The Asian Australian narrative has existed since the Gold Rush era of the 1850s.
But unless we were watching SBS, current affairs or 'Masterchef', there has been little Asian representation across the media. It appears fitting then, that Queensland-bred siblings Benjamin and Michelle Law are changing up Australia’s perceptions using the art of conversation, the might of the pen and the way of the keyboard.
In 2019, Ben’s SBS family comedy ‘The Family Law’ reaches our TV screens for the third (and final) successful year running, while Michelle’s play ‘Single Asian Female’ returns to the La Boite Roundhouse Theatre for its second run in February.
In 2018, the Australian Human Rights Commission reported the face of Australian media is a 27-year-old white male who lives in Bondi, yet Australia’s identity actually owes a great deal to our Indigenous and Chinese population. Given Australia is the world’s most multicultural country, the face of Australia is becoming increasingly Asian, particularly Chinese and Indian – and it’s clear, the Australian storyline needs to start reflecting this. It’s only been in the last two years that ‘Fresh Off The Boat’ and 'Crazy Rich Asians’ have victoriously hit our TVs and silver screens. But it’s not for any lack of tales to tell, since Michelle Law believes there are plenty of Asian Australian stories out there for us all to discover.
“I have been really blessed to work with so many Asian Australians and Chinese Australians – specifically creatives – in the theatre and screen world,” Michelle points out. “There are all types of different stories: family stories, fantasy stories, glamorous high-end big blockbuster ideas. They’re all out there, but they haven’t been given a platform to be shown.”
The world evolves, presenting new stages and soapboxes to amplify Australians' uniquely authentic voices and stories. We are in a brave new world where words, more than ever, have power. And while both Michelle and Benjamin might stand quietly in the background, humbly owning Australia’s literary domain, it is in the Twittersphere where Michelle’s genuine dynamism prevails.
Nowhere was her eloquence more apparent than in 2017, when Australian Twitter sensationally exploded, following Men’s Rights Activists targeting West End’s Avid Reader Bookshop for stocking Clementine Ford’s controversial book, ‘Boys Will Be Boys’. As the hub of Brisbane’s local literary circle where such quietly luminous figures as Trent Jamieson, Krissy Kneen and more can be found simultaneously on the shelves and staffing the floor, Avid became the unforeseen – but in hindsight, entirely appropriate – battleground for an online gender and political war upon words. And at the forefront, Michelle and Benjamin laid down the Law for an unforgettable clash that assembled local support, national attention and five-star reviews across Facebook.
This was definitely a battle hard fought in the face of gender politics, where increasingly extreme right views continue to find a foothold among the legendary standards of Australian apathy. And who better to be ironically victorious in such literal bloodshed than an alternative and enlightened cultured countenance to the extreme right; that of a Sunshine Coast-bred, Chinese Australian female writer. Michelle tweets continue to permeate the digital world, ranging from musings on life hacks in general, to issues around the LGBTQ community, politics and feminism where she has purpose and remains unapologetically political – not to mention, poignantly hilarious.
Image © Dylan Evans
“I see it more as a space to have an open conversation that doesn’t descend into targeted personal violence,” Michelle notes. “It’s a space for open and kind conversation as well as sharing things that make you think and make you laugh; to stir general interest about things. People go there for different reasons,” she states. “But I go there for reading material, and to learn more about the world and other people’s experiences.”
While her words have laid claim with a very special omnipotence in Australian film, books and the stage, Michelle continues to wield incredible power and influence across social media. “I’m just part of a bigger conversation and community of people who are trying to pave the way for better things,” Michelle reflects, particularly on whether her words inspire a younger generation of Asian Australians; and more specifically, Asian Australian women. “It fills me with warmth. I’m honoured to be part of that community and movement,” Michelle says. “It was something I was searching for when I was their age.”
Unique personalities such as SBS Reporter and newly appointed face of NSW Transport Lee Lin Chin, Regurgitator’s Quan Yeomans and Celebrity Dr Cindy Pan once inspired a blossoming Michelle. But Asian faces still remain woefully represented in the stories that need to be told. So 'Single Asian Female' is one such story to highlight the Chinese Australian narrative, though it resonates deeply throughout every Australian home.
“I’m excited to see audiences who have already seen 'Single Asian Female' bring along others who haven’t,” Michelle muses on the return of the play she was commissioned by La Boite to write.
Premiering in Brisbane in 2017 followed by a stint in Sydney’s Belvoir Street Theatre to rave reviews and sell-out seasons, the work is groundbreaking, featuring three Asian Australians in lead roles. Certainly, it might appear hauntingly familiar as a family comedy, about a Chinese family set on the Sunshine Coast within their family restaurant. But it presents a refreshing perspective to the universal problems of family dynamics as gender, generational and cultural rifts continue to filter through the ages. Good stories are good stories at the end of the day, and the reason we as humans seek each other out to connect, in our atavistic yearning for nights around the fire.
The difference with 'Single Asian Female' this time around in 2019 sees Michelle stepping onto the stage and into the shoes of character Zoe Wong. Acting isn’t new for Michelle where she has previously cut her emotive teeth on independent theatre and SBS’s commissioned web series ‘Homecoming Queens’. Let us also not forget, Michelle is Benjamin Law’s younger sister: we’ve all watched 'The Family Law' and his success at turning his teenage years into musical theatre.
But while it’s one thing to create a character in your writer’s mind's eye, it’s altogether another to take that character to the stage. “In terms of getting on the stage and in front of people, I’ve acted before so it’s not something I’m too removed from,” Michelle notes. “I’m feeling good about that.” So whether from the theatre to behind the pen or on the screen, the media or Twitter, there is no doubt Michelle’s words will continue to raze the norms of conventional thinking.
“It’s because of the internet and social media, we finally have that voice – regardless of our background,” Michelle proclaims. “It’s been interesting to see that power shift. It’s now about people and their views, and those willing to share them with us. We all finally get to have a voice. And now, we’re all hearing them.”
