By Grace Hatchell, writing from a café where the soup looked suspiciously dramatic but not nearly as dramatic as this lot…
Hot Pot arrives at Playhouse East this June, exploring friendship, gay identity and the quiet tensions of adult life through the reunion of four university friends sharing a meal. The debut production from Auka Productions blends humour, honesty and East Asian perspectives in an intimate new drama.
There’s summat about a shared meal, isn’t there?
One minute you’re passing the chilli oil and asking if anybody wants extra mushrooms, and next thing somebody’s bringing up university disasters, old heartbreaks and life choices nobody ordered with the dumplings.
That simmering mixture sits right at the heart of Hot Pot, a tender new play arriving at Playhouse East this June.
Presented by Auka Productions, Hot Pot follows four university friends reuniting after the Covid years at a hot pot restaurant. What begins with laughter and familiar stories slowly turns into something more searching, as old bonds are tested and long-buried truths begin bubbling to the surface.
And if you think this is simply a play about catching up over dinner, think again.
Hot Pot explores friendship, gay identity and the complicated balancing act between authenticity, family expectations and cultural pressures. Drawing from East Asian perspectives, the play asks difficult questions about belonging, secrecy and whether leaving something behind always means freedom — or whether it sometimes carries its own kind of loss.
The production marks the debut outing for Auka Productions, founded by Struan Davidson and Windson Liong, who both also appear in the cast alongside Michelle Yim and Shin-Fei Chen. The company describes itself as built on a belief in the magic of live theatre and a passion for bringing new writing from page to stage.
Writer Hongwei Bao describes Hot Pot as a story about friendship, love, growing up and finding ways to live authentically despite the pressures placed upon us by society and the expectations of others.
And honestly? That sounds less like theatre fiction and more like half the conversations happening in cafés up and down the country.
Hot Pot runs at Playhouse East from Tuesday 16 June to Sunday 21 June 2026, with a press night on Wednesday 17 June. The production runs for 70 minutes with no interval and carries guidance for partial nudity and references to homophobia, racism and parental death.
Grace’s Satchel™ prediction? Bring your appetite — and not just for the noodles. This one sounds like it may leave audiences chewing over far more than what’s on the table.
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/playhouseeast/2191634
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