Date of Interview: 19 November 2025
Interviewer: Caleb Lee
Interviewee: Tammie Rhee
CALEB LEE
How did your journey with New Earth Theatre begin?
TAMMIE RHEE
So my journey with New Earth Theatre began actually in 2017. In 2017, in January, I moved here with my family. I’m originally from the US, but we had been living in Hong Kong and I got here and I actually wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do in the UK. We came for my husband’s work and a friend of mine, sort of someone I recently met, Amy Ng, the playwright, she told me about New Earth Theatre because I told her I had done acting and some producing, and she suggested I look into New Earth Theatre at the time, Yellow Earth. And then I saw that they had this acting academy in the summer. And so I applied for that, and I got it, which surprised me because I was definitely the oldest person. But it doesn’t matter. And to be honest, I didn’t think I was going to do any acting when we moved here because I was just a little bit, I didn’t think they would want someone like me who looked like me with my accent.
And then on the Academy program, Tina Chiang and David Lee Jones are like, oh no, they definitely want Americans. And like, diversity is big now. But that doesn’t help with New Earth. Anyway, I continued acting, but then I mentioned to Kumiko that I have a producing background, so I used to produce documentaries in New York, and I had done some theatre production in Hong Kong. And so I offered to volunteer for the Typhoon Festival. And that happened, I think, in October 2017, I was volunteering one day a week, interning, volunteering, however you want to put it. And then I would say in March 2018, they got funding and they started paying me. First one day a week, and then once they got the NPO, they’re like, oh, we can increase it to two days a week. And at that point I was the admin, you know, I was just sort of doing different things here and there. And then when Lian came on and they got the NPO, I was made the associate producer. So I’ve been the associate producer, I guess since 2020, something like that.
CALEB LEE
And can you share a little bit about what drew you to the company’s mission and work back then in 2017 when you joined?
TAMMIE RHEE
I think to be honest, it’s a little bit, this is actually the first time I’ve ever worked in an organisation that was solely BESEA. And I think it wasn’t as if I had avoided it in the past. But being in the US, I was a little bit like, this is who I am. Like, this is me. And so I would, you know, the organisations I joined and were a part of were more general, broader.
And then in Hong Kong, it was so lovely to not stand out. You know, it’s different being in Asia, being in Asia, in Asia is very different than in the diaspora. But then coming to the UK, what I found with the UK is that unless you could prove you’ve done something and done it before, people don’t want to give you that chance. They’re like, well, how do I know you can do it? You’ve never done it before. I don’t see it and you’ve never done it here before. And so it was just refreshing to go into Yellow Earth, New Earth. And they’re like, oh yeah, sure, Tammie, you’re one of us, come along. And so that was lovely to have and I think also a big difference. The BESEA community or the ESEA community in the UK is much smaller than the one in the US, and I feel like it almost felt like there was more of a need here, if that makes sense. I’m not saying there’s not a need in the US, but and especially being Korean, where there are very few Koreans here, it’s a little like all of a sudden I’m like, when they ask you, what’s your ethnicity? I’m always like mixed other, mixed other because they don’t, it’s like we don’t exist. But anyways.
CALEB LEE
So how would you describe the culture and ethos of back then Yellow Earth, and how do you think that has kind of transformed or shifted over the years to New Earth Theatre?
TAMMIE RHEE
I think for New Earth, the biggest change I’ve seen between then and now is I think we’ve become a bigger company. There’s more people. But I feel like now we feel like before it was kind of chipping away and saying, we belong. We are here, we’re here. We’re now taking up more space. And it’s like, not only are we here, but with Ailin, we’re like, and we’re going to go into the bigger stages. You can’t box us in anymore. And I think that’s lovely. And, you know, some of it’s the shifting in attitude, the progression of the country, but also us as a company as well.
CALEB LEE
So I understand that you are the associate producer of the company. And obviously you’ve shared it’s been a journey for you. So I just wanted you to perhaps share a little bit about what does associate producing mean in your context and what does it look like day to day and creatively perhaps?
TAMMIE RHEE
I asked because we were looking for a creative producer, so I asked Lian, like, what does that mean, creative producer? And then she says, well, what does associate producer mean to you? And I said, it’s like, well, I do anything the producer doesn’t want to do. And she’s like, yeah, that’s kind of fair. But it’s for, basically in a company as small as ours. It was three of us initially and then it grew and I guess we’re five now.
But as an associate producer, I’ve been across almost all the strands at the company. So when I first came in, it was Kumiko as artistic director, Chris Corner as the general manager, and then me helping out. And so I dealt with James Robson, and I dealt with, helped with the academies, with the bursary, with the productions. I did basically everything. And it’s sort of because I’ve been there so long that it will continue. So far, I can’t say that this is what an associate producer does in other organisations, but for me, I’ve always had a hand across everything. And then as you came as the engagement manager I stopped dealing with the academies.
