Date of Interview: 18 July 2025
Interviewer: Glenda Cao
Interviewee: Monica Yam
GLENDA CAO
I’m one of the volunteers helping out with the New Earth Theatre’s Living Archive project, and it’s part of the company’s 30th anniversary celebrations. How did your time with New Earth Theatre, or Yellow Earth Theatre begin back in 2003.
MONICA YAM
Back in 2003? Yes. I just saw it advertised, I think, in the Guardian. And at the time I was doing lots of kind of part time jobs to allow me more freedom to be in the band that I was in, because I was a performer, a singer at the time, and I was very excited because I’d never worked in theatre before.
Also an East Asian theatre company, and obviously being East Asian. So it was a really new creative journey for me to start working with the creative director at the time, David Tse, and the general manager, Pete Staves, who I still keep in touch with. And I think I worked for them three days a week for about four years, and it was wonderful.
I was a marketing manager, and so I was learning all about the process of how production was put in progress, the kind of the structure, you know, familiarising myself with the timeline of a production, how it was produced when it kind of goes on tour, you know, that lead up to the production, the press and the marketing, the kind of a launch event and also kind of around the fundraising as well.
So yeah, I really enjoyed it. I found it really fulfilling and I thought that the productions are absolutely fantastic, and it was really great to get to know the actors as well and sort of just understand everyone’s backgrounds and histories.
GLENDA CAO
You mentioned 58 before, so is there a particular moment that you feel like that’s the play, the production was really impressive? And what was your work around that?
MONICA YAM
I guess it was the subject because it was a very emotive play. And I think that the decision was that the opening night would act, if I recall, as a fundraiser, that funds raised would go to the families of the 58 who lost their lives.
And so I think that somebody had set up a small fund for people to put money into, and that was, you know, really fulfilling for me to work on. So we just started contacting all of the networks that we have to see how much charitable support there might be for this cause. And so wonderfully, we discovered that the actor who’s now, like Sir Ian McKellen, grew up in Morecambe, which is where there was an incident at the time of some Chinese cockle pickers who didn’t understand the tides.
And there was a very tragic story of a family who just got cut off on the water and basically drowned because they couldn’t swim. And we, I contact, I found a way of contacting him, because I think he was kind of quite vocal in his support of that terrible story, to ask whether he might consider donating to this fund, which he did. And the building that the offices were in, it was part of a sort of artist studio. So there were various things going on. There was a painter next door to us, and there was also some type of yoga studio, and we knew that Gwyneth Paltrow was quite a regular customer to this yoga studio. But I also knew that she was quite a philanthropist for humanitarian causes.
So I had the crazy idea of approaching her nanny, who was looking after her children while she was doing yoga, and just presented them with an envelope. And inside that was just a letter outlining what the play 58 was about, and our intention to turn the launch night into a fundraiser. And might she consider donating? And we received a check for, I don’t know, like £250 or something. So it wasn’t much, but it was something, you know, so, you know, we got something.
Another idea that I had to try and make it special was that just around the corner from where the old offices were, obviously it’s Chinatown. Allan Yao, the sort of well-known, Chinese restauranteur, was the owner of Hakka San, which is still in Soho.
And at the time it was a very she she, you know, he still is a very kind of high end Chinese restaurant. And so I know that he is from Hong Kong, I’m from Hong Kong, my family. And so I wrote him a letter appealing to his philanthropic nature and asking whether he might consider supporting our launch night in some way.
And he amazingly said yes and didn’t help financially. But he sent over a team of about ten of his Hakka San staff and within one of the rooms in Soho Theatre, which was where I think the play was being held, they turned that press room into a dim sum steaming room, and then he provided serving staff and all of the, you know, the cutlery and everything.
And they were basically serving this incredible dim sum on like slate sheets to all of our guests, completely free of charge. It must have been like, I don’t know, like £10,000 worth of, you know, like love and food. So I feel like that was, I feel really proud of that achievement, you know, and the fact that that really helped in terms of the experience for everybody, that it made it really special.
