Make Me Better Ma | Jazz Zhao

Own your story, your trauma, the shame around it – all the darkness that has made you strong, and amazing and who you are. (Jazz Zhao)

Make Me Better Ma by Jazz Zhao was just one of the several fabulous shows on offer at this year's Backbone Youth Arts Festival line-up. 

After having watched Zhao’s impressive performance in Scenes from a Yellow Peril where she was part of a talented ensemble cast who each played several roles, I jumped at the opportunity to review the reading of her debut one-woman show.

All images: Georgia Haupt

The Ron Hurley Theatre nestles within the Seven Hills Hub precinct—a welcoming, light-filled venue dedicated to highlighting works by emerging artists. The stage design was simple: colourful rugs dotted the floor. A brightly designed tablecloth covered a lone, bare table. Two microphones, two music stands and two chairs set apart from each other made up the remaining stage set-up. 

Chelsea August (director) and Katrina Irawati Graham (dramaturg) entered the space to explain that the protagonist (Jazz Zhao) was running behind schedule. The pair introduced themselves and proceeded to give the audience a teaser-taster of what was about to unfold, when the aforementioned protagonist burst into the space, apologising profusely for being late. Zhao’s unusual entrance was met with genuine laughter. 

Casually dressed in a floral over-sized hoodie, track pants and Doc Martens, Zhao took centre stage behind the microphone/music stand while August occupied the chair behind the second set-up. Zhao’s play reading was about to take off—a sneak peek of her script which has been 13 years in the making!

Working in tandem, August accompanied Zhao as they read from the prepared scripts—August highlighting the timeline while Zhao relayed her tumultuous years as the child of a Chinese “Tiger Mother”. 

It takes bravery and guts to expose your vulnerability while laying bare your truth, trauma, and shame in public. We were dealt blow after intense blow as Zhao related her lived experiences: her mother’s relentless pursuit to ensure she achieved the highest accolades in playing the piano; the intense bullying levelled at Asians that she experienced at school (food being at the forefront); the shame associated with being an Asian in (white) Australia; the bombshell revelation of not knowing who her biological father is; her Chinese stepfather’s physical abuse to rid her of her shame in bed-wetting, and her mother’s silence that condoned this abuse. Zhao delivered her heartrending script with aplomb and candour that far belied her youth.

All images: Georgia Haupt

Zhao’s mother constantly reminded her that she was never to do three things: don’t sell your body, don’t do drugs, don’t get pregnant. She defied her mother and proceeded to do all three! She related with honesty the sordidness of being a sex worker, her naivety when dabbling in drug use, and the indignity of having to confront an unwanted pregnancy followed by an ensuing abortion. Throughout her reading, Zhao’s vulnerability was palpable, permeating the theatre space with its rawness and authenticity and yet still encouraging laughter from the audience – the darkness of which was not lost on this audience member. 

That lone table mentioned earlier became a prelude, a shrine of sorts, upon which Zhao added objects that represented the timeline of events as they unfolded: a cuddly toy representing Milo, her imaginary cat to whom she dedicated her journals; a skimpy outfit denoting her sex work, displayed provocatively on an easel; a framed photograph of a pretentious Chinese family; and a pair of chopsticks resting atop a small food bowl.These innovative props were used to keep track of Zhao’s tempestuous upbringing and resultant rebellion.  

It takes flair, confidence and self-belief to maintain the rhythm and flow of a one-woman show—aka play reading—and Zhao excelled in her delivery. Her facial expressions, intonations, body language, and tonal inflections imbued her script with deeper, layered nuances, brought to life onstage by the important dramaturgy and cultural safety protocols implemented by Graham, who supported Zhao to tell her story in her own words. 

Emma Burchell’s sparse soundscape/pre-recordings enhanced Zhao’s autobiographical play reading and amplified her coming-of-age struggles and teenage rebellion years. 

A check revealed that the theatre was filled with Millennials and Generation Z, except for this lone Baby Boomer. On deeper reflection, Make Me Better Ma is not only about rebellious daughters; for this Baby Boomer, it made me ponder my role as a mother of two Millennials. Being a migrant myself—a mother who had no support system in place or blueprint to go by—it made me question my parenting skills . What I do know is that I always did and still do remind my two Millennials of how much I love them. Throughout the unfolding of Zhao’s autobiography, I noted how extremely sad it was that this wholesome, vibrant young woman was never told that she is loved. 

Zhao’s ‘unapologetically unashamed’ one-woman show deserves to be funded and eventually staged because of its redemptive, restorative truth-telling prowess. Here’s why: her visceral script is not only an ode to her restrictive upbringing, but also to the mothers who unknowingly participated in this restriction while remaining oblivious to the trauma they have inflicted. 

Kudos to Zhao for being brave enough to shine her light where there is darkness.

Make Me Better Ma played at The Ron Hurley Theatre, Seven Hills Hub, 28 Tallowwood Street, Seven Hills on Saturday 18th and Saturday 25th of October 2025.