theatre
projects
Simon writes both in English and Chinese. His plays have been performed both in Hong Kong and in the UK.
Hong Kong Repertory Theatre: Wolf in the House
Typhoon no. 8 has been hoisted. Gai brings Ming, a man who he knocked down and who suffered mild injuries from a car accident, back home in the Mid-Levels. Gai helps Ming undress to treat his wounds. There seems to be a causal sex encounter but nothing is what it seems. Things quickly spin out of control amidst a series of mind games in a constantly developing pyschological battle.
A new adapation from Simon's award-winning script and this Hong Kong production takes the work's dramatic tension to the next level.
His comedy, Yam Sing, was included as part of the ‘Dim Sum Nights’ autumn 2012 UK tour produced by Yellow Earth Theatre with performances in: London, Oxford, Birmingham, Manchester, Bolton and Newcastle; the play was also included as part of a major theatrical collaboration by theatres from Hong Kong, Beijing and London entitled, “2012-1997:Hong Kong Impressions” produced by Theatre Noir, in partnership with the British Council, performed in Hong Kong in November and December 2012.
His comedy, U-Turn, was included as part of the ‘Dim Sum Nights’ autumn 2013 and was voted the most popular play both in London and Manchester.
Dim Sum Nights (Yellow Earth Theatre Co): Yam Sing and U-Turn
Red Room: OIKOS
Oikos was performed for three weeks in August 2010 at the Jellyfish Theatre, an occasional theatre built in Southwark, London by the German architect, Martin Kaltwasser using recycled materials. This play was commissioned by the Red Room Theatre Company and was published by Oberon Books.
Synopsis: Salil, a highly-successful businessman, has it all worked out: career,family, river-view des res in Chiswick and a mistress. So why is he increasingly haunted by ghosts from the Old Country? When the Thames bursts its banks, the very foundations of his perfect life are threatened and Salil is forced to look to both his future and his past for redemption.
Pilgrimage of the Heart
The Pilgrimage of the Heart (a work-in-progress) was first performed at Oval House Theatre in December 2006. This play was then showcased in the East@West Wing, Slough Festival in March 2007. The full production of the play was performed in May 2008 at West Wing, Slough and was performed for two and a half weeks at Etcetera Theatre, Camden in June 2008.
Synopsis: Shanghai, summer 1935, an outwardly normal happy family is trapped in a dark web of hidden desire which threatens to destroy them. Fengyi Xu and his twenty year old daughter feel a love for each other that pushes the boundaries of father daughter love to its limits. As their relationship threatens to spill over into forbidden territory, the mother is faced with the dilemma of ignoring it and letting the family fall to pieces or confront the unknown.
The Two of Us
A work-in-progress of his play, Just the Two of Us, was performed at Inn on the Green in 2008 and was showcased at the Typhoon Festival in June 2009. It has won a pitching slot at the Decibel Showcase in Manchester in 2011.
Synopsis: A man confesses in front of a camera that he has killed his twin brother and took on his twin brother's identity. Did he really kill his brother?