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Vigil Service and Funeral Mass for Iluminado “Nomie” Sangalang

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Iluminado "Nomie" Sangalang and his wife Herminia during their trip to New York over Thanksgiving. Photo courtesy of Minerva Sangalang-Eshabarr

Iluminado “Nomie” Sangalang and his wife Herminia during their trip to New York over Thanksgiving. Photo courtesy of Minerva Sangalang-Eshabarr

Iluminado “Nomie” Sangalang passed away peacefully November 29, 2015 at the age of 74. Beloved husband of Herminia Sangalang; loving father of Minerva Sangalang-Eshabarr, Rosanna Sangalang and Bernadette Sangalang; grandfather of Julius Eshabarr.

Iluminado worked at Grand Hyatt San Francisco for 30 years until he retired in 2004. He was a dedicated and loving husband, father, grandfather and friend, always making us laugh.

Friends and family may visit Thursday, December 3, 2015 from 4-9pm and are invited to attend the Vigil Service Thursday at 7pm at Duggan’s Serra Mortuary, 500 Westlake Ave, Daly City. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday December 4, 2015 at 12pm at St. Anne of the Sunset Church, 850 Judah St, San Francisco. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma.

Peaches in Raindrops Sacred Lotus © Lia Chang

Peaches in Raindrops Sacred Lotus © Lia Chang

Vigil Service: 4pm until 9pm
Duggan’s Serra Mortuary
500 Westlake Avenue
Daly City, CA 94014
(650) 756-4500

Friday, December 4
Funeral Mass at 12pm
St. Anne’s Church
850 Judah Street (between Funston Avenue & 14th Avenue)
San Francisco, CA 94122

Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma
1500 Old Mission Road
Colma, CA US 94014

Click here for more information.

 



In Rehearsal with Garth Kravits, Wayne Wilcox, Whitney Bashor, Maggie Lakis, Brandon Ellis and Kevin Pariseau of Bucks County’s ‘IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY’

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Brandon Ellis, Garth Kravits, Wayne Wilcox, Maggie Lakis, Whitney Bashor and Kevin Pariseau. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Brandon Ellis, Garth Kravits, Wayne Wilcox, Maggie Lakis, Whitney Bashor and Kevin Pariseau. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

The cast of Bucks County Playhouse’s production of the popular holiday classic, It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play by Joe Landry, is currently in rehearsals with Hunter Foster at the helm, at Playwrights Horizons in New York. The show will run at Bucks County Playhouse (70 S. Main Street, New Hope, PA), December 11 – 27, 2015.

Photos by Mandee Kuenzle

Hunter Foster and Jennifer Cody. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Hunter Foster and Jennifer Cody. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, inspired by the classic Frank Capra classic film of the same name, features musical staging by Jennifer Cody. Performed as a 1940s live radio broadcast in front of a “studio audience,” It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play tells the story of idealistic George Bailey as he considers his demise one fateful Christmas Eve. The story comes to captivating life with the help of an ensemble that brings over two dozen characters to the stage. Landry’s adaptation premiered in 1996 in Stanford, CT and has since been produced countless times around the country to critical acclaim – including at Bucks County Playhouse in December 2012 under the direction of Gordon Greenberg with musical staging by Lorin Latarro.

Whitney Bashor and Wayne Wilcox. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Whitney Bashor and Wayne Wilcox. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play features Wayne Wilcox as Jake Laurents (Broadway: The Normal Heart, CW’s Gilmore Girls), Brandon Ellis (Broadway: Company, Once, and Off-Broadway: Balls…The Musical?) as Harry “Jazzbo” Heywood, Maggie Lakis as Lana Sherwood (National Tour: Avenue Q, Off-Broadway: Allegro), Whitney Bashor as Sally Applewhite (Broadway: The Bridges of Madison County), Kevin Pariseau as Freddie Filmore (Broadway: Legally Blonde the Musical) and Garth Kravits (Broadway: The Drowsy Chaperone) as Butch Popkins/ Foley Artist/Sound Effects Guy.

Garth Kravits. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Garth Kravits. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Kevin Pariseau is the production’s musical director. The production team includes set design by Rob Bissinger, lighting design by Robert Denton, costume design by Nicole V. Moody and sound design by Matthew Given. It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play is produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc.

Kevin Pariseau. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Kevin Pariseau. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Maggie Lakis and Garth Kravits. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Maggie Lakis and Garth Kravits. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Bucks County Playhouse will offer discounted preview performances of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play on Friday, December 11 at 8 pm and Saturday, December 12 at 2 pm. Tickets to preview performances are only $30. Opening night is Saturday, December 12 at 7:00 pm. The Playhouse is also offering a special matinee performance discount for Christmas Week performances. All tickets in the mid-orchestra (blue section) are $40 for 2 p.m. performances on December 22-24. Santa Claus will be in the lobby before the show to greet those attending the performance.

Maggie Lakis, Brandon Ellis, Wayne Wilcox and Whitney Bashor. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Maggie Lakis, Brandon Ellis, Wayne Wilcox and Whitney Bashor. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

The production will play the following schedule: Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (note: there is 7:30 performance on December 16), Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. There is no evening performance on Christmas Eve and no performances on Christmas Day. For full details, and to purchase tickets, please visit buckscountyplayhouse.org or call 215-862-2121.

Maggie Lakis, Brandon Ellis, Wayne Wilcox and Whitney Bashor. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Maggie Lakis, Brandon Ellis, Wayne Wilcox and Whitney Bashor. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Garth Kravits. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Garth Kravits. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Garth Kravits, Kevin Pariseau, Whitney Bashor, Maggie Lakis, Brandon Ellis, Wayne Wilcox. Photo by Joanna Muhlfelder

Garth Kravits, Kevin Pariseau, Whitney Bashor, Maggie Lakis, Brandon Ellis, Wayne Wilcox. Photo by Joanna Muhlfelder

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.comJade Magazine and Playbill.com.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com


Photos: Broadway’s SCHOOL OF ROCK opens Dec. 6; Original Cast Recording Now Available

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Alex Brightman and the adult ensemble of School of Rock - The Musical. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Alex Brightman and the adult ensemble of School of Rock – The Musical. Photo by Matthew Murphy

School of Rock – THE MUSICAL has been in session since beginning previews at the Winter Garden Theatre (1634 Broadway) on November 9th and will open on December 6th. Tickets for School of Rock – The Musical are on sale via Telecharge.com or by calling 800-447-7400.

Alex Brightman and the kids of School of Rock - The Musical. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

Alex Brightman and the kids of School of Rock – The Musical. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

Based on the smash hit 2003 film, SCHOOL OF ROCK – THE MUSICAL follows Dewey Finn, a failed wannabe rock star who decides to earn a few extra bucks by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. Completely disinterested in academic work, Dewey decides to create his own curriculum, turning his class into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band.

Alex Brightman and the kids of School of Rock - The Musical. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

Alex Brightman and the kids of School of Rock – The Musical. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

School of Rock – THE MUSICAL features music from the movie, as well as an original score by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Glenn Slater, with a book by Julian Fellowes and direction by Laurence Connor.

Alex Brightman and Sierra Boggess. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Alex Brightman and Sierra Boggess. Photo by Matthew Murphy

The cast stars Alex Brightman as “Dewey Finn” and Sierra Boggess as “Rosalie Mullins,” Spencer Moses as “Ned,” Mamie Parris as “Patty,”Evie Dolan as “Katie,” Carly Gendell as “Marcy,” Ethan Khusidman as “Mason,” Bobbi MacKenzie as “Tomika,” Dante Melucci as “Freddy,” Brandon Niederauer as “Zack,” Luca Padovan as “Billy,” Jared Parker as “Lawrence,” and Isabella Russo as “Summer.” The adult ensemble includes Natalie Charle Ellis, Emily Cramer, Alan H. Green, Michael Hartney, John Hemphill, Merritt David Janes, Lulu Lloyd, Jaygee Macapugay, Cassie Okenka, Patrick O’Neill, Tally Sessions, Jesse Swimm, Jonathan Wagner, and Jeremy Woodard. The children’s ensemble includes Taylor Caldwell, Ava Della Pietra, Jeffrey Samuel Kishinevskiy, Sofia Roma Rubino, Jersey Sullivan, Hayden Wall, Corinne Wilson, and Shahadi Wright-Joseph.

Alex Brightman and the kids of School of Rock - The Musical. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

Alex Brightman and the kids of School of Rock – The Musical. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

School of Rock features choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter, Scenic and Costume Design by Anna Louizos, Lighting Design by Natasha Katz, Sound Design by Mick Potter, Comedy Direction by Cal McCrystal, and Music Supervision by Ethan Popp.

Alex Brightman and the kids of School of Rock - The Musical. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

Alex Brightman and the kids of School of Rock – The Musical. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

Produced by Paramount Pictures, the 2003 film was directed by Richard Linklater and starred Jack Black in a career-defining performance. The film received universal critical acclaim and was hailed by The New York Times as an “irresistible comic postscript to the rock revolution.” The film went on to gross more than $130 million worldwide.

Evie Dolan and Alex Brightman. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Evie Dolan and Alex Brightman. Photo by Matthew Murphy

School of Rock – The Musical follows Dewey Finn, a failed wannabe rock star who decides to earn a few extra bucks by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. Completely disinterested in academic work, Dewey decides to create his own curriculum, turning his class into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band.

Alex Brightman, Dante Melucci, and Evie Dolan. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Alex Brightman, Dante Melucci, and Evie Dolan. Photo by Matthew Murphy

The Original Broadway Cast Recording for School of Rock – The Musical has been released, featuring a new score by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Glenn Slater, along with three songs from the immensely popular 2003 film. Three-time Grammy Award-winner Rob Cavallo, who has worked with Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Goo Goo Dolls, Phil Collins, andGary Clark Jr., produced the album along with Lloyd Webber. Click here to purchase the CD.

The Children's Ensemble of School of Rock - The Musical. Photo by Matthew Murphy

The Children’s Ensemble of School of Rock – The Musical. Photo by Matthew Murphy

School of Rock-The Musical is produced on Broadway by Andrew Lloyd Webber for The Really Useful Group, Warner Music Group & Access Industries, The Shubert Organization, and The Nederlander Organization. Nina Lannan and Madeleine Lloyd Webber serve as Executive Producers.

Sierra Boggess and the kids ensemble of School of Rock - The Musical

Sierra Boggess and the kids ensemble of School of Rock – The Musical. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Evie Dolan, Alex Brightman, and Brandon Niederauer. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Evie Dolan, Alex Brightman, and Brandon Niederauer. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Jaygee Macapugay set for Broadway Debut in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s SCHOOL OF ROCK-THE MUSICAL

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.comJade Magazine and Playbill.com.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com


Nicky Paraiso’s ‘Christmas in Nickyland’ at The Club at La MaMa, Dec. 19 – 20

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nickylandbannerfinal-1050x380Just in time for the holidays, La MaMa presents Nicky Paraiso as the master of ceremonies for the ultimate holiday cabaret, Christmas in Nickyland at The Club at La MaMa (74a East 4th Street, 3rd fl.), for two performances only – Saturday, December 19th at 10:00PM and Sunday, December 20th at 6:00PM. Each night there will be a holy host of characters singing, dancing, gender-bending, and merry making in the intimate 99-seat cabaret space, all to get you into the East Village spirit of the season. Special guest artists TBA. Buy your tickets early, there are limited $10 tickets available for every performance in The Club! Click here for tickets.

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.comJade Magazine and Playbill.com.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com


Olivia Oguma, Annie Dow, Emma Ramos, Emma Galvin, Stephanie Hsu and Forrest Malloy set for Project Y Theatre Company’s reading of Lauren Yee’s ‘Hookman’ on Dec. 6

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Olivia Oguma

Olivia Oguma

Project Y Theatre Company is presenting a free reading of Lauren Yee’s Hookman, directed by Lee Sunday Evans on Sunday, December 6th at ART/NY Bruce Mitchell Room, 520 8th Avenue, 3rd Floor, at 7:15PM as part of its Parity Plays: 50% (or more!) women in casting reading series.

