Monkey Baa presents a brand new work, YONG

In partnership with Her Majesty's Ballarat and Bendigo Venues and Events, Monkey Baa has announced the premiere of our brand-new, original Australian play.

Based on Janeen Brian's young-adult novel 'Yong: The Journey of an Unworthy Son', Monkey Baa's Artistic Director Eva Di Cesare has assembled an extraordinary creative team to translate the semi-fictional, historically significant story to the stage.

From a boyhood in 1850's provincial China, 13-year-old Yong's life trajectory is changed forever when his father forces him to travel to Australian goldfields with the lure of securing the family's fortune. After surviving a treacherous sea journey, Yong's party are abandoned far from their destination and must walk the 400 kilometres from Robe, South Australia to Ballarat, Victoria.

Mixing historical fact and narrative fiction, Yong gives audiences the opportunity to contemplate this experience through the eyes of a young person. The arduous physical journey is mirrored by Yong's emotional journey as he struggles to fulfil his family duty, matures through boyhood, 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" and describes the piece "as a love letter to his father".

"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".

Jenevieve Chang

James Browne's theatrical, masterful set combines clever details and AV elements, Max Lambert's original music (including the voices of local Ballarat singers), with Zac Saric's sound design and
Ben Brockman's lighting transport audiences East to West, across time and place.
NIDA-graduate, Wern Mak is extraordinary as the sole performer, moving between multiple characters. Mak succinctly captures the essence of the work:
"[Yong is] not just about a Chinese boy coming to Australia, it is about a young person growing up, discovering themselves and who they are".

A sprawling, timeless, coming-of-age story, whilst set in the time-period, Yong is not a period piece. Monkey Baa's latest offering has been created with the sensibilities of a contemporary young audience at its heart.

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