Theater – Backstage Pass with Lia Chang

Second Stage Theatre’s remount of Stephen Adly Guirgis’s Between Riverside and Crazy, starring Stephen McKinley Henderson (Walter “Pops” Washington), Victor Almanzar (Oswaldo), Elizabeth Canavan (Detective O’Connor), Rosal Colón (Lulu), Liza Colón-Zayas (Church Lady), Michael Rispoli (Lieutenant Caro) and Ron Cephas Jones (Junior), under the masterful direction of Austin Pendleton, opened to rave reviews on February 11, and will continue performances through March 22nd. Click here to read the reviews.

Stephen McKinley Henderson, Victor Almanzar, Elizabeth Canavan, Michael Rispoli, Liza Colón-Zayas, Rosal Colón, and Ron Cephas Jones; photo by Carol Rosegg.

City Hall is demanding more than his signature, the Landlord wants him out, the liquor store is closed – and the Church won’t leave him alone. For ex-cop and recent widower Walter “Pops” Washington and his recently paroled son Junior, the struggle to hold on to one of the last great rent stabilized apartments on Riverside Drive collides with old wounds, sketchy new houseguests, and a final ultimatum in this dark comedy. For Pops and Junior, it seems the Old Days are dead and gone – after a lifetime living Between Riverside and Crazy.

Stephen McKinley Henderson and Rosal Colón. ©2015, Carol Rosegg

Recently featured on New York Times Theater Critic Ben Brantley’s Best Theater of 2014 List:

“Between Riverside and Crazy: The triumphant return of Stephen Adly Guirgis, who startled Broadway in 2011 by snatching a Tony nomination for best play for a work with an unprintable title. This gleefully agnostic account of the things we do for real estate (at least when you’re poor and in unlikely possession of prime Manhattan property) blithely crossed the lines between good and bad, comedy and tragedy, faith and skepticism without missing a step. Austin Pendleton directed a wonderful cast led by Stephen McKinley Henderson.”

Stephen McKinley Henderson and Ron Cephas Jones. ©2015, Carol Rosegg

What the critics are saying:
“A rich new play deliciously mounted! It is a dizzying and exciting place to be!”
The New York Times
“This is the kind of rich, dynamic theater you almost never see anymore—fresh, savage and original.”

“Like a stick of dynamite, it shines a laser light on the shadowy aspects of being a black cop, fighting the system, and never giving up or giving in.”
NY Observer
“A quintessentially New York play brought to roaring life. A love/hate song to this impossible town and its outlandish citizenry.”
Variety
“Tender, Gritty, Shocking”
NY Daily News
“Filled with biting humor and wonder.”
USA Today

Stephen McKinley Henderson and Liza Colón-Zayas. Photo by Kevin Thomas Garcia

Between Riverside and Crazy features scenic design by Walt Spangler; costume design byAlexis Forte; lighting design by Keith Parham; and sound design and original music by Ryan Rumery.

Tickets are $75 (orchestra), $60 (Balcony), $67.50 (Senior), $125 premium*, $55 (subscription). Rush tickets are available one hour prior to curtain to full time high school or college students. $30 Under 30 tickets available in advance for patrons ages 30 and under. One valid ID required for each ticket purchased, based on availability. For tickets: call the box office at 212-246-4422 or 2ST.com. *A limited number of Premium Seats are available. Please call the box office at 212-246-4422 to reserve.

2014 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright recipient Stephen Adly Guirgis at the 2014 Steinberg Playwright Awards hosted by the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust on November 17, 2014 in New York City. Photo by Lia Chang

STEPHEN ADLY GUIRGIS (Playwright) is a member and former co-artistic director of LAByrinth Theater Company. His plays have been produced on five continents and throughout the United States. They include Our Lady of 121st Street (Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle Best Play Nominations), Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train (Edinburgh Festival Fringe First Award, Barrymore Award, Olivier Nomination for London’s Best New Play), In Arabia, We’d All Be Kings (2007 LA Drama Critics Best Play, Best Writing Award), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (10 best Time Magazine & Entertainment Weekly), and The Little Flower of East Orange (with Ellen Burstyn & Michael Shannon). All five plays were directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman and were originally produced by LAByrinth. His most recent play, The Motherf***er with the Hat (6 Tony nominations, including Best Play), was directed by Anna D. Shapiro and marked his third consecutive world premiere co-production with The Public Theater and LAByrinth. In London, his plays have premiered at The Donmar Warehouse, The Almeida (dir: Rupert Goold), The Hampstead (Robert Delamere), and at The Arts Theater in the West End. Other plays include Den of Thieves (Labyrinth, HERE, HAI, Black Dahlia) and Dominica The Fat Ugly Ho (dir: Adam Rapp) for the 2006 E.S.T. Marathon. He is currently collaborating with Academy Award nominated director Baz Luhrmann on a Netflix Series The Get Down, a 13-episode drama about the birth of hip-hop in the 1970s, which will air in 2016. He has received the Yale Wyndham-Campbell Prize, a PEN/Laura Pels Award, a Whiting Award, a TCG fellowship and the prestigious 2014 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award. He is also a New Dramatists Alumnae and a member of MCC’s Playwright’s Coalition, The Ojai Playwrights Festival, New River Dramatists, and Labyrinth Theater Company. As an actor, he has appeared in theater, film and television, including roles in Kenneth Lonergan’s film Margaret, Todd Solondz’s Palindromes, Brett C Leonard’s Jailbait opposite Michael Pitt and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman opposite Michael Keaton. A former violence prevention specialist and H.I.V. educator, he lives in New York City.

