Beloved comedian Anh Do will bring his best-selling, award-winning memoir, The Happiest Refugee, to life in his hit stand-up show - back by popular demand - as part of OzAsia Festival. This moving and unforgettable theatre experience is on at Adelaide Festival Centre’s Festival Theatre on November 7, with tickets on sale tomorrow.
Sharing his incredible and inspiring life story through humour, photos and filmed pieces, The Happiest Refugee Live!, has garnered Anh standing ovations across the country. Delving into his own life’s joys and sorrows, the result is an amazing and uplifting story of one of Australia’s most talented comedians.
“Irrepressible good humour, infectious energy and bright optimism” - The Sydney Morning Herald
“The happiest audience experience I have ever had” - ArtsHub
Anh Do: “I’m so excited to be bringing my show The Happiest Refugee Live back to Adelaide. I love performing at Festival Theatre and can’t wait to share my story at OzAsia Festival.”
Anh Do travelled to Australia in 1980 on an eight-metre fishing boat with 47 other Vietnamese refugees. The Happiest Refugee tells the story of a big life with big dreams, filled with tragedy, humour, heartache and unswerving determination. Today Anh is one of Australia’s most sought-after stand-ups, as well as a talented writer, actor, producer, and star of ABC’s Anh’s Brush with Fame.
OzAsia Festival Artistic and Executive Producer Joon-Yee Kwok: “Growing up Asian in Australia, and experiencing the lack of Asian representation on our stages and screens, Anh Do became a personal hero when his memoir, The Happiest Refugee, became a mainstream hit.
“I am beside myself with excitement that Anh Do will be part of my first OzAsia Festival program. The 2024 OzAsia Festival program promises to be full of powerhouse artists, storytellers and entertainers, like Anh Do, amazing stories, and cultural connections.”
Australia’s leading contemporary arts festival engaging with Asia, OzAsia Festival is renowned for its bold, genre-defying lineup, captivating both audiences and critics alike year after year. Spanning three weeks
each spring, OzAsia Festival celebrates the best in theatre, dance, music, visual arts, literature, cuisine, and cultural events from across Asia. Its diverse program features talented artists from around the globe, making it a must-see event in the festival calendar.
There is something for everyone at OzAsia Festival and we invite audiences to join us when we celebrate Asian and Asian Australian arts and culture this spring.
The full OzAsia Festival program will be launched this August – keep an eye on ozasiafestival.com.au and @ozasiafestival on Facebook and Instagram.
OzAsia Festival 2024 runs from October 24 to November 10.
Media kit with high-resolution imagery can be found here.