VERONICA NEEDA

Veronica was born and grew up in Hong Kong of Eurasian parents (England, Hong Kong, Japan, and Syria) and is bilingual – English/Cantonese. She trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (1983-5) and is a graduate of the School of Playback Theatre (NY, USA). She has a particular commitment to community arts & cross-cultural bridging; and maintains close professional and personal links to Asia.

She travels extensively as an international trainer in Playback Theatre – an original form of improvisational theatre which re-enacts real stories from the audience – see www.playbacknet.org and www.playbackcentre.org.

For Yellow Earth she has performed in The Magic Paintbrush, Behind the Chinese Take Away, Face, and The Butcher’s Skin. Over the years she has worked as storyteller, workshop leader and host for many Chinese festival & community events in the UK. Her performance work includes Mappa Mundi (Border Crossings), Macau 123 (Asian People’s Theatre Festival Society), Snow Lion, and Snow Queen (Polka Theatre for Children). Film – Rogue Trader, Radio – Joy Luck Club.

Retired from Yellow Earth in 2005, she continues to work in Community Cultural Development as Director of True Heart Theatre, the UK’s first Chinese Playback Theatre group. She is also a core member of London Playback Theatre; and Coordinator for the School of Playback Theatre (UK).

Her solo show – FACE – was commissioned by the Hong Kong Arts Centre for their 1998 Festival Now. About bi-cultural identity & belonging, FACE was directed and designed by Tang Shu Wing, and is performed in two languages – English and Cantonese. Since 1998, FACE has toured Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen, Singapore, England (for Yellow Earth Theatre in 2002 & 2005); more recently to Singapore and Toronto in 2007, and to Warsaw and Krakow in 2008, 2009 and 2010.