We had the good fortune of connecting with Tiffany Wong and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tiffany, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I am still pinching myself with how in three years, my tiny independent theatre company, Slanted Theatre has grown into 9 projects, 118 theatre-makers, and is strongly committed to building a vibrant community of Asian artists and audiences. A producer in the Sydney scene recently told me that we were ‘well-known’ and have become a vital force in the independent theatre sector and it’s all because of the commitment and passion each artist has brought to each show. Slanted Theatre is all about creating a platform for authentic storytelling, ensuring we have representation, and creating work on our terms and are dedicated to meaningful and inclusive storytelling. Our mission is to support emerging and professional Asian artists, eliminate tokenism, improve representation, and explore diversity within the ‘Asian’ community. With each director, designer, and actor we work with, I am always impressed with how the rehearsal environment becomes a supportive and collaborative environment.
I established Slanted Theatre to address a gap in representation and diversity in the Sydney independent scene. By providing more opportunities for Asian artists and exploring themes related to the community, we are trying to contribute to a more inclusive and reflective portrayal of contemporary Australia. We also listen to what our artists want to say, sometimes this can be complex themes like cultural appropriation, but still, blend these stories with innovation and different theatrical styles: traditional Chinese opera, jazz, video design, and more.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
(I’m not sure what is relevant) What inspired you to get involved?
Does the school drama teacher count? I, like many others, was allured into the school musical in Year 7 and that spurred me to select drama as an elective subject. Of course, I wouldn’t say I truly got involved in theatre until about 2020, as we were coming out of our first lockdown, as that’s when I participated in indie shows and thankfully had two amazing directors that I got to work with that inspired me to stay on and give directing an indie show a go!

Where did you start?
I was very unfortunate or fortunate to go on university exchange and come back from both Taipei and Lyon fluent in neither Mandarin nor French. I was studying to be an interpreter or translator or at the very least, be able to use the languages in a professional setting. I still can’t believe I managed to graduate!
It was the year of my return in 2018 when I realised, I needed to find something else to do with my life. I made myself busy by joining university comedy revues, and a play or two, and then in the year after, found myself directing a Shakespeare for a small university community. I had an experience of being in a show where the only other person of colour and I were dressed as twins and had to share a part and it made me wonder what it would be like if I got to work with only POC and began to investigate plays. I found “Ching Chong Chinaman” by American writer, Lauren Yee, and it’s fantastic as it seems like it’s only about Chinese American representation but is more than that! I established Slanted Theatre to direct this play, and that’s really how my foray into indie theatre began!

What have been the highs? What have been the lows?
The highs have been working at my dream companies like Sydney Theatre Company and Bell Shakespeare – professional companies my high school would bring us on excursions to see! It’s a true honour, privilege and surprise to be working alongside or in the vicinity of names of artists that you found out about over 10 years ago. Also, playing Juliet with the Australian Shakespeare Company – ‘Romeo & Juliet’ is my favourite Shakespeare play and I totally imagine at 14-year-olds that I would get to play the role… I just didn’t think I’d be this old when I played her in February!
The lows would probably be the financial and emotional toll taken on some of the directing and producing projects! Everything we do in the indie sector is a labour of love, and it can be very hard to pace yourself when an opportunity presents itself!

Where do you see yourself going/want to go?
There are so many potential avenues I want to undertake! After completing the Shanghai Theatre Academy’s Peking Opera Summer School this year, I want to investigate traditional Chinese performance practice and see if I can further integrate it into the Western performance traditions I grew up on and studied! But then, I am also directing for the New Theatre and will be an Associate Director at Bell Shakespeare – so I get to be back in a room with text, and a script, and a team! A feature film that I acted in is also being released next year – my screen debut! I also would love to study more – there are so many resources, styles, and coaches out there. In short, who knows?

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A day in Sydney CBD! I’d highly recommend checking out the Queen Victoria Building for some interesting architecture, and a pastry or two, then head to Westfield for a quick shop or a chilli hot chocolate from Koko Black. Walk up to Hyde Park for a quick break in nature before heading to the State Library for some interesting exhibitions. If it’s Christmas time, you can also check out the Christmas Markets at Martin Place and take a photo with the famous Christmas tree. Then head to the Art Gallery of NSW for some classic art! And, the Museum of Contemporary Art and get an amazing view of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. If you’re lucky, catch a play, musical, opera, or concert at the Sydney Opera House or head to Bell Shakespeare or Sydney Theatre Company around the corner for a dose of a performance!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
To all the artists that have brought Slanted Theatre to life!

Website: tiffanywongtw.com / slantedtheatre.com

Instagram: tiffanywongtw / slantedtheatre

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanywongtw/

Facebook: facebook.com/tiffanywongactor / facebook.com/slantedtheatre

Image Credits
Millie Yang, Kent Wang, Liangyu Sun

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