From the writer and actor of stage play Golden Blood, writer and actor Merlynn Tong (Top of the Lake, Reef Break, Golden Blood), comes another deep, layered and awesome stage play titled Congratulations, Get Rich!.

Playing at the Sydney Theatre Company (STC), the play tells the story about Mandy (played by Tong) and the opening of her karaoke bar. To celebrate, she’s hosting an Opening Night: Seventh Night of Chinese New Year aka Human Day Extravaganza. That is until the ghosts of her mother and grandmother show up and Mandy’s best laid plans are foiled. For better or worse, Mandy will need to forge her own future.

A very interesting premise and one which not only touches on themes of family and culture, but immerses audiences into the fantasy/spiritual world. Tong, spoke about these intertwining themes and elements, and spoke about why she wanted to tell this story which is a very personal one.

“When I was 14 years old, my mother took her own life, and I think that this traumatic life event has impacted on mine and my sister’s career, and what we have decided to do with it. For me this event has become a huge part of my own reckoning, and this will be there for my entire life”, Tong discussed in a recent interview with Being Asian Australian.

Being an autobiography and one which really exposes Tong’s family pain and struggles to the public. As Asians, traumatic events such as suicide, mental health and other things considered as “bad omens” are always hidden and seldom discussed outside the family. As personal and complicated Tong’s life experiences are, telling this story as a play is complicated and complex.

A story so layered and deep needs to be balanced out with the creative processes. For Tong, this was a challenge as she had to confront her own emotions when writing and performing this play and at the same time ensure elements of creative flair was evident.

“You know what? When I am in business meetings, I keep my emotions in check and behave as professional as possible. But on stage, I let all my emotions out as I feel this is the key to authentic acting and storytelling. As this is based on my own life, I know I can present this story with authenticity and hopefully move and change the perspectives of audiences”.

“When I am on stage, I really dive into my emotions and give audiences a full trajectory of my journey. That is what telling stories on stage is about and I hope I can do my own family story justice”, Tong passionately expressed.

Finally, what are Tong’s thoughts about Asian centred stories are NOT marketable in the Western market. This comes after Canadian actor Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) made social media posts calling out Hollywood industry for the lack of visibility of Asian actors in cinema. He said:

“Put some asians in literally anything right now. the amount of backslide in our representation onscreen is f**king appalling,” Liu shared on Threads. “Studios think we’re risky.”

“I have been following this, and the first thought that pops up is I want studios, networks and theatre companies to not resist us or see as a risky. Our Asian stories bring colour and diversity for all audiences, so there is no reason for the industry here in Australia or in Hollywood to see our stories as risky and not marketable”, Tong stated.

“Our stories are extremely powerful as it helps us de-clutter layers of our Asian identity. We need collective action for studios, networks and theatre companies to persist and tell these stories- to maintain the regular theatre audiences as well as create new audiences. Persistence and determination is what is needed to change these racial perspectives”.

You can still grab tickets to watch “Congratulations, Get Rich!” from the Sydney Theatre Company’s website and/or by clicking here.