Set against the backdrop of the Australian Goldrush of 1857, Yong brings Chinese-Australian history to life as part of a Victorian tour beginning at Arts Centre Melbourne from 30 July – 4 August.
Based on Janeen Brian’s teen novel Yong: The Journey of an Unworthy Son, Australia's premier theatre company for young audiences Monkey Baa has assembled an extraordinary creative team to translate the semi-fictional, historically significant story to the stage.
Yong is a sprawling, timeless, coming-of-age story, about a 13-year-old boy from 1850s provincial China, who’s life trajectory is changed forever when his father forces him to travel to the Australian goldfields with the lure of securing the family’s fortune.
Actor Alan Zhu is the sole performer in this theatre work and seamlessly shifts between multiple characters to tell the story. Yong and his father leave their small village and travel across the seas hoping to strike gold and find their fortune in the goldfields of Ballarat, Victoria. However, despite his family’s desperate need for money, Yong does not want to be on this journey.
On the surface, he is an honourable son, but bubbling below is deepening resentment for his father and a longing for home. Faced with momentous change, Yong’s courage and inner strength are tested, and in overcoming difficult challenges, he discovers a resilience in himself that he never knew he had.
Whilst set in the 1850s, Yong is not a period piece; it has been created with the sensibilities of a contemporary young audience at its heart mixing historical fact and narrative fiction. The work gives audiences the opportunity to contemplate Yong’s experience through his eyes. His arduous physical journey is mirrored by an emotional journey as he struggles to fulfil his family duty, faces his fears and steps bravely towards an unknown future.
Writer Jenevieve Chang (The Good Girl of Chinatown) has innovatively adapted Brian’s book into a dynamic, contemporary and poignant play, with Director Darren Yap deftly shaping the complexities of the one-man show with tenderness and subtlety.
Yap says: “I’ve never really told a story this close to my heart and my DNA.” He also describes the piece “as a love letter to his father.”
Chang says: “Yong is a universally resonant story about a young boy who must learn to step out of the shadow of other people’s expectations in order to find himself. It’s about what it means to be a son, what it takes to be a parent, and the push and pull of community. Most of all, it shines a light on Australia’s history, bringing focus to sacrifices and contributions which have helped build the resilient nation we are today.”
James Browne’s theatrical, masterful set blends clever details with dynamic Audio-Visual elements while Max Lambert’s original music (including the voices of local Ballarat singers) complements Angie Diaz’s movement direction. Zac Saric’s sound design and Ben Brockman’s lighting transport audiences from East to West, across time and place.
This tour has been assisted by Playing Australia through Creative Australia and Ed Federman. The original work was supported by RISE and Creative Australia and in collaboration with Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat and Bendigo Venues & Events. Yong has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body. Monkey Baa is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.
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