Date of Interview: 24 July 2025
Interviewer: Johan Amatsakio
Interviewee: Tina Chiang
 

TINA CHIANG

 

Hello, my name is Tina Chiang. I’m an actor. And, I’ve also taught a little bit for Yellow Academy for two years. My pronouns are she/her. Ethnically, I’m Malaysian Chinese. I’m not British. I was actually born in Denmark and I’ve got a Swedish passport. But I grew up in Singapore and I came over to the UK to do university, in drama and English at the University of Kent, Canterbury. And then I did a master’s at King’s College and RADA in text and performance studies. 

 

JOHAN AMATSAKIO

Where did your journey with New Earth Theatre or Yellow Earth as it was called back then begin? 

 

TINA CHIANG

I had heard about New Earth and Yellow Earth through some people. A friend of mine was actually in a film called Cut Sleeve Boys, and one of the actors pulled out at the very last minute.

So he rang me in a state of panic, going, are you free tomorrow? Can you come in and play this shopgirl? I had no lines. I just had to be really, really grumpy. But it was a lot of fun. And there was a little gathering at the end of the shoot. And that’s where I met David Tse, who was then the artistic director of Yellow Earth.

And we talked a bit about acting, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do because I’d finished my masters and I was thinking a bit about teaching. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pursue the extremely hard life of being a performer. So I had friends from my RADA days, who were doing the acting, and for them they were saying to me, look, you know, for every job I get, I’ve had nine rejections.

And what was also a little bit dispiriting for me was that after I finished my MA, I was asked to audition for this TV series, and the part was of a sweatshop worker. The story line was one of the leads, you know, goes undercover as a workshop worker to expose the, you know, practices within the garment industry. And while I was really happy to get this job, part of me was also very demoralised because, you know, my parents had placed such a big importance on education.

I’d really, really, really worked hard to get my grades. I’d done a masters, you know, which my parents were so proud of and here I am playing a sweatshop worker. And it just didn’t feel very representative of me and my family and the community as a whole. But, you know, back in the day, I mean, that’s all the parts were there, you know, so I was very ambivalent about being part of this industry.

When I knew that there were such limited roles, and I would be operating within the confines of something that wasn’t in my control. But, you know, slowly, I kind of just thought, well, I have to actually give this a go. At that point, and this is a very but a bit of a tangent. But I fell into this career and in banking I saw that temping. And then I ended up getting a permanent job in this Japanese investment bank. And before I knew it, I was working in the city. So I had two very different parts of me that were in conflict, you know, because London was an expensive place. And also it was nice to have financial security, you know. So I think I was kind of eyeing up these two parts that were up for me and weighing up which one would give me more satisfaction because I could see that the acting life would be hard, you know, like I had no illusions about it.

So the temptation was to take the easy, comfortable life, I think. And then I auditioned for Yellow Earth a couple of times. I didn’t get the parts, but I think I just kept having to knock on this door and yeah, something in me just thought I had to give the acting a go or I would regret it some day.

You know, I kind of thought if I want to and I ended up this again is a bit of a tangent, but I ended up working at Goldman Sachs, which is one of the top U.S. banks. Again, this is like I have no idea how I fluked it all. It just happened I think. It was hard, but it wasn’t that hard, and it was very stressful.

And I just thought if I went into a career in banking, this would be the pinnacle of where I could end up. But then I just thought, I can’t go down this route, or I know I’ll be on my deathbed kicking myself if I don’t give acting a go. And so I ended up getting this part in this fringe play in this theatre above a pub, The Excetera in Camden.

It was a three-hander. I remember calling my boss, my boss was on holiday at this point. She was coming back the week following, and I’d been holding the fort for her while she was away, and I told her that I was handing in my notice and she couldn’t believe it. She was like I was still temping at this point.

She was like, we could make you permanent. So and so in New York was leaving and I just, I can’t do this anymore, you know, like, I’m earning really good money, but I’m so unhappy. So I ended up taking this fringe theatre job, which is a lot of fun. And I met some other East Asians and they again told me about Yellow Earth.