Austin Pendleton

AUSTIN PENDLETON (Director) returns to Second Stage Theatre where he staged the critically acclaimed production of Spoils of War. He has been most recently represented as a director by his productions in New York, of Gidion’s Knot (by Johnna Adams) at 59E59; Seagull69 (adapted from The Sea Gull) at Mississippi Mud; Ivanov, Three Sisters, and Uncle Vanya (all at CSC); and Look Homeward, Angel for Mother of Invention, among many other productions. Other credits include: in Chicago, works at Steppenwolf (where he is a member of the Ensemble) most recently by Tribes; in London at the National Theatre by Detroit by Lisa D’Amour; and in Little Rock by A Loss of Roses by William Inge, at Arkansas Rep. He is also an actor (Broadway, off- and off-off-Broadway, regional theatre, and many movies and TV appearances), playwright (his plays include Orson’s Shadow, Uncle Bob, and Booth), and (at HB Studio in New York) teacher of acting.

Stephen McKinley Henderson, Victor Almanzar, Ron Cephas Jones. ©2015, Carol Rosegg

Stephen McKinley Henderson and Elizabeth Canavan. ©2015, Carol Rosegg.

Ron Cephas Jones and Rosal Colón. ©2015, Carol Rosegg

Ron Cephas Jones, Liza Colón-Zayas, Elizabeth Canavan, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Rosal Colón, Michael Rispoli and Victor Almanzar in the Second Stage Theatre green room on January 21, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Check out playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis, actor Stephen McKinley Henderson and director Austin Pendleton on Theater Talk, co-hosted by Michael Riedel of the New York Post and producer Susan Haskins.

The trio discusses their collaboration on Guirgis’ new play, Between Riverside and Crazy at the Second Stage Theatre, about the off beat world of an aging police officer whose career was cut short in a shooting. In a freewheeling conversation, they also talk about the inspirations for their successful careers, as well as the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, who got his first break from Pendleton and later was Guirgis’ mentor and collaborator.

The program is also available online at www.cuny.tv and www.theatertalk.org, and via iTunes podcasts.

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia starred as Carole Barbara in Lorey Hayes’ Power Play at the 2013 National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, N.C., with Pauletta Pearson Washington, Roscoe Orman, and made her jazz vocalist debut in Rome Neal’s Banana Puddin’ Jazz “LADY” at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

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Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Advantageous, Oh Lucy!, Meru, Umrika, The Chinese Mayor, The Stanford Prison Experiment Among 2015 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners
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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

The Billie Holiday Theatre kicks off a two-year residency at the Brooklyn Music School Playhouse with Brothers from the Bottom, starring actor and TONY Award-winning producer Wendell Pierce (SELMA, “Treme,” “The Wire”). The production began preview performances on March 6 and will continue through March 29. The opening night performance is on March 8, 2015, at 8:00 pm. The cast also features two-time Emmy Award winner Kevin Mambo, who played the title role in Fela! on Broadway and recently appeared in the critically-acclaimed Fortress of Solitude, Toccarra Cash, Thaddeus Daniels, Wendell Franklin and Megan Robinson.

Wendell Pierce and Kevin Mambo in Brothers from the Bottom. Photo by Helen L. Collen

BHT artistic director Jackie Alexander, author of Brothers from the Bottom, will also direct. The Brooklyn Music School Playhouse is located at 126 Saint Felix Street between Hanson and Lafayette, in the heart of the BAM Cultural District. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

Below is a previews promo code BFTB for $5 off general admission (regularly priced at $30).
Code is valid for the following performances only:
March 8th at 2pm
Click here to purchase tickets.

Thanks to a special partnership with the Brooklyn Music School Playhouse, The Billie Holiday Theatre (BHT) will present their acclaimed productions to Brooklyn’s flourishing Downtown Cultural District, as their award-winning theatre home in Bed-Stuy’s Restoration Plaza undergoes a multi-million dollar facelift.

Alexander’s Brothers from the Bottom deals with the hot button topic of gentrification, an incendiary subject for Brooklynites and New Yorkers alike. In the play, a real estate project threatens the fabric of a New Orleans neighborhood, and unravels the bond between brothers. “It’s a particularly relevant subject for us,” says Alexander, “since our residency and our permanent home are both central locations for the gentrification debates taking place in Brooklyn.”

Wendell Pierce, an accomplished Julliard trained actor, has conquered all realms of media with critically praised performances in theater, film, television and broadcast radio. The TONY, Emmy, Obie and Peabody winning actor and producer is best known for his portrayals on HBO’s ground breaking television series “The Wire” and “Treme”. Pierce is currently co-starring on CBS’ “The Odd Couple,” Showtime’s “Ray Donovan” and this year’s Oscar nominee for Best Picture, SELMA. He continues to host the Peabody Award winning national radio program, Jazz at Lincoln Center. Pierce is honored to be doing theatre for BHT. “When I moved to New York in 1981, I lived almost around the corner from BHT so I’ve almost come full circle in those 34 years.”

Check out the Wendell Pierce’s video promo below.

Brothers from the Bottom writer and director Jackie Alexander is a prolific award-winning actor, writer, producer and director for theater and film. BHT named Alexander artistic director in 2013 after devoting its entire 2010-2011 season to Alexander’s work; commissioning him to write three new plays, one of which was Brothers from the Bottom; and making him the only playwright in the forty-two year history of the theatre to receive such an honor.

