CAST
Shen Tai, The Actor - Kaeng Chan
Li Lien-Ying, Chief Eunuch - Jon Lam
Tzu-hsi,
The Empress Dowager - Meme Thorne
Kuang-Hsu,
The Emperor - Rick Lau
Kang Yu-Wei, The Tutor - Felino Dolloso
Lung-Yu, The Empress, Wife of Kuang-Hsu - Julia Y. Kim
The Pearl Concubine - Stephanie Jacobsen
Jung
Lu, The General - Adrian Brown
Singapore born and Perth raised, Kaeng's passion for the Arts lead him to study at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), graduating in 2002. Whilst there, Kaeng performed roles in Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, The Baker in Sondheim's Into the Woods (directed by Jo-Anne Robinson) and Strapper in the world premiere of the Nick Enright / David King Australian musical The Good Fight.
Upon graduating, Kaeng made his television debut co-hosting with Monica Trapaga and Colin Buchanan on the popular children's pre-school program Playhouse Disney, which premiered in May 2003 and has just returned for another season on the Seven Network. This series is also showing on the Disney Channel. In between the busy shooting schedules on Playhouse Disney, Kaeng also appeared in The Production Company's production of Bye Bye Birdie in July 2003.
Empress of China marks Kaeng's first appearance with
the East Coast Theatre Company.
Jon's theatre credits include Stoppard's Cahoots Macbeth, The Players Not the Game in Madang, PNG and a workshop production of Cosi for Capital Training. In Australia Jon mainly worked in film and TV. He featured in Singapore Sling - episode Midnight Orchid and most recently in Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions. Jon's numerous short films include Dear Grandpa (Singapore), The Book of Josh (AFTRS) and Troubled Waters (AMES).
Mémé Thorne, an actor and performance artist with many years experience in contemporary theatre practice, began her career in physical theatre in 1980 with the International Research Theatre Group Kiss in the Netherlands, returning to Australia in 1983.
Her involvement with Sidetrack Theatre began in 1984 as a tutor, and in 1985 as a choreographer for the acclaimed Adios Cha Cha. Since then, Mémé has designed the movement, co-created and performed in many of Sidetrack's productions, notably: Whispers in the Heart; The Refugee; Drunken Boat and The Measure. She has also co-created and performed in Fright; Idol; Heaven-it's not just for angels; The Art of Rubber; Plane Truth; Sit.com and Frontier Stories (a collaboration between Sidetrack and the Aboriginal and Islander Dance Theatre).
Mémé was an influential member in the transition the company made to becoming the Sidetrack Performance Group, with its strong commitment to contemporary theatre training methodology and practice.
She studied in Japan with Tadashi Suzuki of the Suzuki Company of Toga (Scot) in 1990 and 1991, becoming accredited as a teacher of the Suzuki Method of Actor Training. She applied these skills with the Sidetrack Performance Group Ensemble as well as to others through Sidetracks' annual Contemporary Performance Week (CPW 1990 1997; for the ensemble members of Theatre of the Deaf; Stalker Stiltwalking Theatre; Frumpus as well as in private classes. . Mémé also taught in Adelaide at the Centre of Performing Arts for Ausdance; in Launceston for Tasdance; and in Hobart for Dance South and Zootango Theatre. In 1999 she taught the second year students of the University of Western Sydney (Nepean) and in November 2000, the ensemble members of the Urban Theatre Projects.
Mémé was made Associate Director of Sidetrack Performance Group in 1997 during which she was responsible for the organisation of the Workshop Programme for Sidetrack's final CPW8.
Apart from teaching, co-creating choreographing and performing in almost all of Sidetrack's productions until the end of 1997, Mémé also performed in and choreographed Blackeyes which was part of the inaugural Sydney Asian Theatre Festival at Belvoir Street in 1993.
In September 1994 Mémé created her first solo work, Flossing The Bride which received critical acclaim during CPW5 and subsequently became part of Dance Collection 95. Her second solo work Burying Mother (excerpts from a larger body of work in progress) was performed at CPW6 in 1995.