The cast includes Olivia Oguma, Annie Dow, Emma Ramos, Emma Galvin, Stephanie Hsu, and Forrest Malloy.
Synopsis: Freshman year at college is hard when your roommate is weird, you’re feeling homesick, and a hook-handed serial killer is slashing girls’ throats. But if Lexi can discover what really happened to her high school best friend on that car ride to the movies, everything will be okay. In this existential slasher comedy, Lexi and her friends learn what it means to grow up – and it’s not pretty.

Check out the website for playwright Lauren Yee
Check out the website for director Lee Sunday Evans

Project Y produces world premieres and New York premieres of new plays every season, and also offers readings, workshop productions, and more.  In addition, the Project Y Playwrights Group is a selective playwrights’ workshop that meets twice a month to read and discuss new work.

PARITY PLAYS READING SERIES

Plays with great roles for people… who happen to be women.

In the interest of increasing gender parity in the theatre, Project Y presents Parity Plays, a reading series of plays with 50% or more female casts, and focusing on female playwrights.

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.comJade Magazine and Playbill.com.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com


Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race at Columbia University is presenting ‘Colors of Confinement: Rare Kodachrome Photographs of Japanese American Confinement in World War II’; A Conversation between David Henry Hwang and George Takei about Broadway’s ‘Allegiance’ on Dec. 7

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PrintCenter for the Study of Ethnicity and Race at Columbia University is presenting Colors of Confinement: Rare Kodachrome Photographs of Japanese American Confinement in World War II, an extremely rare collection of color photographs of the lives of Japanese Americans behind barbed wire between 1943 and 1944 shot by Bill Manbo, a Japanese American inmate, at the Gallery at the Center, Columbia University, Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race, Columbia University, 420 Hamilton Hall in New York. The exhibition of photos will be on view through May 12, 2016.

David Henry Hwang. Photo by Lia Chang George Takei. Photo by Lia Chang

The opening reception in on Monday, December 7, 2015 at 6:00PM, and will be followed by a conversation between Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang and Star Trek‘s George Takei, who will talk about Allegiance the new Broadway musical that Takei is currently starring in opposite Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, Telly Leung and Michael K. Lee. Allegiance is the vibrant and unforgettable story of one family’s resilience in the face of seemingly-insurmountable odds, inspired by Takei’s real-life experience as a Japanese American during World War II. The talk begins at 7:30PM at 602 Hamilton Hall.

Lea Salonga, George Takei, Telly Leung, Michael K Lee and cast. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Lea Salonga, George Takei, Telly Leung, Michael K Lee and cast. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Broadway’s ‘Allegiance’ to Record Cast Album on Dec. 7

In 1942, Bill Manbo, pictured, and his family were forced from their Hollywood home into the Japanese American internment camp at Heart Mountain in Wyoming. Copyright 2012 Takeo Bill Manbo

In 1942, Bill Manbo, pictured, and his family were forced from their Hollywood home into the Japanese American internment camp at Heart Mountain in Wyoming. Copyright 2012 Takeo Bill Manbo 

In 1942, Bill Manbo (1908-1992) and his family were forced from their Hollywood home into the Japanese American internment camp at Heart Mountain in Wyoming. While there, Manbo documented both the bleakness and beauty of his surroundings, using Kodachrome film, a technology then just seven years old, to capture community celebrations and to record his family’s struggle to maintain a normal life under the harsh conditions of racial imprisonment.

The photographs on view at the Gallery at the Center, Columbia University, Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race, Columbia University, 420 Hamilton Hall in New York, through May 12, 2016, are among the sixty-five images featured in the book, Colors of Confinement, Rare Kodachrome Photographs of Japanese American Incarceration in World War II, edited by Eric L. Muller and featuring photographs by Bill Manbo. The book is $35 and can be purchased here.

muller colors jacket440

The subjects of these haunting photos are the routine fare of an amateur photographer: parades, cultural events, people at play, Manbo’s son. But the images are set against the backdrop of the barbed-wire enclosure surrounding the Heart Mountain Relocation Center and the dramatic expanse of Wyoming sky and landscape. The accompanying essays illuminate these scenes as they trace a tumultuous history unfolding just beyond the camera’s lens, giving readers insight into Japanese American cultural life and the stark realities of life in the camps.

Billy Manbo clutches a barbed-wire fence. Photo by Bill Manbo

Billy Manbo clutches a barbed-wire fence. Photo by Bill Manbo

A light moment during a sumo wrestling match. Photo by Bill Manbo

A light moment during a sumo wrestling match. Photo by Bill Manbo

At midday on Sept. 21, 1943, a crowd of about 4,000 people gather at the high school to send off 434 detainees departing for the Tule Lake Segregation Center in California after the government deemed them 'disloyal'. Photo by Bill Manbo

At midday on Sept. 21, 1943, a crowd of about 4,000 people gather at the high school to send off 434 detainees departing for the Tule Lake Segregation Center in California after the government deemed them ‘disloyal’. Photo by Bill Manbo

Billy Manbo, in pilot attire, plays with a model airplane. Photo by Bill Manbo

Billy Manbo, in pilot attire, plays with a model airplane. Photo by Bill Manbo

A boy scout and behind him a drum majorette, at the head of a parade. Photo by Bill Manbo

A boy scout and behind him a drum majorette, at the head of a parade. Photo by Bill Manbo

Young women chat at Bon Odori, a dance ritual performed during Obon, a summertime Buddhist festival commemorating one's ancestors. Photo by Bill Manbo

Young women chat at Bon Odori, a dance ritual performed during Obon, a summertime Buddhist festival commemorating one’s ancestors. Photo by Bill Manbo

Billy Manbo with his maternal grandparents, Junzo (left) and Ryo Itaya. Photo by Bill Manbo

Billy Manbo with his maternal grandparents, Junzo (left) and Ryo Itaya. Photo by Bill Manbo

A group of children line up for a photo in front of a barrack wall. Billy Manbo is on the far right. Photo by Bill Manbo

A group of children line up for a photo in front of a barrack wall. Billy Manbo is on the far right. Photo by Bill Manbo

Billy Manbo walks westward along an avenue in the camp lined with piles of coal for the stoves in the barracks. Photo by Bill Manbo

Billy Manbo walks westward along an avenue in the camp lined with piles of coal for the stoves in the barracks. Photo by Bill Manbo

Gallery hours of the exhibition are 10:00AM – 4:00PM, Monday through Friday.

Founded in 1999, the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race (CSER) at Columbia University is a vibrant teaching, research, and public engagement space. The Center’s mission is to support and promote the most innovative thinking about race, ethnicity, indigeneity and other categories of difference to better understand their role and impact in modern societies. What makes CSER unique is its attention to the comparative study of racial and ethnic categories in the production of social identities, power relations, and forms of knowledge in a multiplicity of contexts, including the arts, social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities.

To promote its mission, the Center organizes conferences, seminars, exhibits, film screenings, and lectures that bring together faculty, as well as undergraduate and graduate students, with diverse interests and backgrounds. CSER partners with departments, centers, and institutes at Columbia and works with colleagues and organizations on campus and off campus in order to facilitate an exchange of knowledge.

Click here for more information on CSER.

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.comJade Magazine and Playbill.com.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com


Video: Lori Tan Chinn as Mae in the Broadway-Bound World Premiere of ‘Gotta Dance’ at Broadway In Chicago’s Bank of America Theatre

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Image via JoJo Whilden for Netflix

Image via JoJo Whilden for Netflix

The beloved Broadway vet Lori Tan Chinn (M. ButterflyG.R. PointLovely LadiesKind Gentlemen-NY stage debut), familiar to many TV viewers as Chang from Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, plays Mae in the Broadway-Bound World Premiere of Gotta Dance, the story of professional basketball’s first ever aged 60-and-older dance team, at Broadway In Chicago’s Bank of America Theatre (18 W Monroe St, Chicago), December 13, 2015 through January 10, 2016. Click here for tickets and more information.

The cast of GOTTA DANCE. Photo by Matthew Murphy

The cast of GOTTA DANCE. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Lori Tan Chinn. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Lori Tan Chinn. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Miss Tan Chinn stars alongside Tony® Award nominee André De Shields, five-time Emmy® Award nominee Georgia Engel, Tony Award-winner Lillias White, television and film icon Stefanie Powers (in her Broadway debut), Haven Burton and Nancy Ticotin. The cast also features Murphy Cross, Joanna Jones (NBC’s “Sing Off”), Madeleine Doherty (Gigi), Tracy Jai Edwards (Legally Blonde), Diane Findlay (Fish in the Dark), Lenora Nemetz (Gypsy), Jonalyn Saxer (Honeymoon in Vegas), and Kay Walbye (Urinetown), along with Alexander Aguilar, Adinah Alexander, Sydni Beaudoin, Holly Ann Butler, Paula Caselton, Ari Groover, Colby Lewis, Lance Roberts, Elise Santora, Austin Scott III, and Virginia Ann Woodruff.

Miss Tan Chinn was featured Off-Broadway in The Primary English ClassG.R. Point and the King & I. Her regional credits include South Pacific (Arena Stage – recipient, Helen Hayes Award – Supporting Actress in a Musical, she has also been hailed by R&H enthusiasts, including Mary Rodgers, as “the definitive Bloody Mary”), Peter Sellars’ The Merchant of Venice (Goodman Theatre & European Tour). Seven seasons with the O’Neill Theater Center, plus 3 seasons serving as script finalist/ advisor to Artistic Director, Lloyd Richards. Recipient, 2nd Annual New Dramatists’ Charles Bowden Award, 2nd Annual Eugene O’Neill Theater Center/American Theatre Wing/Clarence Ross Fellowship. Some film credits: Mickey Blue EyesShe-DevilWhat About Bob?Glengarry Glen RossLiving in Oblivion. Television: ABC-TV’s “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific”, “Roseanne” (series regular, 2nd season), “Spin City”, “Law & Order”.

The 'Gotta Dance Team' – producer Dori Berinstein, DO40 members Lori Tan Chinn and Lenora Nemetz, moderator Richard Ridge and Nancy Ticotin at the Dancers Over 40-Diversity Event 2015: Can’t Stop the Music! Can’t Stop the Dance! Diversity All Around Us! on October 14, 2015 at St. Luke’s Theater in New York. Photo courtesy of Dancers over 40.

The ‘Gotta Dance Team’ – producer Dori Berinstein, DO40 members Lori Tan Chinn and Lenora Nemetz, moderator Richard Ridge and Nancy Ticotin at the Dancers Over 40-Diversity Event 2015: Can’t Stop the Music! Can’t Stop the Dance! Diversity All Around Us! on October 14, 2015 at St. Luke’s Theater in New York. Photo courtesy of Dancers over 40.

Gotta Dance brings together an all-star creative team that includes a book by Tony Award- nominee Chad Beguelin (Aladdin) and Tony Award-winner Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone), music by Tony and Emmy Award nominee Matthew Sklar (Elf) and lyrics by Tony Award-nominee Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), with additional music by Marvin Hamlisch (an Emmy, Grammy®, Tony and Oscar® winner) and direction and choreography by Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots), with co-choreography by Nick Kenkel.

Lin Tucci, André De Shields and Lori Tan Chinn at 'On Your Feet!' at the Marquis Theatre in New York on November 4, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Lin Tucci, André De Shields and Lori Tan Chinn at ‘On Your Feet!’ at the Marquis Theatre in New York on November 4, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

One remarkable dance team. One big chance. One small twist. You gotta be over 60. Gotta Dance is the incredible true story of ten determined dreamers who audition to dance at half time for a major NBA team. They have three things in common: they love to dance, they have something to prove, and they are all over 60. It isn’t until they make the cut that they find out they won’t be dancing tap, salsa or swing-they are going to bring down the house with a style that’s entirely new to them: hip hop. Gotta Dance is an original Broadway-bound musical about a group of ordinary seniors with extraordinary dreams as they battle prejudice, self-doubt and each other for a chance to bust a move at center court in front of 20 thousand screaming fans.