Original Music: Edward Anderson and Darrell Lavigne (Bleu Orleans); Set Design: Felix Cochren (Broadway credits: Amen Corner, Inacent Black, Home);Assistant Set Designer: Patrice Davidson; Costume Design: Helen Simmons-Collen; Lighting Design: Joyce Liao; Sound Design: Douglas Forbes; Stage Manager: Avan Littles.

The Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation is invested in forward-thinking, provocative and relevant work and partnerships with world-class artists and institutions, such as Wendell Pierce and the Brooklyn Music School Playhouse. The Restoration Center for Arts and Culture is dedicated to promoting arts and culture in Brooklyn with a range of arts programming, including a multidisciplinary youth arts academy, several professional dance company residencies and the Skylight Gallery with exhibits curated by renowned artists.

“The move to Brooklyn’s downtown cultural district is a natural progression in our evolution for the Billie Holiday Theatre,” says Alexander. “This residency, coupled with acclaimed actor Wendell Pierce’s performance in Brothers from the Bottom, presents BHT with an invaluable opportunity to re-establish ourselves as one of New York’s premier Off-Broadway houses, introduce our work to a new demographic and cultivate our existing audience base.” Brooklyn Music School artistic-executive director Piruz Partow agrees saying, “This partnership makes real sense. For decades, both our organizations have continued to make high quality programming accessible for Brooklynites.”

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Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I, Starring Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Kick off Rehearsals; Previews Begin March 12
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Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Ken Watanabe and Kelli O’Hara. Photo by Paul Kolnik.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnqzA9iG4qM

Five-time Tony Award nominee Kelli O’Hara (THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, SOUTH PACIFIC) and Academy Award nominee Ken Watanabe (THE LAST SAMURAI, INCEPTION) star in a magnificent new Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s beloved THE KING AND I. Tony winner Bartlett Sher (SOUTH PACIFIC) directs this classic tale of a British schoolteacher’s unexpected relationship with the imperious King of Siam.

The cast also features Ruthie Ann Miles (as Lady Thiang), Ashley Park (as Tuptim), Conrad Ricamora (as Lun Tha), Edward Baker-Duly (as Sir Edward Ramsey), Jon Viktor Corpuz (as Prince Chulalongkorn), Murphy Guyer (as Captain Orton), Jake Lucas (as Louis), Paul Nakauchi (as Kralahome), and Marc Oka (as Phra Alack). The production will begin performances Thursday, March 12, 2015, and open on Thursday, April 16, 2015, at the Vivian Beaumont Theater (150 West 65 Street).

Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Ashley Park

One of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s finest works, THE KING AND I boasts a score which features such beloved classics as “Getting To Know You,” “Hello Young Lovers,” “Shall We Dance,” “I Have Dreamed,” and “Something Wonderful”. Set in 1860’s Bangkok, the musical tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher, whom the imperious King brings to Siam to tutor his many wives and children.

Featured in the ensemble of the 51-member cast are Aaron Albano, Adriana Braganza, Amaya Braganza, Billy Bustamante, LaMae Caparas, Hsin-Ping Chang, Andrew Cheng, Lynn Masako Cheng, Olivia Chun, Ali Ewoldt, Ethan Halford Holder, Cole Horibe, MaryAnn Hu, James Ignacio, Christie Kim, Kelvin Moon Loh, Sumie Maeda, Paul HeeSang Miller, Rommel Pierre O’Choa, Kristen Faith Oei, Autumn Ogawa, Yuki Ozeki, Stephanie Jae Park, Diane Phelan, Sam Poon, William Poon, Brian Rivera, Bennyroyce Royon, Lainie Sakakura, Ann Sanders, Ian Saraceni, Atsuhisa Shinomiya, Michiko Takemasa, Kei Tsuruharatani, Christopher Vo, Rocco Wu, and Timothy Yang.

Lincoln Center Theater’s production of THE KING AND I will feature choreography by Christopher Gattelli based on the original choreography by Jerome Robbins.

THE KING AND I will have sets by Michael Yeargan; costumes by Catherine Zuber; lights by Donald Holder; sound by Scott Lehrer; and casting by Telsey + Company/Abbie Brady-Dalton, CSA. The production will feature the musical’s original 1951 orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett with dance and incidental music arranged by Trude Rittmann. Music director Ted Sperling will conduct a 29-piece orchestra.

Director Bartlett Sher. Photo by Lia Chang

Director Barlett Sher. Photo by Lia Chang

BARTLETT SHER, Resident Director of Lincoln Center Theater, won the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics’ Circle Awards for his direction of LCT’s production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific. His other LCT productions include Golden Boy, Blood & Gifts, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Awake and Sing!, and The Light in the Piazza. His other Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include The Bridges of Madison County, Prayer for My Enemy, The Butterfly Collection, Cymbeline, Waste, Don Juan, and Pericles. He directed the operas Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Le Comte Ory, L’Elisir d’Amore (Metropolitan Opera); Romeo et Juliette (Salzburg Festival and La Scala); Mourning Becomes Electra (Seattle Opera and New York City Opera); and Two Boys (Met and ENO). He was the Artistic Director of Seattle’s Intiman Theatre and was also a Resident Director of Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theater.

KELLI O’HARA returns to Lincoln Center Theater where she was nominated for Tony Awards for her performances in The Light in the Piazza and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific. Her Broadway credits include The Bridges of Madison County (Tony and Drama Desk nominations), Nice Work if You Can Get It (Tony and Drama Desk nominations), The Pajama Game (Tony nomination and Drama Desk nominations), The Sweet Smell of Success, Follies, Dracula, and Jekyll & Hyde. Off- Broadway: Far From Heaven, King Lear, Bells Are Ringing, My Life With Albertine. Film/TV: Sex and the City 2, Scorsese’s The Key to Reserva, Blood Brothers, Alexander Hamilton, and “Numb3rs”. Her recordings include Always and Wonders of the World on Ghostlight Records.

