Yong joins the VCE Playlist

We’re excited to share that Yong by Jenevieve Chang has been added to the 2025 VCE Playlist for Drama, the first Monkey Baa production to be included.

The VCE Playlist is a curated list of plays selected by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority for students studying Drama and Theatre Studies in Years 11 and 12. These are the works students can attend, analyse and explore as part of their senior assessments. Inclusion on the Playlist recognises the artistic and educational value of a production and it opens the door for more students and teachers to engage with the play.

Originally created for audiences in Years 5 to 8, Yong tells the story of a young boy who travels from China to the Ballarat goldfields with his father during the Australian Gold Rush. It’s a deeply human story about migration, family and finding your place in a new world.

“Yong is a universally resonant story about a young boy who must learn to step out of the shadow of other people’s expectations to find himself.” — Jenevieve Chang, Writer

While the play was made with younger audiences in mind, the themes at its core, identity, belonging and resilience, resonate strongly with older students too. Its addition to the VCE Playlist is a reflection of that, and an exciting next step in the life of the work.

We’re working with Arts Centre Melbourne to support the inclusion of a new classroom learning pack specifically designed for VCE Drama students. This resource will explore the production in more depth and offer creative ways for students to engage with the play in line with the curriculum. The Yong script will also be available to purchase soon.

We’re so proud to see Yong reaching new audiences and inspiring big conversations in the theatre and the classroom. We can’t wait to see how senior students across Victoria connect with the story in 2025.