Unspoken: The Birmingham Chinese Story | Arts Council England Funded Documentary

Описание: Unspoken: The Birmingham Chinese Story documents the development of the Birmingham Chinese Community Play, a project funded by Arts Council England through the National Lottery Project Grants.

Led by playwright Ian Henery and supported by a dedicated creative team, the project worked closely with Birmingham’s Chinese community to explore migration, identity, belonging, and lived experience. Through workshops, oral histories, public engagement at the Mid-Autumn Festival, and scratch performances, community voices were transformed into theatre.

This film follows the journey from intimate workshops at the Chinese Community Centre Birmingham to public performance, capturing reflections from participants, writers, performers, and members of the public.

The project created space for dialogue, representation, and cultural exchange, placing authentic stories at the heart of the stage.

Core Team behind this wonderful project:

Project Lead and Arts Council Grant Holder: Ian Henery
Project Manager: Dr Ranjit Khutan
Researcher: Dr Martin Partridge
Arts and Community Engagement Advisor: Nelson Douglas
Film maker and social media: Diyodi Devinda Menon
Lead Writers and Dramaturgs - Ian Henery and Dr Ranjit Khutan

Performers – Mid-Autumn Festival

Armani La
Bill Heeks
Julie Phung
Luke Dalton
Reena Kumari
Sundari Maheswaran
Susan Vickers

Writers & Performers – Community Play

Chi Lam
Polly Yiu
Vy Ng

Special Thanks

The Arts Council England
For their financial support to the project.
Chinese Community Centre – Birmingham & Chinese West Midlands
For their invaluable support during the research phase and community engagement.
Dr Dorian Chan, and Ming Moon Restaurant, Birmingham
For generously providing rehearsal and performance space.
Dr James Wong
For the invitation to perform at the Mid-Autumn Festival and for continued support during the Chinese New Year celebrations.