We got some really good reviews, I got some nice reviews which eventually led to other things. But anyway. And then after that, I really had to make a choice. And yeah, one of the first few acting jobs I did was with Yellow Earth doing a project in the British Museum, which is based on the Terracotta Army. It was part of a school thing where the museum was closed every Tuesday morning for about two hours for school groups to come in. And I played an archeologist. And that’s when I again really, really met other East Asian actors, and some of whom are still my friends, some are my closest friends from that. So yeah, my journey with Yellow Earth has been interesting, I guess. But I have to say, some of the best friends I’ve made have been through doing shows with Yellow Earth and now New Earth, so it’s just changed my life really.

 

JOHAN AMATSAKIO

It seems like New Earth was always there.

 

TINA CHIANG

Yeah. 

 

JOHAN AMATSAKIO

Do you have any stand up moments early on in your career where New Earth was a part of it? 

 

TINA CHIANG

Well, I mean, we toured. I’ve done a couple of tours with New Earth, two tours with Dim Sum Nights. You know, that was some of the best moments, actually, because we performed in these unusual places.

Some of them weren’t really sort of theatres, so it felt very radical, you know, that we were performing in these non traditional spaces. And I have to say that one of my favorite moments was touring a kid’s show called Why the Lion Danced. It was with Polka Theatre. In the first iteration there was an older actress, Veronica Needa, who’s sadly no longer with us, but she was one of the founders of Yellow Earth, and she played granny and it was such a joy of a show, like it celebrated East Asian culture. It was about family. It was about traditions, you know, things that are very, very close to my heart. I mean, family is important for all cultures regardless, but I think there’s something very unique about East Asian families. I saw the show. I loved it so much. I brought my cousin and her family to go and watch it, and it was amazing because the central character was a young boy, and my cousin’s son was a young boy who’s exactly the same.

Both of them were so similar. You know, my cousin’s son is mixed race. Ollie Biles, who played the boy in the show, was also mixed race. And I remember my cousin’s son, just looking at us thinking, it’s that me on stage? Because they were so alike, you know, naughty, addicted to their game boys. He was incredulous. He looked at us and he was just like, gobsmacked.

I will never forget the look on his face and my cousin’s daughter afterwards who was really, really shy. I mean, she also loved the lion dance element of the show, and I just really loved the show so much so that when they were recasting it to go on tour, I said to Kumiko, I said, please, I’d love to be seen for the part of granny, even though I was like, 30 is too young for it.

And then she was like, I think after a bit of thinking, you know, with Veronica and Veronica just didn’t want to tour, I was given the part. And I remember there was this one show, and it will forever be in my head because what happened was like, you know, the show was set in a Chinese takeaway. It was about a dad who works so much and doesn’t have much time for his son.

Mum was away and granny was the closest one to the boy. And then they had an auntie who was played by Joanna Chu, who’s an amazing Chinese instrumentalist. She’s so versatile. She can play any Chinese instrument. So she was doing percussion on this, on this amazing set and, you know, it kind of talked about Chinese New Year traditions. We talked about all the, you know, the animals and Chinese horoscope, elements of Beijing Opera.

Jamie Zubairi played the dad, and he did this amazing dance with a feather duster that was kind of like a fox, foxy dance. And, at the end, you know, everyone thinks the show is over. And, you know, we’ve talked about Chinese New Year traditions and, you know, why there’s a lion dance, etc.. And then the backdrop of this set comes down, and an actual lion dance happens that Jamie and Ollie do, and me and Joanna, we’re playing the percussion.

I mean, I’m just doing a bit of drumming. I’m not a proper instrumentalist, but I’m doing the drumming and you know, Joanna is doing the rest of it. And this lion dance is like full on, right? And it’s so unexpected. It’s a beautiful moment. It’s like, we have a false ending, we say goodbye, we take our bows. And then the backdrop comes down and this line dance happens, right?

