 Thrilled to be performing in my new solo performance work Why You Not Eat! Created in response to losing both parents within two years, Why You Not Eat explores how grief lives in the body, and the stillness it leaves behind. Anchored by the haunting memory of her father’s inability to eat, the work unfolds around the dining table of her parents’ home. Loke blends her familiar spectacle with the unexpected, absurd rhythms of family life. Seated at the table, food becomes both symbol and prop as she charms audiences with her feeding ritual, leaving them unsure of their role — guest, family, witness? Through the delicate acts of feeding and being fed, Loke guides us into moments of care that falter, endure, and hold both humour and sorrow. This is an intimate, playful work shaped by time: past pressing into present; present rubbing against grief. Developed in collaboration with visionary theatre maker Michelle St Anne (Artistic Director The Living Room Theatre Company), this hour-long performance is interactive and immersive. It takes the audience and guests at the dining table on an intimate journey through the inner and outer worlds of a daughter coping with grief as it transforms the ordinary daily life of a family, and how we find meaning and connection in the smallest of acts. Concept and performance: Lian Loke Dramaturg and director: Michelle St Anne Musician and composer: Liz Jigalin Duration: 1 hour Performance dates: 13th and 14th March, 2026 Venue: 21 Shepherd St, Marrickville, Sydney, Australia https://livingroomtheatre.org/events/why-you-not-eat/ Image: Liz Ham
 In rehearsal at 21 Shepherd. Image: Michelle St Anne I am feeling very blessed to have this rare opportunity to be Artist in Residence as part of the Living Room Theatre's Open Room program at 21 Shepherd St, Marrickville from November 2025 to March 2026. I am working closely with visionary theatre maker Michelle St Anne (artistic director of The Living Room Theatre) to apply her Composed Theatre methodology to the development of a new performance work Why You Not Eat. Through this process, we will expand the original 15 minute performance (initially created for Melaka Art and Performance Festival, Malaysia 2025) to a fully fledged theatre piece of 1 hour duration. This is new territory for my performance practice, expanding into using my voice and writing text. It is exhilarating to be learning and leaning into new creative modalities! Some written reflections on early development and presentation at The Festival of Death and Dying (Sydney, Australia, November 2025): https://livingroomtheatre.org/reflection-on-why-you-not-eat-performance/
Image stills from video documentation by Lindsay Cox of live performance at The Festival of Death and Dying
 My performance on personal grief in devotion to my beloved father and mother. The dining table is the site where grief most manifested in daily life, as my father had difficulties swallowing food after the sudden death of my mother. It's not all sorrowful, as finding lightness and humour within the darkness became a way of relating to my father in his final months.
MAP Fest 2025, Melaka Malaysia Venue: The Baboon House Photo by JK Suah |
