I ME SHE HIM

Running this November and December across two unique arts venues in Melbourne’s West, Wit Incorporated brings audiences an exciting translation of Taiwanese playwright and director Stan Lai’s work, I ME SHE HIM.

Set in Hong Kong in 1999, this Australian premiere season centres on a meeting between Jing, a slick Taiwanese executive, and CEO More to discuss a merger between their companies.

However, just as negotiations are about to begin two strangers unexpectedly arrive, forcing the high rollers to confront a passionate and painful past. Threads of a forgotten history are unravelled by truths that cannot be undone… and a future that is yet to be remembered.

Written by “the best Chinese language playwright and director in the world” (BBC), I ME SHE HIM is a complex and beautiful story and Wit Incorporated are honoured to be the first theatre company to produce an English translation.

“While we were searching for scripts last year we came across this anti-war piece and decided it’s a great time to tell this story,” said Wit Artistic Director and actor, Lansy Feng. “The work cleverly uses a compelling love story to talk about the history and political situation between Taiwan and China.”

“As the current war between Russia and Ukraine gets worse, the tension between China and Taiwan is increasing, making this play a more pertinent offering in our arts landscape,” said Feng.

“The play is set between 1980s-90s Hong Kong and we’ve drawn inspiration from film director Wong Kar-Wai and some of his iconic films that perfectly capture the visual aesthetics of the time, combining Eastern and Western architectural and social influences”, adds Director Ren Ruidi.

“The play has a wonderful way of balancing the heaviness of the political subject matter with scenes that are very humorous. This has allowed us to explore the cultural differences in comedic delivery, resulting in a really engaging cross-cultural theatrical experience that’s enjoyable for everyone.”

Bringing together a remarkable team of creatives and a diverse cast of actors from Hong Kong, Taiwan and China to tell this story, I ME SHE HIM promises to be a highlight on the end-of-year Arts calendar.

Director: Ren Ruidi | Performers: Enoch Li, Lansy Feng, Berlin Lu, Angel Xiao, Rebekah Lin, William Xu, James Lau, Eldon Huang | Set Design: Riley Tapp | Sound Design: Jarman Oakley | Lighting Design: Oliver Ross | Peking Opera Coach and Movement Coordinator: Fini Liu | Cultural Consultant: Wilson Yeung | Stage Manager: Megan Mitchell | Production Manager: Lansy Feng, Megan Mitchell