Elevate Festival – Don’t Call Me China Doll

A one-woman show following an East Asian actress transported to the 1930s into the body of Hollywood starlet Anna May Wong, exploring identity and internalised racism.

Don’t Call Me China Doll is a one-woman show presented as part of Elevate Festival, a week-long celebration of new work from South-West artists. It follows China Doll, an actress preparing to audition for the role of Anna May Wong in a biopic about Hollywood’s first East Asian starlet, who wakes up transported to the 1930s in Wong’s body. Over several nights she discovers parallels in how they navigate love, life and identity as East Asian actors in the west. The 75-minute performance, with no interval, explores internalised racism and self-worth and is suitable for ages 12+, containing some sexual content and themes around race and identity.