Murphy Cross, Lori Tan Chinn, Ari Groover, Lillias White, Madeline Doherty, André De Shields, Stefanie Powers, Nick Kenkel, Erich McMillan McCall, Virginia Ann Woodruff, Paula Caselton, Holly Butler at 'On Your Feet!' at the Marquis Theatre in New York on November 4, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Murphy Cross, Lori Tan Chinn, Ari Groover, Lillias White, Madeline Doherty, André De Shields, Stefanie Powers, Nick Kenkel, Erich McMillan McCall, Virginia Ann Woodruff, Paula Caselton, Holly Butler at ‘On Your Feet!’ at the Marquis Theatre in New York on November 4, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

The creative team of Gotta Dance reunites Mitchell with his Kinky Boots collaborators, including five time Tony Award nominee David Rockwell (Scenic Design), Tony Award-winner Gregg Barnes (Costume Design) and Tony Award-winner Kenneth Posner (Lighting Design), four-time Tony Award nominee Peter Hylenski (Sound Design), Tony Award-winner Larry Hochman (Orchestrations), Charlie Alterman (Musical Director), with casting by Telsey + Company/Craig Burns, CSA.

Cassey Kivnick, Murphy Cross, Lin Tucci, Lori Tan Chinn, Virginia Ann Woodruff, Jonalyn Saxer, André De Shields, Tracy Jay Edwards, Erich McMillan McCall, Nick Kenkel, Stefanie Powers, Elise Santora, Ari Groover, Paula Caselton at 'On Your Feet!' at the Marquis Theatre in New York on November 4, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Cassey Kivnick, Murphy Cross, Lin Tucci, Lori Tan Chinn, Virginia Ann Woodruff, Jonalyn Saxer, André De Shields, Tracy Jay Edwards, Erich McMillan McCall, Nick Kenkel, Stefanie Powers, Elise Santora, Ari Groover, Paula Caselton at ‘On Your Feet!’ at the Marquis Theatre in New York on November 4, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

The Pre-Broadway World Premiere of Gotta Dance is part of the Broadway In Chicago Fall 2015-16 Season Subscription Series. Tickets ($42-$102) can be purchased by visiting www.BroadwayInChicago.com. Group tickets for 10 or more can be purchased by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710.

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang, Lori Tan Chinn and Garth Kravits at the 11th Annual 72 Hour Shootout World Premiere Film Screening at Village Cinema East in New York on July 25, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Lia Chang, Lori Tan Chinn and Garth Kravits at the 11th Annual 72 Hour Shootout World Premiere Film Screening at Village Cinema East in New York on July 25, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.comJade Magazine and Playbill.com.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com


Video: Getting to Know Tony Award Winner Lillias White, Star of the Broadway-Bound World Premiere of ‘Gotta Dance’

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Lillias White sings “Home,” at the BC/EFA's Gypsy of the Year at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on December 9, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

Lillias White sings “Home,” at the BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on December 9, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

Tony award-winner Lillias White (Fela!, The Life) stars as Bea in the Broadway-Bound World Premiere of Gotta Dance, based on the 2008 documentary by Dori Berinstein which tells the story of professional basketball’s first ever aged 60-and-older dance team, at Broadway In Chicago’s Bank of America Theatre (18 W Monroe St, Chicago), December 13, 2015 through January 10, 2016. Opening night is set for December 28th. Produced by Dori Berinstein and Bill Damaschke, the musical is directed and choreographed by Tony winner Jerry Mitchell, and is scheduled to head to Broadway in fall 2016. Click here for tickets and more information.

The vocal powerhouse was last seen on Broadway as Funmilayo Anikulapo-Kuti in FELA! for which she received a Tony® nomination. Other awarded performances include Crowns (Audelco), Romance In Hard Times (Obie), Sesame Street (Emmy), The Lillias White Effect (2015 Outstanding Major Engagement Bistro Award), Texas In Paris (Lucille Lortel Nomination).

For her portrayal of Sonja in the Broadway musical Cy Coleman’s The Life, Ms. White received the “Quadruple Crown” of Broadway Awards: 1997-98 Drama Desk Award, Friends of New York Theatre, Outer Critics Circle, and Tony® Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

Lillias White, Elain Graham and Billy Porter after a performance of Porter's While I Yet Live at The Duke Theater on October 30, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

Lillias White, Elain Graham and Billy Porter after a performance of Porter’s While I Yet Live at The Duke Theater on October 30, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

Other Broadway credits – Joice Heth in Barnum (Broadway debut), Effie Melody White in Dreamgirls (20th anniversary concert recording available on Nonesuch Records)Chicago, Grizzabella in Cats, Asaka in Once On This Island  and Jonesy in How To Succeed….  Last Fall, she appeared as Gertrude in the Off-Broadway production of Billy Porter’s While I Yet Live (Primary Stages). TV credits – GothamPerson of Interest,  PBS-TV’S Great Performances-South Pacific,  Law & Order,  Law and Order: SVUSesame Street.  FILM – Game 6Pieces of April, Voice of Lead MUSE in Disney’s Hercules.  Ms. White is an in-demand Cabaret and concert performer and has graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, The Venetian Room, JAZZ@Lincoln Center, The Blue Note, The SYDNEY Opera House and 54 BELOW. Ms. White holds an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from the City University of New York.

The cast of GOTTA DANCE. Photo by Matthew Murphy

The cast of GOTTA DANCE. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Ms. White stars alongside Tony® Award nominee André De Shields, five-time Emmy® Award nominee Georgia Engel, television and film icon Stefanie Powers (in her Broadway debut), Lori Tan Chinn, Haven Burton and Nancy Ticotin. The cast also features Murphy Cross, Joanna Jones (NBC’s “Sing Off”), Madeleine Doherty (Gigi), Tracy Jai Edwards (Legally Blonde), Diane Findlay (Fish in the Dark), Lenora Nemetz (Gypsy), Jonalyn Saxer (Honeymoon in Vegas), and Kay Walbye (Urinetown), along with Alexander Aguilar, Adinah Alexander, Sydni Beaudoin, Holly Ann Butler, Paula Caselton, Ari Groover, Colby Lewis, Lance Roberts, Elise Santora, Austin Scott III, and Virginia Ann Woodruff.

Murphy Cross, Lori Tan Chinn, Ari Groover, Lillias White, Madeline Doherty, André De Shields, Stefanie Powers, Nick Kenkel, Erich McMillan McCall, Virginia Ann Woodruff, Paula Caselton, Holly Butler at 'On Your Feet!' at the Marquis Theatre in New York on November 4, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Murphy Cross, Lori Tan Chinn, Ari Groover, Lillias White, Madeline Doherty, André De Shields, Stefanie Powers, Nick Kenkel, Erich McMillan McCall, Virginia Ann Woodruff, Paula Caselton, Holly Butler at ‘On Your Feet!’ at the Marquis Theatre in New York on November 4, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Gotta Dance brings together an all-star creative team that includes a book by Tony Award- nominee Chad Beguelin (Aladdin) and Tony Award-winner Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone), music by Tony and Emmy Award nominee Matthew Sklar (Elf) and lyrics by Tony Award-nominee Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), with additional music by Marvin Hamlisch (an Emmy, Grammy®, Tony and Oscar® winner) and direction and choreography by Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots), with co-choreography by Nick Kenkel.

One remarkable dance team. One big chance. One small twist. You gotta be over 60. Gotta Dance is the incredible true story of ten determined dreamers who audition to dance at half time for a major NBA team. They have three things in common: they love to dance, they have something to prove, and they are all over 60. It isn’t until they make the cut that they find out they won’t be dancing tap, salsa or swing-they are going to bring down the house with a style that’s entirely new to them: hip hop. Gotta Dance is an original Broadway-bound musical about a group of ordinary seniors with extraordinary dreams as they battle prejudice, self-doubt and each other for a chance to bust a move at center court in front of 20 thousand screaming fans.

The creative team of Gotta Dance reunites Mitchell with his Kinky Boots collaborators, including five time Tony Award nominee David Rockwell (Scenic Design), Tony Award-winner Gregg Barnes (Costume Design) and Tony Award-winner Kenneth Posner (Lighting Design), four-time Tony Award nominee Peter Hylenski (Sound Design), Tony Award-winner Larry Hochman (Orchestrations), Charlie Alterman (Musical Director), with casting by Telsey + Company/Craig Burns, CSA.

The Pre-Broadway World Premiere of Gotta Dance is part of the Broadway In Chicago Fall 2015-16 Season Subscription Series. Tickets ($42-$102) can be purchased by visiting www.BroadwayInChicago.com. Group tickets for 10 or more can be purchased by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710.

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang, TEXAS IN PARIS star Lillias White and Ebony Jo-Ann at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's in New York on January 29, 2015. Photo by GK

Lia Chang, TEXAS IN PARIS star Lillias White and Ebony Jo-Ann at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter’s in New York on January 29, 2015. Photo by GK

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.comJade Magazine and Playbill.com.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com



‘Gotta Dance’ starring André De Shields, Lillias White, Georgia Engel, Stefanie Powers, Lori Tan Chinn kicks off previews at Broadway In Chicago’s Bank of America Theatre; opens December 28

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The Broadway-Bound World Premiere of Gotta Dance, based on the 2008 documentary by Dori Berinstein which tells the story of professional basketball’s first ever aged 60-and-older dance team, kicks off previews tonight at Broadway In Chicago’s Bank of America Theatre (18 W Monroe St, Chicago). Opening night is set for December 28th and performances will continue through January 10, 2016. Produced by Dori Berinstein and Bill Damaschke, the musical is directed and choreographed by Tony winner Jerry Mitchell, and is scheduled to head to Broadway in fall 2016. Click here for tickets and more information.

The cast of GOTTA DANCE. Photo by Matthew Murphy

The cast of GOTTA DANCE. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Photo by Matthew Murphy

Photo by Matthew Murphy

‘Gotta Dance’ stars Tony® Award nominee André De Shields, Tony award-winner Lillias White (Fela!, The Life), five-time Emmy® Award nominee Georgia Engel, television and film icon Stefanie Powers (in her Broadway debut), Lori Tan Chinn (Orange is the New Black), Haven Burton and Nancy Ticotin. The cast also features Murphy Cross, Joanna Jones (NBC’s Sing Off), Madeleine Doherty (Gigi), Tracy Jai Edwards (Legally Blonde), Diane Findlay (Fish in the Dark), Lenora Nemetz (Gypsy), Jonalyn Saxer (Honeymoon in Vegas), and Kay Walbye (Urinetown), along with Alexander Aguilar, Adinah Alexander, Sydni Beaudoin, Holly Ann Butler, Paula Caselton, Ari Groover, Colby Lewis, Lance Roberts, Elise Santora, Austin Scott III, and Virginia Ann Woodruff.

Gotta Dance brings together an all-star creative team that includes a book by Tony Award- nominee Chad Beguelin (Aladdin) and Tony Award-winner Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone), music by Tony and Emmy Award nominee Matthew Sklar (Elf) and lyrics by Tony Award-nominee Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), with additional music by Marvin Hamlisch (an Emmy, Grammy®, Tony and Oscar® winner) and direction and choreography by Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots), with co-choreography by Nick Kenkel.

One remarkable dance team. One big chance. One small twist. You gotta be over 60. Gotta Dance is the incredible true story of ten determined dreamers who audition to dance at half time for a major NBA team. They have three things in common: they love to dance, they have something to prove, and they are all over 60. It isn’t until they make the cut that they find out they won’t be dancing tap, salsa or swing-they are going to bring down the house with a style that’s entirely new to them: hip hop. Gotta Dance is an original Broadway-bound musical about a group of ordinary seniors with extraordinary dreams as they battle prejudice, self-doubt and each other for a chance to bust a move at center court in front of 20 thousand screaming fans.

Murphy Cross, Lori Tan Chinn, Ari Groover, Lillias White, Madeline Doherty, André De Shields, Stefanie Powers, Nick Kenkel, Erich McMillan McCall, Virginia Ann Woodruff, Paula Caselton, Holly Butler at 'On Your Feet!' at the Marquis Theatre in New York on November 4, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Murphy Cross, Lori Tan Chinn, Ari Groover, Lillias White, Madeline Doherty, André De Shields, Stefanie Powers, Nick Kenkel, Erich McMillan McCall, Virginia Ann Woodruff, Paula Caselton, Holly Butler at ‘On Your Feet!’ at the Marquis Theatre in New York on November 4, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

The creative team of Gotta Dance reunites Mitchell with his Kinky Boots collaborators, including five time Tony Award nominee David Rockwell (Scenic Design), Tony Award-winner Gregg Barnes (Costume Design) and Tony Award-winner Kenneth Posner (Lighting Design), four-time Tony Award nominee Peter Hylenski (Sound Design), Tony Award-winner Larry Hochman (Orchestrations), Charlie Alterman (Musical Director), with casting by Telsey + Company/Craig Burns, CSA.