KEN WATANABE will make his American stage debut in The King and I. His Japanese theatre credits include Dialogue with Horowitz, Hamlet, Shitayamannen-cho monogatari, The Lion in Winter and The Royal Hunt of the Sun. For his work in film, Watanabe received Oscar, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award nominations for The Last Samurai. His motion picture credits also include Inception, Letters from Iwo Jima, Memoirs of a Geisha, Batman Begins and Godzilla. Watanabe is currently preparing to shoot Gus Van Sant’s Sea of Trees and Martin Scorsese’s Silence.

The King and I will be performed Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8pm, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3pm. Beginning April 21, all Tuesday evening performances will begin at 7pm. Tickets, priced from $87 to $162, are now available at the Lincoln Center Theater box office (150 West 65 Street), at telecharge.com, or by visiting KingandIBroadway.com. Save on preview performances to THE KING & I, March 12 – April 15, just $99 for Front Loge seats (reg $142), performances Tuesdays – Fridays only. A limited number of tickets priced at $32 are available at every performance through LincTix, LCT’s program for 21 to 35 year olds. For information and to enroll, visit LincTix.org.

*Valid for performances through 4/15/2015 only. Discount available for Front Loge seating only and for performances Tuesdays-Fridays only. Price includes $2 facility fee. Regular phone/online service charges apply. Inventory is limited and all seats subject to availability. All sales are final. No refunds, exchanges or retroactive discounts. Limit 6 tickets per customer. Offer may be modified or revoked at any time.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
Stephen Adly Guirgis’s BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY Starring Stephen McKinley Henderson, Victor Almanzar, Elizabeth Canavan, Rosal Colón, Liza Colón-Zayas, Michael Rispoli and Ron Cephas Jones, has performances through March 22 at Second Stage Theatre
Photos: “Swimming Awkward Moment,” the newest works by painter Arlan Huang at Trestle Gallery through March 27
Photos: Michael Mayer Helmed BROOKLYNITE Featuring Ann Harada, Matt Doyle, Nicolette Robinson, Andrew Call, Nick Cordero and More, Extends through March 29
MTC Run of World Premiere of The World of Extreme Happiness by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, starring Jennifer Lim, Francis Jue, Telly Leung, Jo Mei, James Saito and Sue Jin Song has performances through March 29
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s AN OCTOROON, Starring Maechi Aharanwa, Pascale Armand, Danielle Davenport, Amber Gray, Ian Lassiter, Austin Smith, Haynes Thigpen, and Mary Wiseman, Extends Again Off-Broadway Through March 29
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents Rajiv Joseph’s THE LAKE EFFECT Starring Adam Poss, Nilanjana Bose, Jason Bowen through March 29
Photos: Wendell Pierce, Kevin Mambo, Toccarra Cash, Thaddeus Daniels, Wendell Franklin and Megan Robinson Set for The Billie Holiday Theatre Production of Jackie Alexander’s Brothers from the Bottom through March 29
Jose Llana Set for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Debut on March 12
Jeanne Sakata, Jeremy Guskin, Angela Sauer, Andrew Ross Wynn, Elyse Mirto and More Set for A Noise Within’s FIGARO, March 1-May 10
Mar. 8- 29: Pursuit of the Perfect Plate: tokyo fish story Premieres at South Coast Repertory starring Lawrence Kao, Jully Lee, Eddie Mui, Sab Shimono and Ryun Yu
OBIE Award-winner Jojo Gonzalez, Jessica Almasy, Marcia DeBonis, Brad Heberlee, Sakina Jaffrey, Erik Lochtefeld and Babak Tafti Set for Ars Nova’s World Premiere of SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS, March 10 – April 11; OBIE Winner Rachel Chavkin to Direct
CAAMFest 2015 Honors Filmmaker Arthur Dong with World Premiere Screenings of Forbidden City, USA (3/14), The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor (3/15) & In Conversation with B. Ruby Rich (3/20)
CAAMFest Presents Ursula Liang’s Documentary 9-Man: Northern California Premiere at the Great Star Theatre on March 13; East Bay Premiere at The New Parkway Theater on March 22
Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More Set for Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse, March 17- April 12, 2015
Asia Society Presents Wu Tong: Song of the Sheng on March 19
Mar. 24: An Evening with Amy Tan at New-York Historical Society
Broadway Bound Doctor Zhivago Featuring Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Paul Nolan, Lora Lee Gayer, Melody Butiu and More Kicks Off Rehearsal; Previews Begin March 27
Brandon J. Dirden, Merritt Janson, Roslyn Ruff, Andrew Hovelson, Roger Robinson Set for World Premiere of YOUR BLUES AIN’T SWEET LIKE MINE, written and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson at Two River Theater, April 11-May 3
Tony Award® Nominees Omar Metwally and Arian Moayed to star in Rajiv Joseph’s GUARDS AT THE TAJ, helmed by Amy Morton, at Atlantic Theater Company, May 20-June 28
Photos: National Black Theatre Festival 2013; NBTF runs August 3-8, 2015 and will include Act III – A Celebration of Life Reception saluting the late theatre icon Garland Lee Thompson, Sr.
Photos: John W. Kuo, Jessica Hagedorn, and Neal Katyal Receive AALDEF 2015 Justice in Action Awards
Suzan-Lori Parks’ FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS, PARTS 1, 2 & 3 is the 2015 Winner of the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History
THE GET DOWN, Baz Luhrmann’s New Drama Series Set in 1970s NYC That Gave Birth to Hip-Hop, Punk and Disco, to Premiere on Netflix in 2016
The American Playwriting Foundation Creates The Relentless Award to Honor the late Philip Seymour Hoffman
Variety.com: Ken Jeong to Star in ABC Medical Comedy Pilot ‘Dr. Ken’
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Advantageous, Oh Lucy!, Meru, Umrika, The Chinese Mayor, The Stanford Prison Experiment Among 2015 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners
Photos: Tony Award Winning Playwright David Henry Hwang, NEFA, Graham Sheffield CBE and Susan Stockton Receive 2015 ISPA Awards
Photos: Late Night at HERE LIES LOVE with Jaygee Macapugay, David Byrne, Jose Llana, Conrad Ricamora, Melody Butiu and More
THE WIZ Turns 40- Photos from Original Broadway Production and BC/EFA Gypsy of The Year Celebration Featuring André De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ken Page, Charl Brown, Carly Hughes, Christina Sajous, Alton Fitzgerald White, Lillias White and More
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
Crafting a Career
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lea Salonga

