William Yang

William Young was born in North Queensland, Australia, in 1943. Forty years later he became William Yang. His show 'Sadness' documents the illuminating journey in which he rediscovers his Chinese heritage and comes to terms with the deaths of his friends through AIDS. Yang comes to recognise that that who you are depends not just on your sexuality or the work you do, but on where you come from, who your family is and who your friends are. 'Sadness,' a monologue with slides, was presented at the Green Room on Sunday 12 May as part of the 1996 season. There was an after show discussion. William Yang also worked together with Edwin Lung during the festival to create a new collaborative piece dealing with their different Asian backgrounds. The outcome was seasons in Australia and Britain to coincide with the 1997 Festival of Images. There were workshops with both William Yang and Edwin Lung on Wednesday 15 May and a discussion event on Sunday 19 May.

Related Material:For other material on Edwin Lung, please see M800/3/7/3/9; for other material regarding William Yang, see M800/3/8/3/12; M800/3/9/3/5; M800/3/9/1/3; M800/3/9/1/6; M800/3/9/1/27; M800/3/5/5/5/11; M800/3/5/5/5/17; M800/7/80; M800/8/43