It is really awesome to see Asian Australians putting out their work on stage. Correct me if I am wrong but the stages all across Australia would be so much more culturally diverse than film and TV – well that is what it looks like to me as I have read quite a number of Asian Australian playwrights putting out their work. And this one looks really interesting.
Spoken word poet Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa is no stranger to the media spotlight having previously appeared on “Australia’s Got Talent” and performed at the Sydney Opera House. Her play “Fully Sikh” goes for 75 minutes and is a mixture of different mediums including rap, poetry and other means to make this an interactive and enjoyable theatre.
Her play is set in an Punjabi Australian kitchen and from reading reviews it reflects herself growing up brown in Perth and the conversations which go on in a home kitchen, in this case a Punjabi Australian kitchen. Here is an excerpt from ArtsHub:
A tale of growing up brown in suburban Perth in the early noughties is brought convincingly to life with local references and landmarks that serve to ground it in authenticity. Both Leeming Primary School and Woolies feature in the narrative arc as it moves from the personal to the political, taking swipes at racism, hypocrisy, bodily intimacies, communal change and social interventions. Sukhjit questions her own complicity in the persona she assumes as much as she critiques Australian laziness and the trauma of casual and systemic racism.
I am hoping that this play lands itself on the East Coast of Australia sometime next year, so I can make my trip back to watch it, and I will definitely reach out to interview Khalsa and about her creative path. If you are in Perth, please go check it out – ArtsHub gave it a 5/5 stars.
Here are the details:
A Black Swan and Barking Gecko Theatre co-production
Playwright & Lead Artist: Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa
10 October-3 November 2019
Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre WA
Tickets $25-$55
Click here to check out and purchase tickets!
Images via Black Swan State Theatre Company Facebook page
To read the full review, please click on: Fully Sikh, Black Swan State Theatre Company (WA)