STORIES THEN & NOW
Look deeper into the sensationalist news reports of people arriving by boat to Australian shores and you’ll find powerful and intimate stories about immigration.
Acclaimed artist William Yang and writer and broadcaster Annette Shun Wah direct Stories Then & Now, which brings six heart-wrenching personal journeys of contemporary Asian-Australians to the stage.
“This is not a history lesson,” says Annette Shun Wah.
“These stories connect deeply with personal experiences across several generations and multiple continents which are extremely relevant for modern Australians.”
The stories are from the conflict zones of China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Korea and Sri Lanka, to the seemingly superficial family squabbles of suburban Australia and reveal how the past has shaped the present.
Experience how war robs a father of his children, obliterates a young woman’s village and thwarts a young man’s aspirations. A heartbroken dancer buries her pain in burlesque; a young professional ‘outsources’ her quest for a husband; and a traveller finally embraces her cultural homeland.
These stories of determination, performed as monologues with rear projection, speak bravely of the challenges of finding your way in contemporary Australia. (CN)
May 22-25, Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh, $35, 8571 9099, ticketmaster.com.au
