Yong

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, whose 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 allows audiences 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.

Tour Dates

30 July – 4 August 2025
The Show Room, Arts Centre Melbourne

7 – 8 August 2025
Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat

12 August 2025
Riverlinks, Shepparton

18 – 19 August 2025
Bunjil Place, Narre Warren

20 – 21 August 2025
The Round, Nunawading

23 August 2025
Clocktower Centre, Moonee Ponds

26 August 2025
Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo

Please be advised that this production contains themes of parental death, racism and simulated violence. We recommend audiences consider these themes when deciding if the content is suitable for themselves and their families.

Age Recommendation: 10+