Danielle Lim is a Malaysian-Australian, Kaurna Country/South Australia based, actor, writer and theatre maker. Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur until she was 13 years old, Lim’s work is heavily influenced by her migratory upbringing and search for community.
Her new work ‘Caught In Between’ is set to premiere at the Adelaide Fringe Festival next month and asks the question: “How do we decide where we truly belong?” This immersive and multi-disciplinary theatre experience aims to ‘interrogate our connections to ourselves and our distinct cultural backgrounds.
In this Colour Box Studio interview, Lim discusses her first mainstage role, the empowering experience of finding connection to community within the arts and drawing inspiration from free-writing.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.
My name is Danielle Lim and I am a Malaysian-Australian actor, writer and theatre maker based on Kaurna Country. I am particularly passionate about telling Asian-Australian stories on stage and screen, to champion the voices of my community and inspire more Asian-Australians to pursue a career in the arts. I am also interested in collaborating with artists from various disciplines, to create multi-disciplinary and experimental works.
Apart from being an artist, I am also an arts administrator, currently working as the Program Coordinator at ActNow Theatre.
How did you start your creative practice and why?
Growing up, I’ve always enjoyed storytelling – whether it was through performing skits for my family or through storytelling competitions in primary school. In Year 10, I took drama as a subject and I developed a strong interest in theatre and live performance. My first acting role was Lady Macbeth from Shakespeare’s infamous Scottish Play.
After graduating high school, I got accepted into Flinders Drama Centre where I studied an Honours degree in the Bachelor of Creative Arts, specialising in acting. Since leaving university, I made the decision to take my creative career into my own hands by developing my own projects and creating opportunities for myself, due to the lack of work that existed for emerging artists within South Australia. I also wanted to be able to represent the Asian-Australian community within the Australian performing arts sector, demonstrating that I am more than just a ‘token of diversity’, and that my skills and experiences stem deeper than my cultural heritage.
Where did you grow up and how has it influenced your practice?
I was born and raised in the busy city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I don’t think I have fully grasped the influence that my upbringing has had on my creative practice as this is something that I am still slowly uncovering. So far, I find myself being inspired by the city’s multiculturalism, food, and landscape. During the 2023 DreamBig Festival, I was part of ActNow Theatre’s production of Here And There (directed by Yasmin Gurreeboo/Valerie Berry), during which I got to share personal stories about Malaysia with a young audience and rave about my love for our national dish, Nasi Lemak.
Some time in the future, I would love to collaborate with other Malaysian artists to develop a work that integrates multiple languages and cultures, to reflect and celebrate the rich diversity of Malaysia.
Tell us about your past creative projects. What has been your most treasured highlight so far?
A highlight of my career so far would be my first professional mainstage role, which was in an independent theatre production called Coldhands (written by Dora Abraham and directed by Zola Allen), in 2022. I played the titular role of Coldhands. This play took inspiration from the Studio Ghibli film, Princess Mononoke, as well as the ongoing climate crisis, exploring a mystical world of demons, sacrifice and gold. You don’t often get to see the sci-fi genre in theatre, hence it was exciting for me to play a part in bringing this play to life within an immersive environment. It was also a bonus that my character had the power to turn things to gold with her hands!
Tell us about your current project?
My current project is called Caught In Between and it is a multi-disciplinary and immersive theatre work based on my migrant experience from Malaysia to Australia, exploring the possibility of existing within two worlds at once and what it means to find true acceptance for yourself. Combining original soundscapes, video projections and interactive live storytelling, this work will strive to immerse audiences, who will become active participants, between a series of memories associated with Malaysian and Australian culture, blurring the line between these cultures.
This is my first solo-devised work and it has been created with the support of a team of local and international Asian artists. I will be conducting the world premiere of this work at the 2024 Adelaide Fringe, during which I will also be making my Fringe debut!
Who or what inspires your practice?
I am inspired by artists of colour who are not afraid to showcase their truths through their work. I find the vulnerability depicted through their stories particularly moving to witness. I am lucky to have been involved in the CAAP Artist Lab x SA in 2021 and 2022, which is a professional development intensive for Asian-Australian artists conducted as part of the OzAsia Festival. When I first participated in the Lab, it was the first time that I had ever been in a room filled solely with Asian-Australian artists, and we bonded through our shared experiences and values. This experience made me feel empowered, because I felt like I had finally found a community within the arts who had my back and made me feel like I was not alone in my journey.
Where do you feel most creative and why?
I feel most creative when I am in a safe and shared space surrounded by other artists who I connect well with. I enjoy working collaboratively and sharing my practice with other creatives and in turn, learn from their practices. I also enjoy free writing my thoughts and going through the pages that I’ve written at a later time, highlighting phrases that can potentially spark new ideas and projects.
What do you hope audiences take from your work?
I hope that my work is thought provoking for audiences and that they feel inspired by something new that they might have learnt. I have performed and toured a few shows for young people and I have enjoyed listening to their responses, especially when you can tell that it is one of the first live performances they have ever seen. I had one young girl point out that she had never seen another person who looked like her perform on stage before. That response is one that I will remember for a long time.
What gets you through creative challenges or tough industry times?
Spending time with my family and friends and talking through these challenges is a big one for me, because their perspectives hold great value to me. I am also learning to shift my view of tough industry times, seeing these as opportunities to take some time to rest and recharge instead. This is to avoid burning out quickly, which is something I don’t want to be feeling often this early in my career. My mind is definitely clearer once I’ve practiced some self-care and given myself a proper break.
What future projects are you looking forward to?
I am hoping to stage a modern Asian-Australian re-adaptation of a 2004 play, called Bang On The Nerve, later this year. This play, which was originally written by Van Badham, centres around two best friends who debate gender politics and the double standards of heterosexual relationships, leaving them to question the societal expectations that have been imposed upon them in the 21st Century. I have been working on this re-adaptation with close friend and fellow Asian-Australian actor, Sam Lau, for the past year, and we cannot wait to finally perform it for an audience.
Whose work are you digging at the moment?
I am a big fan of Yumi Umiumare’s work. I think she is such a cool and wacky performer, and the work she makes is so chaotic and profound at the same time. I also have so much love for my friend, Melak Khaleel, who is not only such a talented visual artist, but a strong political activist. I admire the bravery of her work and how she is never afraid to stand up for what she believes in.
Where can we find and follow you online?
You can follow me on Instagram @lldanill720.