Inspired by the true story of Estee (known as Tae) Lee and written by her sister, shake & stir’ theatre co’s Artistic Director Nelle Lee, the show is a confronting and honest retelling of Tae’s journey from heartbreaking loss to a life full of adventure, success and love.

Paralysed in a car accident as a child, Tae has struggled to come to terms with her readjusted reality. Lying in her hospital bed after yet another spinal surgery, she questions what the future holds for her and her family.

Resigned to let go of her futile fantasies, in the play Tae’s world is suddenly flipped upside down by the loud and proud arrival of her Fairy Godmother – a fabulously flawed Drag Queen who helps her rewrite her reality.

Estee Lee said she’s humbled by her sister’s dedication to bring her story to life on stage, and having her own fairy godmother is a highlight.

“I mean we would all love to have a fairy godmother, but I look at it as symbolic of this journey that I’ve had, and not just me, but my family as well, that we’ve had to follow this path because if we didn’t then, well, it’s not the life we want,” Tae Lee said.

“This isn’t a story just about disability. This isn’t just a story.

“Yes, I have a disability. But my disability is really symbolic of challenge and it’s really symbolic of struggle. We all have challenges and struggles.

“The trajectory of life at the moment, whether it be mental health or family issues or any adversity that we need to bounce back from, I think that this is a show that really showcases the fact that we all have it in us, whatever we’re going through, whatever struggle we all possess that ability to bounce back.

“The thing I love saying at the moment is bounce back and learn to bounce forward.”

Tae Tae in the Land of Yaaas features a cast of well known Queensland faces such as Helen Cassidy and Johnny Balbuziente as well as internationally renowned Drag Queen Maxi Shield, who is well known from Ru Paul’s Drag Race. The show marks the professional debut for Maya Dove as Tae.

Nelle Lee – who also appears in the show – said she worked on the production jointly with Estee, to make sure it authentically told to her story.

“This project has been one of my most demanding undertakings to date, as it hits so close to home,” Nelle Lee said.

“My sister, Tae, has always been fabulous, and her uncanny ability to discover happiness in the unlikeliest of places has always left me in awe.

“It’s a heartening story, flitting back and forth between past and present, reality and imagination, traversing hospital wards and surreal realms.

“Theatre has the power to open our hearts to new perspectives – we set out to accomplish precisely that.”

Tae Lee, who has now started her own business focussed on public speaking and creating positive mindset, said seeing her sister transform her life to a piece of theatre was “a completely new world for me”.

“It’s so exciting. I’ve always been Nelle’s sister, and I’m shake and stir’s number one fan. I’m so proud of them and my little sister,” she said.

“I go to all their shows as many times as they’ll have me. But yeah, this one is really special.

“She was writing it and I just thought, there’s a drag queen, and my fairy godmother, I had no idea how she was going to write a show that incorporated humour and drama and elements of my life. I remember looking at Mum who’s going – how’s she doing it? I was like I don’t know mum – who knows?

“The bits about me, I think I’m pretty detached from, whether that’s the right word, I don’t know, but I live it. But the parts that really get me are what my family has gone through, what my Mum went through and what my sister went through. Because I’m such an empath, I think I just really feel their emotions. So yeah, it’s a pretty humbling experience.”

The company shake and stir tours extensively around Australia, but Nelle Lee said the stages of QPAC have a special familiarity and she’s thrilled they can debut the show in their hometown.

“We always feel a great sense of pride when presenting new Australian work, as it provides an opportunity to celebrate and promote rich cultural heritage and creative local minds,” she said.

Brisbane Festival Artistic Director Louise Bezzina is thrilled that shake & stir are once again featuring in the Festival program, particularly with this show as inclusion and diversity “are at the forefront and heart of everything we do”.

“We know Nelle, Ross and Nick always deliver the highest quality of work; last year we saw a sell-out season of Fourteen and Tae Tae in the Land of Yaaas! will be no different and is quintessentially shake & stir,” Bezzina said.

“This work is also extremely important to the Festival as we want to ensure we are a Festival for everyone.”

QPAC Chief Executive John Kotzas acknowledged shake & stir’s history of delivering heartfelt, meaningful productions that resonate with audiences over the past ten years.

“The messages in Estee’s story need to told, and we know that live performance is a powerful medium for people to learn, engage, and feel informed by the world around them,” Kotzas said.

“One of the reasons we’re always proud to present Brisbane Festival programs at QPAC is that we share a commitment to celebrating Queensland stories, artists and organisations and Tae Tae in the Land of Yaaas! is a wonderful example of this.”

Tae Tae in the Land of Yaaas! is recommended for audiences aged over 14 years of age as it contains coarse language, mature themes, infrequent sexual innuendo, simulated violence, depictions of domestic abuse and disability abuse.

The Brisbane Festival world premiere is on August 25 and the season continues until September 17 in QPAC’s Cremorne Theatre.