Yong

A storm rages. Thunder cracks, the wind a mournful howl, rain falls and waves crash.The wooden boat bucks and heaves. Yong holds on tight. He looks up at the moon and thinks of home.

Set against the backdrop of the Australian Goldrush of 1857, Yong is a new Australian play by Jenevieve Chang about family and honour and what drives people to leave their homeland in search of something better. Mixing historical fact and narrative fiction, Yong takes us on a journey across land and sea, from China to the goldfields of Australia.

 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. 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.

The production of Yong is based on the book, Yong: the journey of an unworthy son by Janeen Brian.

"Yong is a universally resonant story about a young boy who must learn to step out of the shadow of other people’s expectations to find himself. It is about what it means to be a son, what it takes to be a parent, and the push and pull of community."

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Monkey Baa is Australia’s widest-reaching touring company for young audiences. Over 26 years, the company has conducted over 29 national tours to 135 regional and remote communities across Australia, undertaken 5 international tours, delivered 4,000 performances, and engaged with over 1.5 million young people!

Monkey Baa’s mission is to create, present and share uniquely Australian stories that embrace social and cultural connectivity, celebrate Australia’s rich cultural heritage, challenge and inspire. By touring its award-winning productions and high-quality education programs, the company strives to ensure that young people, wherever they are located and whatever their economic circumstances, have the opportunity to share in fantastic theatre experiences that reflect their own lives.

"Directing Yong is an incredibly personal experience for me. I deeply feel the emotions and truth in Yong and a son who wants to prove himself to his father. ”