatre and to create work for ourselves and others like us.

Summer school

We ran a number of programmes for BEA writers and directors and in 2010 we set up Yellow Earth Academy, a summer school for aspiring actors in partnership with The Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA) in Wandsworth.

We were seeing a number of BEA actors on the casting website Spotlight but we wanted to find out why so few of them were attending drama school. If we could encourage them to consider some kind of training, we believed it would help them to develop the skills and confidence required for a sustainable career in the industry. In turn, it would enhance the profile and opportunities for BEA actors.

Students attending the academy are taught by a mix of ALRA and Yellow Earth tutors. They take classes in voice, movement, stage combat and acting for camera and work with directors to present a showcase at the end of the two weeks to invited guests.

There’s a different focus each year; one year they were involved in one of our professional productions and another year they made two short films with filmmaker Lab Ky Mo. We also arrange theatre trips and invite industry specialists to come and talk to the students.

One of the aspects of the academy that I am proud of is that it has continued to remain free to participants. This has only been made possible by the generous support and commitment of ALRA, and has meant that students have been able to come from as far away as Dundee, Belfast and Cardiff. The BEA community is geographically widespread in the UK and social media has played an essential part in getting the word out.

A passion for acting

We have found that many of those applying to the academy are in their twenties and have fulfilled family expectations by gaining a university degree. They may have been working for a while but now want to find out if they can really pursue a career in acting.

We have had a number of students who have gone on to gain places on full-time courses at drama school. In addition, in the past few years we have seen a small but growing number of young people who are still at school and looking to apply to drama school.

The result is that we have been able to bring together individuals who have often felt isolated from their families and peers because of their interest and passion for acting. The academy has given them the permission and space to pursue and explore that passion, to challenge and stretch themselves, and build strong supportive relationships that can give them a collective voice for the future.

Our hope is to establish similar academies in other parts of the country, beginning in the north west of England, where there is a sizable BEA community.

In addition to the academy, we offer an annual bursary: the Constellation Creatives bursary provided by Orion Lee. This bursary aims to encourage and promote greater participation and representation of East Asian actors on stage and screen. It’s awarded to a final year drama school student of East Asian origin who best demonstrates they have the talent, skills and commitment to succeed as a professional actor.

Boosting numbers

We are in conversation with a number of schools to look into ways of boosting numbers of British East Asians applying for drama school. Encouraging heads of schools to come to the showcase and spot talent early is one way, but there is no simple solution to breaking down the cultural and social barriers that prevent our young people from considering a career in the arts.

We still hear from casting directors and producers that there are not enough good BEA actors to cast a BEA film or play, but if you are not given the opportunities how can we prove there is the talent?

The more of us seen to be doing it and gaining critical attention (which means being given better roles and lead parts), the more likely it is that our young people will want to join our industry – one in which they can see a future for themselves.

Kumiko Mendl is Artistic Director of Yellow Earth Theatre.
www.yellowearth.org
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