THE SOCIETY FOR NEW CUISINE Comes to Edinburgh

Taking a Buddhist allegory and turning it into a dark satirical fable, East-Asian writer and performer Chris Fung's debut one man show addresses consumerism, existentialism and a need that can never be satisfied. When a man goes through a cataclysmic awakening, he takes stock of his life and finds himself wanting. Partly inspired by a real-life experience, partly inspired by the swathes of workers in the UK, USA and China who left well paid jobs during the pandemic, The Society for New Cuisine follows the character as he seeks to find new purpose and meaning. His journey sees him confront societal taboos and takes him to increasingly dark extremes until finally he is persuaded that he'll find satisfaction in an irreversible, bloody decision. The Society for New Cuisine takes the grotesque and makes it beautiful through poetic language, the macabre and fantastical. 

Covid saw millions of workers leave their jobs to live in rural areas, swapping their high wage, 9am – 9pm jobs for a less stressful, healthier lifestyle. In China this was called Tang Ping in the UK/US this was called The Big Quit/The Great Resignation.  

Chris Fung said, “The schism at the heart of this piece is the same one that splintered from the pandemic. Trust doesn't break all at once, it begins to splinter gradually, fault lines running ragged just under a seemingly pristine surface. Then something shifts, and the world heaves. This isn't just in romantic relationships, it's also with society. In this piece I wanted to understand how we can continue to walk about, all crumbly, on crumbly pavements, in crumbly systems - and really, what someone would pay to be whole at last.” 

The Society for New Cuisine is Chris Fung's writing debut. As a performer, he has appeared in the Original West End cast of Frozen, Cyrano de Bergerac in the West End, Evita at Regents Park, and The King and I on Australian National Tour. Chris is a graduate of the Musical Theatre program at the Queensland Con. 

Director Megan Brewer is a London-based theatre director and producer originally from the United States. Her work spans across devised theatre, new plays, classics, and musicals. She is the Co-Founder of Halfpace Theatre, a company dedicated to new work and devised theatre by underrepresented artists.  

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