'Ken, a middle-aged Chinese engineer arrives in Australia with a fake identity on a holiday working visa. He has big dreams of wealth to be made for the benefit of his family. But his arrogance makes him a target at work. Racial tension emerges as xenophobic Red and Ken try to reconcile their differences. His imminent visa expiry forces him to enrol in a communication course at TAFE, an alternative plan to gain employment with a multinational company on returning to China.
'Meeting Julia, his communication teacher shifts his quest to embracing life. The Red-Ken friendship chips off the fossils in Ken’s heart – Julia’s love penetrates it. Ken’s Quest gives insight into migrants’ frustrations over work place dynamics, under employment, discrimination and alienation. It exposes Australians’ fear of displacement. ' (Publication summary)
'“Six months and then my temporary working visa expires. Half a year to achieve my quest to have my engineering degree recognised by the Australian government, to become wealthy, to be able to bring my abandoned family here to this bloody country – I Am No Closer To Achieving My Goal Than The Day I Arrived Six Months Ago…”
'Cultures clash, friendships are formed, lovers meet, ambitions are foiled, abalones are eaten, in this hugely entertaining adaptation of Cher Chidzey’s novel by award winning theatre maker Adam Cass.'
Source: La Mama Theatre.