Tony, Olivier Award-winning star and recording artist Lea Salonga, after wrapping up a worldwide tour with Il Divo, is back for a one-night-only engagement on Saturday, March 14, 2015 at 8:00 pm at Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street in New York.

Ms Salonga continues to captivate audiences worldwide. Well known for her lead performances in the Broadway hits Miss Saigon and Les Miserables, the elegant Salonga is probably best known to the public as the voice of Disney’s animated heroines of Mulan and Aladdin. The New York Times writes, “Ms. Salonga’s bright, metallically edged voice is a shiny all-purpose instrument that confidently establishes its dominion over whatever musical setting surrounds it. As Broadway divas go, she is a cut above most.” While Backstage lauds, “Hers is probably one of the clearest and most expressive voices in cabaret and theater today.”

In her brand new show, audiences will enjoy an array of songs and genres from classic tunes to current hits to Broadway favorites interpreted with the Tony winning star’s trademark pure, crystal clear voice, moving delivery, and remarkable stage presence. Her repertoire will offer new musical theater compositions, new harmonies of songs and music arrangements forged from Lea’s expansive 35-year career, motherhood, and stories from her life ‘on the road’ performing in major cities across continents.

Tickets are $55, $60 & $65 are available by mail order to save Ticket fees. Click here for form.
Purchase Ticketmaster and The Town Hall Box Office.

The Manhattan Theatre Club’s world premiere of The World of Extreme Happiness, the new play by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, directed by Eric Ting, opened on February 24, 2015, at MTC’s New York City Center – Stage I (131 West 55th Street). The MTC cast of The World of Extreme Happiness features Francis Jue, Telly Leung, Jennifer Lim, Jo Mei, James Saito, and Sue Jin Song. This co-production with Chicago’s Goodman Theatre began previews Tuesday, February 3, 2015, and will continue performances through Sunday, March 29, 2015.

The elegant World of Extreme Happiness cast members Telly Leung, Francis Jue, Jo Mei, Jennifer Lim, Sue Jin Song and James Saito. Photo by Lia Chang

Unwanted from the moment she’s born, Sunny (Jennifer Lim) is determined to escape her life in rural China and forge a new identity in the city. As naïve as she is ambitious, Sunny views her new job in a grueling factory as a stepping stone to untold opportunities. When fate casts her as a company spokeswoman at a sham PR event, Sunny’s bright outlook starts to unravel in a series of harrowing and darkly comic events, as she begins to question a system enriching itself by destroying its own people.

Jo Mei, Jennifer Lim and Francis Jue. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Critically acclaimed in a workshop production at London’s National Theatre, The World of Extreme Happiness makes its world premiere in a co-production with Chicago’s Goodman Theatre. “Hard-hitting and bruisingly funny” (Time Out London), this epic new drama by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig is as fierce and unflinching as the world it examines.

What the critics are saying:

“An odyssey through contemporary China.”
—The New York Times
“EYE-OPENING. How fortunate we are to live in a country where plays like this can exist.”
—NY1
“A UNIFORMLY STRONG CAST.”
—NY1
“FASCINATING and PROVOCATIVE.”
—TheaterMania
“A FASCINATING LOOK INTO MODERN CHINA.”
—TheaterMania
“PUNGENT and PASSIONATELY WELL-ACTED.”
—The Record
“CHILLING & UNYIELDING, WITH GREAT REALISM. COWHIG captures at once the allure of freedom and its unattainability.”
—Talkin’ Broadway
“Intelligent & Powerful.”
—Variety
“A Sophisticated & Smart Story.”
—The Chicago Tribune

Sue Jin Song and James Saito. Photo by Matthew Murphy

The creative team for The World of Extreme Happiness includes Mimi Lien (scenic design), Jenny Mannis (costume design), Tyler Micoleau (lighting design), and Mikhail Fiksel (sound design).

Telly Leung and Jennifer Lim. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, MTC has become one of the country’s most prominent and prestigious theatre companies. Over the past four and a half decades, MTC productions have earned numerous awards including six Pulitzer Prizes and 19 Tony Awards. MTC has a Broadway home at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47^th Street) and two Off-Broadway theatres at New York City Center (131 West 55^th Street). Renowned MTC productions include Casa Valentina; Outside Mullingar; The Assembled Parties; Venus in Fur; Master Class; Good People; The Whipping Man; Time Stands Still; The Royal Family; Ruined; Come Back, Little Sheba; Blackbird; Shining City; Rabbit Hole; Doubt; Proof; The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife; Love! Valour! Compassion!; A Small Family Business; Sylvia; Putting It Together; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; Crimes of the Heart; and Ain’t Misbehavin.’ For more information on MTC, please visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.