The Pre-Broadway World Premiere of Gotta Dance is part of the Broadway In Chicago Fall 2015-16 Season Subscription Series. Tickets ($42-$102) can be purchased by visiting www.BroadwayInChicago.com. Group tickets for 10 or more can be purchased by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710.

Video: Getting to Know Tony Award Winner Lillias White, Star of the Broadway-Bound World Premiere of ‘Gotta Dance’ 
Video: Lori Tan Chinn​ as Mae in the Broadway-Bound World Premiere of ‘Gotta Dance’ at Broadway In Chicago’s Bank of America Theatre Video: André De Shields Talked THE WIZ and GOTTA DANCE on News 4 NY with NBC-TV’s Janice Huff
GOTTA DANCE Star André De Shields receives 2015 Award for Excellence in the Arts from The Theatre School at DePaul University
Broadwayworld.com: Photo Flash: The Theatre School at DePaul Honors GOTTA DANCE Star Andre De Shields in Chicago
Theatermania.com: Broadway-Bound Gotta Dance Star André Robin De Shields​ Honored at DePaul University 
Two-time Tony nominee and Emmy winner André De Shields and Broadway in Chicago President Lou Raizin to be honored at DePaul University theatre gala on Nov. 9 
Full Cast Announced for GOTTA DANCE starring André De Shields, Lillias White, Georgia Engel, Stefanie Powers, Lori Tan Chinn and More 
Multimedia: CONFESSIONS OF A P.I.M.P. Opening Night with André De Shields
Two-Time Tony nominee André De Shields, Tony Winner Lillias White, ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK’s Lori Tan Chinn, Stephanie Powers, Georgia Engel & More Will Lead Broadway-Bound Musical GOTTA DANCE in Chicago
Photos and Video: Behind the Scenes with THE WIZ’s André De Shields at The Wiz is 40 at #Summerstage30 
Click here for more articles on André De Shields.

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.comJade Magazine and Playbill.com.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com


NoMBe on Mood Indigo Tour in Chicago (12/16), Minneapolis (12/17) and Los Angeles (1/4)

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 at Schubas/Lincoln Hall

NoMBe is currently on his Mood Indigo tour this winter, and has released a new single, Kemosabe, which will appear on his forthcoming sophomore EP Mood Indigo, along with Miss California and Miss Mirage.

Click below to listen to Kemosabe.

For someone managing to fuse IDM, Indie and Soul so seamlessly into danceable beats and catchy melodies, 23 year old Noah McBeth (alias NoMBe) has kept a low profile on the LA music radar. A native of Heidelberg, Germany, the classical pianist turned producer wears the many hats of composer, singer/songwriter & engineer effortlessly.

Nombe continues to make use of a wide range of obscure samples while leaving his own signature with a unique vocal sound, ranging from a strong bluesy tone to a chilly sweet falsetto.

His lyrics touch on topics like shady women, drunk uncles and loose morals, sticking to only the most delightful things. Since moving to Los Angeles from NYC in 2013, Nombe has produced a number of up and coming artists while finishing up his own releases, making it his mission to take today’s world of “genre-less” music by storm.

Check out NoMBe’s remaining tour dates.

Tour Dates:
Dec. 16th @ Schubas | Chicago
SILVER WRAPPER + COMMUNION are presenting NoMBe, Holy White Hounds, Rival Maps and Austin Plaine at Schubas Tavern, 3159 N Southport Ave, Chicago, Illinois 60657

$9.50 [$15 DOORS] 18+ 
8:00 PM 
TAGS: 18PLUS  

Click here to purchase tickets.

Dec. 17th @ Turf Club | Minneapolis
NoMBeAustin PlaineThe Holy White Hounds, and Twin Cities at Turf Club, 1601 University Ave. W., St. Paul, MN, 55104

651-647-0486 www.turfclub.net Click here to purchase tickets.

Jan. 4th @ Bardot Avalon | Los Angeles
Venue : Bardot Avalon,  1737 Vine St, Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 462-1307  www.avalonhollywood.com

Check out his latest music videos.

FameMagazine- NoMBe: ‘I’M STILL CONSIDERING STAND-UP AS A CAREER’

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.comJade Magazine and Playbill.com.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com


Nicky Paraiso’s ‘Christmas in Nickyland’ at The Club at La MaMa, Dec. 19 – 20

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Photo Caption: Christmas in NickyLand 2015 (Photo by Theo Cote)

Photo Caption: Christmas in NickyLand 2015 (Photo by Theo Cote)

Just in time for the holidays, La MaMa presents Downtown’s favorite curator Nicky Paraiso as the master of ceremonies for the ultimate holiday cabaret, Christmas in Nickyland at The Club at La MaMa (74a East 4th Street, 3rd fl.), for two performances only – Saturday, December 19th at 10:00PM and Sunday, December 20th at 6:00PM. Each night there will be a holy host of characters singing, dancing, gender-bending, and merry making in the intimate 99-seat cabaret space, all to get you into the East Village spirit of the season.

Performances by: Brunch, David Cale & Dane Terry, Yoshiko Chuma, Dan Fishback, Kate Foster/Very Good! (Sat 12/19 only), Margaret Fulham, Mike Iveson Jr. (Sun 12/20 only), Jon Kinzel w/ Simon Courchel (Sun 12/20 only), Carol Lipnik w/ Matt Kanelos (Sat Dec 19th only), Heather Litteer, Susan Murphy, Edgar Oliver, Ombro de Oro (Sun 12/20 only), George Emilio Sanchez, Justin Sayre (Sat 12/19 only), Peggy Shaw, Amy Rox Surratt, Poorna Swami, Pablo Vela (Sun 12/20 only), with Pearse Redmond (Guest MC), and special guest artists TBA!

Nicky Paraiso. Photo by Lia Chang

Nicky Paraiso. Photo by Lia Chang

Nicky Paraiso is currently Director of Programming at The Club at La MaMa Experimental Theatre, and is the Festival Curator of La MaMa Moves!, La MaMa’s annual spring contemporary dance festival. He has been a prolific actor at La MaMa, and the New York downtown theater and performance scene, since 1979. Paraiso’s awards include a 1987 BESSIE Award for Performance, a 2004 Spencer Cherashore Fund grant for mid-career actors, a 2005 NY Innovative Theater Award, and a 2012 BAX Arts & Artists in Progress Arts Management Award. Paraiso has been a member of Meredith Monk/The House and Vocal Ensemble (1981-1990), touring extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. Nicky’s critically acclaimed one-man shows Asian Boys, Houses and Jewels and House/Boy have been presented at La MaMa, Dixon Place, PS122, Dance Theater Workshop, and on tour.

La MaMa E.T.C is located at 74A East 4th St. between 2nd Avenue and The Bowery

(F/V to 2nd Avenue, 6 to Astor Place, N/R to 8th St.)

TICKETS: $18, $13 (Seniors/Students)                         Box Office (646) 430-5374

10 for $10 tickets available at ONLINE TICKETING www.lamama.org

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.comJade Magazine and Playbill.com.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com


ALLEGIANCE stars Lea Salonga, George Takei, Katie Rose Clarke and Aaron J. Albano celebrate the Holidays at Lord & Taylor tonight

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12346505_10153758904587866_572995011427832266_nThe new Broadway musical Allegiance is celebrating the holidays  tonight with a special appearance at the iconic Lord & Taylor flagship store in Manhattan. Tony winner Lea Salonga with be joined by Allegiance co-stars Katie Rose Clarke and Aaron Albano for performances of the songs “With You,” “Stronger Than Before,” and Salonga’s Act One-showstopper “Higher.” Lord & Taylor is located at 424 5th Ave at 39th Street in New York. Performances start at 6:00PM on the 3rd Floor.

Beloved TV icon and social media star George Takei will also be on hand for a special appearance, and the event will offer fans the opportunity to win tickets to the show and win special prizes in addition to photo ops with the stars. All fans are welcome to attend.

Allegiance illuminates one of American history’s lesser known chapters as it tells the story of Sam Kimura (Takei), transported back nearly six decades to when his younger self (Telly Leung) and his sister Kei (Salonga) fought to stay connected to their heritage, their family, and themselves after Japanese Americans were wrongfully imprisoned during World War II. An epic story told with great intimacy, Allegiance explores the ties that bind us, the struggle to persevere, and the overwhelming power of forgiveness and, most especially, love.

Performances are at the Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street) . Call Telecharge.com for tickets.

Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang and George Takei talk about Broadway’s Allegiance at The Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race at Columbia University

Broadway’s ‘Allegiance’ to Record Cast Album on Dec. 7

George Takei, Lea Salonga, Telly Leung, Michael K. Lee and More celebrate opening night of ALLEGIANCE

George Takei, Lea Salonga, Telly Leung, Michael K. Lee and more at the first preview of Broadway’s Allegiance; opens Nov. 8

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.comJade Magazine and Playbill.com.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com


Drama critics Chris Jones and Brian Eugenio Herrera honored with 2015 George Jean Nathan Award

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Two winners of the Cornell-administered George Jean Nathan Award for 2014-15 have been chosen for the year’s best work in dramatic criticism.

Chris Jones

Chris Jones

Chris Jones was chosen for his work as theater critic for the Chicago Tribune, and Brian Eugenio Herrera was selected for his book “Latin Numbers: Playing Latino in Twentieth-Century U.S. Popular Performance” (2015).

Jones joined the Chicago Tribune in 2000 after serving as a touring theater critic for Variety. Of Jones’ numerous memorable pieces from 2014-15, the committee especially admired his review of “The Project(s),” a new play addressing the daunting conditions facing residents of Chicago’s housing complexes. Jones’ review weighs in forcefully on issues of public policy and racial politics even as he locates the play’s virtues and limits.

Brian Herrera

Herrera, assistant professor of theater arts at Princeton University, is also a writer and performer whose solo show, “I Was the Voice of Democracy,” has been presented in cities around the world, including Ithaca. In “Latin Numbers: Playing Latino in Twentieth-Century U.S. Popular Performance,”Herrera tracks the growing impact of Latino artists on and Latino representation in the American theater and American culture. The Nathan Committee noted in particular Herrera’s outstanding analysis of the 1959 musical “West Side Story.”

The Nathan Award was endowed by George Jean Nathan (1882-1958), a prominent theater critic who published 34 books on the theater and co-edited (with H.L. Mencken) two influential magazines, The Smart Set and The American Mercury. In establishing the award, Nathan said his aim was to “encourage and assist in developing the art of drama criticism and the stimulation of intelligent playgoing.” Nathan graduated from Cornell in 1904; as a student, he served as editor of The Cornell Daily Sun and the humor magazine The Cornell Widow.

The Nathan Award committee comprises the heads of the English departments of Cornell, Princeton and Yale universities and drama specialists from each university; it is administered by Cornell’s Department of English.

Previous winners include Jill Dolan, Randy Gener, Alisa Solomon, Charles Isherwood, Elinor Fuchs, Hilton Als, Cornell professor H. Scott McMillin, and last year’s winner, Michael Feingold.

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.comJade Magazine and Playbill.com.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com


Bucks County’s ‘IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY’ featuring Garth Kravits, Wayne Wilcox, Whitney Bashor, Maggie Lakis, Brandon Ellis and Kevin Pariseau through December 27

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Hunter Foster is at the helm of Bucks County Playhouse’s moving and delightful production of the popular holiday classic, It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play by Joe Landry, featuring musical staging by Jen Cody, which has performances at Bucks County Playhouse (70 S. Main Street, New Hope, PA) through December  27, 2015.

Maggie Lakis, Brandon Ellis, Garth Kravits, Wayne Wilcox, Whitney Bashor and Kevin Pariseau in 'It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play' at Buck's County Playhouse through December 27, 2015. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Maggie Lakis, Brandon Ellis, Garth Kravits, Wayne Wilcox, Whitney Bashor and Kevin Pariseau in ‘It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play’ at Buck’s County Playhouse through December 27, 2015. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play is inspired by the classic Frank Capra classic film of the same name. Performed as a 1940s live radio broadcast in front of a “studio audience,” It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play tells the story of idealistic George Bailey as he considers his demise one fateful Christmas Eve. The story comes to captivating life with the help of an ensemble that brings over two dozen characters to the stage. Landry’s adaptation premiered in 1996 in Stanford, CT and has since been produced countless times around the country to critical acclaim – including at Bucks County Playhouse in December 2012 under the direction of Gordon Greenberg with musical staging by Lorin Latarro.

