WHEN I WAS BACKPACKING ACROSS WESTERN EUROPE ...... One Woman Show is Coming to Barons Court Theatre
Performances will run from 16 - 18 November 2025.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Oct. 24, 2025
Yoyo Chan will present When I Was Backpacking Across Western Europe...... at Barons Court Theatre. True adventures, unexpected thrills and awkward romance: a multilingual solo journey of an East Asian woman travelling alone.
Drawing from her real-life adventures, former tour guide and world traveller Yoyo Chan takes audiences on a bold and funny journey through solo travel, from flirtatious strangers in train stations to awkward, sometimes risky encounters. The show reveals how gender and race quietly shape the way we connect across cultures.
Performed in Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish and English, the show weaves together storytelling, multilingual songs and movement to share Yoyo's true encounters while travelling alone across Europe. As an East Asian woman in the West, she finds herself constantly navigating the fine line between friendliness and flirtation, between cultural curiosity and stereotype.
Through music and dance, Yoyo unpacks the comic and sometimes unsettling misunderstandings when language, gender and culture collide. At its core, When I Was Backpacking Across Western Europe...... asks: What does it really mean for a woman to travel alone? How are Asian women seen? And how do they see the world in return?
In an era when immigration and identity often divide us, Yoyo's true stories offer a space for empathy, humour and reflection. The show invites audiences to look beyond stereotypes, question their own assumptions and rediscover the joy of seeing each other.
When I Was Backpacking Across Western Europe...... premiered in 2023 at the University of Exeter and later opened the Philip Zarrilli Studio at the university. It continues to evolve as part of Yoyo's exploration of gender, race and belonging through performance.
About the Artist
Yoyo Chan is a multidisciplinary performer whose work blends music, movement and storytelling. Drawing on her experiences as an immigrant, her performances explore feminism, race, freedom and surveillance, offering humour, intimacy and social insight. She holds an MA in Theatre Practice from the University of Exeter and a Bachelor in Journalism from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, academic training that informs her socially engaged approach to performance. Growing up in Hong Kong, Yoyo brings a unique multicultural perspective that makes her work both thought-provoking and emotionally engaging.
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