GLENDA CAO
Was that a particular moment that made you feel truly connected, part of the Yellow Earth or New Earth family?
MONICA YAM
Of course. Yeah, it really was. You know, I already felt like I belonged and I definitely yeah, I mean I felt like I was doing something really important and supportive and really making a contribution to, especially the people that the play was dedicated to, that I managed to pull in, you know, all of these different strands of support and it gave, the whole meaning of what I did, it just made it just feel really full. You know, it was more than just marketing, you know, I was getting behind a real cause. And these issues were really important, which is also what stories are for. To pass on, make sure people don’t forget, and to really bring these issues to life through the press, you know?
GLENDA CAO
In what ways has New Earth or Yellow Earth influenced or shaped your personal or professional growth?
MONICA YAM
It has definitely, I mean, my career has spanned from, it’s covered lots of different creative sectors. And to be able to have benefited from theatre being one of those sectors across the visual arts. Most recently music, advertising, publishing, did I say music already? And so live music, that I feel that I didn’t know what the plan was back then but when I look back now across all of the different sectors that I’ve worked within, it’s given me a really full and diverse perspective on the creative sector.
I feel like I can speak from experience intelligently about many creative sectors, from firsthand experience. And so my time at Yellow Earth forms a very rich part of that tapestry.
GLENDA CAO
I would really want to know what were some of the key challenges of promoting British East Asian theater work at that time?
MONICA YAM
I mean, I guess in terms of promotion, I mean, it’s just a breakdown of what that promotion would be like in terms of the general marketing responsibilities that I had. There were no challenges on that side because it was simply going through the process that is required to produce website materials, press listings, posters, programmes, all that kind of stuff. So there was no problem there.
In terms of press, I think that Yellow Earth and, you know, New Earth, they always had the theatre critics attention. I mean, being the country’s only East Asian theatre company ensured that there was no competition with any other East Asian theatre company. So the reviews were always there. You know, like all of the big theatre critics, Lyn Gardner was the one that comes to mind.
I’m not quite sure what she’s doing now, but back then she was known as kind of being quite an intimidating sort of character, and she either loved or hated productions. And if she hated it, she was not, she did not waste her words, you know? So I don’t think there were many challenges in that way. It always received the attention of theatre critics.
And then in terms of how good or bad or, you know, those reviews were, I think that that was just down to the quality of the work. I mean, and obviously with all critics, it’s subjective. I know that obviously the actors faced challenges throughout their careers in terms of being marginalised. Obviously, since my time there, I feel that globally, the visibility of East Asian actors has increased exponentially especially with the Korean films that are coming through and having East Asian faces in, like really big blockbuster films.
And so there are many more recognised names now, I think, within theatre, film and television. So I think those were the main challenges. But in terms of promotion, I mean, obviously budget was always the challenge. So in terms of a fringe theatre kind of budget, that was probably the main challenge was just budgets. And how do you draw in a large number with like a tiny, tiny budget?
GLENDA CAO
Do you have an example of that? You drew a large number with a tiny budget?
MONICA YAM
I think that, you know, you would always ride on the back of that theatre company’s promotion. So if something was at Soho Theatre, they obviously have a strong audience themselves. I would say that on all of the tours, you’re at the mercy of the pool of each of those local venues.
But, I mean, based in Chinatown, based in central London, you do have a good pool. You’re really just competing with everything else in Time Out at the time and what else is going on. But I think we did the best we could, and there were definitely some great reviews that came out. You know, I always remember where The Guardian, Time Out.
I mean, there were some lovely quotes because that I’d be like pouring over the reviews and then cutting out, you know, taking the sound bites, maximizing them on email and, you know, on the website and everything and kind of like sharing that with as many people as possible. So you’re just always, I mean, having very tiny budgets just makes you quite creative.
