Encounter Bow: Don't Sing...
Created for Encounter Bow:
An interactive audio experience, Don't Sing in the Kitchen, or You'll Marry an Old Man is an intimate performance exploring the ideas of private and personal space of migrant women, and friendship through food. It also looks at how food migrates, along with those that cook it.
We listen to Malaysian food stall owner Dayang leave a voicenote to one of her regular customers who has sent her an email with an exciting, life changing proposal. As she cooks in her small London kitchen, preparing for the day ahead of her on the stall, we hear her question whether she wants this opportunity.
The personal space can become public domain for migrant women as work crosses that boundary when professional labour is being done at home. Also, there is often a need - and desire - to use personal heritage and history for work; a production of identity.
Listening to this personal message whilst walking through the bustling streets of Romford market will bring the private and public together through evocative and personal storytelling.
This is a fun, moving behind-the-scenes of the street food scene, discovering the inners stories of those that feed us.
Written and directed by Anna Sulan Masing, created with and featuring Safiah Durrah, sound designer Robert Sladden
Anna Sulan Masing
Writer / Director
Anna Sulan is an academic and writer. Her PhD investigated the question ‘how does identity change when space and location changes?’ through performance. In the last five years she has developed an extensive journalism and writing career focusing on food and drink that often looks at race and gender through this lens. In 2020 she launched media company SOURCED, which investigates the food and drinks systems in a decolonised way; this year she launched the magazine CHEESE.
Safiah Durrah
Actor
Safiah is a Malaysian actor and voice over artist. She studied BA Performing Arts at London Metropolitan University and MA Acting for TV, Film and Radio at East 15 Acting School. She has performed at various theatres and venues in the UK including Riverside Studios, Live Theatre Newcastle, Tate Modern and Battersea Arts Centre. Most recently she worked with Theatre503 on a read through of Sand by Joel Tan.
Robert Sladden
Sound Designer
Robert is an actor, writer and filmmaker. He has worked on adverts for Sony and Gap, wrote the new radio ad campaign for Whatcar.com and has made three short films. His most recent film “I Killed My Cleaner” was selected for The Olympus Film Festival, LA, and won best Make-Up.
