LIYA WU is a Theatre writer & director
Liya trained as a performer and deviser in LISPA (2004-2006), a Lecoq-based physical theatre school. Before that, she was an accidental industry journalist for 3.5 years in Taiwan reporting on the Telecom, Security and Electronics sectors.
In London when she was not rehearsing or writing, she was teaching Chinese to the local kids, and working part-time as a Chinese/English translator and volunteer Yoga teacher. Her other work experience in London included a short stint as a butcher's assistant.
Liya received her film and documentary training from Full Shot Image Company (Taiwan). She then made her first documentary with her sister Huiling about a former Comfort Woman, Lu Man-Mei, commissioned by Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation. Occassionally, just for her own amusement, she likes to stay behind the camera and enjoy the thrill and challenge of shooting short films without the sweat of post-production editing.
She was also the proud Artistic Director for Cul-de-Sac (Writer/Director: Alan Liang, 2008) which was selected for
2009 London Short Film Festival
2008 Krakow Philosophical Film Festival, Poland
(2009年倫敦短片電影節 最佳實驗片競賽項目
2008年波蘭克拉科夫哲學影展 最佳影片競賽項目)
Her first full-length play, Mr Whippendale, was invited to perform in the National Theatre of Bruges of Belgium for two weeks (Aug 2007). The play later won Arts Council funding for EAST Showcase in Soho Theatre (London). More info on Mr Whippendale can be seen on http://liya.burntmango.org/current.html. She has since been focusing on writing and directing films and plays. Her second play, Cherry or Burgundy was developed with generous support of rehearsal space from Young Vic, London.
Upon her return to Taiwan, Liya had worked with the Paperwindmill Theatre running drama workshops as part of the theatre aid programme for children in areas affected by the Morakot Typhoon (2009). She had also headed a summer actor training workshop for Apple Theatre (2010).
As an aside, Liya's proudest achievement in 2010 was to have nurtured a stray, paralysed and incontinent Golden Retriever to full recovery within 4 months.
For the year ahead, Liya is drafting a play about fortune telling, fate, religion and things and people that one can't change.
More details on Liya's past work can be seen on her CV.
Here is a short production footage of a play directed by Liya. The actors are a group of teenagers and adults with learning difficulties. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTYjbonZOPo
For other work sample, please go to the Videos & Images page for production rehearsals and performance pictures.