I mean, another memory was as with all theatre companies, all small arts companies do just the round of stuffing envelopes to get all of the pamphlets and the mail outs out. You know, you just there everyone on a production line just trying to get the post mail out. So I remember that quite clearly.
GLENDA CAO
Do you have impressive review lines?
MONICA YAM
Yes. So one was in 2005. There was a production of The Nightingale, and I’ve just written down that that was in Time Out. I’m not quite sure about the whole review, but there was one line so that there were moments of soaring beauty, which was lovely. And there was another one of David’s productions, which is an adaptation of King Lear, it was called Lear’s Daughters. And I remember The Guardian saying, “Tse creates a magical world on stage”. So those were the key quotes that I remember.
GLENDA CAO
Have you ever encountered new or unfamiliar audiences? And how did you approach communicating our stories or values to our new audiences?
MONICA YAM
You know what I, the marketing process back then within our tiny office was not that evolved, like it was pretty much in terms of coming across new audiences. I think that we were just throwing it out to as many people as possible, and then we weren’t that organised in terms of analysing who came through the door in terms of cultural or socio economic or sort of geographical sort of breakdown of data in terms of audience breakdown. It really wasn’t that evolved. I would say grassroots is the way to describe, you know, the set up.
I wouldn’t be able to comment because we just didn’t know. We just hoped to fill as many seats as possible and hoped that it was filled with, I mean, we may have done, but it’s so it’s such a long time ago now that I can’t really remember.
GLENDA CAO
So have you witnessed any shifts in the industry or audience response or public perception during your time at New Earth or after your time?
MONICA YAM
To be honest, since leaving Yellow Earth back in, whenever it was, I was trawling through my emails the other day and I think I was still working for them in 2007 maybe, maybe the beginning of 2000 – was it 2003, 4, 5, 6 – Yeah. Like in 2007, I must have left. So I think from that point I probably didn’t go and see any East Asian theatre after I left the company.
And I would say that that’s probably just down to like not seeing it promoted or advertised. And it wasn’t in my, you know, arena, at the time. Have I seen things change? I don’t know about theatre, it’s generally like across the board, across all like film and television. I mean, clearly there has been a huge increase in East Asian talent, like coming through.
I mean, obviously stalwarts like long standing recognised actors like Michelle Yeoh, like really having their time. But she’d been around back then and was very successful then, but I think she’d like by getting her Oscar and sort of, you know, it’s not just that, is it? Sort of there were just like, I just think the East Asian cinema has come up so much, particularly Korean.
But then whether it’s Korean, whether it’s Chinese for the Western audience, they’re still seeing an East Asian face. And let’s be honest, like it helps. And seeing East Asian actors in non stereotyped like general roles just playing normal people, regular people without being East Asian. That’s being at the forefront of that character. And so that’s just been on the increase hasn’t it? So great. I mean, I feel like there’s never been a better time than now to be an actor, an East Asian, you know, because there are so many more role models.
GLENDA CAO
What would you hope future audiences or younger artists take away from the work of New Earth?
MONICA YAM
I mean, I don’t know what the programming ethos is, but if it’s still about bringing stories about East Asia to life, then I think by continuing to do that, it’s so important, isn’t it? To kind of just keep on promoting the multiple cultures that exist within or under that banner of East Asian and all of the different stories.
And the more stories people know about, like East Asians aren’t one story. There are so many stories. And so people have got to continue coming and finding out about the next story, and the next story, which adds a different color and nuance and face and facets of a very complex, rich, diverse identity.
GLENDA CAO
If you could leave a message to someone discovering New Earth Theatre for the first time, what would you say?
MONICA YAM
I would say come for great storytelling. I think that’s the whole thing of an East Asian theatre company or just a theatre company. Do you have to be interested in South Asia to be interested in a South Asian Theatre Company? And the same with East Asian, or do you just love theatre and just want to come for new stories?
And so if you just want to find a new theatre company that you haven’t heard of before, come.