Mimi Martin’s new solo show, Youth in Flames, comes to Omnibus Theatre in July ahead of the Edinburgh Fringe. Born in London and raised in Hong Kong, she was inspired to capture the energy and political unrest during her teenage years in the city. We got a chance to sit down with the writer and performer before bringing her bold and personal story to the stage.
What is Youth in Flames about?
Mimi Martin: The most important question! Youth in Flames is about a cheeky (bratty) British-Hong Kong expat who spent her life moving between countries until her world is upended as she becomes drawn into the 2019 Hong Kong protest movement. Through her friendship with local Hong Konger Jesse, she gets pulled into the heart of the cause and realises her ‘living-life-to-the-full’ motto has very real consequences. It’s a play about trying to find a sense of belonging in a rapidly changing world – and the cost of ignorance when our attention is needed most.
Interesting, but why you? Why are you writing about Hong Kong’s political story?
Mimi Martin: A lot of people have been asking that same question, but this is when fact and fiction interweave. During my formative years, I grew up in Hong Kong from age 11 to 18, before moving back to London for my drama training. I’d always known I wanted to write about my Hong Kong years as it was such a juxtaposition to the teenage experience my ‘Brit’ friends were having. I also realised the only way I could answer the question “Hong Kong, what was that like?” was through my writing. As I began writing this play, I realised it slowly became a love-letter to Hong Kong and in a way a token of remembrance for a time in Hong Kong that has been forever lost.
Hong Kong’s political climate has changed so drastically over the last few decades. My dad travelled to Hong Kong as a teenager in the late 80’s and since returning in 2012, it was once again a vastly different landscape. But, whilst I lived there I got to witness how quick the changeover occurred from the beginning of the 2014 umbrella movement to the 2019 protests. It was eye opening how quickly a city could band together for a cause they all believed in and then how rapidly a government could take control of the media and revoke people’s freedom and liberties – I just had to write about it. But I also questioned whether it was my story to tell? What gives me the right as a British expat? No one needs a white saviour story. But after feedback from work-in-progress performances, and discussions with my director Jessica Whiley, I realised that the perspective of a foreigner living in a different country going through a mass political shift isn’t one we normally get to hear. I’ve only ever wanted to write about the truth so why not write the truth of the ‘ignorance is bliss’ attitude of the expat community who resided there – I’m including myself in that demographic.
Wow, so you’re calling yourself out in this play?
Mimi Martin: I would say so. Don’t get me wrong this isn’t me saying expats are all bad news, I just wanted to shed a light on a moment in time when the Hong Kong community was going through a major political shift and who chose to help and who chose to stay on the sidelines.
So how much of this is based on your own lived experiences?
Mimi Martin: Haha, this is the one everyones curious about – how similar am I to Millie? Well I would say every writer writes what they know, so a lot of this is based on my time as a teenager there. But I’d like to leave this up to the audience to guess, I think the mystery of not knowing is a lot more interesting than the actual answer.
Haha fair enough, but how about research? Safe to say you had to do a fair amount before writing about a play centered around a political movement.
Mimi Martin: Of course. I conducted interviews, spoke to my friends who also lived in Hong Kong, and spent ages pouring over old news articles and press details from the start of Hong Kong’s handover to China up until present day. What’s great about this play is that so many people can remember the news reports, especially in the UK as the BBC documented the entire movement – it also meant that there was hours of footage that I could go through. This is why I’ve included radio broadcasts throughout the play; the reports you hear were all reports that were being pushed out into the Hong Kong and Chinese media at the time.
Did you always plan to write a solo show through a political lens?
Mimi Martin: Initially no, but my family and I always gravitate towards subjects revolving around history and politics so I guess I was bound to take this angle. I think with everything that’s going on in the world, trying to help aid or spread awareness is better than nothing. So even though my play is centered around Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, I’m hoping that it will spark conversation on activism and the rising erosion of democratic rights currently happening across the globe.
Were there any inspirations for your work, playwrights you looked up to?
Mimi Martin: 100%! Simon Stephens, Kieran Hurley, Amanda Wilkin, Phoebe Waller Bridge – to name a few. The list goes on, but beyond theatre I’ve also always wanted to capture the world of cinema and bring it to the stage. I love world-building and how sound can play a pivotal role in creating a landscape and an atmosphere for an audience. Whenever I’ve watched theatre, I’ve always wanted more sound, it’s such an emotive device! So when creating my own play, I knew I didn’t want sound to be a secondary tool but an art form that would be a major component in telling the story.
I’m excited to hear what’s been created.
Mimi Martin: Me too! Our sound designer, Guy Martin has spent the past 6 months building original soundscapes and tracks centered around the world of the play; our aim is to fully immerse the audience in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a sub-tropical climate, we’re talking jungle, beaches and city all mixed into one – it’s a surreal landscape and the sounds there are equally as maddening. Being able to capture the essence of the heat, the animals, and the city nightlife has been a challenge since we don’t have Hong Kong on our doorstep but what we’ve created despite those limitations is something we’re all really proud of.
Finally, let’s talk about bringing it to Omnibus and why you chose to bring it to Fringe specifically?
Mimi Martin: Springboarding our show at Omnibus Theatre into the chaos which is Fringe, couldn’t be more exciting. Omnibus is at the core of the Fringe eco-system, they put on work that’s ambitious, relevant and entertaining – I’m so proud that we get to be a part of their programme. And don’t get me started on Fringe! It’s so so important! Especially now! It’s the largest arts festival in the world, a melting pot of different artists with different stories to share. I’m genuinely so excited to be a part of it and to be included in Zoo’s lineup. Edinburgh is just the beginning and we aim for Youth in Flames to have a life beyond Fringe. The year-long journey it’s taken from Scratch night to a full-scale production is so exciting and surreal, myself and the entire team can’t wait for an audience to witness what we’ve created!