Garth Kravits, Whitney Bashor, Wayne Wilcox and Maggie Lakis. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Garth Kravits, Whitney Bashor, Wayne Wilcox and Maggie Lakis. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play features Wayne Wilcox as Jake Laurents (Broadway: The Normal Heart, CW’s Gilmore Girls), Brandon Ellis (Broadway: Company, Once, and Off-Broadway: Balls…The Musical?) as Harry “Jazzbo” Heywood, Maggie Lakis as Lana Sherwood (National Tour: Avenue Q, Off-Broadway: Allegro), Whitney Bashor as Sally Applewhite (Broadway: The Bridges of Madison County), Kevin Pariseau as Freddie Filmore (Broadway: Legally Blonde the Musical) and Garth Kravits (Broadway: The Drowsy Chaperone) as Butch Popkins/ Foley Artist.

Wayne Wilcox, Garth Kravits, Whitney Bashor, Maggie Lakis and Brandon Ellis. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Wayne Wilcox, Garth Kravits, Whitney Bashor, Maggie Lakis and Brandon Ellis. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Kevin Pariseau is the production’s musical director. The production team includes set design by Rob Bissinger, lighting design by Robert Denton, costume design by Nicole V. Moody and sound design by Matthew Given. It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play is produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc.

Brandon Ellis, Garth Kravits, Whitney Bashor, Wayne Wilcox, Maggie Lakis and Kevin Pariseau. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Brandon Ellis, Garth Kravits, Whitney Bashor, Wayne Wilcox, Maggie Lakis and Kevin Pariseau. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

The production will play the following schedule: Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (note: there is no 7:30 performance on December 16th), Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. The Playhouse is also offering a special matinee performance discount for Christmas Week performances. All tickets in the mid-orchestra (blue section) are $40 for 2 p.m. performances on December 22-24. Santa Claus will be in the lobby before the show to greet those attending the performance. There is no evening performance on Christmas Eve and no performances on Christmas Day. For full details, and to purchase tickets, please visit buckscountyplayhouse.org or call 215-862-2121.

Brandon Ellis, Garth Kravits, Whitney Bashor, Wayne Wilcox, Maggie Lakis and Kevin Pariseau. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Brandon Ellis, Garth Kravits, Whitney Bashor, Wayne Wilcox, Maggie Lakis and Kevin Pariseau. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.comJade Magazine and Playbill.com.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com


Playwright Rick Shiomi honored with 2015 McKnight Distinguished Artist Award and Commemorative Book

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Rick Shiomi Photo by Lia Chang

Rick Shiomi Photo by Lia Chang

It’s a wonderful life for Minnesota playwright, director, producer, theater artist, and musician Rick Shiomi, who was named the 2015 McKnight Distinguished Artist in recognition of artistic excellence spanning four decades. McKnight honored Shiomi in a private reception this week and celebrated the release of his commemorative book.

Now in its 18th year, the annual honor includes a $50,000 cash award and recognizes individual Minnesota artists who have made significant contributions to the quality of the state’s cultural life.

I am very proud to have contributed the overview essay and numerous photos to the book, and even more so to consider Shiomi a friend and colleague.

Rick Shiomi, Lia Chang, Robert Lee and BD Wong. Photo by Masao

Rick Shiomi, Lia Chang, Robert Lee and BD Wong. Photo by Masao

Playwrights David Henry Hwang and Rick Shiomi in front of the Longacre Theatre in New York after a performance of Hwang's latest Broadway comedy Chinglish on January 28, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Playwrights David Henry Hwang and Rick Shiomi in front of the Longacre Theatre in New York after a performance of Hwang’s latest Broadway comedy Chinglish on January 28, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Other contributors who provided insight into different chapters of Shiomi’s life and career include Tony Award–winning playwright David Henry Hwang, who is also a screenwriter, opera librettist, and currently the director of Columbia University’s School of the Arts’ MFA program in playwriting; Jim Wong-Chu, a writer, editor, historian, and founder of the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop, Ricepaper magazine, Pender Guy Radio Program, Asia Canadian Performing Arts Resource (ACPAR), literASIAN: A Festival of Pacific Rim Asian Canadian Writing, and the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Festival; Martha Johnson, co-artistic director of Full Circle Theater Company and a co-founder of Theater Mu; Graydon Royce, theater critic for the Minneapolis Star Tribune; Iris Shiraishi, former artistic director of Mu Daiko, and Randy Reyes, artistic director of Mu Performing Arts.

Raul Aranas, Reme Grefalda and Rick Shiomi Photo by Lia Chang

Raul Aranas, Reme Grefalda and Rick Shiomi Photo by Lia Chang

Playwright Philip Kan Gotanda. Photo by Lia Chang

Playwright Philip Kan Gotanda. Photo by Lia Chang

It also features notes from actor and director Raul Aranas, playwright Philip Kan Gotanda, Tisa Chang, Artistic producing director of Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, Roger Tang, Managing producer, Pork Filled Players and editor, Asian American Theatre Revue, actor Sara Ochs, playwright Lauren Yee, Jennifer Weir, Artistic director of Mu Daiko, Josephine Lee, Professor of English and Asian American studies at University of Minnesota, Seth Rozi, Founder and producing artistic director of InterAct Theatre Company, Don Eitel, Former managing director of Mu Performing Arts, Richard Cook, Artistic director, Park Square Theatre, and Ranee Ramaswamy, Artistic director of Ragamala Dance.

Click here for The McKnight Foundation board chair Meghan Binger Brown’s foreword from the book. Click here to view the pdf or email seisentrager@mcknight.org to request a copy of the book.

“Given the breadth, scope, and importance of Rick Shiomi’s artistic legacy, there is no single yardstick by which to measure his impact,” said McKnight president Kate Wolford. “It is multifaceted, trailblazing, and extends well beyond his commitment to Asian American theater in the Twin Cities, and we at McKnight are honored to celebrate his accomplishments with this award.”

A seminal leader of the Asian American theater movement since the 1980s, Rick Shiomi has written, produced, or directed over 50 plays during his career. He is perhaps best known as co-founder of St. Paul’s Theater Mu, dedicated to bringing Asian American voices to the stage.

Rick Shiomi shares his 2012 Ivey Award for Lifetime Achievement with his Mu Performing Arts family backstage at the State Theater in Minneapolis, MN. on September 24, 2012. Photo by Kurt Moses

Rick Shiomi shares his 2012 Ivey Award for Lifetime Achievement with his Mu Performing Arts family backstage at the State Theater in Minneapolis, MN. on September 24, 2012. Photo by Kurt Moses

Rick Shiomi at a book party in New York for Asian American Plays for a New Generation on July 29, 2011. Photo by Lia Chang

Rick Shiomi at a book party in New York for Asian American Plays for a New Generation on July 29, 2011. Photo by Lia Chang

Shiomi founded Theater Mu in 1992 and served as artistic director from 1993 through 2013. Under his leadership, Theater Mu became Mu Performing Arts and grew from a small start-up in an area where Asian American theater was almost nonexistent into a nationally recognized company. (The organization’s name comes from the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese character for the shaman/artist/warrior who connects the heavens and the earth through the tree of life.) Shiomi is the recipient of an Ivey Lifetime Achievement Award (2012), a Sally Ordway Irvine Award for Vision (2007), and a Minnesota State Council for Asian Pacific Minnesotans Award for Leadership (2002). His plays have been included in the anthologies Asian American Plays for a New Generation (Temple University Press, 2011), which he co-edited, and Bold Words: A Century of Asian American Writing, edited by Rajini Srikanth and Esther Iwanaga (Rutgers University Press, 2001). He was profiled in the January 2009 issue of American Theatre Magazine, the premier publication spotlighting trends in American theater.

Mu Performing Arts’ Artistic Director Rick Shiomi takes home Ivey Award for Lifetime Achievement

Rick Shiomi in the Asian Reading Room of the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. on July 27, 2011. Photo by Lia Chang

Rick Shiomi in the Asian Reading Room of the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. on July 27, 2011. Photo by Lia Chang

“I feel it’s a huge recognition of all the work I’ve done over the past forty years, from my work in the Asian Canadian cultural community in Vancouver in the 1970’s through my theater work in San Francisco and New York in the 1980’s followed by my work at Mu Performing Arts from 1992 through 2013 and even now my work in Philadelphia helping to develop and promote Asian American theater there,” said Shiomi. “And the award recognizes the importance of the cause itself of Asian American culture and community. It’s been a long and winding road full of tremendous experiences with fascinating folks, and I feel truly blessed to have been on that road and now being honored at this point with this award.”

Mask Dance, written and directed by R.A. Shiomi. Photo credit: Charissa Uemura Photography

Mask Dance, written and directed by R.A. Shiomi. Photo credit: Charissa Uemura Photography

R.A. Shiomi's award-winning play Yellow Fever.

R.A. Shiomi’s award-winning play Yellow Fever.

As a playwright, Shiomi’s work includes the award-winning Yellow Fever, which has been produced off-Broadway, around North America and in Japan; was awarded the Bay Area Theater Circle Critics Award for best new play in 1982; and received rave reviews in the New York Times and New Yorker. Other notable plays include Play Ball, Rosie’s Cafe, Walleye Kid, Mask Dance and Journey of the Drum. As a director he has worked extensively with Mu Performing Arts, where his credits include Temple of Dreams by Marcus Quiniones, Song of the Pipa (which he also wrote), an Asian-inspired production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the David Hwang version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song. His choice to direct plays from the American musical theater canon — including A Little Night Music, Into the Woods, and The King and I — provided rare and groundbreaking opportunities for Asian actors to perform in roles generally unavailable to them.

Rogers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song, with a new book by David Henry Hwang, directed by Rick Shiomi

Rogers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song, with a new book by David Henry Hwang, directed by Rick Shiomi

Up Close and Personal with Rick Shiomi, Award-winning Playwright & Artistic Director of Mu Performing Arts

His work has been showcased locally at the Guthrie, Intermedia Arts, Mixed Blood, Ordway, Park Square, Stages, Southern, and SteppingStone theaters, among others; nationally at Asian American Theater Company (San Francisco), East West Players (Los Angeles), InterAct Theatre (Philadelphia), Pan Asian Repertory (New York), and Theatre Esprit Asia (Denver); and internationally at Firehall Theater in Vancouver and Haisho Theatre Company and Ryuzanji Theater Company, both in Tokyo.

Walleye Kid: The Musical! by R.A. Shiomi and Sundraya Kase; Music by Kurt Miyashiro. Photo by John Autey

Walleye Kid: The Musical! by R.A. Shiomi and Sundraya Kase; Music by Kurt Miyashiro. Photo by John Autey

Playwrights David Henry Hwang, Philip Kan Gotanda and Rick Shiomi in San Francisco in 1988. A version of this photo appeared in a feature article in the Feb.- Mar. 1989 edition of Mother Jones.  Photo by Cynthia Wallace

Playwrights David Henry Hwang, Philip Kan Gotanda and Rick Shiomi in San Francisco in 1988. A version of this photo appeared in a feature article in the Feb.- Mar. 1989 edition of Mother Jones. Photo by Cynthia Wallace

Born and raised in Toronto, Shiomi’s perspective as a Japanese Canadian figures prominently in his art and life. His parents were among the many Canadians of Japanese descent forced into internment camps during World War II; their experiences in the camp are a strong theme in many of his works. Shiomi graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in history in 1970, received a teaching diploma from Simon Fraser University, and went on to travel the world, teaching in Japan and Hong Kong before returning to Canada, this time settling in Vancouver, British Columbia. In Vancouver, he helped organize the Powell Street Festival, edited a film designed to teach children about Japanese Canadian history, and became an active member of the Japanese Canadian Citizen’s Association, where he helped edit Inalienable Rice: A Chinese & Japanese Canadian Anthology (Chinese Canadian Writers Workshop, 1973). It was during this time he met playwrights David Henry Hwang and Philip Kan Gotanda, both of whom were influential in his artistic development.

