11 questions with the cast of Wild Swans: Orion Lee

Orion Lee (Shou Yu) with Isabelle Wang (Er-Hong as child)

First up in our Wild Swans cast series is Orion Lee, who plays Shou Yu, the male lead of the show.

Tell us about your character and about working on Wild Swans.
I play Shou Yu, an idealist. Working on Wild Swans has made me feel more in touch with my heritage. It is also very satisfying to hear of people’s personal connections to the play.

Favourite word?
‘Pachoinka’ as used by Ramin Gray of ATC.

Proudest moment?
Making people laugh at a play reading at LAMDA.

If you could have a room full of any one thing, what would it be?
£100 bills because then I could get anything else. Failing that… cakes.

If 28 hour days existed, what would you do with the extra four hours?
Play more computer games and meet more people. Antithetical, I know.

Favourite holiday?
Seeing my family.

Weirdest quirk?
Probably for others to say, but people tell me I’m always eating when they see me.

Favourite play?
All My Sons by Arthur Miller as done by Suchet and Wanamaker.

If you had one super power, what would it be?
To read minds.

Do you have any regrets?
Not so much regrets as a lack of surety that I’ve made the right choice.

Favourite midnight snack?
KFC – one thigh portion.

Wild Swans (part of World Stages London) plays at the Young Vic until 13 May. Tickets are sold out but we do get returns… call 020 7922 2922 on the day for availability.

Young Vic helps to give BABEL its voice

Groups from the Young Vic are working together with BAC, Lyric Hammersmith, Theatre Royal Stratford East and WildWorks to give a voice to BABEL – the epic and immersive theatrical experience that will fill Caledonian Park in Islington in May (8-20).

A re-working of the BABEL story, one of the key themes of the show is: with so many different backgrounds and languages in London, how can we communicate with each other? The cast of 300 have been looking at using music and song as a way to universally talk to people, finding a voice that anyone from anywhere where in the world can understand.

Have a listen to the harmony chorus clip here to hear the sound that runs through the heart of BABEL.

BABEL is part of World Stages London - a once-in-a-lifetime celebration through theatre of the exhilarating cosmopolitan diversity of London’s people and culture.

11 questions with the cast of After Miss Julie: Polly Frame

Next up in our After Miss Julie cast is Polly Frame.

Tell us about your character.
I play Christine, cook of the household and unofficially engaged to John. She does a mean kidneys on toast, can smoke and sleep for England and is as at home in church as trading on the black market. In the next life, she deserves better!

Favourite word?
Puddle (thanks to Patrick Marber for that one).

Proudest moment?
Every time anyone I love does something brilliant, which happily happens quite often.

If you could have a room full of any one thing, what would it be?
Either books for a bit of peace and quiet or my friends and I could call it a party.

If 28 hour days existed, what would you do with the extra four hours?
I’d like to sleep for the extra 4, seeing as I’m not much good at it in the standard 24 hour format.

Favourite holiday?
Mexico a few years ago.

Weirdest quirk?
Get funny about socks on inside out.

Favourite play?
The New Electric ballroom by Enda Walsh.

If you had one super power, what would it be?
Flying of course, who wouldn’t want to?

Do you have any regrets?
I’ve had a few….

Favourite midnight snack?
Kidneys on toast of course.

After Miss Julie ends in 3 days!

40 Facts: Fact #25

Did you know? The Maria is named after a real woman… The theatre designer Maria Björnson.

Maria Björnson was an acclaimed designer working in theatre and opera across the world. She was a Tony and Drama Desk award-winning designer and one of her most notable designs was The Phantom of the Opera in 1986.

Maria Björnson, as painted by her friend Yolanda Sonnabend

One of Maria’s sketches for Touissant L’Overture

Maria Björnson sadly passed away unexpectedly on 13 December 2002.

In 2006, after we refurbished the Young Vic – we decided to name our new space after Maria. Past shows in the Maria include The Changeling, In the Penal Colony, Kafka’s Monkey and The Brothers Size. 

Our current show in the Maria is After Miss Julie.