James Robson Character Encounter

Photo: From the James Robson Character Encounter

Meet James Robson, a British Chinese sailor and cook. Found as a baby floating on a raft in the South China Seas, Robson was adopted by a British captain and his wife and brought up in Poplar, East London. He was the longest serving crew member of the Cutty Sark.

An interactive, promenade experience, James Robson can be found at the Cutty Sark and National Maritime Museum in Greenwich on various days throughout the year.

Based on the real life James Robson, the character was developed by New Earth Theatre for the National Maritime Museum in 2011, and is the first ESEA character to appear in a British museum as part of a Character Encounters programme.

Visit the venue websites below to find out when James Robson will be appearing.

The Actors

AYOS KERUNG

Ayos Kerung is a graduate from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Last summer, he was fortunate enough to perform the role of Brother in Yuyu Wang’s Cousins, directed by Broderick Chow (w/ NEA). During his time at Central, he has played Bonario in Ben Jonson’s Volpone, directed by Anna Healey; the Pastor in August Strindberg’s The Father, directed by Tom McClane; and will take on the role of Prince Myshkin in Simon Gray’s adaptation of Dostoevsky’s The Idiot, directed by Simon Scardifield at the Embassy Theatre.

Born in rural Nepal and raised in Canterbury, Kent, Ayos has grown to deeply value the kind-hearted support of New Earth Theatre and the privilege of training under world-class tutors at Central. Through this experience, he hopes to inspire younger generations of Nepalis to pursue artistic paths and to create greater opportunities for their stories to be told. At his core, Ayos is driven by a desire to open doors for the young Nepali child who dreams of a career in theatre or film but feels constrained by societal expectations.

JAY OLIVER YIP

Jay is an actor and creative for theatre and screen. He has performed in many theatres across the UK including: Soho theatre, The contact in Manchester, Live Theatre in Newcastle; and international spaces in New York and Hong Kong. Recent television credits include: Doctors (BBC), Grace Season 3 (ITV) and Rain Dogs (HBO Max/BBC). Jay has performed as James Robson across both sites for 10 years and also directed James Robson in RMG’s online video and the most recent James Robson actors for the live performances. 

NATHANIEL TAN

Theatre work includes: Billy Budd (The Royal Opera House dir. Deborah Warner; Olivier Award winner for Best New Opera), The Chinese Labour Corps (Blue Orange Arts) SQUIRM  (Theatre 503/Edinburgh Fringe) Modern Romance (Southwark Playhouse), In Search of Myself (Brighton Fringe)

Screen work includes: SPAR, Go Back Home!, My Name is Tim, Love Online, Adieu Marx and Todd Sloane.

JAMES JIP

James is a British/Chinese Australian born actor. He is a New Earth Academy graduate and trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

JACQUI BARDELANG

Jacqui‘s performance career began when her drag alter-ego Sigi Moonlight came third in "Man Up!", the UK's biggest drag king competition. Now a regular on the London cabaret scene, Sigi has performed all over from Shakespeare's Globe and The Garrick to Glastonbury Music Festival and the Greenwich Maritime and has been featured on Netflix and BBC Three. Several years later, Jacqui decided to fulfil her lifelong dream of acting and accepted a place at Drama Studio London in 2020. Credits include: The Nevers (HBO), Mulan Rouge (The Vaults), Modest (Middle Child/Milk Presents), Harmony: The Fall of Reverie (Don't Nod), Baldur's Gate 3 (Larian Studios).

JACKIE LAM

Jackie Lam is a British-Chinese actor of theatre and screen, screenwriter and producer based in London. 

He trained at the University of Central Lancashire in Acting.

Theatre credits include 'Princess Mononoke' (Whole Hog Theatre, 2013), 'Ticking' (ATG, 2015), 'Confessional (We Are Tramp, 2015), 'From Shore To Shore' (On The Wire, 2017) and Spitting Image: Idiots Assemble (Avalon, 2023).

Film credits include: High Wire (2023)

Television credits include: 'Strangers' (2018)