The Bridal Lament
We are thrilled to finally announce our Artistic Director, Tessa Leong's debut work at the helm of the company!
Joining forces once again with the astounding artist and musician, Rainbow Chan 陳雋然, CAAP and Performance Space proudly present The Bridal Lament – a reimagining of the Weitou ritual that brings forth a dynamic world of projection, movement, and colour.
Drawing on her Weitou ancestry (first settlers of Hong Kong), the work reimagines a Weitou ritual known as the bridal lament, a public performance of grief in which a bride wept and sang in front of her family and friends. In this liminal space, brides expressed bitterness towards their arranged marriages and the prevailing patriarchal rule.
Conceived and structured as a song cycle, the work brings to life intergenerational and cross-cultural perspectives on diasporic experiences and the complex history of Hong Kong in an emotionally resonant and sumptuous audiovisual experience. Featuring a suite of new songs from Chan, The Bridal Lament pays homage to the Weitou ritual, bringing to life a dynamic world of projection, movement and colour.
Key Creatives
Lead Artist and Performer: Rainbow Chan 陳雋然
Director: Tessa Leong
Choreographic Consultants: Amrita Hepi & Victoria Hunt
Video Design: Rel Pham
Set Design: Al Joel & Emily Borghi
Costume Design: Al Joel
Lighting Concept: Govin Ruben
Lighting Realisers: Susie Henderson and Sam Read
Cultural Consultant and Narrator Irene Cheung 張翠屏
Video Programmer Daniel Herten
Co-commissioned by Performance Space and OzAsia, and presented by Performance Space and Contemporary Asian Australian Performance.
Supported by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, City of Melbourne through Arts House, the Besen Foundation, Playking Foundation, the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations, and West Kowloon Cultural District and with commissioning support from Carriageworks.
Generously supported by George Paramananthan and ParamCo.
Tickets and Performances
LIVEWORKS
Thu19 Oct, 8:30pm
Fri 20 Oct, 8:30pm
Sat 21 Oct, 8:30pm
Sun 22 Oct, 6:30pm
Bay 20, Carriageworks
TICKETS
OzAsia Festival
Wed 1 Nov, 7pm
Thu 2 Nov, 7pm
Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre Theatre
TICKETS
Check out Seven Sisters written, performed, produced and recorded by Rainbow Chan,
