Date of Interview: 15 July 2025
Interviewer: Robin Khor
Interviewee: Tom Wu
ROBIN KHOR
My name is Robin. I’m one of the volunteers for New Earth Theatre’s 30th anniversary Archive project. We’re very honored to speak to you as one of the co-founders of New Earth Theatre, or formerly known as Yellow Earth Theatre.
TOM WU
I feel that I’ve been out of Yellow Earth, New Earth for a long, long time now. That’s over 20 years. I’ve sort of lost touch with what’s been going on with New Earth and things and even with Yellow Earth it was 20 years ago. So really, what I’ll probably feel comfortable answering or talking about is the history.
ROBIN KHOR
So you were one of the co-founders of Yellow Earth Theatre. Could you recall anything? How did it come about? How were you on board and how this idea came about suddenly like, oh, we want to do this.
TOM WU
We actually all met by doing something different for Polka Theatre. We did a show. We were doing a workshop in the show in Polka Theatre called The Magic Paintbrush. And we were just workshopping it, R&Ding it. I remember meeting, I think it was a Saturday. We went to Polka Theatre and we were in the workshop, and it was there that we met the core members of Yellow Earth; the late Veronica, Kumiko Kwong, and David I met before, and a show we did in the West End, M Butterfly. So we just did the workshop, but through the workshop, we just clicked. We just started working. We were having fun laughing. So the workshop went well and eventually we were cast for the show, the same people there in the workshop. So we started creating the show, rehearsals and all that and it all went well, all gelled together very well.
There was a language that we were all quite familiar with. Kwong with his Balinese dance, Veronica from her Hong Kong connections and all the, she’s done Beijing Opera as well. David Tse did Beijing Opera. I did a bit of Beijing Opera. And David and I, we were trained in M Butterfly, we were doing Beijing opera scenes, and we were all quite versed and I have my martial art background.
So there was this common language of this eastern movement. And so through the rehearsal of the show, all that came out, and that was put into the show. And the show eventually became a great success. We worked so well together. Some of the members like David, I think I can’t remember fully how we started, but I’m sure it was David, Veronica, you know, especially David, Kumiko, Kwong, and, who else, was it Veronica, were talking about this idea about forming a company, East Asian company that will, like, help us, supporting us, the East Asians.
So they went ahead and to be honest for me, I just felt that, I just, I was in the right place at the right time. And I tagged along and I accepted being the founder, one of the founding members of Yellow Earth.
But really, all the hard work was from the other guys. As an actor, my strength is moving. I love movement. So when the company was formed, I was like that part of the company; movement director, helping with the creation of, creativeness within the moves and things, you know, choreography. So, I mean, and that’s how the company started through a show that’s not Yellow Earth but Polka, and, Vicky Ireland was the artistic director. She was wonderful. And, she brought us together.
ROBIN KHOR
And did you have any idea how she got in touch with all of you?
TOM WU
For myself? I think it was through my agent. But I’m not too sure about their relationship with all the other four. I was a young actor then, very enthusiastic.
I want to try out all my creativity in my head, you know? So I just graduated from drama school. I did Saigon and then it was Polka. Yeah.
ROBIN KHOR
So before Yellow Earth was it the kind of scene where there was no real company, like Yellow Earth that supports or like champions East Asian work that you guys thought like, oh, we should do this together.
TOM WU
I think it was one of the first. I think there was another company. I can’t remember the name now. I don’t remember the name, maybe the other members will remember. There was one. I think it was quite a new thing that we created and it was very exciting.
And it was, it’s like finding work for ourselves in a way. So find, you know, like with scripts that are like pro East Asian and or Southeast Asian, you know. Yeah. So supporting us. So that was exciting because at that time there weren’t that many juicy parts for us. I mean there’s more now, there’s more opportunities now.
ROBIN KHOR
How long were you with the company?
TOM WU
I think it must be over ten years. Because I remember I was there with David being the artistic director. And then I left just before I think Jonathan Man took over. So. Yeah. So it was a long time ago.