Season 2002-2003 The Magic Bus to Asian Folktales by R.A. Shiomi, Cha Yang and Jaz Canlas. Photo courtesy of Mu Performing Arts

Season 2002-2003 The Magic Bus to Asian Folktales by R.A. Shiomi, Cha Yang and Jaz Canlas. Photo courtesy of Mu Performing Arts

Shiomi has helmed a variety of national projects, panels, conferences and festivals, including cofounding the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA), the national service organization for the Asian American theater community, where he served on the board from 2006 through 2014. Another major field of artistic work for Shiomi is Mu Daiko, a taiko group within Mu Performing Arts, which he established in 1997. He was the leader of Mu Daiko through 2010, training drummers, composing taiko music and directing annual performances at multiple venues in Minnesota. He has served on many Minnesota State Arts Board, Theater Communications Group and NEA panels.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Rick Shiomi. Photo credit: Charissa Uemura Photography Filipino Hearts by R. A. Shiomi and Allen Malicsi, Music and Lyrics by Kurt Miyashiro. Photo courtesy of MU Performing Arts Stephen Sondheim's Into The Woods, reimagined and directed by Rick Shiomi. Photo by Stephen Geffre

In 2014, Shiomi was awarded a Doris Duke grant for Building Demand for the Arts program to work with InterAct Theatre and Asian Arts Initiative to develop Asian American theater and audiences in Philadelphia. The coalition of Philadelphia theaters participating in the Philadelphia Asian Theater Project (PATP) include Azuka Theatre, EgoPo Classic Theater, InterAct Theatre Company, Kaleid Theatre, Lantern Theater Company, People’s Light, Plays and Players, and The Wilma Theater. In addition to The Asian Arts Initiative, PAPA (Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists) is a PATP supporter.

The first productions supported by PATP in the 2014/15 season were Caught by Christopher Chen produced by InterAct Theatre Company, Hold These Truths by Jeannie Sakata produced by Plays and Players, and Take/Sacrifice by Kaleid Theatre at Mz. Fest hosted by Plays and Players.

Shiomi is thriving in his freelance life after his tenure with Mu, with two projects in Philadelphia, one with InterAct Theatre continuing the work from the Doris Duke grant for Building Demand for the Arts; and one with the Lantern Theater Company to write and direct a new play for them, based upon the book, The Ronin, by William Jennings. He also directed the Park Square Theatre’s production of Julia Cho’s The Language Archive featuring Kurt Kwan, Sarah Ochs, Emily A. Grodzik, Robert Gardner, Melanie Wehrmacher, Richard Ooms and Claudia Wilkens.

InterAct Theatre Company’s world premiere of Christopher Chen’s CAUGHT garnered multiple Barrymore Award nominations including Outstanding Direction of a Play for Shiomi, Outstanding Overall Production of a Play, Outstanding Scenic Design (Melpomene Katakalos), the F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist for actress Bi Jean Ngo, and won for the Independence Foundation Award for Outstanding New Play.

This year Shiomi started a new theater company called Full Circle Theater Company, with a focus on diversity. The company presented Theater: A Sacred Passage, ​an original performance piece devised by the five core artists of Full Circle from their personal journeys into theater. The artists/playwrights included Shiomi, James Williams, Martha Johnson, Lara Trujillo and Stephanie Lein Walseth. Their stories embody the challenges and transformational experiences they have had in becoming theater artists and how their lives and work reflect the huge changes in our theater community over the past two decades. Theater: A Sacred Passage​, helmed by  Shiomi and featuring dramaturgy by Martha Johnson, incorporates acting, storytelling, choreography and music.

ABOUT THE MCKNIGHT DISTINGUISHED ARTIST AWARD
The McKnight Distinguished Artist Award recognizes individuals who help lay the foundation for Minnesota’s rich cultural life. Despite opportunities to work elsewhere, they chose to stay — and by staying, they have made a difference. Previous recipients are composer Dominick Argento (1998), ceramic artist Warren MacKenzie (1999), writer Robert Bly (2000), choral conductor Dale Warland (2001), publisher Emilie Buchwald (2002), painter Mike Lynch (2003), orchestra conductor Stanislaw Skrowaczewski (2004), sculptor Judy Onofrio (2005), theater artist Lou Bellamy (2006), sculptor Kinji Akagawa (2007), writer Bill Holm (2008), theater artist Bain Boehlke (2009), sculptor Siah Armajani (2010), dance artist Ranee Ramaswamy (2011), poet John Caddy (2012), theater artist Wendy Lehr (2013), and theater artist Sandy Spieler (2014).

ABOUT THE MCKNIGHT FOUNDATION
The McKnight Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for present and future generations through grantmaking, collaboration, and encouragement of strategic policy reform. Founded in 1953 and independently endowed by William and Maude McKnight, the Minnesota-based Foundation had assets of approximately $2 billion and granted about $86 million in 2014. Of the total, over $9 million went to support working artists to create and contribute to vibrant communities, because Minnesota thrives when its artists thrive. More at mcknight.org, on Facebook and Twitter.

Related articles:
Randy Reyes Leads Cast of Mu Performing Arts’ Production of A Little Night Music, Helmed by Rick Shiomi at Park Square Theatre
Kurt Kwan, Sara Ochs, Eric Sharp and More Set for Mu Performing Arts production of R.A. Shiomi’s Yellow Fever in Guthrie’s Dowling Studio, March 8-24, 2013
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Mu’s landmark 21st Season features a brand new Taiko Concert, Lauren Yee’s The Tiger Among Us, and Rick Shiomi’s Award-Winning comedy Yellow Fever
Rick Shiomi helms Mu Performing Arts’ Asian American Cast of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul, July 17-August 5, 2012
Mu Performing Arts’ Little Shop of Horrors on 2 ‘Best of’ Lists; Women in Arts Panel on 1/29, in Conjunction with Mu Daiko’s 15th Anniversary Concert and Tour
Mu Daiko 15th Anniversary Concert and Minnesota Tour, February 9-19, 2012
Photos: Opening Night of Mu Performing Arts’ Katie Hae Leo’s Four Destinies
Photos: Backstage at Mu Performing Arts’ Four Destinies by Katie Hae Leo
Photos: On the town with Rick Shiomi, Co-Editor of “Asian American Plays for a New Generation”, in D.C. & NY
Temple Press: Rick Shiomi recounts his tour for “Asian American Plays for a New Generation”
Mu Blog: Rick Shiomi’s Book Tour Logbook
knightarts.org: Reading on the road inside the book tour
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Lia Chang Theater Portfolio at Library of Congress Features Photos of Thom Sesma’s Makeup Transformation as Scar in Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas, Robert Lee and Leon Ko’s Heading East Starring BD Wong, David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish, and Samrat Chakrabarti and Sanjiv Jhaveri’s Bakwas Bumbug! on View Through August 2
“Asian American Plays for a New Generation”, A New Anthology of Asian American Plays Is Subject of Book Talk

Click here  for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com



Sree Sreenivasan, Chief Digital Officer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to receive 2016 Alumni Award

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Sree Sreenivasan 3

Congratulations to Sree Sreenivasan, chief digital officer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who is among five distinguished alumni of Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism who will be honored at the 2016 Alumni Weekend, April 15-16, 2016. The awards will be presented on Saturday, April 16, at a luncheon at Low Library.

The Alumni Award winners are Sreenivasan ’93, Solly Granatstein ’94, a television producer, Margo Jefferson ’71, author, critic and teacher; and David McHam ’60.

Sreenivasan is also a noted speaker on social media. He was on the faculty of the Journalism School beginning in 1993, and his courses focused on new media, web design and social media. Sreenivasan also served as dean of students, and finally as chief digital officer for the university. Recently, he was named one of Fast Company magazine‘s 25 Most Creative People. He also regularly runs workshops for working journalists on the advanced use of the Internet and multimedia reporting.

Solly Granatstein headshot 2013 - small version Solly Granatstein ’94 has won nine Emmys, a DuPont, a Peabody and numerous other awards for his work during nearly two decades as a producer at all three major network TV news divisions, including twelve years at “60 Minutes.” Most recently, he won a George Polk Award and an IRE Medal for “The Real Death Valley,” a 2014 joint Weather Channel-Telemundo investigation of the deaths of hundreds of migrants in one rural Texas county. He was also co-executive producer of “Years of Living Dangerously,” an Emmy-winning docu-series on climate change that aired on Showtime.

MargoJeffersonsmall Winner of a Pulitzer Prize for criticism, Margo Jefferson ’71 was for years a theater and book critic for Newsweek and The New York Times. She is the author of the recent book “Negroland: A Memoir,” and “On Michael Jackson.” Her writing has appeared in, among other publications, Vogue, New York magazine, and The New Republic. She is a professor of writing at Columbia University School of the Arts.

McCann2 David McHam ’60 was a journalism professor and mentor to a couple of generations of journalists who got their start in Texas. He taught at Baylor University, Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Houston until he retired earlier this year. He is the author of “Law and the Media in Texas,” which has been in circulation since 1972. He began his career in journalism at The Spartanburg (S.C.) Herald while still in high school, and has worked at The Waco News-Tribune, The Houston Post and the Dallas Times Herald.

Keith Goggin ’91, a member of the School’s Board of Visitors who has been organizing his J-School peers and volunteering his services to the school since he was a student, is the recipient of The Founder’s Award.

Keith Goggin Photo 2013 small Goggin joined the School’s Alumni Executive Committee the year after he graduated. In 2003, after stepping down from the Executive Committee, he became co-chair of the School’s Alumni Annual Fund Campaign, the School’s first peer-to-peer fundraising effort. He currently serves on the School’s Board of Governors, the body that advises Dean Steve Coll. He is also a Presidential Appointee to the Board of Directors of the Columbia University Club of New York and serves on the Board of the Columbia Alumni Association. In addition to his board and committee work, Goggin endowed the Class of 1991 Scholarship Fund and, as a class agent, often hosts his class dinner during the annual spring reunions. Following a brief career in journalism, he forged a second career in trading and private investing and is currently a partner at Integral Derivatives, a New York Stock Exchange-based options specialist firm.

The Alumni Awards are presented annually for a distinguished journalism career in any medium, an outstanding single journalistic accomplishment, a notable contribution to journalism education or an achievement in related fields. The winners were selected by a panel of jurors composed of previous award winners, headed by Fiona Kirk ’00, chair of the Alumni Board. Previous winners are listed here.

The Founder’s Award was created in 2007 to recognize an alumnus who has demonstrated continued support for the mission of the school. Keith is only the fifth recipient of the Founder’s Award. The others are listed here.

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.comJade Magazine and Playbill.com.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com

 


San Francisco Opera Presents World Premiere of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ by Bright Sheng and David Henry Hwang, Sept. 10 -29

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David Henry Hwang. Photo by Lia Chang

David Henry Hwang. Photo by Lia Chang

San Francisco Opera is presenting the world premiere of their commission Dream of the Red Chamber by renowned Chinese-American composer Bright Sheng, opening at the War Memorial Opera House on September 10, 2016. Based on the book Dream of the Red Chamber (also known as The Story of the Stone) by 18th-century Qing Dynasty writer Cao Xueqin—considered one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature—the opera in two acts features an English-language libretto by the composer and acclaimed playwright David Henry Hwang, winner of the 1988 Broadway Tony Award for Best Play for M. Butterfly.

Iconic Taiwanese stage director Stan Lai, one of the most celebrated playwright/directors in Asia, makes his Company debut with this adaptation for the opera stage. Academy Award-winning art director and designer Tim Yip joins the creative team as production designer. Yip received the Oscar for his art direction of Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), as well as a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award for the film’s costume design. American maestro George Manahan, acclaimed for his advocacy of new works, will conduct the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus for the six performances running September 10–29.

The Dream of the Red Chamber cast includes an array of established and rising Asian singers including Chinese tenor Yijie Shi (in the role of Bao Yu); South Korean soprano Pureum Jo (Dai Yu); Chinese mezzo-soprano and current San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow Nian Wang (Bao Chai); in her U.S. debut, Chinese contralto Qiulin Zhang (Granny Jia); South Korean mezzo-soprano Hyona Kim (Lady Wang); Taiwanese soprano and Merola Opera Program alumna Karen Chia-Ling Ho (Princess Jia); and Chinese-American mezzo-soprano and San Francisco Opera veteran from 1990 to 1993, Yanyu Guo (Aunt Xue).

