Not The Maids Gallery
Karen C. Siu explores themes of surveillance in Rooftop Productions' 2017 stage play, 'Not The Maids'. Photo by Ivor Houlker.
Michelle Li and Isabella Leung explore the blurred lines of labor, as Li contemplates: 'Dust. There's clean dust, and there's dirty dust.'
Russell Terre Aranza commands the stage in 'Not The Maids', echoing the chilling demand: 'What are you doing? I will be back soon and I expect things to be perfect.'
Isabella Leung and the cast reflect on the complexities of domestic work in Hong Kong through this pivotal scene. 'My house started employing a helper when I was about 15.'
Isabella Leung navigates the uncanny tension of the scene with a chilling inquiry: 'I don’t know… maybe because I like children?'
Isabella Leung embodies the societal pressure of perfection, reflecting on the weight of being ‘elegant enough to show around the guests, and diligent enough to make good food.’
Isabella Leung commands the stage in Not The Maids, confronting the audience: 'No one said you have to come here, don’t try to change our rules.'
Performers embody the ritual of domestic labour, illustrating the systemic complexities of the Global Care Chain.
Reflecting on identity and domestic labor, the performer recites: 'Nipa hut, even though it's small, the plants that grow around it are varied.'
Russell Terre Aranza explores domestic tension through rhythmic percussion. "If she’s doing the dishes in the middle of the night, it wakes me up."
Russell Terre Aranza performs a haunting plea: 'Hear us, O Lord, and have mercy, because we have sinned against Thee.'
Michelle Li and Russell Terre Aranza perform a ritualistic sequence: 'Right hand of the Father, corner-stone, way of salvation, gate of heaven.'
Isabella Leung navigates the tension of domestic dependency in this haunting scene: 'Why must foreign domestic workers live in the homes of their employers?'
A haunting moment of ritual and devotion in 'Not The Maids,' accompanied by the plea: 'Hear, O Christ, the prayers of your supplicants.'
Within the clinical atmosphere of the Stanford Prison Experiment, power dynamics unfold through music. In the experiment, 24 psychologically stable college students were selected.
Michelle Li, Russell Terre Aranza, and Isabella Leung navigate the tension of the experiment as they are divided at random between the roles of guards and prisoners.
Russell Terre Aranza and Isabella Leung perform the intense booking sequence from 'Not The Maids'. As the scene unfolds, prisoners are brought to the mock prison and go through the full booking procedure.
The stage captures the quiet isolation of domestic life as the character reflects: 'I slept in the living room for 1 year and 8 months.'
In a moment of profound restlessness, the character lingers by the water dispenser. "What are you doing?" "I can’t sleep, I can’t sleep."
Isabella Leung reflects on stolen intimacy and shared daily habits in this poignant scene from Not The Maids: 'And he knows that I keep some cup noodles and then he would eat them.'
The truth blurs in rehearsal as the performer questions the reality of meeting the elusive Aki.
A dramatic moment in 'Not The Maids' where the tension of the scene peak; as the performer questions, 'How much we charge really depends.'
Isabella Leung embodies the tension of being 'Strangers at Home' in this pivotal scene from Not The Maids.
Isabella Leung embodies the entrapment of domesticity in a surreal scene from 'Not The Maids'. As she notes, 'We live in a hotel, so animals are not allowed.'
Isabella Leung brings intensity to the stage in 'Not The Maids', delivering the line: 'But we have a dog, it’s a half chihuahua half pomeranian.'
Russell Terre Aranza embodies a moment of tense anticipation: 'She was standing at the exit of Lai Chi Kok MTR station, waiting for me.'
Michelle Li, Isabella Leung, and Russell Terre Aranza capture the tension of domestic dependency. 'In Japan home, the foldable mattress is only 399. You know what? I can provide for you.'
Isabella Leung captures a manic turning point as she demands, "And that Fair Employment Agency you just told me about? Introduce it to me!"
Russell Terre Aranza shares a calculated moment of connection in this scene from 'Not The Maids': 'There are people who are willing to help.'
The stage glows with haunting intensity as the performer reflects, 'Oh Fortune, like the moon.'
A haunting moment of instability from Not The Maids, where the performer reflects: 'You are changeable.'
In a moment of kinetic tension, the performers navigate the ephemeral nature of memory, observing that 'Dust. There's clean dust, and there's dirty dust.'
Michelle Li and Isabella Leung perform a tense moment in Not The Maids, where the line 'When I used this pot today, I found that it was mouldy' highlights the domestic strain.
Isabella Leung and Michelle Li navigate the friction of domestic labor, captured in the piercing cry: 'Do you think it's right that I should have to wash it?'