October | 2014 | fairyprincessdiaries

The Fairy Princess likes to…you know…keep up with what’s happening in the world – yesterday it was the British East Asians and their remarkable video rebuttal to The Royal Shakespeare Company entitled “The Orphan of Zhao Redux“ and today….she had an email from Sandra Oh.

Yes, that Sandra Oh…

And let’s face it, if she sends you an email, you are going to open it.

The Fairy Princess should add here, that yes, she does know Ms. Oh, and they have corresponded before, but they do not, say, down shots of tequila and dance on bars together or get mad and eat cookie dough raw or anything like that….although, let’s face it, TFP totes would do that if asked.

(She’s done worse)

Thus, full disclaimer in place – she does, yes, know Ms. Oh, and finds her to be one of the coolest and most talented actors on the planet.

So there, do what you will with that.

Anyway, this is somewhat of a breaking story….

Sandra Oh has decided to produce an animated film – here is the description:

WINDOW HORSES: THE POETIC PERSIAN EPIPHANY OF ROSIE MING.

In this coming-of-age story, Rosie Ming, a young Canadian poet, is invited to perform at a Poetry Festival in Shiraz, Iran, but she’d rather be in Paris. She lives at home with her over-protective Chinese grandparents and has never been anywhere by herself. Once in Iran, she finds herself in the company of poets and Persians, all who tell her stories that force her to confront her past; the Iranian father she assumed abandoned her and the nature of Poetry itself. Rosie goes on an unwitting journey of forgiveness, reconciliation, and perhaps above all, understanding, through learning about her father’s past, her own complicated cultural identity, and her responsibility to it. It’s about building bridges across generations and cultures through the magic of Poetry.

We hope this film will contribute a little more peace, love and understanding to our increasingly complex and conflicted world through art, poetry, history and culture.

OMIGOODNESS THAT SOUNDS GREAT!

Now, here is the thing – this is an animated feature about a mixed race girl in Canada. Now, while The Fairy Princess did not grow up in Canada, she has….let’s face it, a bit of knowledge about being a mixed raced little girl.

My Father and I

When she was a kid, she would have loved to have seen a story such as this – it would have spoken to her in a way that, perhaps, was different from other stories. She rarely envisioned herself as a protagonist because, well….there were none in the books she read, or was read to, or in the television she saw, or in the movies – she was too young for Bruce Lee and she would have looked terrible in a yellow track suit.

As a person of mixed race who is raising another one, this made The Fairy Princess very interested in this project – interested enough to provide the link so if you would like to contribute to this project, which is being produced in conjunction with the Canadian Film Centre, you can.

The other, super awesome thing about this – for fans of American Cinema, is that the belle of Flower Drum Song, the feature film, Ms. Nancy Kwan, will voice one of the characters – Gloria, the overprotective Grandmother of Rosie.

Film Star, Nancy Kwan, from World of Suzie Wong & Flower Drum Song fame

Wrap your Fan Tan Fannies around that little tidbit!

Nancy Kwan!

(Full disclosure – no – have never done shots or cookie dough with Ms. Kwan)

(Yes, have met her, yes, have a photo)

The thought of that is terrifying – The Fairy Princess would embarrass herself.

Because, when she was a bit older than in that photo, she viewed Flower Drum Song on television, and her Mother told her, “That lady is Eurasian, like you.”

Well…it was the first time that The Fairy Princess ever considered that a person ‘like her’ could do something as amazing as a musical.

Which makes the whole thing, just a bit more special, don’t you think?

ANYWAY – HERE IS THE LINK!

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/window-horses-an-animated-feature

They need to raise $230, 050 Canadian, and thus far, they have almost $5,000.

You can contribute from $5 and up – and let’s be frank, if you are a person of mixed race, who grew up being asked ‘what are you?” or any of the myriad of questions we are asked, you may want to contribute simply to see more stories in which you and your experiences are reflected.

Just sayin….

In closing – Congrats to Ms. Oh and her partner in this venture, Ann Marie Fleming, who has been making award winning films for over 25 years that deal with family, history, memory and issues of identity. This is a story that comes out of a combination of her own personal experiences as a mixed race Canadian.

The Fairy Princess very much looks forward to seeing this film and sending a few bucks your way!

Break a leg with it!

The Fairy Princess once twittered that if Producers wanted to keep her from blogging, they should just keep her employed – and that is what has been happening. That, and, of course, a toddler who likes to break at least one major item a day and does not want to nap – ever. Apologies.

However, in the midst of this oddly timed employment, for which she is quite grateful, she did happen to catch the British East Asian’s answer to The Royal Shakespeare Company’s elimination of Asian faces in their production of The Orphan Of Zhao – done successfully here in the States with an Asian American Cast, in a joint production from A.C.T. in San Francisco, and La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego. (I still have my eye on you, La Jolla….)

To borrow some of the British parlance, The Fairy Princess found their video answer to this casting debacle, absolutely smashing, and hopes that Gregory Doran and the rest of the RSC will see it and be absolutely gobsmacked at the British East Asian talent that is RIGHT THERE in his own backyard.

And thus she wanted to share this wonderful video entitled “The Orphan of Zhao Redux” and give you all a chance to see the marvelous work that happens when creative minds attack a problem and try to open eyes and minds.

Mind, it is nine minutes – but it is absolutely worth it, and if you get a minute, perhaps you will Tweet to the RSC (@TheRSC) that you have seen it, and that you wished that they would host more productions where they feature the astonishing talent of the British East Asians…particularly when the show in question is set in CHINA...or any other local where one would expect to find Asian faces.

Or even…wait for it…put them in shows where they are not defined by their race, but by their acting!

Just a thought…mull that one over.

Congratulations to my fellow Actors, and all who put this together, you were all ‘in it to win it‘, and you certainly have.

In a world where people throw things willy nilly up on the internet, with no production value or thought, The Fairy Princess was moved to see how this video speaks to the issues raised by the Casting of The Orphan of Zhao at the RSC.

She also was thrilled to meet some of the brilliant people behind this video on a recent trip to London, and hopes to get over there more, and check in with everyone – the energy of this group is fantastic.

Well Done!

Indie-a-Sandra-Oh-Go #WindowHorses

Congrats to the British East Asians…#TheOrphanOfZhaoRedux

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