Presented by The Reaction Theory and BIPOC Arts Australia, Nathan Joe’s Scenes From A Yellow Peril is a theatrical mosaic that pulses with passion, and a powerful commentary on the experience of trans-Tasman Asian identity. This is the second production in Queensland Theatre’s inaugural DOOR 3 program, which provides opportunities for Queensland-based theatre collectives to stage independent works in the Diane Cilento Studio. This production is co-directed and produced by Chelsea August and Egan Sun-Bin of The Reaction Theory, with co-producer Alyson Joyce (founder of BIPOC Arts Australia) and Associate Producer Jess Bunz.
Scenes From A Yellow Peril made its world premiere in 2022 at the ASB Waterfront Theatre in Auckland. Nathan Joe is a New Zealand playwright and poet of Chinese descent, and Scenes From A Yellow Peril is written in the context of his personal experiences and the cultural and colonial history of Aotearoa New Zealand, which closely aligns with Australia’s. Multiple languages, including Māori, were incorporated in the work, with a glossary of terms provided to the audience.
The playwright is also a performance poet and slam champion, and this was evident in the structure of the work. Scenes From A Yellow Peril bites into the rhythm and undulating energy of slam poetry, and Joe’s command of language and wordplay is sensational. Jazz Zhou delivered a particularly memorable monologue, with perfect enunciation despite the speed and complexity of the tongue-twisting script that seemed to swirl around her.
Structurally, Scenes From A Yellow Peril is a collage, with each scene flowing seamlessly into the next. This was true not only of Joe’s writing but of the way that sound, lighting, and actors wove the work together.
Scenes From A Yellow Peril deals with a broad range of themes, from cultural identity, colonisation and displacement, to objectification and fetishisation, domestic violence, and discrimination. It tackles topics from pornography to bubble tea, and intermingles them with all of the big human things that cross cultural boundaries – family, self, food, love, shame, sex, and hope. A recorded audio afterword from the playwright reflected on the work – the context in which it was created and first staged, the incremental rate of true change, and the experience of having the work staged again.
The content is heavy, and confronting in its direct address, but the show is far from bleak – the stage is alive with energy and there are plenty of humorous and tender moments that balance the tension and discomfort. Scenes From A Yellow Peril explores the ways in which racism shows up in small and large ways, from misguided comments to outright violence, and subverts or inverts stereotypes to deliver its message.
Co-director Egan Sun-Bin welcomed the audience, and introduced each of the performers – Daphne Chen, Chris Nguyen, Peter Wood, and Jazz Zhao. Q&A sections with the actors were interspersed, with Sun-Bin asking each actor a different question each time. He also advised the audience at the beginning that these questions changed each performance, and so the answers were unscripted.
The form of this piece is fluid, and the actors sometimes appeared as characters, as a chorus, or as themselves. The rapport and trust across the whole cast was evident in their easy banter and the personal vulnerability they each brought to the stage.
Sound design by Emma Burchell could be felt in the body, with bass notes that shuddered through the seats. Lighting design by Briana Clark added vibrant colour and emotion, and contributed to the smooth transitions between sections of the work. Costume design by Frances Foo used traditional silhouettes from each actor’s whakapapa, or heritage, and these were stripped away to reveal more contemporary clothing for the later portion of the work.
The simple, striking set designed by Alex Riley used two raised platforms, grounded in flowers, and a large white sail suspended above them on which video was projected. The Diane Cilento Studio is a wide performance space but this fixed stage design, combined with Clark’s lighting, ensured that the audience’s attention remained focused on the action taking place in the centre of the room.
Video designed by Imperfect Creatives was projected behind the action, from surtitles and images that contributed to the atmosphere and storytelling to shadows creating the effect of rippling movement in the sail.
Poetic, furious, personal, existential and seriously impactful, Scenes From A Yellow Peril is a complex collage of observations, declarations, and provocations that flow seamlessly together, staged and performed with emotion and exactitude. Simultaneously raw and highly refined, this production contributes to the resounding success of the DOOR 3 initiative in supporting high quality independent productions.
Scenes From A Yellow Peril will be performed at the Diane Cilento Studio, Queensland Theatre, South Brisbane, from 9 – 24 August 2024
For ticketing and further information, visit the Queensland Theatre website
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