Women in Red

Women in Red, a solo performance by Mo Lai Yan Chi, has moved audiences since its 2012 debut with its layered exploration of women’s lives in contemporary society. Revitalised in English, it comes to the 2025 Melbourne Fringe Festival as a cultural exchange between Hong Kong and Australia.

Drawing on her multidisciplinary background in theatre, film, and cultural studies, Mo Lai weaves together stories of women across generations and social backgrounds, shifting from a girl in a single-parent home to an elderly woman reflecting on her past. These portraits form a tapestry that examines gender, family, tradition, and change.

The title refers to a traditional Chinese rice wine, brewed for a daughter’s wedding and matured over time. Like this wine, the stories in Women in Red are distilled, intimate and deeply connected to wider cultural and social histories.