An Open Letter to Melbourne Fringe Festival
21 August 2019
To Whom It May Concern, including Simon Abrahams (Creative Director & CEO), Nicholas Verginis (Acting Chair), and Members of the Board and Staff of Melbourne Fringe—
The values of Melbourne Fringe, as professed in the 2018 Annual Report “Who We Are” section (p2), centre “inclusivity” and “diversity.”
As such, we are dismayed, alarmed, concerned and disturbed to note one of the programmed works at the 2019 Melbourne Fringe, “Aisha the Aussie Geisha” by Kate Hanley Corley.
From the initial information and visuals communicated to audiences, this performance centres on a stereotyped depiction of orientalist fantasy that borders on yellowface. From deeper research, including a 2014 review of this same show from “Entertainment Geelong,” we can confirm that this performance revolves around the belittling and insulting depiction of Asian peoples for cheap humour.
The event page - hosted on Melbourne Fringe’s own website - proudly quotes a review telling us one of the characters Kate Hanley Corley has written and performs is named “Mrs Okaytobashme” in a crass approximation of vaguely oriental sounds coupled with a violent pun.
Reducing entire segments of humanity to punchlines is antithetical to the values of Melbourne Fringe, and harmful and insulting to Asian and Asian-Australian people. In the context of rising discrimination, white supremacy and a political and media environment that is still largely hostile to people of colour, the hosting of a performance of this nature in the Melbourne Fringe program (regardless of Open Access programming) is an egregious and irresponsible contribution to a dangerous cultural movement.
Whilst freedom of expression is an important value in any society, we must also push for freedom from persecution - of which this work is a part of the insidious and embedded social structures of oppression. In this circumstance, giving platform to such works - even whilst hollowly claiming the views of artists do not reflect the views of the Fringe - is unconscionable.
We, the following signatories - leading creatives and culture makers from Asian and Asian-Australian backgrounds, and our close allies and colleagues - call upon Melbourne Fringe to take appropriate action, in this instance and in broader policy, culture and programming, to ensure that your festival does not continue to host, encourage and perpetuate unacceptable material with racist, oppressive and demeaning content. We call upon you to truly model your purported values of inclusion and diversity, and not to contribute towards the ongoing issues of xenophobia, white supremacy and discrimination.
Signed,
Mama Alto, performer (Melbourne Fringe 2019 artist) - Melbourne Fringe Award for Access & Inclusion 2016
Leah Jing McIntosh - Editor, LIMINAL magazine
Veronica Pardo - CEO, Multicultural Arts Victoria
Faustina Agolley (Fuzzy) - actor, television presenter, writer, producer & DJ
Annie Louey - comedian (Melbourne Fringe 2019 artist)
Margot Tanjutco - performer & writer (Melbourne Fringe 2019 artist)
Brendan Wan - writer (Melbourne Fringe 2019 artist)
Shannan Lim - theatremaker (Melbourne Fringe Award for Innovation in Culturally Diverse Practice in both 2015 & 2016)
Elsa Tuet-Rosenberg - Presenter, Project Rockit, (Melbourne Fringe 2019 artist)
Robert Wood - Creative Director, Centre for Stories; Chair of PEN Perth
Adalya Nash Hussein - Online Co-Editor, The Lifted Brow
Raina Peterson - performer
Jamie Marina Lau - author & musician
Bobuq Sayed - Editor, un Magazine
Dang Nguyen - writer
Julie Koh - author
Joshua Allen - producer & writer
Shirley Le - Creative Producer, Sweatshop Writers Collective
Krishna Istha - writer & performer
Phuong Ngo - artist
Cher Tan - writer
Jinghua Qian - Staff Writer & Editor, ArtsHub; Board Member, Peril; Editor, Djed Press; Maribyrnong Arts Ambassador
Steven Finch - Co-Director, Paper Mountain
Karen Schamberger - historian & curator
