Reclaiming The Stories Of Her Foremothers

Cynthia Hiu Ying Lam presents
(Love, Mum)

Hong Kong born writer and performer, Cynthia Hiu Ying Lam takes audiences on a universal journey that intimately connects and honours three generations of her female ancestors with the world premiere of her debut play (Love, Mum). This brave and deeply moving autobiographical solo performance plays for two shows only at the Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre on 16 and 17 September. The whole nation and the world can also stream the second performance live for 48 hours following the performance.

(Love, Mum) interweaves the tales of Cynthia, her mother, and her two grandmothers, (Ah Mah and Por Por) as they traverse through life, moments of survival, change and self-dignity. Their stories span across WWII, Hong Kong’s post-war colonial-capital society, and the migratory flow of the early 1990’s.

Embracing storytelling, multimedia, Chinese martial arts and song, we follow Cynthia’s journey as she navigates mental health, relationships, self-discovery and finding one’s vocation against a legacy of ancestral trauma and cultural conditioning. “Our family follows a patrilineal system of documenting descendants in our ‘clan family book’ (like a family tree). Therefore, to share the stories of me and my foremothers, is a way for me to reclaim something, and to honour the female line,” says Lam.

Fearful of what would happen when Hong Kong transitioned from British colonial rule back to communist China, Lam and her family emigrated to NZ when she was 5-years-old. She returned to Hong Kong a few years later and eventually built a successful career which culminated in a well-paid job as a Business Development Manager for a regional financial publication. Throwing it all in to become a writer and researcher, Lam returned to NZ two decades later to complete her Phd in Creative Writing, with the goal of platforming female voices and building community.

Lam says, “Returning to NZ was one of the best decisions I ever made. This was my chance to reinvent, reorient and rebuild. I could live my life as I saw fit, without feeling the societal and cultural pressures that weighed heavily on me in Hong Kong.”

After four years of learning the craft of writing and studying the works of many others she felt the time was right to begin writing. But the process was not without challenges.

“Writing this play has not been easy. I felt vulnerable and exposed in the process. I write about depression, as well as my divorce and abusive relationship. I write about the tensions between me and my mother, but I realised as I was writing, that this is really, a love story. A love story that honours the lives of my mother and two grandmothers, “says Lam.

The development of this work included a live script reading in 2021. This work was well received by the invited audience:

“A heartfelt and deeply moving, impressionistic play” –– Stuart Hoar, playwright.

“Any woman over the age of twenty who has pondered their mother, grandmothers or maternal figures…your play would resonate with every woman regardless of cultural background” – Audience member.

“Lam is a fantastic performer and playwright, her words and movement deliver feelings and stories and reassure us that our dreams are valid, possible, and ever so human” – Dr. Stephanie Han, author.

Looking forward, Lam hopes to adapt her script into an extended memoir format, together with her research. In addition she has just set up Love Mum Creatives which intends to run writing workshops for woman.

(Love, Mum) asks audiences to consider What is a ‘good’ Chinese woman? How does a woman live an authentic life in a patriarchal, capitalist and colonial society?

(Love, Mum) plays as part of Auckland Fringe:
Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre
Friday 16 Sept, 7.30pm
Saturday 17 Sept, 4pm
Tickets: $15 (concession) to $25 plus booking fees
Book at Ticketmaster: 16 Sept and 17 Sept
Live stream – available at vidzing.tv
Suitable for 16 years and above
Content warning: Themes of depression and mental health.

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