OzAsia on a budget
You can already see the lights and smell the delicious aromas of the OzAsia Festival. The popular event returns for another year of brilliant shows, cultural experiences and, of course, food. Enjoy tasty bites from Korea, Vietnam, India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Turkey.
With so many shows to choose from, here are a few of our favourites to make the decision a little easier. If you’re an RAA member, you can save big at this year’s OzAsia Festival. Don’t forget to check out the full program and start marking your calendar.
tiaen tiamen Episode 1
When: 19–21 October
Where: Dunstan Playhouse
Genre: Dance
Rebellious, ground-breaking and fearless, the Bulareyaung Dance Company bring their latest phenomenon to Adelaide. tiaen tiamen, meaning ‘me and us’ in Paiwan – an indigenous language from Taiwan – this performance is a bold statement by the Taiwanese dance troupe and is rooted in tradition. Expect radiant colour, psychedelic electronic beats and unrelenting energy.
Paradise or the Impermanence of Ice Cream
When: 19–21 October
Where: Space Theatre
Genre: Comedy
Life, love… and ice cream? Let the Indian Ink Theatre Company melt your heart as you’re taken on a chaotic, vibrant journey through the city of Mumbai in this Adelaide premiere. In this wild solo performance, Jacob Rajan channels seven characters. You’re in for a treat with out-of-this-world puppetry, barrels of laughs and, of course, a dash of Bollywood.
我咽下一枚铁做的月亮 | I Swallowed a Moon Made of Iron
When: 25–26 October
Where: Dunstan Playhouse
Genre: Music
We use computers, phones and other electronics every day without much, if any, thought of where they come from. This profound performance puts to music the words of young, tragic Chinese poet Xu Lizhi (1990–2014) who sat, along with scores of others unseen and ignored, at assembly lines manufacturing the electronic devices ever-present in our lives. Performed in Mandarin with Chinese and English surtitles projected above the live performance, this work characterises the importance of human dignity and economic justice.
Buried TeaBowl – OKUNI
When: 28–29 October
Where: Nexus Arts
Genre: Theatre
This is the perfect show if you like a bit of everything. From dance and song, to text, film and – of course – a tea ceremony. Don’t miss Australia’s leading Butoh artist, Yumi Umiumare, as she single-handedly unearths sacred female powers in this diverse dance form, built on playful and unruly imagery, taboo topics and absurd environments.
A Notional History
When: 3–4 November
Where: Nexus Arts
Genre: Theatre
Imagine the publishing of new, official history textbooks, telling of a past vastly different to what you thought. A Notional History follows the story of a performer, a journalist and an activist as they uncover school textbooks and interviews of exiled revolutionaries. These stories tell of a very different Malaysia to the one the government of 61 years led people to believe. This documentary performance is in English and Malay with English surtitles. The performance is also a companion piece to the free exhibition, Punk Protest Propaganda: The Political Art of Fahmi Reza.
Fabulous free festival favourites
Throughout the festival, you can experience the rich culture, food and music of Asia through a range of free activities for the whole family.
The Lucky Dumpling Market is your one-stop-shop to savour the mouth-watering tastes and smells of a bustling Asian open-air food market, while surrounded by free live music and entertainment on the banks of Karrawirra Parri/River Torrens. Open every day of the festival, pop in after work to get your dumpling fix, or settle in for a night of local, interstate and international DJ’s and artists live on the Lucky Beats stage from Thursday to Sunday.
No visit to the city would be complete without taking in the magnificent Moon Lantern Trail. From 19–22 October at Tartanya Wama/Pinky Flat, you can wander through the maze of unbelievable new lanterns, live roving performances, puppetry, music and so much more.
Art enthusiasts are in luck, with a huge variety of visual-art experiences scattered across the city, from Yellah Fellah and HOME-LAND displays in the Festival Theatre Foyer to the ongoing exhibition of Misty Mountain, Shining Moon at the Art Gallery of South Australia.
Want to be among the first to try brand new bubble tea flavours? Entry to the Bubble Tea Garden is free, and it’s the perfect place for a pit-stop in the sunshine between shows.
During the final weekend, don’t miss the three-day big ideas and literary extravaganza, In Other Words – the largest gathering of Asian and Asian Australian writers and thinkers in the country. The best bit? You’ll hear from talented novelists, journalists, poets, playwrights, performers and creatives absolutely free.