Scenes from a Yellow Peril : A hard-hitting minefield of contemporary identity politics through an Asian lens
All images: Nathaniel Knight.
“The question isn’t ‘where are you from?’ but ‘why did you come here?’”
Nathan Joe, playwright, Scenes from a Yellow Peril.
Nathan Joe is an award-winning Chinese-New Zealand writer, actor and poet. Scenes from a Yellow Peril is his tribute to and his devastatingly accurate observation of the East-Asian New Zealand experience.
Notably, Scenes from a Yellow Peril is touted as being ‘less a play’ and steers clear of the norm with its raw, visceral fourteen original poetic scenes that are strung together to create a playful, discomfiting and provocative insight into racism and the universal themes of identity.
Presented by The Reaction Theory with BIPOC Arts Australia and the second play of the inaugural 2024 Queensland Theatre’s DOOR 3 season, Meeanjin was treated to an explosive night of theatre that transcends boundaries by inviting the audience to unpack how identity and culture translates within the context of both Australia and Aotearoa.
Following on from that mind-blowing night, NEHIB’s Writeousness was eager to delve deeper into the makings of this intriguing theatre work and spoke with three of the creatives involved in the production.
All images: Nathaniel Knight.
Co-director/producer Egan Sun-Bin is one half of The Reaction Theory (the other half being Chelsea August) which is an artistic collective that aims to elevate the voices of emerging artists aged eighteen to twenty-nine from all different backgrounds.
In line with The Reaction Theory’s mission, Sun-Bin says it’s important to elevate the voices of emerging artists in this specific age group because there is a need to be able to provide stories that not only appeal to a wider audience but also to offer opportunities for unrepresented artists to hone their craft and build a name for themselves.
Sun-Bin adds “It's linked to the common saying that 'theatre is dying.' Theatre isn’t exactly dying! It’s just inaccessible, especially for eighteen to twenty-nine year-olds.” In drama school an artistic director once told Sun-Bin that there would never be any roles for people his age in theatre. The director backed up his statement by adding that there are no characters or stories built for audiences and artists Sun-Bin’s age, so he should probably just wait until he’s thirty. “So, for us at The Reaction Theory, this conversation is, and always will be, about access and inclusion for both audiences and artists” he says pointedly.
“Theatre can only survive if we provide opportunities for the marginalised to be seen and heard. It's essential to develop platforms where artists can push boundaries and build careers, and cater to audiences who normally don’t get to see themselves represented and feel included” adds Sun-Bin.
When Sun-Bin first read Nathan Joe’s profound play, it struck him to his very core. “Because it was MY lived experience, I was dumbstruck to find the proper words. Nathan’s words were electrifying! As I continued reading, it put into context all the thoughts and feelings I’ve always wanted to scream out into the world about what it means to be Asian.”
When asked what he thinks the audience can learn from this production, Sun-Bin replied “I believe that what Nathan does is get audiences to open their hearts to the experiences of those who’ve been othered. To be vulnerable to the harsh effects of colonialism. To recognise themselves and their role in society when it comes to those who’ve been marginalised.”
Sun-Bin adds “Sure, you can say it’s a play about racism but it’s not necessarily an education piece about racism nor playing the blame game. There’s a literal scene called ‘How To End Racism’ and we never address how to end it! So I don’t think people will come out of the play and be free from racism, but I feel for some, they will be heard and for others, they will have the ability to see what we see.”
According to Sun-Bin, in the last four years, a lot has happened in Australia - a failed referendum, the death of a monarch and a pandemic, to name just a few. With the result that Australia has been culturally, politically, and financially challenged as a society resulting in a sort of halting of progress. “When change happens outside our control, our natural reaction is to seek security in what makes us feel safe. On the other hand, those who seek dissatisfaction with the status quo will fight for change. However, they become weary due to small incremental changes. Inevitably the question ‘is all of this fight even worth it?’ comes to the fore.”
Scenes From A Yellow Peril seeks to address this divide through conversations about the struggle for change. Sun-Bin, Joe and August discussed the concept of progress - how it’s an ongoing journey that can feel disheartening because it never truly ends. “As a result, it creates a sense of hopelessness and it feels like a lonely experience” he admits.
Sun-Bin says that the play is very relevant within the context of contemporary Australian society because it is a chance to unite and come together as a community. “As an artist, I hold a lot of union values. After everything we’ve endured, Chelsea and I knew this play, these words, are an attempt at solidarity, confronting the difficult conversations we’ve often set aside. Progress can only occur when we are open to it, and for Australia, this is the reminder that we need now more than ever” he adds knowingly.
All images: Nathaniel Knight.
Scenes from a Yellow Peril is described as being ‘an uncomfortable, playful and enlightening provocation on racism and privilege’. Performer Daphne Chen is compelling in her multi-faceted role embodying her characters with emotion, compassion, depth and a maturity that far belies her youth.
When asked if she found the dialogue challenging in any way, Chen replied “Yes! The dialogue in the play was challenging because it was designed to provoke thought and confront uncomfortable truths about racism and privilege.”