Cao Xueqin’s novel, a masterpiece of Chinese fiction, is a detailed, episodic record of the lives of the members of the Jia Clan, whose good fortune is assured when one of its daughters becomes an imperial concubine, and then declines after her downfall. The story centers on a love triangle consisting of the main character, Bao Yu, his beautiful cousin Dai Yu, and his future wife, another beautiful cousin named Bao Chai. Bright Sheng and David Henry Hwang have adapted the novel with a focus on eight central characters to tell the tale of the illustrious Jia Clan and trace the Jias’ fall from the height of their prestige. Xueqin’s original story, often considered semi-autobiographical, is framed by Sheng and Hwang with a prologue and epilogue led by The Monk, who may be the author himself.

The commission of Dream of the Red Chamber was initiated and funded by the Chinese Heritage Foundation Friends of Minnesota, with leadership support from the Dr. M. F. Tchou Memorial Fund of the Chinese Heritage Foundation, Benjamin Y. H. and Helen C. Liu, and Ruth Stricker and the late Bruce Dayton. San Francisco Opera General Director David Gockley commented: “A while back, the idea of producing an opera on the great Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber had been suggested to me by Kevin Smith, formerly with Minnesota Opera, and Pearl Bergad of the Minneapolis-based Chinese Heritage Foundation. I was very interested from the start and after familiarizing myself with this great episodic story, I agreed. Over twenty years ago in Houston, I worked with Bright Sheng on the creation of a new work and have followed his career ever since. Asking him to create this new opera seemed to me to be the logical and right choice. In conversations with Bright, I asked that Dream of the Red Chamber be composed in a beautifully lyrical style, nostalgic and retain aspects of a traditional Chinese soundscape. I’m very pleased to say that he has indeed succeeded in these efforts. We have cast a remarkable all-Asian cast and I’m confident that we have assembled a very innovative creative team to bring this new work to the stage.”

Pearl Bergad, Executive Director of the Chinese Heritage Foundation, stated: ”The Chinese Heritage Foundation initiated this project in order to fulfill its mission to showcase the best in Chinese literature and, at the same time, to encourage innovation in the arts. Partnering with San Francisco Opera, with vast resources at its disposal, has led to the creation of a first-rate 21st-century treatment of an 18th-century novel. This opera will definitely attract and engage a new audience to this timeless Chinese love story.”

In anticipation of the upcoming premiere, David Gockley has invited Bay Area civic leaders Gorretti Lo Lui and Doreen Woo Ho to collaborate with the Company to develop community partnerships and fundraising initiatives in support of this new opera. Among several distinguished community supporters, San Francisco Opera gratefully recognizes the participation of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and First Lady Lee, in addition to author Amy Tan, Asian Art Museum Board President Timothy Kahn and Kathy Cheng of the San Francisco Boys and Girls Club.

Dream of the Red Chamber marks David Gockley’s 43rd career world premiere and eighth commission for the Company to date, including 2008’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Stewart Wallace, based on Amy Tan’s novel and featuring a libretto by Tan. Gockley is currently in his tenth and final season as San Francisco Opera’s General Director; he retires at the conclusion of the current season, capping an internationally acclaimed and award-winning career spanning 44 years as one of America’s most prominent opera impresarios. San Francisco Opera will present Dream of the Red Chamber as part of the Company’s 2016–17 Season. Tickets will go on sale to new and renewing San Francisco Opera subscribers on January 12 at the San Francisco Opera Box Office by calling (415) 864-3330 or online at sfopera.com. Single (non-subscription) tickets will go on sale beginning June 27.

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.comJade Magazine and Playbill.com.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com


Two River Theater presents World Premiere of ‘Lives of Reason,’ Jan. 9 – Feb. 7

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984131_10152497510732210_3103752981450995959_nRED BANK, NJ — Two River Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst, is presenting the world premiere of Lives of Reason, written by Robert Rechnitz and Kenneth Stunkel, directed by Jonathan Fox. Performances will begin in Two River’s Marion Huber Theater, 21 Bridge Avenue, on Saturday, January 9 and continue through Sunday, February 7. The opening night performance is Friday, January 15 at 8pm. Tickets are available from 732.345.1400 or tworivertheater.org.

Set at an English Department faculty party, Lives of Reason brings audiences inside the world of academia, exposing the challenges of intellectual life—and what happens when one woman’s secret passions explode and her authentic self is revealed.

Says Artistic Director John Dias, “Robert Rechnitz and Kenneth Stunkel are late-career playwrights who spent much of their professional lives as professors at Monmouth University, which is where Bob—with his wife Joan—founded Two River Theater 22 years ago. It has been moving for us to witness both men, who began their careers as artists—Bob as an actor, Ken as a dancer—embark on a new creative endeavor as co-writers of this play.”

Featured in the company are Matthew Lieff Christian (Anthem), Philip Goodwin (As You Like It), Maurice Jones (Romeo and Juliet), Mairin Lee (The Heiress), Patrick Monaghan (Two River Theater’s A Little Shakespeare program),William Parry (Sunday in the Park with George), Peter Rini (Proposals), Jay Russell (End of the Rainbow), Maureen Silliman (The Glass Menagerie), and John C. Vennema (The Ride Down Mt. Morgan).

Robert Rechnitz founded Two River Theater in 1994 and serves as the theater’s Executive Producer. An educator, writer, and director, he is one of New Jersey’s most esteemed theater leaders. He was a Professor of American Literature at Monmouth University for 35 years, contributing scholarly articles and short stories to various academic journals. Among the notable productions he has directed at Two River are Curse of the Starving ClassA View from the Bridge, The Glass Menagerie, Uncle Vanya, American Buffalo, You Can’t Take It with You, and True West. 

Kenneth Stunkel was a Professor of History at Monmouth University for many years, serving for 13 years as Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences and Dean of Arts and Sciences. He is author or co-author of nine books and numerous articles and essays about India, China, and Japan, ancient Greece and Rome, the history of ideas, energy and the environment, technology and ethics, and world politics. Previously, he studied ballet and modern dance; he was with the National Ballet for two years, and was a lead dancer in the performing company of Ethel Butler, who was closely associated as a dancer and teacher with Martha Graham.

Jonathan Fox is Executive Artistic Director of Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara, where his recent productions include Sweeney Todd and Tom Waits’s musical adaptation of Woyzeck. European productions include Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at the English Theatre of Frankfurt and Crimes of the Heart at the Vienna English Theatre. In 1994, he joined Robert and Joan Rechnitz in establishing Two River Theater, serving as managing director through 1999 and artistic director through 2006. His Two River productions include The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and a festival of work by Samuel Beckett.

The creative team includes scenic designer Charlie Corcoran, costume designer Karen Perry, lighting designer Gina Scherr, and sound designer Jane Shaw. The fight director is J. Steven White, the casting is by Dale Brown, and the production stage manager is Larry Copeland.

Ticket Information

Ticket prices range from $45 to $65, with discounts available for groups, seniors, and U.S. military personnel, their families, and veterans. A limited number of $20 tickets are available for every performance; $20 tickets may be partial view. Tickets for patrons under 30 are $20 and include the best available seats at every performance. Tickets are available from tworivertheater.org or 732.345.1400.

Inside Two River

Inside Two River is a series of events specially curated for each Two River Theater production. For more information or to reserve seats, patrons should visit tworivertheater.org or call 732.345.1400.  

Book Club: Stoner by John Edward Williams, Sunday, January 17 at 5pm in the Victoria J. Mastrobuono Library (following the 3pm performance) 

Literary Manager Anika Chapin will lead a discussion of Stoner (the 1965 book The New Yorker called “the greatest American novel you’ve never heard of”), which tells the story of William Stoner, a farm boy from the middle of America who becomes an English professor at a drab Midwestern university. Mired in university politics and facing the fallout from an affair with a fellow professor, Stoner finds the life of the mind isn’t any easier than the brutal farm work he grew up with. Two River’s Book Club (free and open to the public) will discuss the “academic bubble,” emotional freedom, and the new American dream.

A Night of Classic and Contemporary Poetry, Tuesday, January 26 at 7pm in the Marion Huber Theater

Playwrights Robert Rechnitz and Kenneth Stunkel, artists from Lives of Reason, and notable leaders from our community will perform live readings of great poems, both old and new, on the set of the play.

​​​​​Audience Extras

Before Play and Lobby Display

Audiences will learn more about Lives of Reason in Two River’s Before Play lecture series, which takes place 45 minutes prior to every performance, and Lobby Display.

Post-Play Conversations

Discussions with the cast and a member of Two River’s Artistic staff will take place on Wednesday, January 20 at 7pm; Sunday, January 24 at 3pm; and Wednesday, January 27 at 1pm.

Accessibility

Working with Google, Two River has created and launched a virtual tour of its facility, which lives on Google Maps and tworivertheater.org. This virtual tour provides an additional level of support and benefit for patrons who use wheelchairs or require other assistance by allowing them to virtually come through the theater’s front doors and view the space in detail in advance of their visit.

An audio-described performance is scheduled for Wednesday, February 3 at 1pm, and an open-captioned performance is scheduled for Saturday, February 6 at 3pm. Tickets are available at a discounted rate of $25 for patrons using these services. To reserve wheelchair-accessible seating or tickets to a performance listed above, patrons should call 732.345.1400 or e-mail boxoffice@trtc.org.

Calendar

Saturday, January 9 at 8pm

Sunday, January 10 at 3pm

Wednesday, January 13 at 1 pm and 7pm

Thursday, January 14 at 8pm

Friday, January 15 at 8pm (Opening Night)

Saturday, January 16 at 3pm and 8pm

Sunday, January 17 at 3pm

Wednesday, January 20 at 1pm and 7pm

Thursday, January 21 at 8pm

Friday, January 22 at 8pm

Saturday, January 23 at 3pm and 8pm

Sunday, January 24 at 3pm

Wednesday, January 27 at 1pm and 7pm

Thursday, January 28 at 1pm and 8pm

Friday, January 29 at 8pm

Saturday, January 30 at 3pm and 8pm

Sunday, January 31at 3pm

Wednesday, February 3 at 1pm and 7pm

Thursday, February 4 at 1pm and 8pm

Friday, February 5 at 8pm

Saturday, February 6 at 3pm and 8pm

Sunday, February 7 at 3pm

Sponsorship

The lead production sponsors for Lives of Reason are Monmouth University and Saker ShopRites. Inside Two River is sponsored by The William T. Morris Foundation. The Before Play series is sponsored by Zager Fuchs, PC.

Two River Theater is supported in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, Monmouth University, The Shubert Foundation, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Meridian Health/Riverview Medical Center, The Stone Foundation of New Jersey, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Saker ShopRites, Investors Foundation, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Springpoint Senior Living Foundation at the Atrium at Navesink Harbor, Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Wells Fargo, William T. Morris Foundation, US Trust, Brookdale Community College, and many other generous foundations, corporations and individuals.

Two River Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst, creates great American theater performed by award-winning artists. We produce American and world masterpieces, and new plays and musicals. Two River Theater offers new-play commissions and artistic development activities that support the most adventurous artists in the American theater; invites its audience to be part of the creative process through readings and open rehearsals; and cultivates students and young people to participate in innovative arts-education programs and become a new generation of theatergoers. Founded in 1994 by Joan and Dr. Robert M. Rechnitz, Two River Theater is easily accessible by car, train, or bus, with great restaurants and shopping within walking distance of the theater. For more information, visit tworivertheater.org or call 732.345.1400.  

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.comJade Magazine and Playbill.com.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com


MA-YI Theater Company presents Off-Broadway premiere of WASHER/DRYER featuring Annie McNamara, Nandita Shenoy, Jade Wu, Johnny Wu and Jamyl Dobson, Jan. 26 – Feb. 21

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WASHER/DRYER, a new comedy by Nandita Shenoy about a recently eloped young couple- Michael and Sonya- who discover they haven’t been entirely truthful with each other as they settle into Sonya’s Manhattan studio apartment with its own stackable washer/dryer as a key perk – is being given its NY premiere by the award-winning Asian-American Off-Broadway company MA-YI THEATER COMPANY at the Beckett Theater at Theater Row (410 W. 42 St.) in NYC (www.theatrerow.org). Previews begin January 26 prior to its official opening night on February 2.

Directed by Benjamin Kamine, WASHER/DRYER comes to NY following its world-premiere at East West Players in Los Angeles last winter, and a subsequent production in Chicago this fall.

