Slanted Theatre presents Dragon Tales, a captivating festival of new Asian-Australian works presented during the Lunar New Year.

This festival promises a unique blend of stories that traverse family ties, delve into the depths of the mafia, and confront the challenges of the entertainment industry. Presented by Slanted Theatre in partnership with National Theatre of Parramatta’s True West Program, Dragon Tales is a celebration of diverse voices and rich cultural narratives. Experience the vibrancy of Asian-Australian storytelling as we bring together tales that span generations and life experiences. Slanted Theatre has been a driving force in supporting Asian artists, fostering creativity, and breaking barriers in the theatre landscape. With over 120 artists involved in our productions over three years, Dragon Tales is a testament to our commitment to building a community where every voice is heard.

12 & 13 February | Raffertys Theatre, Riverside

According to legend, dragons are always the first to help others with their enormous strength and size, and in this spirit of fostering collaboration, the evening was a wonderful display of support and encouragement for these baby dragons about to hatch their stories into the world for the first time.

Sydney Theatre Reviews

Monday 12 February

noodle salad
Written by Eric Jiang
Directed by Monica Sayers
Performed by Jonathan Lim, Teik Kim Pok and Victor Xu
On the way to a Lunar New Year lunch, Dad asks the boys for a simple favour. Little do they know, the decision to eat a bowl of noodle salad will determine the fate of a family.

‘Copy That’ performed and written by Natalie Low

No More H*msworths
Written by Wern Mak
Directed by Nicole Pingon
Performed by Wern Mak, Rachel Seeto, Ryan Enniss, and Harry Stacey
Weizao Liang is what the industry calls an ‘Asian’ actor, trying to get some work and not cry. But it’s not as easy as he had hoped, especially when a certain Aussie icon and his family get involved. Will Weizao achieve the success he desires? Or will he take the phrase, ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ way too seriously?

Ballet Brown
Written by Michele Gould
Directed by Nicole Pingon
Performed by Skye Beker, Melissa Gan, Jasper Lee-Lindsay & Chemon Theys
Four “Brown Scholarship” students meet in the boarding room of their new dance school: Josie; a light-skinned Brown Scholar, Teneale; a brown-skinned Brown Scholar, Ryan; Josie’s handsome Asian boyfriend, and Shannon; herself a white-skinned Brown Scholar. Each of them has hard-earned their fully-funded training at this elite dance institution, but even though they all received the same scholarship, they each have different reasons for feeling like they don’t belong; here, or anywhere. As tensions rise, Josie must confront her true feelings for Teneale–who’s trying to live up to the impossible expectations of her community; Ryan unpacks his masculinity as a culturally emasculated Asian man in a feminised form, while Shannon needs to acknowledge her privilege, despite being as broke as the rest of them. Amidst intense training, rivalry, and heartbreak, they find themselves locked in a race for the illustrious ‘Model Brown Award’; a pivotal gateway, a chance for a coveted spot within their dream Ballet Company. There is–of course–a poignant twist: there is only one award.

Pending Payment
Written by Sonia Dodd
Directed by Dominique Purdue
Performed by Rachel Seeto & Mym Kwa
A Facebook Marketplace exchange where you get more than what you paid for; Harper and June are two strangers settling an online NutriBullet sale underneath the canopies of Sydney Park and unexpectedly embark on a wild emotional rollercoaster.

~ Tuesday 13 February ~

A Chinese Christmas
Written by Trent Foo
Directed by Adam Yoon
Performed by Hugo Liu, Tiang Lim, and Jolin Jiang
It’s Christmas Eve in Sydney, and Heepa is hosting Christmas for the first time. He’s decorated the tree with a variety of trinkets and memorabilia; each with its own memory attached. But when he’s visited by his many ancestors in the dead of night, gifts are given, stories are shared, and family past and present are honoured. A warm, nostalgic, and often silly collection of stories about a young man and his grandmother. Dedicated to my Paw Paw and anyone who struggles to feel like they belong.

The Birds and the Besties
Written by Marie-Jo Orbase
Directed by Dominique Purdue
Performed by Isabelle Nader & Marie-Jo Orbase
The Birds and the Besties is a comedic and relatable play that centres around the friendship of two women, Kat and Mena, as they navigate their different perspectives on sex, boyfriends, and desire. Through surrealist skits all taking place at a sleepover, they challenge each other’s beliefs and ultimately learn to embrace sexual liberation as a form of self-expression.

Australian Gangster
Written & Directed by James Hartley
Performed by Keiden Cheung, Mick Harris, Neil Parikh, and Natasha Cheng
‘Australian Gangster’ is a dark comedy that pokes fun at Australia’s obsession with all things American through the story of a young Australian Born Chinese man who steals a fake brick of cocaine. Bryan Choo desperately wants to be an American gangster. The only problem is he works at his dad’s Chinese restaurant in Emu Plains. When the local pub owner creates a fake brick of cocaine out of ground up kitty litter, Bryan decides to steal it and chase the Australian dream of becoming a gangster. Australian Gangster has all the cruel irony of a Martin McDonagh play populated with the idiot drug smugglers of a Guy Ritchie film.

Soy Sad
Written by Kevin Tran
Directed by Katie Ord
Performed by Jack Aldo
A lot of things are bottled. Water, juice, sauces and most importantly, emotions. Soy Sad explores the role of culture when it comes to legacies and the unexpected ways we can manifest the ultimate goal. A good cry.

Bin Room
Written by Serena Coady
Directed by Aileen Huynh
Performed by Monica Kumar & Cynthia Ng
Inside a bougie apartment in the eastern suburbs, the lives of two twenty-somethings take a surreal turn when they become prisoners inside the waste disposal room, otherwise known as, the bin room. To escape, they must unravel the mystery surrounding their closest friend—an enigmatic Japanese-Australian influencer whose dark secret is about to get her cancelled.

My Big Fat Asian Wedding
Written & directed by Eezu Tan
Performed by Susan Ling Young, Gerwin Widjaja, Melissa Gan & Keiden Cheung
My Big Fat Asian Wedding piece culminates in a Malaysian-Australian wedding where things go wrong. Family secrets spill, the wedding cake topples over, and a kidnapping happens.