Opening night with The World of Extreme Happiness – actor James Saito, playwright Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, cast members Sue Jin Song, Telly Leung, Jennifer Lim, Francis Jue, and actress Jo Mei, sound designer Mikhail Fiksel, and director Eric Ting. Photo by Lia Chang

TICKETING INFORMATION

Tickets for The World of Extreme Happiness are available by calling CityTix at 212-581-1212, online by visiting www.nycitycenter.org, or by visiting New York City Center box office (131 West 55^th Street). All tickets are $85.

Subscriptions for MTC’s 2014-2015 season are available by calling (212) 399-3050 (Monday through Friday NOON – 9 PM, Saturday 10 AM – 3 PM) or online at www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

MONDAY, MARCH 2 – SUNDAY, MARCH 8:Tuesday at 7 PM; Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2 PM.
MONDAY, MARCH 9 – SUNDAY, MARCH 15:Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 PM; Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2 PM.
MONDAY, MARCH 16 – SUNDAY, MARCH 22:Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 PM; Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees on Saturday, and Sunday at 2 PM. There are only 7 performances on sale to the public this week.
MONDAY, MARCH 23 – SUNDAY, MARCH 29:Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 PM; Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2 PM.

Francis Ya-Chu Cowhig. Photo by Lia Chang

FRANCES YA-CHU COWHIG (Playwright). Cowhig’s plays have been produced at the National Theatre, Trafalgar Studios 2, and the Goodman Theatre. Her plays have been awarded the Wasserstein Prize, the Yale Drama Series Award, and the Keene Prize for Literature. She is currently under commission from Manhattan Theatre Club, the Goodman Theatre, and the National Theatre. Cowhig received an MFA in Writing from the Michener Center for Writers, a BA from Brown University, and a certificate in Ensemble-Based Physical Theatre from Dell’Arte International. Her plays have been published by Yale University Press and Methuen Drama. She is a finalist for the 2014-2015 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and is currently a Tow Foundation Playwright-in-Residence at Manhattan Theatre Club.
Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig’s THE WORLD OF EXTREME HAPPINESS Named Among 12 Finalists for the 2014-2015 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize

ERIC TING (Director) is an Obie Award-winning director whose recent credits include Sam Hunter’s A Great Wilderness (Williamstown), Jackie Sibblies Drury’s We Are Proud To Present A Presentation… (Soho Rep / Victory Gardens), Rising Son by Dick Lee (Singapore Rep) and The World Of Extreme Happiness (Goodman). Long Wharf Theatre Associate Artistic Director since 2007, Ting is a founding member of the artists’ collective INTELLIGENT BEASTS and a recipient of a 2012 MAP Fund Award with Meiyin Wang. Upcoming: Kimber Lee’s Brownsville Song(Long Wharf / Philadelphia Theatre Co) and Appropriate by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (CTG). www.ericting.com