The cast of WASHER/DRYER features Annie McNamara (GATZ, Public Theatre), Nandita Shenoy (TROUBLE COMETH), Jade Wu (THE PRIMARY ENGLISH CLASS), Johnny Wu (CHINGLISH) and Jamyl Dobson (THE ANTHEM).

WASHER/DRYER is described as a contemporary farce that examines the pressures of modern-day marriage against the backdrop of New York City.  Sonya and Michael’s recent elopement in Vegas seemed like a dream come true for both of them until they try living together in Sonya’s Manhattan studio apartment.  As they discover that they haven’t been entirely honest with each other or themselves, their secrets come home to roost along with an intrusive mother, the co-op’s strict Board president, a harsh best friend, and a fabulous washer-dryer. Mayhem ensues as the couple is forced to re-evaluate their relationship and decide whether all really is fair in love and real estate.

Scenic design for WASHER/DRYER is Anshuman Bhatia, costume design is by Dede Ayite, lighting design is by Jonathan Cottle and sound design is by Miles Polaski.

Nandita Shenoy

Nandita Shenoy

Nandita Shenoy is a writer/actor, who has written the plays LYME PARK (Round House Theatre), SAFE HAVEN (Abingdon Theatre) and others.  Key acting credits include Eric Pfeffinger’s SOME OTHER KIND OF PERSON and Richard Dresser’s TROUBLE COMETH.  She is a member of Ma-Yi’s ever-popular Writer’s Lab.

Benjamin Kamine directed Thomas Bradshaw’s CARLYLE at the Goodman Theatre, as well as Mr. Bradshaw’s JOB and A CAUTIONARY TALE at the Flea, where he is an Associate Artist.

Scheduled through February 21, WASHER/DRYER will perform Tuesdays at 7; Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8; and Sundays at 3.  Tickets range in price from $25-$30-$35 and can be purchased via Telecharge at 212 239 6200 or online at www.telecharge.com or www.ma-yitheatre.org.

MA-YI THEATER COMPANY recently enjoyed great critical and popular success with its double-bill last fall of LIVIN’ LA VIDA IMELDA and CHAIRS AND A LONG TABLE, and this past spring’s world premiere of SOLDIER X.  The company won the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for its critically-acclaimed production of THE WONG KIDS IN THE SECRET OF THE SPACE CHUPACABRA GO! last season. Founded in 1989 and now celebrating its 27th season, MA-YI  is a Drama Desk and OBIE Award-winning, Off-Broadway not-for-profit organization whose primary mission is to develop and produce new and innovative plays by Asian American writers.

Since its founding, Ma-Yi has distinguished itself as one of the country’s leading incubators of new work shaping the national discourse about what it means to be Asian American today. Its numerous acclaimed productions include Mike Lew’s BIKE AMERICA, Qui Nguyen’s THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G and SOUL SAMURAI (with Vampire Cowboys), Mike Lew’s MICROCRISIS and the revival of Ralph B. Peña’s FLIPZOIDS. Other productions include: RESCUE ME by Michi Barall, Lloyd Suh’s AMERICAN HWANGAP and THE CHILDREN OF VONDERLY and THE ROMANCE OF MAGNO RUBIO. Through successful programs such as the Writers Lab, Ma-Yi emboldens a new generation of Asian American artists to voice their experiences, while developing a steady stream of quality new works by Asian American playwrights for its own performing repertory. New works developed at the Writers Lab have gone on to successful productions around the country, at such theaters as Victory Gardens, Laguna Playhouse, Long Wharf Theater, Woolly Mammoth, and the Actors Theater of Louisville, to name a few. Ma-Yi Theater Company productions have earned 10 OBIE Awards, numerous Henry Hewes Award nominations, a Drama Desk nomination for Best Play and the Special Drama Desk Award for “more than two decades of excellence and for nurturing Asian-American voices in stylistically varied and engaging theater.”

Ma-Yi Theater is under the leadership of Artistic Director Ralph B. Peña and Executive Director Jorge Ortoll.

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.comJade Magazine and Playbill.com.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com


Bartlett Sher helmed FIDDLER ON THE ROOF starring Danny Burstein and Jessica Hecht, opens at the Broadway Theatre

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Dann Burstein. Photo by Joan Marcus

Danny Burstein. Photo by Joan Marcus

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, the celebrated musical, is currently in previews and will open on Sunday, December 20, 2015, at The Broadway Theatre (1681 Broadway). Click here for tickets.

The cast features five-time Tony Award nominee and Drama Desk & Outer Critics Circle Award winner Danny Burstein (Cabaret, Golden Boy, Follies, South Pacific) in the iconic role of Tevye, Tony nominee Jessica Hecht (A View From the Bridge, Breaking Bad, The Last Night of Ballyhoo) as Golde, Jenny Rose Baker (Annie Get Your Gun) as Shprintze, Michael C. Bernardi as Mordcha, Adam Dannheisser (Rock of Ages, The Coast of Utopia) as Lazar Wolf, Hayley Feinstein (Shrek The Musical, National Tour) as Bielke, Mitch Greenberg (It Shoulda Been You) as Yussel and the Beggar, Adam Grupper (The Addams Family) as the Rabbi, Adam Kantor (The Last Five Years, Next to Normal, Rent) as Motel, Karl Kenzler (You Can’t Take It With You, Mary Poppins) as the Constable, Alix Korey (All Shook Up, Chicago) as Yente, Jesse Kovarsky as The Fiddler, Samantha Massell (La Boheme) as Hodel, Melanie Moore (Finding Neverland, So You Think You Can Dance) as Chava, George Psomas (South Pacific) as Avram, Ben Rappaport (“Mr. Robot,” Picnic) as Perchik, Nick Rehberger (The Glass Menagerie) as Fyedka, Jeffrey Schecter (A Chorus Line, Nice Work if You Can Get It) as Mendel, Alexandra Silber (Master Class) as Tzeitel, Jessica Vosk (The Bridges of Madison County) as Fruma-Sarah, Lori Wilner (The Assembled Parties) as Grandma Tzeitel, Aaron Youngas Sasha, and Jennifer Zetlan (Metropolitan Opera) as Shaindel. The ensemble features Julie Benko, Eric Bourne,Stephen Carrasco (Kinky Boots), Eric Chambliss, Austin Goodwin, Jacob Guzman (Newsies), Reed Luplau, Brandt Martinez (Aladdin), Matt Moisey, Sarah Parker, Marla Phelan (Sleep No More), Tess Primack, Silvia Vrskova, and Jonathan Royse Windham.

Bartlett Sher. Photo by Lia Chang

Bartlett Sher. Photo by Lia Chang

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is directed by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher, who most recently helmed the 2015 Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of The King and I. Sher has directed Burstein on Broadway in the revivals of Golden Boy and South Pacific, as well as in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. It is choreographed by Hofesh Shechter, inspired by the original choreography of Jerome Robbins, and the music director is Ted Sperling (The King and I, South Pacific). FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is produced by Jeffrey Richards, Jam Theatricals, Louise Gund andJerry Frankel.

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF has book by Joseph Stein, music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. The original Broadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, was the first musical in history to surpass 3,000 performances. The show won the 1965 Tony Award for Best Musical in addition to eight other Tony Awards that year.

The design team includes scenic design by Michael Yeargan (Tony Award nominee, The King and I), costume design by Catherine Zuber (Tony Award winner, The King and I), and lighting design by Donald Holder (Tony Award nominee, The King and I). Fiddler on the Roof will be their 5th Broadway production working with Sher, after South Pacific, Golden Boy, The Bridges of Madison County, and The King and I. Sound design is by Scott Lehrer (A Delicate Balance, South Pacific). Casting is by Telsey + Co./Abbie Brady Dalton.

Rediscover the joy as a Broadway tradition returns: Fiddler on the Roof. Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher and the team behind South Pacific and The King and I bring a fresh and authentic vision to this beloved theatrical masterpiece from Tony winner Joseph Stein and Pulitzer Prize winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. The original production won ten Tony Awards including a special Tony for becoming the longest-running Broadway musical of all time — and now you can be there when the sun rises on this new production starring Tony nominees Danny Burstein and Jessica Hecht with stunning movement and dance from acclaimed Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter based on the original staging by Jerome Robbins. A wonderful cast and a lavish orchestra tell this heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and the timeless traditions that define faith and family. Featuring the Broadway classics “To Life (L’Chaim!),” “If I Were A Rich Man,” “Sunrise Sunset,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” and “Tradition,” Fiddler on the Roof will introduce a new generation to this uplifting celebration that raises its cup to joy! To love! To life!

Melanie Moore and Samantha Massell. Photo by Joan Marcus

Melanie Moore and Samantha Massell. Photo by Joan Marcus

Adam Kantor and Alexandra Silber. Photo by Joan Marcus

Adam Kantor and Alexandra Silber. Photo by Joan Marcus

Alexandra Silber, Samantha Massell, Melanie Moore, Danny Burstein, Jessica Hecht, Jenny Rose Baker and Hayley Feinstein. Photo by Joan Marcus

Alexandra Silber, Samantha Massell, Melanie Moore, Danny Burstein, Jessica Hecht, Jenny Rose Baker and Hayley Feinstein. Photo by Joan Marcus

Samantha Massell and Ben Rappaport. Photo by Joan Marcus

Samantha Massell and Ben Rappaport. Photo by Joan Marcus

Melanie Moore, Samantha Massell, Alexandra Silber and Jessica Hecht. Photo by Joan Marcus

Melanie Moore, Samantha Massell, Alexandra Silber and Jessica Hecht. Photo by Joan Marcus

Jessica Hecht, Adam Grupper, Danny Burstein and Lori Wilner. Photo by Joan Marcus

Jessica Hecht, Adam Grupper, Danny Burstein and Lori Wilner. Photo by Joan Marcus

Samantha Massell. Photo by Joan Marcus

Samantha Massell. Photo by Joan Marcus

Jessica Vosk, Danny Burstein, Jessica Hecht and Cast. Photo by Joan Marcus

Jessica Vosk, Danny Burstein, Jessica Hecht and Cast. Photo by Joan Marcus

Tess Primack, Reed Luplau, Jennifer Zetlan, Lori Wilner, Eric Bourne, Jessica Vosk, Alix Korey, George Psomas,Jeffrey Schecter, Adam Grupper, Jacob Guzman, Marla Phelan and Jesse Kovarsky. Photo by Joan Marcus

Tess Primack, Reed Luplau, Jennifer Zetlan, Lori Wilner, Eric Bourne, Jessica Vosk, Alix Korey, George Psomas,Jeffrey Schecter, Adam Grupper, Jacob Guzman, Marla Phelan and Jesse Kovarsky. Photo by Joan Marcus

Jesse Kovarsky (center) and Cast. Photo by Joan Marcus

Jesse Kovarsky (center) and Cast. Photo by Joan Marcus

The cast of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Photo by Joan Marcus

The cast of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Photo by Joan Marcus

Adam Kantor, Alexandra Silber, Jennifer Zetlan (arm), Lori Wilner, Jacob Guzman, Adam Grupper, Reed Luplau,Jeffrey Schecter, Mitch Greenberg and Michael Bernardi. Photo by Joan Marcus

Adam Kantor, Alexandra Silber, Jennifer Zetlan (arm), Lori Wilner, Jacob Guzman, Adam Grupper, Reed Luplau,Jeffrey Schecter, Mitch Greenberg and Michael Bernardi. Photo by Joan Marcus

Jessica Vosk, Lori Wilner, Jessica Hecht, Alix Korey, Tess Primack and Jennifer Zetlan. Photo by Joan Marcus

Jessica Vosk, Lori Wilner, Jessica Hecht, Alix Korey, Tess Primack and Jennifer Zetlan. Photo by Joan Marcus

Danny Burstein and Cast. Photo by Joan Marcus

Danny Burstein and Cast. Photo by Joan Marcus

Alexandra Silber, Danny Burstein and Adam Kantor. Photo by Joan Marcus

Alexandra Silber, Danny Burstein and Adam Kantor. Photo by Joan Marcus

Melanie Moore. Photo by Joan Marcus

Melanie Moore. Photo by Joan Marcus

Melanie Moore and Nick Rehberger. Photo by Joan Marcus

Melanie Moore and Nick Rehberger. Photo by Joan Marcus

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.comJade Magazine and Playbill.com.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com


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