ROBIN KHOR
So you were there for a good ten years. So how do you think that it has sort of shaped your personal or professional career being part of Yellow Earth Theatre?
TOM WU
It gave me an opportunity in the company to practice what I love, which was, of course, acting. But acting with movement, to tell a story in a way that is physically, you know, exuberant or artistic or creative. For a scene maybe we will give them a few props: a scarf or a fan or a table.
And then what can we, how can we use that to create and tell a story, which really excites me. And then through acting, through using our voices, everything combined together. And that gave me the opportunity to do that. And that built me up as an actor, it built my confidence and allowed me to make mistakes and learn from it. And, you know, like I said, I started very young, as a young actor. So I was learning. Trying to find my way as well to discover my strengths. So that really helped me to form a foundation.
ROBIN KHOR
Could you give us an example of a project that you were able to use your craft the most? Like what can you say was one of the most memorable processes?
TOM WU
Yeah, I was going through, because it’s been so long ago. I have to go through my box of memories, like a Yellow Earth box, I got all these things here. Thinking to myself, oh yeah, I did this show, I did that, yeah.
So, I think one of the most enjoyable moments in Yellow Earth was when we first discovered our language. Yeah. I mean, it might have changed now with New Earth, of course. But when we first started, David and I had the common language of the Beijing Opera.
So I remember rehearsing The Whisper of a Leaf Falling. And when we first started rehearsing, we did one scene, and we were still quite new to each other. We weren’t like, not too close yet. And we just started rehearsing with Philippe. Philippe was the director, and we did one scene. The first scene was the encounter, and it’s the demon and, I can’t remember David’s character, but he was one of the characters that was journeying. Through this journey, he met this demon, and I was playing the demon. So we started creating the scene. And the moment we started, this physical language came up, and we didn’t talk about it, but we just, like, improvised together, we played with each other and everything was spontaneous when we created that scene.
And suddenly we said, this is a great language, this is great. And we just, we just clicked straight away. I remember that. David will remember that too. And we just do all these like Beijing opera stances, movements, hand gestures. And that language is stuck with the whole show. I felt that wow, this is for me, a eureka moment. especially for that first show. I don’t know, was that the first show? I can’t remember nevermind, but that was one of the rehearsals that I remember, and it’s just that physicality just flowed because we did it before. We didn’t really need to talk about it too much. And we knew how to move and fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. And that was very exciting.
ROBIN KHOR
Apart from M Butterfly, where did you train your Beijing Opera skillset?
TOM WU
Well my background is in martial arts. Different martial arts, Wing Chun and all sorts, but the one that is very similar to Beijing Opera is Wushu, which is China’s national sport. And I did that. I did that for competition and things like that. And then because of the training that I had with Wushu, when M Butterfly, the West End show came along for casting, someone knew about me and asked me to go for the casting. So I got the job and they started training me. And I think the rehearsal was six weeks.
And every day we were just training in the Beijing Opera. There was a guy from, Beijing who came over, trained us. He was in the Broadway show and I was taking over his part in London’s West End. He just trained me and because of my training with Wushu, which is very similar, I got the job and I started learning the style of the Beijing Opera.
And that was the first time I met David in the show as well. He came on board the show and he started doing the Beijing Opera, and he just came out freshly from drama school as well. Yeah, a little spring chicken.
ROBIN KHOR
How do you think the formation of New Earth Theatre, what is it that you guys do, really set you apart from other theatre companies you reckon?
TOM WU
At that time, I mean, maybe not now, is our language of the, I think physical movement. I think at that time, that was what actually excited us. Veronica with her style, with Kwong, its just, the physical movement, And we were wanting to create pieces that were really like, physically exuberant and, I don’t know, try to really incorporate that in, in the show at that time. So that’s what it was, yeah.
ROBIN KHOR
And have you seen how the industry has shifted in terms of, whether it’s from on stage to creativity with physical movement, as well as off stage, inclusivity for the global majority, especially East and Southeast Asians. Have you seen the industry shift ever since the formation of Yellow Earth Theatre?