It’s an awesome moment. And there was one performance we did at a primary school in Plumstead. And you have to imagine, like, you know, a kids show’s very, very early starts, you know, much earlier than we used to. And we did perform the show in this assembly hall and plum set in this primary school. And they really enjoyed the show, right. They were a bit rowdy at first. And when the lion dance kicked in, everyone lost their shit. Like all these kids were screaming. They were like, Wahhh, they just could not believe it. They went ballistic and I was there playing my drums thinking, this is what it feels like to be a rock star, right? We’ve got these screaming fans.

And I always said to Jamie and Ollie, because they’re there, busy sweating their guts out doing this lion dance. I’m like, guys, you can never see the reaction of the kids because they’re there, you know, they’re doing their thing. It was me and Joanna. We can see the reaction. I mean, this reaction in this primary school in Plumstead was insane.

And after they came up to us saying like, oh my gosh, that was amazing. That was so good. And the teachers like, oh my God, that was so good. That was so good. That was so amazing. And till this day it’s so satisfying because again, yeah, we brought the show to them, to their school. Like they didn’t have to go to the theatre and stuff.

And Plumstead isn’t very, I don’t know, it’s quite diverse in a way. But again, it’s way out in East London and this is before it’s become bougie and stuff, right? And I remember when I was meeting the guys going, where the hell are we on this? I feel like this is a bit scary. I mean, the reaction in the school was phenomenal.

I will never, ever, ever forget that performance. To this day, it’s one of the most gratifying experiences of my life I think. Just seeing these kids  absolutely lose their shit. Yeah, it was very special. 

 

JOHAN AMATSAKIO

That sounds really incredible. I wish I was there. 

 

TINA CHIANG

Oh my God, they would think they went mad when the lion dance happened. It was incredible.

 

JOHAN AMATSAKIO

It seems like that feeling really stays with you. 

 

TINA CHIANG

Absolutely. And I think, you know, I, because when I was a kid, I remember being really affected by a show I watched. And I think children’s theatre has its place. I think it’s so important because I’ll never forget one of the first shows I’ve watched, you know, it was so moving and powerful.

It was a very simple story, but it stayed with me. And I think those experiences in kids, I hope they remember this lion dance. I’m sure they would. Maybe a couple of them will be like, oh my God, it came to our school. I hope so, but I think it’s one of the vital functions of theatre I think, you know, to really, really tap into the power of storytelling, you know, at a very young age, I think.

 

JOHAN AMATSAKIO

How does it feel to be part of this enduring legacy with New Earth transforming so much since then and being so expansive in the storytelling and representation? 

 

TINA CHIANG

It’s an incredible privilege to have been involved with New Earth so much. You get better the more you do, and your craft just becomes much more alive, I think. When you’re given the opportunity to really work and tell these stories and find new methods of communicating and reaching new audiences, it’s very different from the kind of screen work that I’ve been doing so far.

I think part of what I’ve really loved about New Earth’s work, and I hope it continues under the new direction, is the touring elements, you know, because a lot of things are very London centric and there’s something very special about bringing shows to people, especially for a diasporic community like ours, I think. It’s so important to reach out, especially in this day and age as well, when there are pockets of the country which are very xenophobic, very insular. To connect with people and say, we’re also human and there’s so much more that binds us together than separates us, you know? 

So yeah, I’ve done quite a lot of touring with New Earth, and I think it’s an integral part of any theatre company. I don’t think the National does enough touring. I don’t know if the RSC does much touring. There’s something very valuable about it. I mean, I’ve been to some places in the country where at first I was given a tour schedule and I was like, where the hell is this?

I got to look it up on Google Maps and I’m like, where are we going? And then end up going to this village hall. We did a show called Mountains there. And again, like it was really well attended. First I was thinking, where are we going? Who’s our audience going to be? Is anyone going to be there?

And then find out that there’s actually a lot of appetite and interest? Because I think people have a curiosity, you know. And oh, gosh. And another tour that we did, we did it down in Margate in one of the oldest music halls. And Margate again, this is before it’s become all bougie now and trendy. It was this old music hall and it was really, really great.

And it was a tour of Boom and Wave. And again, it was so special to be performing in such a historic place, telling very East Asian stories. It was a very delicious kind of balance, combination, you know? It was great. 

