The two plays examine modern teenage characters’ coming of age in contrasting ways. Magical Chairs, by Mary Mazzilli, has a post-modern setting and employs many thought provoking ideas inspired by absurdist theatre. There’s Only One Wayne Lee, by Roy Williams, revisits Britain’s immigrant experience in the 1970s.

 

“I think you can only fully understand the present by remembering the past”, Jonathan said when discussing Wayne Lee. The story follows the lives of Wayne, a bookish British Chinese teenager and his friend Carl, the British African Caribbean school football captain. Both boys are children of first generation immigrants who’ve come to the UK. Both are passionate about football and have innate talents and interests, but their respective nurturing and environments has made it challenging for them each to find their way forward.

 

Being a child of first generation immigrants himself, Jonathan found it easy to identify with Wayne, who also has aspirations towards the arts. But Jonathan feels Wayne’s experience is universal, and not just another stereotype of the ‘second generation’ British Chinese. For example, although Jonathan’s parents owned a Chinese restaurant just like many other 1960s immigrants, Wayne’s parents’ occupations are not specified or dwelled on and the focus is on Wayne’s common rite of passage growing up that anyone can relate to.

 

“One similarity that unites many migrant families is that they often are caught between two very different cultures, and parents and children have no role models to look up to”, Jonathan explains. The lack of successful diaspora figures particularly in the arts and media field is a problem not just for Wayne and Carl, but today’s young people too especially for the British Chinese.

 

“Of course today there are much more restrictions on using racist language, but a lot of the fundamental problems are the same as 30 years ago. In fact, while many young people of all backgrounds were encouraged by successful role models like Bruce Lee, David Yip and Jackie Chan, today’s British Chinese diaspora lacks such figures.” Jonathan believes that the problem is not one of talent: “Many British Chinese artists I currently work with including actor Chris Chan playing Wayne Lee are extremely talented. I’m not sure why we’re not receiving recognition and it seems even more difficult today. I wish I knew the answer.”

 

But not having a role model also forces young people to become stronger. Playwright Roy Williams recently argued in The Guardian newspaper: "Positive role models, of whatever colour, make dull characters because they don't really exist." Wayne Lee is inspired by and adapted from William’s play There's Only One Wayne Matthews! Although like Matthews starved of role models, Wayne Lee, his brother Dennis and Carl all have to become their own role models and fight their own ways.

 

Another theme reflected in Wayne Lee through Wayne and Carl’s relationship is friendship across different cultures. Living in cosmopolitan London, Jonathan certainly finds this true of his own experience. He is very proud that Lumenis Theatre is giving the opportunity for this cross cultural experience that is rarely portrayed in our arts and media an international platform. Indeed this may be the first time a diaspora Chinese story from Britain is presented in China.

 

When asked if the two boys find their ways as the play concludes, Jonathan laughed: “I guess you have to come and see for yourself!” But he also mentions both plays pose this question for the audience themselves to explore, adding that in Wayne Lee the boys ultimately remain hopeful. Indeed the approach in this double bill in looking at young people’s experiences growing up in an unexpected and oblique way is similar to the way Jonathan’s last show with Lumenis Theatre Old Bags explored the themes of dementia and old age, which was presented at New Wimbledon Studio last October.

 

Jonathan is also proud to point out that Lumenis Theatre is the first UK company to be programmed at the Beijing International Fringe Festival, and the Magical Chairs and Wayne Lee double bill will be performing there this September 16th to 18th. In fact this will be one of the very first times experimental and intercultural plays by living playwrights from Britain will be shown in China.

 

He said: “Often British plays shown in China are quite mainstream, but Britain is so diverse and what’s shown in plays like Magical Chairs and Wayne Lee reflects a truer aspect modern of Britain. This is a slice of the real UK. We should celebrate it.”