CALEB LEE
So just in your time with New Earth over the past eight years now, which projects have been most memorable for you during your time?
TAMMIE RHEE
Well, I think I mean, a bit of all of them, but The Apology was great. As I mentioned before, being Korean, you don’t get many opportunities to see a Korean story on stage. And what was also nice was that I tried to engage the Korean community, and the ones we were able to reach, they would come and are like, oh wow, I didn’t, you know, it’s great to see our stories. So that was nice. And then I really enjoyed working on Tsunagu Connect. It was just, it was such a tight group for the theatre piece. Like everyone who did the R&D and then who were in the live piece, they were all tight. But also I came in later to the archive project, so I didn’t deal with that.
We had Kay Stevens, who dealt with the oral history aspect of it. and I came into that later. But what was great was I would have to contact some of the people or going through the transcripts, because we created a podcast with that, and seeing everyone was just so lovely. And it was nice, especially the women who were interviewed who were older, who had been here for, since the forties, fifties. To hear their stories. It was really good. It was inspiring. You know, I think we get caught in the sense that, like, we are the first ones to ever do this. Like, no we’re not. People have been here forever.
CALEB LEE
Were there any behind the scenes moments, like big or small, that you feel shaped your work in unexpected ways?
TAMMIE RHEE
I don’t know if I should say this, but I’m going to say it anyway. There has been some stuff, sort of like bickering within the community that I wasn’t expecting when I started the job. I think it was also because I’d come from outside and I didn’t know, I didn’t know the landscape. And then the first time it appeared on social media. And I’m like, and it was on a post that I had put out. I’m like, oh my God, Kumiko, what do I do? Like what’s happened? And to be honest, it put me a little off like, it puts you on the back foot and it, I don’t know, it just.
And then other behind the scenes stuff that happened. What’s really lovely is I remember when I did the Academy, for a while, Tina, who was one of the tutors, would invite all of us to all these events that were the whole community. Like, I think it was Jeremy Tiang’s birthday and having something at the pub, and I’d never met him. I didn’t know him. And Tina’s like, no, everyone just comes along. He wants to make this a community thing. And so when you realise that there’s other stuff, you know, that was lovely.
CALEB LEE
Just to follow up on that. So on the other end of the spectrum, right, were there any collaborations or relationships that stood out to you that were meaningful?
TAMMIE RHEE
Well, you know, it’s interesting just what we’ve been doing this year with the three R&Ds that Ailin is doing. They’re fascinating to me because I think we hadn’t, at least in the recent past, we hadn’t done so much of that. And so, for example, The Body Fisher, which is with Feng Ling Dance Company, so it incorporates a dance company, Tangram, with the music and then us with the acting, like I think that piece can be amazing. And I love the sort of, the collaborative aspect and how we’re bringing in everyone together. And so I just hope that goes somewhere.
CALEB LEE
I’m just wondering if you could also share a little bit about how, as your identity or your cultural identity shape or intersected with your producing work?
TAMMIE RHEE
I think this is something that I’ve come to sort of more now and here, like space and time. I think when I would say, for example, when I was doing documentaries and stuff, I wasn’t looking for BESEA stories or ESEA because it wouldn’t have been BESEA, but ESEA stories I was looking for, you know, whatever seemed interesting and but obviously, since I’m with New Earth and that’s our mandate is to look for BESEA stories. I actually enjoy learning these stories as I go, or even sometimes realising that people don’t know these stories.
You know, sometimes I was like, yeah, of course, like you didn’t know that? And they’re like, no. I was like, oh, so this is something that’s valuable to put out there.
CALEB LEE
I just wanted to take a step back from, you know, the work that New Earth does. Do you remember any turning point moments regarding BESEA or representation in the UK theatre landscape?
TAMMIE RHEE
Well, since I’ve been here, Totoro has been a big example because it’s, you know, such a big production and I think kicked off this interest in the big scale. There had always been interest before, especially with anime. There had been a number of productions prior, but much more on a small scale.
To be honest, I think by the time I got here, the theatre was already trying to include pieces like there’s The Great Wave at the National and there was Pah-La at Royal Court and White Pearl. So I think the reason Totoro stands out because there were those was that it was such a big production, and it’s transferred to the West End, and it’s an ongoing show that’s at the West End that tourists can come and visit, but it’s also a Japanese IP and I would love, we’re just everyday people, folks like one of those, like, you know what I mean? Like a, like an All My Sons or like that. So I’m still waiting for that. That’s what I’m waiting for.
CALEB LEE
And just to kind of follow up on that as well, are there any kind of particular barriers that you’ve seen or experienced in the wider industry?