TOM WU
Like I said, I haven’t been involved for a long time, so I know they’ve been doing training –
ROBIN KHOR
Academy.
TOM WU
– and all that. So there are lots of younger actors now, who have been supported, that I’ve noticed, by New Earth. For the training, for the encouragement, you know, the support. And given the opportunity to train. If it wasn’t for New Earth, they wouldn’t have that opportunity.
That’s an amazing thing that New Earth is doing, you know, I think they support them as well. They get sponsorship and all that kind of stuff. For me. I can see more actors like in the business on TV, on stage, doing amazing parts as well. That’s one note as well. And, it’s very different from when I was a young actor where we were just playing like waiters and kung fu masters or, you know, all that kinds of stuff. And now it’s more like just a normal role as well.
ROBIN KHOR
Would you say that Yellow Earth Theatre in this case plays a very big part of like –
TOM WU
They highlighted it and it pushed it forward so people in the West are more aware that we have to be included. We need to yeah, we need to be written into scripts and stories and into just normal lives and dramas.
It’s getting better. I mean, I do see a lot now. That I think wow it’s good, you know, to sell us. And, so it’s good for younger generations to get that.
ROBIN KHOR
Was there a particular challenge or do you mind sharing any challenges you guys faced when you were part of Yellow Earth? Was there discrimination, or was it from the creative side, funding?
TOM WU
Yeah, I think on the creative side. Because we were our own company, we were free to do whatever we liked. But I think the main challenge was the funding, to get supported by the, was it the Arts Council? But with David with all the rest of the team, they did amazing. You know they’re so good at it. I didn’t do anything. I just slacked. I was like woo! We got the money, yeah let’s do a show! So I reaped all the benefits, from all their hard work. I mean, eventually David through his hard work and everyone else. We’ve got funding for a few years. And then it was, I don’t know, it just went up, up and down and then, yeah.
ROBIN KHOR
What was the audience demographic like when you guys first started? And then has it changed along the way?
TOM WU
I think the audience was quite mixed. So we did a lot of touring. So we just went to different towns and cities and, so all sorts of people came and watched in schools. So it was quite mixed.
It wasn’t like, just predominantly like East Asian, which we do have people that followed us. But yeah, it was actually quite mixed. And it was very good, actually. And that’s, that’s a credit to the team, doing all the admin and things like that, to sell the shows.
ROBIN KHOR
So was there a particular reason you chose to leave, or did you have other aspirations after being with Yellow Earth for ten years?
TOM WU
Well, I mean, yes. There was no like, not agreeing reasons. It’s just, I think one of the main personal reasons is, the rest of the members were like, they were very good at all the admin and selling the shows, talking to people, getting meetings in order. And I always feel as though I was, as a member of the founding members, I didn’t feel as though I was contributing as much as they were.
I tried to do it but it’s just, that’s not my strength and that’s the truth. So I always feel that, and sometimes I’m just like, why am I here? You know? Wow. I’m so blessed that I’m just, you know, I was in the right place at the right time. Of course, I contributed with the (movements) and it’s great.
And then, you know, all the TV stuff came in for me and films and so that side as well. But I think it’s just mainly that I didn’t feel that I have as good of ability as the other four doing it out there. Oh, I just, you know, and it’s quite sometimes when I was sitting in meetings and things and all that, I just feel that I’m not really contributing too much in what they were discussing. Even though they were very generous with me. They were very good. Always try to involve me. But, you know, still, I just don’t feel that that’s my strength, to run a company other than just reaping the benefits by getting the juicy parts in the shows and doing it, you know? Which I loved.
And I really appreciated that. That the company gave me. It was a fun time and, yeah, such a blessing.
ROBIN KHOR
Before New Earth or Yellow Earth got the national portfolio organisation status, did you guys have to navigate between your own acting work, as well as running the company?
TOM WU
No, no, you usually, if with, company admin and things like that. Like I said, I didn’t do too much of it. Most of them did, they did it. And as working actors, all of us, if a job comes along, we just work around it, and it’s fine. And like, if we did a show, that’s a job that’s a priority. So we accepted that part in Yellow Earth, or New Earth we just say that’s it.