This experience has pushed Chen to delve deeper within herself, to reflect on her personal identity as an Asian woman living in a Western world, and how she has navigated through personal and professional settings up till recently. Chen also admits that she has never done a slam poetry style play and adds “The play was a fun challenge thanks to the playwright, Nathan Joe. It definitely pushed me to upskill my level in different rhythms and cadences of speaking and enunciating.”
The play is interspersed with Q&A segments where each cast member is tasked with replying to a question put to them by Chelsea August from The Reaction Theory. On the night that I attended, Chen was asked “Do you think we can fix racism?”
I was curious to find out Chen’s thoughts on this. “The simple answer is no, we cannot fix racism. While it might be comforting to believe that we can completely eradicate racism given its deep-rooted presence in societies, a simple search on Google will reveal a plethora of racist and harmful actions due to just existing.”
However, Chen believes that with continually addressing and challenging discriminatory practices, educating individuals and fostering inclusive communities like in this play, change will happen. “As a bonus you will find the human beings that love to love and do not view colour or ethnicity as a weakness but rather a strength” she adds brightly.
Chen agrees that her role has significantly enriched her experience as a performer, particularly as a person of colour in the arts. She says “Being a part of a diverse cast and team where I can safely share personal stories on stage has been invaluable, thanks to the supportive direction of Egan Sun-Bin and Chelsea August.”
Ultimately, it is through the diverse cast and team that Chen has been able to find her community as a performer, something that she had wished for this time a year ago. “Safe to say I have found my tribe! They have encouraged me as an artist to say what needs to be said in this predominantly white industry” adds Chen sagely.
All images: Nathaniel Knight.
Katrina Irawati Graham (Cultural Safety Advisor) is an ADG nominated director, a writer, facilitator, and activist who celebrates her Indonesian-Australian heritage. Graham champions diversity in the arts and is also the resident dramaturg with La Boite Theatre.
For the sake of context, Graham describes the role of a cultural safety advisor. “It’s a term coined by Maori nurses and midwives to describe the powerful work they were doing to ensure that Maori people were able to express their cultural birthing practices in pakeha created hospital systems.”
Graham continues “Cultural safety is important in our sector as well, precisely because we are cultural workers and narrative creators. The stories we tell have a broader impact. This is anti-racist work based on the human right to express our cultures.”
As a cultural safety advisor, Graham’s job is to work with the producer, cast and crew to facilitate that human rights are being met using the resources and capacity of the production.
Scenes from a Yellow Peril has been described as being imbued with ‘razor-sharp scenes that cut to the cultural quick’. Graham sees it as an anti-racist play thus necessitating the input and advice of a cultural safety advisor. “As soon as I read the script, I understood exactly why Egan asked me to come on board. The play spans the way racism distorts self image, reverberates within intimate relationships and has influenced collective experience across generations and lands.”
Furthermore, Graham says that Joe has created a play that is inherently full of danger because it talks about the myriad of ways that racism impacts Asian people living in white worlds. “Historically, people have literally been killed for broaching these conversations. So it was important to have conversations that ensured these fraught and painful spaces were navigated with care.”
Working with a cultural safety advisor for the first time, performer Daphne Chen noted the impacts this role has had in the development of Scenes from a Yellow Peril. “Katrina has been an integral part in navigating the emotional and mental aspects of creating such a revealing show.”
To ensure that cultural safety is adhered to and maintained, Graham brings a lot of herself to the table. She has, over years in this space, created a methodology that is both proactive and responsive blending anti-racist practices, high racial literacy and trauma informed care. “For this production, I started with frank conversations with Egan interrogating the risks and needs within the story, cast and crew and community. We considered what we could put in place to mitigate risks and meet needs. Crucially, Egan and Chelsea questioned their own power dynamics in their roles and consistently allocated access, space, time and resources to cultural safety. Believe me, this makes an enormous difference!”
Graham goes on to clarify that early on, she ran a workshop for the cast and crew to define and explain cultural safety. Sun-Bin then paid for Hue to run anti-racism training for everyone including QT staff. “This built a foundation of shared language and shared knowledge while increasing racial literacy. I also checked in with people and, working with the directors, made course corrections if we found needs weren't being met or new needs had emerged.”
The most important thing, says Graham, is that, once people know what it is to work on a culturally safe set, it becomes the standard by which other productions are held. “The knowledge remains embodied. Hopefully, that will help the work to enrich our sector long after our run ends” she adds.
Sun-Bin’s final summation of Scenes from a Yellow Peril?
“If we continue to invest in these spaces of access and inclusion, we will cultivate more artists and develop broader audiences, proving that theatre is for all. As you watch, get comfortable with being uncomfortable. This isn't for the faint of heart, but if you stay until the end, I promise you won’t feel alone.”
Scenes from a Yellow Peril plays 9-24 August 2024 at the Diane Cilentro Theatre, Queensland Theatre, South Brisbane.
