The Full Story
Wukong and Kong
Avignon OFF Festival 2026
Théâtre Au Bout Là-bas
23 Rue et Place Noël Antoine Biret,
84000 Avignon, France10–12
July 2026 | 22:05
Wukong and Kong tells the story of Wukong, a Chinese international student raised under the strict planning of his parents, as he struggles between love and control,dependence and self-discovery.
Inspired by Sun Wukong from Journey to the West, the production combines trational Chinese shadow puppetry with digital technology, creating a theatrical language where myth and reality intertwine. One of its distinctive features is the use of two parallel timelines, allowing the story to unfold through memory, imagination, and reality while gradually building suspense.
Starting from the experiences of East Asian families, Wukong and Kong opens a wider conversation about family relationships across cultures. It explores how love can become pressure, how protection can turn into control, and how different generations struggle to understand one another, inviting global audiences to reflect on affection, boundaries, growth, and reconciliation.
Rooted in the lived experiences of East Asian families, Wukong and Kong uses Chinese opera, shadow puppetry, and contemporary theatre to create a dialogue between parents and children, offering audiences a moment of reflection, healing, and reconciliation.———Director’s Note Yi Tang
Playing Wukong has been both meaningful and challenging for Yan Wu. He found a strong personal connection with the character’s journey of growing up, confronting family expectations, and searching for his own voice. The role also pushed him to explore traditional Chinese performance elements, including Chinese opera, shadow puppetry, and physical expression.
Through this process, Yan Wu gained a deeper understanding of the beauty and expressive power of Chinese traditional culture. As an actor developing his career in the UK, he hopes to continue exploring the meeting point between Eastern and Western performance languages, creating richer and more meaningful works for the contemporary stage.———Actor’s Note Yan Wu as Wukong
Production Company: Central Drama Lab
Founded in 2025, Central Drama Lab is a London-based cross-cultural arts organisation dedicated to bringing Chinese culture to the international stage through theatre, film, artistic collaboration, and talent development, while providing emerging artists with platforms to be seen, heard, and recognised globally.
Official Website: https://whyproductionhouse.org/
Artistic Director: Yi Tang
Acting Coach: Yitong Fu
Technical Director: Xiaoran Luo
