Checkpoint Theatre presents Eat Duck, a new play written by Zenda Tan and directed by Claire Wong, which follows 12 members of an extended family as they gather for the seven-day wake of Grandma at the void deck. As the family learns to cope with grief and loss, each must navigate the sometimes heartfelt, sometimes painful complexity of kinship.
The play will run from 29 August to 8 September 2019 at the SOTA (School of the Arts) Studio Theatre.
Zenda Tan started writing Eat Duck shortly after her loved one’s grandmother passed away. “When she was still receiving home-based palliative care, Po-Po repeatedly requested for roast duck despite the fact that she could no longer eat. The doctor explained that it had nothing to do with food cravings; she was probably reminiscing about having a Chinese New Year meal with her family,” Tan says. “The play is titled after this memory, and in honour of the love she had for everyone.”
This astute and nuanced play is brought to life by an ensemble cast consisting of acclaimed actors and bright new talents alike under the directorship of Claire Wong.
Honest and profound, Zenda Tan’s debut play offers an intimate and compelling look at the process of grieving in all its messy particularity. Eat Duck lays bare the pains and embraces the joys of family, ultimately asking what it means to belong, to mourn, and to remember.
Ticketing details
Dates/Times: Thu 29 Aug – Sun 8 Sep 2019 8pm (Thu to Sat); 3pm matinee (Sat & Sun)
Venue: SOTA (School of the Arts Studio Theatre)
Ticket Price: $45 (excludes SISTIC booking fee)
Ticketing Agent: SISTIC (6348 5555)
Concession: PAssion Card, Students, NSF, Seniors and Persons with disabilities – 10% off; Group Bookings (25 tickets or more) – 20% off
Rating: Advisory 16 (Some Mature Content and Coarse Language)