Burying Mother, the full length solo performance work, opened the theatre season of the fourth Sydney Asian Theatre Festival at Belvoir Street in August 1996. Her third solo performance work, Nobody's Daughter was written and directed by Don Mamouney for Sidetrack. It was critically acclaimed in its Sydney season in November 1997 and in Brisbane in September 1998 where it had been invited to the Brisbane Festival as part of the VOLT Programme for new and innovative works.
For the Queensland Biennial in 1999 John du Feu (Townsville) wrote her fourth solo work, The Spider Witch, which was directed by Jean Pierre Voos, thus continuing the collaboration between these three artists which had begun in the Netherlands in 1980 when they worked together in KISS. In October 2002 Mémé played the dual role of Salome/Herodias in Oscar Wilde's Salome for Tropicline Theatre, again directed by Jean-Pierre Voos. This production subsequently won the best production of the year award for the region.
Her most recent role was in Griffin Theatre's 2003 production of Songket at the Studio, Sydney Opera House, directed by Ros Horin.
From October 1999 to the end of June 2000, Mémé played the role of Sunny Rodriguez in Channel 10's Above The Law. She has also appeared in guest roles with Murder Call; Wildside and most recently, All Saints.
Mémé received three grants from the Theatre Fund of the Australia Council (1990, 1991 and 1995). She was invited to participate as an advisor on the Australia Council's Dance Fund in 1997 and with the Theatre Fund in 2000.
Having recently performed in
Hair the musical and as a Special Guest Headliner at the
2002 Sydney Cabaret Convention, Rick was a graduate of NIDA's
(National Institute of Dramatic Art) Singer, Actor, Dancer Program.
Rick has since produced, written and performed in his two sell-out
one-man cabaret shows: SunRice and I know where I'm
going... I think. Rick's other theatre credits include the
lead roles in Eureka, Naked Boys Singing!, Elegies
for Angels Punks and Raging Queens, the River Skaters,
Looney Tunes, Pacific Overtures and Four x Twenty,
a Theatre 4A production of which he is the Creative Director
in association with the Asian-Australian Artists Association.
Rick has also appeared as Dr Ziyang on TV Drama series All
Saints, and numerous TV commercials. Rick's currently developing
his third cabaret show How now, Rick Lau with director/writer
Tony Taylor to be opened at the Studio, Sydney Opera House on
September 23rd.
Felino Dolloso is a graduate
from the Victorian College of the Arts. His acting credits include
roles in the plays The Kid, Barbarians, Exception
and the Rule, Twelfth Night, The Dumb Waiter
and the Jungle Book. Film and TV credits include supporting
roles in the feature film Wanted, telemovie The Hostages,
short films Collared, Slabs, Karaoke Man,
Hawakan (To Touch). Felino will appear in two feature
films to be filmed this year.
Julia has recently graduated
from the Ensemble Acting Studios. This is her debut performance
in a professional theatre production. Since completing her studies,
her TV credits include Life Support, Small
Claims, a Listerine commercial, and a short film Bus
Ride. Musical theatre includes South Pacific,
Gondoliers, Brigadoon, The King and I
and a cabaret show Diva Fever at Side-on cafe.
Theatre credits include Kennedy's Children, Bombshells,
Telling Tales, Cabaret, Killing of Sister
George, and Move over Mrs. Markham at the Ensemble
Studios.
Stephanie's T.V. credits include
guest roles on Farscape and Fat Pizza and a year-long
tenure as a regular on Home and Away. She has appeared
in a number of short films and in a stage production of Sam Sheppard
and Joseph Chaikin's Savage Love.
Adrian studied at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in New York City. His Australian stage credits include Oscar Wilde's Salome at Cross Roads Theatre, directed by Charles Little, followed by the role of Executioner in Giacomo Puccini's Turandot, directed by Graeme Murphy for Opera Australia. He appeared in a support role in Trouble in Paradise, a film with Raquel Welsh and Jack Thompson, Mission Impossible series movie The Golden Serpent, an award wining short film Rufus and The Babe. His TV work includes E Street, The Magistrate, Farscape, White Collar Blue, The Lost World, Xena Warrior Princess, Singapore Sling and Spellbinder. Adrian also appeared in an augural world wide launch of New Tang Dynasty Television and currently he is filming Dynasty, TV movie. Adrian looks forward to his association with East Coast Theatre Company and B Sharp 2004 Season.