So it’s no, it wasn’t too much of a problem. A lot of the shows in Yellow Earth were funded anyway, so we were paid. So, you know, we were earning a living. Sometimes, I mean in the early times when we were just doing nonprofit things, that’s hard when some job comes in the middle of what we have to do and really we need each other.
But we do understand as people have to live, you know? But once we got funding, that wasn’t a problem anymore.
ROBIN KHOR
Is there a particular memory that you hone into? Like, it doesn’t need to be creative. It’s just like, oh, there was just one moment I really thought, oh, this is a family.
TOM WU
There’s loads of moments.
But there were silly moments, moments that we went to Singapore together, you know, as a company. And there are eating meals together in Veronica’s house, having meetings there, eating, talking, chatting, going to the restaurant, going to eat dim sum, all that contributes to that I feel we are a family. And I’m a joker in the company, and I’m allowed to play tricks on everyone.
We did a show called Play to Win. It was a computer kind of show, computer game kind of show. And there was one show come and go and I decided to have this secret gag as the poo. Fake poo. One day, one of the shows we were touring, I took it with me, and me and Kumiko decided, I say, shall we play a trick on the guys because we know that after the show, the guys would go straight into, because it’s quite a physical show they are very sweaty. After the show, they will run into the shower and I said, why don’t we put the poo in the shower in the corner with some tissue paper on top of it, some wet tissue paper. And I know that when the guys finish the show they will go into the shower and we did that, and when the show was over, the guy surely went into the shower and we were just waiting for their reaction. And suddenly there was a loud, oh, no way! Oh man!
And all the other actors that didn’t know that, there was a guy who came, what’s going on? What’s going on? Someone just did this in our shower! I said no way! Look, look! So we just had a great laugh doing that. And, it was hilarious. So it is something. I don’t know if you should be cutting this out or not.
Just pass it through Kumiko.
That was kind of the company’s thing, you know, it was just great fun. Have a laugh. We eat. And then we work on and we love creating together. So it was a special time I remember when I was there.
ROBIN KHOR
Who was the victim?
TOM WU
Jonathan Chan, Yeah, he was an expert in Taichi. So, he went into the shower. He was so shocked. And all the other actors just reacted to it, and I played along with it. And, it was hilarious.
And they started complaining and said, we’re going to go to the manager now. And I said, oh, no, no, no, no, no, we don’t want to go to the manager. Look, I’ll get rid of it. So I went into the shower and I literally picked it up with my fingers with the tissue. Don’t, I’ll get rid of it, look look it’s here.
ROBIN KHOR
So they didn’t realise it was a joke. How did they discover that it was a joke eventually?
TOM WU
Eventually because they were threatening to tell the manager, it’s a joke, guys. It’s okay! Look, look, look, it’s fake!
There’s one thing I forgot to tell you. I met my wife through Yellow Earth. And now we have a family.
ROBIN KHOR
What was the show or, like, what project was it?
TOM WU
It was Behind the Chinese Takeaway, 1997.
And we were cast, and she was one of the actors. And she’s an amazing violinist. And at first she was just someone that just came in for the show, to cast for the show. She got the job and through the show because of David casting her. So I’m thankful for David Tse, that we started to know each other and that we got married and now we have a family. And thanks to him. How can I forget about that? That’s incredible.
ROBIN KHOR
So before we finish this, I was just wondering, if you could share it with us or to anyone what does it mean to you to be part of New Earth’s 30 year legacy?
TOM WU
For me to be a part of New Earth’s 30 year legacy, I didn’t ask for it, but it just happened. And I was in the right place at the right time. And I thought it was an honor, a privilege. It was such a blessing to be part of this company.
ROBIN KHOR
And if you could leave a message to the younger generation who discover New Earth for the first time, what would you say to them?
TOM WU
Go for it. It’s the most amazing company. And, they do innovative creative work and stories that are exciting and relevant to this generation. Yeah. It’s amazing. Be inspired by the company.