The question of identity is one which has complex layers, and when you are of Asian background but was born and/or raised in a society like Australia – the questions of where you belong and who you truly are as a person will come up at specific times in your life.

This is why theatre performances such as this one and the creative space is so important in exploring complex issues such as one’s identity and cultural understanding.

Scenes From A Yellow Peril is the concocting of fourteen scenes brought together to unpack the Asian experience in a western context.

“It was important for us to bring this show into Australia from its Aotearoa, New Zealand roots due to the relationship we have as neighbouring countries, and as Asians from both countries we do share similar experiences”, Co-Director and Producer Egan Sun-Bin discussed in a recent interview with Being Asian Australian.

Performed as a series of insights rather than a traditional play, Scenes From a Yellow Peril provides an eye-opening look at racism and privilege and exposes the reality of what it means to have an Asian identity in both Australia and Aotearoa, New Zealand – pretty much what Sun-Bin stated.

Why is it so important to tell a story which touches on the issue of identity? The answer is because one’s identity is complex and layered. How one individual sees their identity will differ from another individual. These complexities are not easily discussed, and this is why the arts and the creative space are so critical in helping individuals explore and try to understand their identity and find where they belong.

These themes are explored in Scenes From A Yellow Peril, with actress Jazz Zhao exploring her own Asian Australian identity.

“As one of the cast members and as an actor, I explore my own heritage in this play. What is significant is that for once we are proud of our heritage and sending out the message to the audience that we are okay being who we are and being in an Asian body”.

“For me, I think this is a very special place to be and I would say this is the same for the rest of the cast members. In addition to heritage, this play also explores issues of racism we as Asians face in Australia”, Zhao passionately stated.

It is so fitting that this play is being performed in Queensland. For those who are in the know and have interest in Australian politics – the majority of Australian politicians who the court of public opinion deem as spouting racist narratives all hail from Queensland.

Despite this fun fact (if you can call it that), Queensland has a long history with Asians and is now a bustling melting pot of many cultures – with a fast increase of Asian communities settling and calling Queensland home. This is why both Co-Directors/Producers Sun-Bin and Chelsea August wanted to bring this play to Queensland.

“The original playwright Nathan Joe who is Chinese New Zealander came to Australia for the development of this play. We were all able to sit down and analyse this story and figure out how to re-contextualise specific terms or cultural references that an Australian and more specifically a Queensland audiences would understand”, August stated.

“It was important to live up to Joe’s story and at the same time allow the actors and the story tell its own truths – which makes this play very authentic and raw in many ways”.

Sun-Bin echoed what August said and added that his vision was to make this raw, real and at the same time not deviate too much from Joe’s story as the play he wrote was spot on when talking about lived experiences of racism.

“This was definitely not an easy play and story to tell, but so important and rewarding. Working on this as a co-director I came to the conclusion that we do not need to apologise for anything and we have to tell this story as authentically as possible. We need to tell this story and be proud of what our communities have achieved in Australia”.

Zhao, was so inspired by the story Joe wrote and realised that a lot of the themes presented in this play reflected a lot of her own lived experiences of racism in Australia. Playing a character which reflects many lived experiences is a lot to take on.

Zhao discussed this and stated that it is always important for her to balance playing characters and acting in scenes where the topic is heavy and adding her own creative processes.

“This is a good question. I think what really got me through was the process of working with the directors, who ensured that my creative processes came through and at the same time provide a lot of cultural safety- via Katrina Irawati Graham who was the ‘Cultural Safety Consultant’. She is basically the person we were able to go to and talk when we felt unsafe”.

“Personally, I feel so grateful that she was there and that this support was provided to us who were involved in the play. It also really increased my understanding about the racism we all have experienced”.

You can check out Scenes From A Yellow Peril at the Queensland Theatre which starts in August (9-24). Click here for the link to book or go to this link: https://queenslandtheatre.com.au/plays/scenes-from-a-yellow-peril.

The play also recently just finished its run at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, with awesome reviews coming out.

Here are some of the reviews from people who went and have checked it out already.

“BIPOC people sometimes go as expected as to play ‘not emotional not angry black or Asian woman’. But the manifesto introduced in the play really pushed us to make our own manifesto. Standing up for ourselves.”

“It simply was the play that resonated with my own experience being Asian in Canada and Australia”.