Ellie Freeman
Erin Chew - Co-Founder, Asian Australian Alliance
Miss Jane Doe - performer & producer
Dr Timothy Kazuo Steains - Lecturer in Gender and Cultural Studies, The University of Sydney
Devleena Ghosh - Professor, UTS
Nathan Tang
Hassan Abul - Translations Editor, The Lifted Brow
Bhuva Narayan - School of Communication, UTS
Priya Srinivasan - independent artist, curator & writer
Rosie Clynes - actor & performer
Ms Isobel D’Cruz Barnes - musician (Hexdebt)
Rachel Ang - artist & writer
Sonia Nair - writer & critic
Haneen Martin - General Manager, Skinnyfish Music & Settle Down Records
Leanne Hall - author
Gemma Mahadeo - writer & performer, mentor, Creative Write-It
Rosemary Overell - Lecturer in Media, Film & Communications, University of Otago NZ
Shinen Wong - Researcher, RMIT
Allyssa Ablon - Bachelor of Psychological Sciences (Honours), University of Queensland
Maria Hach - PhD Candidate in Cultural & Gender Studies, University of Melbourne
Dr Thomas Baudinette - Lecturer in Japanese Studies, Macquarie University
Whitney Yip - outgoing COO of Body Safety Australia
Melissa Lucashenko, Bundjalung author
James Goh, University of Sydney
Rebecca Ha - Pre-Service Teacher (English & Drama), University of Sydney
Julie Blythe - PhD Candidate in Politics, Media & Philosophy, La Trobe University
Dr Rashida Murphy - Lecturer, Edith Cowan University
Miss Bailee-rose Farnham, performer
Dr Monika Winarnita - Honorary Research Fellow, La Trobe University
Kevin Ng - Artist, Shopfront Arts Coop
Jenevieve Chang - Author & Actor
Diana Tung - PhD Candidate, School of Archaeology & Anthropology, Australian National University
Reena Gupta - Writer
Creatrix Tiara - Performer, writer, producer & interdisciplinary artist
Kaz Ross - Asian Studies, UTAS
Melissa Lee Speyer - Freelance writer
Marisa Wikramanayake - Journalist
Joon-Yee Kwok - PhD candidate, QUT; Convenor, Australian Bureau of Asian Creatives
Panda Wong - freelance poet & writer
Jordan Shea - freelance writer
Rani Pramesti - performance maker, intercultural producer & arts advocate
Kamna Muddagouni - writer & commentator
Aisyah Aaqil Sumito - Co-Director, Cool Change Contemporary
Emma Do - Assistant Editor, frankie magazine
Sara M. Saleh - writer & activist
Tanja Dreher - Associate Professor, Arts and Media, UNSW
Dani Weber - Producer, The Cocoa Butter Club
Denise Woods - Lecturer, Mass Communication, Curtin University
Nithya Nagarajan - Artist & Curator
Dr Justine Shih Pearson - Chair ReadyMade Works; Honorary Associate Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Sydney
Alice Bishop - writer
Nikki Lam - visual artist, curator and producer.
Emily Sun - writer
Dipanjali Rao - artist
Jessica Ibacache - Curator, Artist & Writer, Yo Soy Collective
Pey Chi - artist
Justin Wolfers - editor, The Lifted Brow
Sam Cooney - publisher, Brow Books & The Lifted Brow
Lucinda Ventimiglia - actor
Nathania Gilson - writer & editor
Sanna Wei - writer & nonfiction editor, Voiceworks
Lian Low - writer
Shaad D'Souza - Australian Editor, The FADER
Anchuli Felicia King - Playwright
Sophia Cai - independent curator & writer
Laura Jean McKay - Writer & Lecturer
Dominic Golding - Disability Advocate
Priya Kunjan - researcher
Carol Que - writer & educator
Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen - writer & editor
James Mangohig - Music Producer, Skinnyfish Music and Settle Down Records
Ruth De Souza - researcher
Dr Natalie Kon-yu - writer, academic & editor
Eugyeene Teh - designer & theatre maker
Kim Ho - performer, writer & dramaturg
Lana Nguyen - executive producer, Due West Arts Festival
Bridget Harilaou - writer & community organiser
Jo Pugh - writer & artist
Jules Orcullo - producer, The Joy Offensive
Michael Toisuta - sound designer & composer
Catherine Văn-Davies - actor & theatre maker
Rizcel Gagawanan - actor
Monique Myintoo - writer; content & social media manager, Collarts
Janelle Da Silva - Director, Producer, Writer & Performer (Melbourne Fringe Artist 2017-18)