Jake Mace
Chris Fung’s debut play THE SOCIETY FOR NEW CUISINE opens at the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham later this month. An exploration of an extended Buddhist metaphor exploring capitalism, mental health and the pressures of East and South East Asian manhood, Chris certainly has plenty on is plate as the writer-performer of this piece. We wanted to dive into the show’s creation, themes, and what the audience can expect, so we caught up with Chris for a pixelated pint.
You can catch THE SOCIETY FOR NEW CUISINE at the Omnibus Theatre From Wednesday 19th March until Saturday 5th April (selected preview dates inclusive) at 7:30pm, with additional weekend matinee performances. Tickets are available through the Venue’s Online Box Office.
It will then transfer to Norden Farm in Maidenhead for a limited run between the 8th & 9th April at 7:30pm. Tickets are available through the Venue’s Online Box Office.
Jake: Hi Chris, your debut The Society for New Cuisine is billed as a storytelling piece blending together a Buddhist Fable and an exploration of capitalism, mental health, and identity. Tell us about putting together the piece and what you found at the intersection of all of those things.
Chris: I think WRITING is a lot of walking about and reading and thinking – like 99% of it is that at least. So, the way this thing generally went, was I would do some writing, then give it someone and ARGUE WITH THEM. I argued with everyone – Rupert Hands my director, Buddhist Monastics from the Plum Village tradition, dramaturgs like the OCEAN HEARTED Titilola Dawudu who is the lead dramaturg at BUSH THEATRE, my family and friends, anyone who would sit still enough for me to listen really.
I run a group called CAMINO MEETS – which is a free, monthly gathering of London based Writers and Directors and Actors, we cold-read pieces of work that our members are writing and discuss them. At least that’s the public facing tagline. In reality, it’s a GIANT gathering of my mates, and I have absolutely showed them parts of this and argued with THEM too.
I have been really lucky, and managed to get big bits of great thinking from all kinds of folk, Martin Crimp, Jamie Lloyd, mates at the SOHO WRITERS LAB.
My real-life breakup was at the heart of this, so probably talking has been therapeutic.
Jake: Tell us about your collaboration with Director Rupert Hands and about how developing the piece went for you.
Chris: Rupert is a really beautiful man. This is the second time I have put SOCIETY on, the first time was for the 2023 EDFRINGE, and Rupert helped me out for that version with a lot of dramaturgy, that he did for free.
Rupert and I met in 2018 when I was a member of the Jamie Lloyd Company’s EVITA. This production is coming back SOON to the WEST END. Rupert was Resident and Associate on that production and we worked closely, because I was an understudy. After Evita, Jamie invited me to audition for his next production Cyrano de Bergerac, and Rupert was on that too – so we get to know each other a little better there also.
Then PANDEMIC hit, and I took a risk, and made an offer to Rupester – would he consider teaching me acting through song? So we did that!
When I started writing stuff, it felt like a no brainer to take it to him to ask him for his thoughts. He knew I didn’t have a lot of money for it, he gave me a BUNCH of time for free because he enjoyed my work, and because I was a friend. I was and am really grateful to him. He has a really beautiful aesthetic.
Jamie has also been a really generous human to me. He has helped me so much in little pieces of advice, and bits of dramaturgy, and just for a sympathetic ear when I was encountering stuff for the first time building my little theatre company.
I would absolutely not be here, with my company producing 2 OFF-WEST END shows for 2025, were it not for Rupert and Jamie giving me so much heart and love and patience.
Rupert and I have been working on this together for about 3 years now.
Jake: What are you hoping the audience might take away from the experience, if anything, and what are you most excited about within the piece?
Chris: I hope that they will take away that the solutions and choices found by THE MAN are far too far, and that they relate empathetically with this human, and that they should go away and consider how they deal with their own anxiety. Hopefully, I’ve packaged it in a really interesting way.
We are a young, dynamic team trying to build a beautiful piece. We’ve got a lot of folk here who are real SUPERSTARS. Yimei Zhao won a LINBURY DESIGN, and was an associate for the National Theatre Studios. Jamie Lu and Rajiv Pattani are developing reputations for being megastars on the rise. Alexandra Kataigida is one of the most capable and sought after Stage Managers at the Fringe/Off-West End.
I am PROUD that my friends are so excited to try to make this great.
I hope that folk take away something that AFFECTS them.
I hope there is some LOVE and CURIOSITY and HUMANITY there.
Jake: Tell us about the show has developed into being performed at The Omnibus Theatre.
Chris: This is a whole new script. It’s a whole new design. Scripts and performers and designers CHANGE when you do things again – you become more intentional, more aware of how things work.
I have built a LOT of momentum as a writer the past few years. I’m very grateful for NEW EARTH THEATRE and playwright MIA CHUNG for their acceptance of me on their WRITERS ACADEMY PLUS, I am having a GREAT TIME on the SOHO theatre Writers Lab, curated by MBA Roy Alexander Weise (outgoing Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange, Manchester), lion-hearted Scharmilla Chauhan, Jules Haworth who SHINES GOLD with Community, and sharp and precise dancer Jenny Bakst.
I have read more plays, and gone walking on the pilgrimage the CAMINO DE SANTIAGO, I have had my heart broken and healed. I have studied more BUDDHISM. I have picked up the ruff of Rupert’s neck and SHAKEN it red faced and angry, as we debated the finer points of this play, and it’s design.
It was a condition of Rupert stepping on, that I be open enough for him to create a new piece. It was my absolute DELIGHT to say… Yes, Absolutely.
Jake: Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?
Chris: ABSINTHE. Green and cutting and strange. Intoxicating, and full of burnt sugar. Famous in Prague.
You can catch THE SOCIETY FOR NEW CUISINE at the Omnibus Theatre From Wednesday 19th March until Saturday 5th April (selected preview dates inclusive) at 7:30pm, with additional weekend matinee performances. Tickets are available through the Venue’s Online Box Office.
It will then transfer to Norden Farm in Maidenhead for a limited run between the 8th & 9th April at 7:30pm. Tickets are available through the Venue’s Online Box Office.
Sarah Kher-Bek
