Following the success of last year’s West End concert, RepresentAsian: An Evening of Asian Talent will return to the Lyric Theatre on Monday 9th November 2026, celebrating some of the best Asian Musical Theatre performers in the country while introducing some exciting new emerging talent.
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- RepresentAsian has grown into an eighth edition and a West End stage, so what did you see missing in the industry that made you believe it needed to exist?
When I graduated in 2021 from drama school, I was fortunate to be auditioning for a lot of different theatre projects. A common theme I found was that in almost every room I was ever in, the full panel would be white, and for a big percentage of the shows I auditioned for, the roles and themes were often diverse, with no representation whatsoever to be seen in the audition room. This was the first factor. Then, I noticed that most works weren’t reflective of the world we live in, specifically the casts. If I saw an Asian actor in a show, it was usually the off-stage swing, or the understudy in the ensemble. Rarely did I see Asian performers take up space on stages. In fact, I did make an unofficial spreadsheet of representation across every West End theatre at some point in 2023, and out of 39 official West End theatres, nine of them had fully white casts, and every other show had between 1 – 5 Asian actors in the cast (mostly ensemble or non-speaking roles). I felt that the community wasn’t being understood or appreciated and seen as lesser than. I knew that there was talent out there, and if people weren’t willing to do the work and support them, then I knew I needed to do something to help give access and visibility to the community.
- As Founder and Casting Director, how do you decide which established performers to bring in, and what do you look for in the emerging graduates who are making their West End debuts?
Over the years, I’ve made so many connections with Asian artists, either in a work capacity, through friends, or from watching them in shows or online. I have a huge database of performers that I’d love to work with and try to keep up to date with individuals who actively advocate for better representation and are proud of their Asian identity. It’s always important for me to bring in people who share the same values as myself and the RepresentAsian team do. With graduates, I try to keep an eye on upcoming talent and look for young people who have a specific story to tell. It’s never about perfection, but about finding something raw and giving them an opportunity to thrive and meet some great established performers to work alongside with. When I first went into the industry, I experienced some good and some bad experiences with my identity in rehearsals and shows, so I always want to try and kick graduates off to a positive start, in an environment where they don’t have to shy away from the “Asian-ness” and they can celebrate who they are.
- You have said the need for inclusive, diverse storytelling has never been greater, where do you see the industry falling short today?
It’s not about the industry falling short. I don’t think the onus is on a specific individual or organisation, but to say that we have done our job and the industry is fully inclusive would be false. We are seeing trends every now and then, which are great, but representation seems to appear as an event, rather than inclusivity across the board. Take, for example, cast changes in long-running West End shows. In one cast, we may see the full principal cast reflect a variety of ethnic backgrounds, but then the next cast change, it’s a fully white line-up and the diverse actors are all in the ensemble, with no lines. It’s one extreme to the next, and good representation is to have consistency. I always say theatre should reflect the world we live in. When I walk down the streets of London, I see so many different people all around me. That’s not always the case when I go to the theatre and look upon the stage. Of course, each piece differs, and the requirements of some shows are specific. But, when a story is universal, and could be played by any ethnicity, it saddens me when non-white actors are an afterthought, put at the back, only cover principal roles, and aren’t equal in the wider picture with the rest of the company.
- Representation is often discussed in terms of what audiences see on stage, so how do you think barriers to training and access shape who gets to be seen at all?
There is no question that the theatre industry has historically been more accessible to the elite and the privileged. I firmly believe that there are more pathways into the industry now, especially for working class individuals. However, to be the best you can be, a background of professional training is a very useful thing to have. The experience of honing your craft, working with practitioners, seeing theatre first hand, reading scripts, researching history etc. will all help young actors become tooled with skills to tackle the industry. I must preface that I do not think you HAVE to have trained at a top drama school to be an actor; that would be foolish to say. But training in any form does help. When you’ve trained at a drama school, for example, you will receive industry contacts from your teachers, showcases, and simply from having that school on your CV. It’s information that informs casting that you are of a certain calibre. This is a handy step that will help actors get in the room. Whilst not impossible, there are more hurdles for actors with no training or experience to get into the room. Which is why, with RepresentAsian, we found it incredibly important to use our platform to create scholarships for young Asian kids to train at The Boury Academy in London, so that kids from backgrounds where theatre training isn’t accessible can receive top training to help get them into the industry.
- Looking ahead, what would success look like for RepresentAsian, and what would you hope the industry looks like for the next generation of Asian performers?
To me, RepresentAsian is already successful. We are now on our eighth iteration, having given platforms to many young actors for the first time, and amplifying existing performers. I’ve heard first hand from some of my professional peers that coming to RepresentAsian gave them access to performers they hadn’t met before and have subsequently given them employment. We’ve made several West End debuts, including three for our upcoming concert. We have also awarded our inaugural scholarship to a young student called Anya, who is currently training at The Boury Academy this year. So, as far as success is concerned, I am content that we have achieved it. However, the work doesn’t stop there. I want to keep creating opportunities; keep giving space to my community; keep having conversations with producers and theatre makers on how we can diversity our stages; keep raising money to get more kids into the arts; keep proving to the industry that Asian artists are capable, deserving, and we won’t let you down. I want Asian performers to have access to the arts, train at drama school, and walk into an industry where they don’t need to hide who they are to conform and be successful. I want them to be proud of who they are, celebrate their identity, and be valued for their talents and their spirits; not to be employed because they tick a box. And, to that degree, I do believe RepresentAsian is helping us get to this place.