EXPATRIATED Will Premiere at Hen & Chickens This Month

Expatriated, a poignant new play written and performed by Dominique Roberts and Candace Leung that explores contrasting experiences of migration, receives its world premiere at the Hen & Chickens Theatre, Islington, on Sunday 28 April.

 

Why are some people “expats” while others are “immigrants”? An LA lawyer finds herself in the vibrant city of Hong Kong, while on the other side of the world a Hong Kong lawyer faces the crushing reality of starting a new life in LA. In a single act, Expatriated candidly explores the dichotomy of experiences faced by two young women who leave home seeking new horizons, and the uncertainty, privilege and injustice they face along the way.

 

Producer Karen Tsang said: “As a born and raised Hong Konger who has spent most of her adult life in the UK, I have struggled for years with the puzzling contrast between "expat" foreigners in Hong Kong (mostly white), who enjoy the privileges of a post-colonial era and the unspoken hierarchies that come with it, and "immigrant" foreigners in the UK and US (mostly non-white) who by contrast struggle with casual racism and a system seemingly built to "other" them. Expatriated explores this question and surrounding themes of immigration, race, class, and labels, through a series of vignettes, both humorous and real.”

Expatriated is produced by Klutzy Dragon and Paper Starship Studios. It features sound design by Sharon Tsang.

Dominique Roberts is a graduate of Harvard Law School, New York University Tisch School of the Arts (drama) and holds a masters in history from Oxford University. Dominique is a qualified lawyer and previously worked in the London and Hong Kong offices of a large American firm. She also served as the Harvard East Asian Legal Studies scholar at the National Committee on U.S. - China Relations in NYC. Dominique is the co-founder of Paper Starship Studios, where she seeks to champion women on screen and off. Her film work has been awarded at festivals around the world, and her next project is supported by the M&Ms For All Funkind initiative and the Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media.

 

Candace Leung holds a masters in Classical Acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), bachelors of science in finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a juris doctor from the School of Law at the University of California Davis. She is an actor, theatre maker, and lawyer qualified in California. Candace previously worked in large American law firms and has a multinational, cross-border practice in entertainment and media finance and business affairs. On screen, you may currently track her down voicing characters in Gen:Lock (HBOMax), playing a nurse in Criminal Minds (CBS), and portraying the President of the Universe in Pandora (SyFy UK / The CW). She makes her BBC debut in a new comedy to be released later this year.

 

Sharon Tsang graduated from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 2019, majoring in Sound Design. She worked with various theatre and music companies including Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, Hong Kong Dance Company, Music Live Valley and 117A Studio. Sharon moved to London in 2021 and currently works as freelance sound designer, engineer and operator. Her recent credits include The Wedding, Kin (Gecko Theatre), Ruination (Lost Dog), This is not a show about Hong Kong (Max Percy), A Game Not Lost (Ryder Productions).

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