www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com

Follow MTC on Twitter: @MTC_NYC or on Facebook.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
Stephen Adly Guirgis’s BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY Starring Stephen McKinley Henderson, Victor Almanzar, Elizabeth Canavan, Rosal Colón, Liza Colón-Zayas, Michael Rispoli and Ron Cephas Jones, has performances through March 22 at Second Stage Theatre
Photos: “Swimming Awkward Moment,” the newest works by painter Arlan Huang at Trestle Gallery through March 27
Photos: Michael Mayer Helmed BROOKLYNITE Featuring Ann Harada, Matt Doyle, Nicolette Robinson, Andrew Call, Nick Cordero and More, Extends through March 29
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s AN OCTOROON, Starring Maechi Aharanwa, Pascale Armand, Danielle Davenport, Amber Gray, Ian Lassiter, Austin Smith, Haynes Thigpen, and Mary Wiseman, Extends Again Off-Broadway Through March 29
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents Rajiv Joseph’s THE LAKE EFFECT Starring Adam Poss, Nilanjana Bose, Jason Bowen through March 29
Photos: Wendell Pierce, Kevin Mambo, Toccarra Cash, Thaddeus Daniels, Wendell Franklin and Megan Robinson Set for The Billie Holiday Theatre Production of Jackie Alexander’s Brothers from the Bottom through March 29
Jose Llana Set for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Debut on March 12
Jeanne Sakata, Jeremy Guskin, Angela Sauer, Andrew Ross Wynn, Elyse Mirto and More Set for A Noise Within’s FIGARO, March 1-May 10
Mar. 8- 29: Pursuit of the Perfect Plate: tokyo fish story Premieres at South Coast Repertory starring Lawrence Kao, Jully Lee, Eddie Mui, Sab Shimono and Ryun Yu
OBIE Award-winner Jojo Gonzalez, Jessica Almasy, Marcia DeBonis, Brad Heberlee, Sakina Jaffrey, Erik Lochtefeld and Babak Tafti Set for Ars Nova’s World Premiere of SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS, March 10 – April 11; OBIE Winner Rachel Chavkin to Direct
CAAMFest 2015 Honors Filmmaker Arthur Dong with World Premiere Screenings of Forbidden City, USA (3/14), The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor (3/15) & In Conversation with B. Ruby Rich (3/20)
CAAMFest Presents Ursula Liang’s Documentary 9-Man: Northern California Premiere at the Great Star Theatre on March 13; East Bay Premiere at The New Parkway Theater on March 22
Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More Set for Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse, March 17- April 12, 2015
Asia Society Presents Wu Tong: Song of the Sheng on March 19
Mar. 24: An Evening with Amy Tan at New-York Historical Society
Broadway Bound Doctor Zhivago Featuring Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Paul Nolan, Lora Lee Gayer, Melody Butiu and More Kicks Off Rehearsal; Previews Begin March 27
Brandon J. Dirden, Merritt Janson, Roslyn Ruff, Andrew Hovelson, Roger Robinson Set for World Premiere of YOUR BLUES AIN’T SWEET LIKE MINE, written and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson at Two River Theater, April 11-May 3
Tony Award® Nominees Omar Metwally and Arian Moayed to star in Rajiv Joseph’s GUARDS AT THE TAJ, helmed by Amy Morton, at Atlantic Theater Company, May 20-June 28
Photos: National Black Theatre Festival 2013; NBTF runs August 3-8, 2015 and will include Act III – A Celebration of Life Reception saluting the late theatre icon Garland Lee Thompson, Sr.
Photos: John W. Kuo, Jessica Hagedorn, and Neal Katyal Receive AALDEF 2015 Justice in Action Awards
Suzan-Lori Parks’ FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS, PARTS 1, 2 & 3 is the 2015 Winner of the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History
THE GET DOWN, Baz Luhrmann’s New Drama Series Set in 1970s NYC That Gave Birth to Hip-Hop, Punk and Disco, to Premiere on Netflix in 2016
The American Playwriting Foundation Creates The Relentless Award to Honor the late Philip Seymour Hoffman
Variety.com: Ken Jeong to Star in ABC Medical Comedy Pilot ‘Dr. Ken’
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Advantageous, Oh Lucy!, Meru, Umrika, The Chinese Mayor, The Stanford Prison Experiment Among 2015 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners
Photos: Tony Award Winning Playwright David Henry Hwang, NEFA, Graham Sheffield CBE and Susan Stockton Receive 2015 ISPA Awards
Photos: Late Night at HERE LIES LOVE with Jaygee Macapugay, David Byrne, Jose Llana, Conrad Ricamora, Melody Butiu and More
THE WIZ Turns 40- Photos from Original Broadway Production and BC/EFA Gypsy of The Year Celebration Featuring André De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ken Page, Charl Brown, Carly Hughes, Christina Sajous, Alton Fitzgerald White, Lillias White and More
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
Crafting a Career
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Debbi Morgan and Darnell Williams, who portrayed the iconic couple “Angie and Jesse” on the long running daytime television series “All My Children,” will serve as Celebrity Co-Chairs for the 2015 National Black Theatre Festival, August 3-8 in Winston-Salem, NC.

Highlights include the Star Studded Opening Night Celebrity Gala, Theatre Productions, Readers’ Theatre of New Works/Plays, Theatre Workshops, International Colloquium (presented by NBTF, Winston-Salem State University and the Black Theatre Newtork), the Youth/Celebrity Project and Teen TeenTastic, films, seminars, a teen poetry slam and the International Vendor’s Market which features vendors and crafts from every corner of the globe and live entertainment.

Newly minted 2015 National Black Theatre Festival co-chairs Darnell Williams and Debbi Morgan during a press conference in Winston-Salem, NC, on March 9, 2015. Photo courtesy of the National Black Theatre Festival

journalnews.com:‘All My Children’ stars to co-chair National Black Theatre Festival

Theatre Festival Play Schedule – A schedule of plays and events can be obtained by contacting the NBTF for a printed schedule or going online to NBTF.org. The schedule will include the play’s title, date, time, location and the play number. Some plays are performed several times during the week, so knowing the play number is very important.

Sylvia Sprinkle Hamlin during a press conference for the 2015 National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, NC, on March 9, 2015. Photo courtesy of the National Black Theatre Festival

Purchasing Tickets – Advance tickets may be purchased for the 2015 festival by calling the Festival box office at (336) 723-7907. These tickets will be mailed up to two weeks prior to the festival or picked up at the M.C. Benton Convention Center.

On Thursday, August 6, 2015, the Celebration of Life reception saluting the late theatre icon Garland Lee Thompson, Sr. will be at The Sawtooth Art Gallery, The Sawtooth School for Visual Arts, 251 North Spruce Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101.

The late Garland Lee Thompson, Sr. at The Festival’s opening night gala on July 29, 2013. Born on February 14, 1938 in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Garland Lee Thompson, Sr., passed away quickly and peacefully on November 18, 2014. He was 76 years old. Photo by Lia Chang

Live Jazz and African/Native American Drummers and more; complimentary food and wine will be served. To join the presenting committee, email your full name to ndove@hotmail.com or call 678-739-6674.

Feb. 14: Remembering Garland Lee Thompson, Sr. with a Memorial at St. James Presbyterian Church; Presentation-Reception at Theater for the New City
Photos: Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, Micki Grant, Woodie King Jr., Voza Rivers, Talvin Wilks, Garland Thompson Jr., Charles Turner, Jamal Joseph, Debra Ann Byrd and More at harlem is…Theater
Remembering Garland Lee Thompson, Sr. (1938-2014); Memorial Set for February 14, 2015

If you are interested in being one of the 1,500 volunteers for the National Black Theatre Festival, download a volunteer application from www.NBTF.org or call (336) 723-2266.

The NBTF official hotels are:

Marriott Twin City Quarter Embassy Suites
425 N. Cherry Street 460 N. Cherry Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101 Winston-Salem, NC 27101
336/725-3500 – 877/ 888-9762 336/724-3400 – 800/362-2779
www.marriott.com http://www.embassysuites.com

Visit www.NBTF.org for other festival hotels.