TAMMIE RHEE
Because I came here already in my forties with no UK experience, so I was already older and I was trying to do something new. I think those are bigger barriers, like I had a kid, so I couldn’t apply for a scheme that would send me out of London for a year because, like, I’ve got kids in London, how can I do that? You know? And so that’s where New Earth has been so great for me because, like, I had limitations that weren’t my ethnicity. It was like other limitations, not limitations. But I felt barriers coming here.
And they just, they’re like, you’re one of us. Come and join us.
CALEB LEE
And are there any audience responses or encounters that have perhaps stayed with you?
TAMMIE RHEE
I think when I go read through the feedback for any of the shows, especially Tsunagu (Connect) where people will say like, thank you for telling our stories or giving us a voice and you know it means something. Because people don’t automatically want to give feedback because it takes time. It’s a pain. So for them to actually give the feedback to me means that they cared enough, and it was important enough for them to do the feedback. Or even when I see for Tsunagu (Connect) there are a number of people, especially for the exhibition, who would come in and say, I’m not ESEA, I’m whatever ethnicity, but this really spoke to me because as an immigrant, because there’s, you know, there’s universality along with the specificity to our experience. I think if we could tap both, that to me is why we do this.
CALEB LEE
And just to follow up on that, how do you think the audiences have changed or have been changed by New Earth’s work over time?
TAMMIE RHEE
Well, I think a big thing, a change that has happened for us was going to the main stage at Arcola, so it’s a bigger audience with Worth. So I remember the first New Earth production or Yellow Earth production I saw, which I wasn’t part of. This was before I joined the company…Tamburlaine and it was sold out. It was at the studio. It had a giant taiko drum. But to see the evolution where Kumiko worked really hard to get us into bigger places or even Mountains was with the Royal Exchange in Stratford East. And to see that build up, I think that and then also social media, like trying to cross pollinate with other groups has been a big development, I think.
CALEB LEE
Is there a dream project that you would like to do at New Earth?
TAMMIE RHEE
I actually am excited for the stuff that we have on our plate right now, like The Body Fisher. I can see that going, touring in festivals, which would be amazing.
CALEB LEE
Just looking back, right. What do you feel most proud of from your time at New Earth?
TAMMIE RHEE
Even though I don’t deal with it anymore, the Academy. When I would help with the academy doing different things, or I would sit in and just see people’s progression from the first time they come into the academy until like years later, what they’re doing. And even those who like, you know, I did it and I didn’t go into the industry, but it still meant so much to me. That, the Academy stuff.
And then I also work on the bursary, and that’s great because they are so talented, like the people who come through, who apply for the bursary. And just so at the last bursary audition we have, and this has been for several years, we’ve had someone from the RSC, someone from the National, someone from BBC, and we see ten people for the finalists. They ask them questions and often people will talk about the struggles of being BESEA and stuff, and to be able to get ten BESEA actors in front of these casting directors, and for them to actually say, these are our concerns about entering this industry. And it’s just, I don’t know, I like, I get inspired by that. I’m like, you are teaching them, they’re teaching you, and together we’ll keep going, hopefully.
CALEB LEE
What does it mean to you to be part of New Earth’s 30th year legacy?
TAMMIE RHEE
A lot of hard work. And also it took me out of my comfort zone. So being in charge of the party, I actually get more nervous arranging parties than I do a production because a party is on you. And if people don’t have fun, it’s on you. Well, a play, a production, it’s a whole team. And I had support, but I just felt more pressurised. I don’t know, the fundraising, fundraising is hard, but I really enjoyed being part of Twisted Roots and supporting Clarissa with that. And actually, I was the point person for two of the groups and seeing what they achieved was great, and that was really rewarding, and I’m glad I got to do that this year.
CALEB LEE
And what do you hope people will remember about you and your project that you’ve contributed to New Earth?
TAMMIE RHEE
I hope they remember that I did my best and I hope they enjoyed the projects. But also that it was fun and it wasn’t all drudgery. I really enjoy working with other artists and the actors, the creative team and the interns that come and help us. The volunteers and interns do so much, and they help us so much. And if I can help them progress their career, that would be great too.
CALEB LEE
And what changes or developments would you like to see in the ESEA creative community 30 years down the line?
TAMMIE RHEE
I mean, this is silly and probably pie in the sky. And also, do we really need it? But it’d be great if we didn’t have to exist. But I wish we always existed, if that makes sense. I think there’s always going to be a place for us because we need to celebrate our heritage, but also where it’s not such a fight to get things done and that we’re just part of the landscape.
CALEB LEE
If you could leave one message for future artists, creatives, theatre makers, producers listening to this oral history, what would it be?
TAMMIE RHEE
Stick to your guns. You have your own vision and your own desires and wants, and you need to walk into every room as if you own it. And don’t be put down by minor setbacks, because you just have to get up again and keep going.