 

JOHAN AMATSAKIO

Did you speak to many of those audience members back in the day when you were touring with New Earth productions?

 

TINA CHIANG

When we toured Mountains, we toured it to a place and, at the Watford Palace, and we did a Q&A afterwards. And normally it’s quiet, they’re always sort of usual questions and stuff, but we didn’t have a big audience. But one of the audience members said it was one of the best things he’d ever seen. I don’t know how much theatre he watched, but just for him to kind of say, say that just meant a lot to us.

Because as you know, as an artist, you don’t know how your work is going to be received, especially when sometimes these stories are so personal. So yeah, I think that was very, you know, satisfying and humbling. And again, that was such a compliment. But I think going back to the kids as well and their reaction, you know, I mean that’s the immediate feedback you get that made an impression on them.

And I also think it’s great that New Earth asked me to do a bit of teaching at the Yellow Academy. Again, because I just think it’s so important that we support each other. And I’ve always said to them, whatever I can teach you, I will happily, gladly pass on because I am here with the career that I’ve got off the back of the generosity and the kindness and the support of, you know, the actors who have gone before me.

So this is the least I can do. And if we raise the bar, then we become a force to be reckoned with as a sector. And I said to them, these are the things that I’ve learned so far in my filming, and if it makes you better, then it makes me look good as well. You know, like we all benefit from this, you know?

And then in my sort of teaching and workshops and stuff, I’ve always just said, look, this is just my take on things. It’s a very personal thing that I’ve learned. And of course you can take it or leave it. I’m not saying this has to be that way, because, yeah, all the actors I’ve met through Yellow Earth, New Earth, all the actors in the community have always been so patient and kind and generous, you know? And I think that kind of ethos needs to trickle down and be passed on. So yeah, that’s a part of my involvement with New Earth that I really, really enjoy as well. 

 

JOHAN AMATSAKIO

How do you think the company has changed over time, especially in relation to inclusion, access or advocacy?

 

TINA CHIANG

It’s a tough one because there are so many stories to tell. And, you know, they could be like three different New Earths, three other iterations of New Earth, and we still wouldn’t have enough resources to tell all the stories that are out there. But there was a project with Graeae, I think that Yellow Earth did. And I think their whole ethos has always been to include as many people as possible.

But, you know, you can’t have like, big scaled projects where everyone has a part to play. I mean, we’ve tried to do stuff like that before with Mayfield, which is a summer school for young girls who’ve been adopted from China. And I think in those kinds of big workshops, we’ve tried to include as many of the kids as possible.

But sometimes, you know, you’re just limited by resources and time and space and stuff. So I think that’s always been a focus of New Earth. I think it will continue to be. And I think a big part of that is the Yellow Academies, it’s the writing stuff, is to kind of provide a platform for people to explore their creativity, you know? 

 

JOHAN AMATSAKIO

What are your hopes for the next generation of BESEA artists and for New Earth’s future?

 

TINA CHIANG

I hope that the next generation is as inclusive, is as generous and supportive, and that the spirit of goodwill and collaboration continues. Because I think it’s so hard. It’s so hard, and it’s so lonely sometimes. It’s such a solitary experience being an artist in this industry, I think the sense of community is really, really, really important. And I think we have to continue to celebrate each other, you know, and be the kind of chosen artistic family, if you like, you know? That encourages each other because otherwise the temptation is to kind of give up or to kind of retreat or feel isolated. 

So I hope New Earth continues to build on what’s come before and to be bold and brave and embrace all the new challenges. You know, AI, different technologies, funding. The road, it’s going to be rocky, I think. But then it’s never been easy. So, you know. Yeah.

 

JOHAN AMATSAKIO

And is there anything else that you’d like to add that I didn’t ask about that you’ve been bursting to share? 

 

TINA CHIANG

I’m so grateful that New Earth exists. I’m so grateful to Yellow Earth. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them, and I’m really grateful for all the friends and for the support and the belief, I think, the belief in them and the sector, so yeah.