PROUDLY ASIAN THEATRE RETURNS WITH THE UNMISSABLE PREMIERE OF GENUINE AND STABLE AT HERALD THEATRE
After a year-long hiatus, Proudly Asian Theatre (PAT) returns with the world premiere of Genuine and Stable – a sharp, funny, and deeply human new play by emerging playwright Uhyoung Choi. Running from 9 – 13 December at Auckland Live’s Herald Theatre, the play draws from Choi’s own experience working in immigration to explore a world where love and bureaucracy collide, and where the question of what makes a relationship “real” becomes a matter of state scrutiny.
An immigrant and a New Zealander claim they are in love. Two immigration agents must decide if they are telling the truth.
What begins as a routine case quickly spirals into a web of contradictions, where the line between the personal and the professional slowly blurs. Sujin and Jeremy’s mercurial love story collides head-on with the scrutiny of immigration officers Laura and Charlotte, who must decide whether their relationship is truly “genuine and stable?”
Choi’s background working in immigration gives insight into the flaws of the system: “Working on partnership visa cases has always felt dystopian to me. Like many dystopian tales, the system evokes anxiety, confusion, and a flicker of hope. I’m excited to transmute these lived experiences into the heightened world of theatre.”
This world premiere work offers a uniquely immigrant perspective through the universal lens of love and commitment. Audiences can expect witty banter, unexpected tenderness, and the whiplash of a juicy four-hander where the truth is challenged at every turn.
Korean-Kiwi Uhyoung Choi, a former lawyer, is known as an actor in Scenes from a Yellow Peril, The First Prime-Time Asian Sitcom, King Lear, and Mooncake and the Kumura. Genuine and Stable marks Choi’s debut as a playwright. It was first presented as part of PAT’s Fresh off the Page playreading series in 2022, which has included successful works such as The First Prime-Time Asian Sitcom, Basmati B*tch, Pinay, Scenes from a Yellow Peril, The Mourning After, and Not Woman Enough.
Directed by Marianne Infante (Pinay, Shortland Street), Genuine and Stable offers an introspective yet universal exploration of how love, identity and power intersect, featuring an exceptional cast including Natasha Daniel (The New Legends of Monkey), and PAT newcomers Junghwi Jo (ATC’s Peter Pan), Acushla-Tara Kupe (Prima Facie), and Jono Capel-Baker (The Actor’s Program).
For PAT, this premiere is also a celebration of their resilience and commitment to creating space for Asian voices on Aotearoa’s stages. After a business-focussed hiatus in 2024, their return marks a new chapter; one with daring new stories, subversive themes and hot new takes on PAT’s favourites.
This is theatre at its most immediate, most relevant, and most alive. Don’t miss it.
Season: December 9 - 13, 2025
Venue: Herald Theatre, Auckland
Tickets: On sale via Ticketmaster