Chye-Ling Huang’s epic and fierce reimagining of my debut play, five years after it’s sold-out premiere season in 2021.
Role
Playwright, Actor
Year
2026
Venue
The Herald Theatre
Creative Team
Presented by Proudly Asian Theatre, Hand Pulled Collective and Auckland Live
Director: Chye-Ling Huang
Co-Producers: Marianne Infante Kee Choy, Natalya Mandich-Dohnt
Production Assist: Pennie Chang
Stage Manager: Lisa Joe
Movement Director: Yin-Chi Lee
Intimacy Coordinator: Hannah Tasker-Poland
Cantonese Translator & Language Coach: Audrey Chan
Marketing Manager: Lulu Qiu
Graphic Designer: Alyssa Miller
Lighting: Paul Bennet
Music Composition: Nikita 雅涵 Tu-Byrant
Sound: Connor Magatogia
Costume: Rico Angelo Blanco
Set: Jane Hakaraia
Props & Set Assist: Matthew Gates
Cast: Talia Pua, Darren Young, Nikita 雅涵 Tu-Bryant, Dennis Zhang, and Xiao Hu
Production Stills: Jinki Cambronero
As ‘writer Talia’, it was so special to share this new version of Pork and Poll Taxes with Aucklanders. Following the 2021 season, I did some furious re-writing to make the message and themes even stronger. Four drafts later, the script is a BEAST of a TRAGEDY, and sadly feels even more relevant today than it was when I first wrote it in 2020 when Asian Hate was high. Our dream is to remount the show and take it around Aotearoa, to share this important part of our history, but to shine a painful mirror to the era we are living in today.
It was an incredible privilege to have been able to bring my debut play back to Tāmaki Makaurau and to have it reimagined by visionary director, Chye-Ling Huang. And what a gift to be able to inhabit the world I had created as an actor. A huge highlight for me was to be in the room with my fellow actors and rediscovering the play in new an exciting ways. It was amazing to co-produce this production once again with Proudly Asian Theatre - I am forever grateful to Chye-Ling and Marianne for seeing the potential in Natalya and I, and being willing to grow it.
“This is a well-written and superbly acted play that is not afraid to expose the ugly side of history and immigration.”
“This is a family drama of the highest echelon, and should be celebrated as such. There is a monologue delivered by Xiao Hu, playing the matriarch Ah Ma, that ranks amongst one of the best I’ve seen on Aotearoa stages in some time.”
Project History
2024 - 2025
Script & Design Redevelopment
Funded by the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust
2021
Premiere development Season at The Herald
2020
Script development
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