Festival History
Founded in Winston-Salem by the late Larry Leon Hamlin in 1989 and hosted by the North Carolina Black Repertory Company (NCBRC), NBTF is a biennial event with a purpose of uniting black theatre companies from around the world and ensuring the presence of this phenomenal genre. Mr. Leon Hamlin described the experience as “MARVTASTIC,” a combination of marvelous and fantastic! With the support of Dr. Maya Angelou, who served as the Festival’s first Chairperson, the National Black Theatre Festival was born. The ’89 Festival offered 30 performances by 17 of America’s best professional black theatre companies. It attracted national and international media coverage. According to The New York Times, “The 1989 National Black Theatre Festival was one of the most historic and culturally significant events in the history of black theatre and American theatre in general.” Over 10,000 people attended. Today that number reaches well over 65,000 attendees.

Ten years prior to starting the National Black Theatre Festival, Larry Leon Hamlin founded another black theater movement in Winston-Salem that is still present today. The North Carolina Black Repertory Company is the state’s first professional Black theater company. NCBRC is committed to introducing diverse audiences to Black classics, the development and production of new works, improving artistic quality, and sustaining Black theatre internationally. NCBRC was founded with the purpose of providing theatre professionals the opportunity to earn a living through their craft.

NCBRC presents three to four productions annually featuring members of its ensemble or through collaborations with other theatre companies from around the country. The annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration and the holiday presentation of Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity have become two of the Company’s staples. The critically acclaimed NCBRC production, Mahalia, Queen of Gospel (written and directed by Mabel Robinson, the company’s Artistic Director) was a National Black Theatre Festival showcase performance.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
Stephen Adly Guirgis’s BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY Starring Stephen McKinley Henderson, Victor Almanzar, Elizabeth Canavan, Rosal Colón, Liza Colón-Zayas, Michael Rispoli and Ron Cephas Jones, has performances through March 22 at Second Stage Theatre
Photos: “Swimming Awkward Moment,” the newest works by painter Arlan Huang at Trestle Gallery through March 27
MTC Run of World Premiere of The World of Extreme Happiness by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, starring Jennifer Lim, Francis Jue, Telly Leung, Jo Mei, James Saito and Sue Jin Song has performances through March 29
Photos: Michael Mayer Helmed BROOKLYNITE Featuring Ann Harada, Matt Doyle, Nicolette Robinson, Andrew Call, Nick Cordero and More, Extends through March 29
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s AN OCTOROON, Starring Maechi Aharanwa, Pascale Armand, Danielle Davenport, Amber Gray, Ian Lassiter, Austin Smith, Haynes Thigpen, and Mary Wiseman, Extends Again Off-Broadway Through March 29
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents Rajiv Joseph’s THE LAKE EFFECT Starring Adam Poss, Nilanjana Bose, Jason Bowen through March 29
Photos: Wendell Pierce, Kevin Mambo, Toccarra Cash, Thaddeus Daniels, Wendell Franklin and Megan Robinson Set for The Billie Holiday Theatre Production of Jackie Alexander’s Brothers from the Bottom through March 29
Jose Llana Set for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Debut on March 12
Photos: Jeanne Sakata, Jeremy Guskin, Angela Sauer, Andrew Ross Wynn, Elyse Mirto and More Set for A Noise Within’s FIGARO, March 1-May 10
Mar. 8- 29: Pursuit of the Perfect Plate: tokyo fish story Premieres at South Coast Repertory starring Lawrence Kao, Jully Lee, Eddie Mui, Sab Shimono and Ryun Yu
OBIE Award-winner Jojo Gonzalez, Jessica Almasy, Marcia DeBonis, Brad Heberlee, Sakina Jaffrey, Erik Lochtefeld and Babak Tafti Set for Ars Nova’s World Premiere of SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS, March 10 – April 11; OBIE Winner Rachel Chavkin to Direct
CAAMFest 2015 Honors Filmmaker Arthur Dong with World Premiere Screenings of Forbidden City, USA (3/14), The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor (3/15) & In Conversation with B. Ruby Rich (3/20)
CAAMFest Presents Ursula Liang’s Documentary 9-Man: Northern California Premiere at the Great Star Theatre on March 13; East Bay Premiere at The New Parkway Theater on March 22
Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More Set for Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse, March 17- April 12, 2015
Asia Society Presents Wu Tong: Song of the Sheng on March 19
Mar. 24: An Evening with Amy Tan at New-York Historical Society
Broadway Bound Doctor Zhivago Featuring Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Paul Nolan, Lora Lee Gayer, Melody Butiu and More Kicks Off Rehearsal; Previews Begin March 27
Brandon J. Dirden, Merritt Janson, Roslyn Ruff, Andrew Hovelson, Roger Robinson Set for World Premiere of YOUR BLUES AIN’T SWEET LIKE MINE, written and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson at Two River Theater, April 11-May 3
Tony Award® Nominees Omar Metwally and Arian Moayed to star in Rajiv Joseph’s GUARDS AT THE TAJ, helmed by Amy Morton, at Atlantic Theater Company, May 20-June 28
Photos: National Black Theatre Festival 2013; NBTF runs August 3-8, 2015 and will include Act III – A Celebration of Life Reception saluting the late theatre icon Garland Lee Thompson, Sr.
Photos: John W. Kuo, Jessica Hagedorn, and Neal Katyal Receive AALDEF 2015 Justice in Action Awards
Suzan-Lori Parks’ FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS, PARTS 1, 2 & 3 is the 2015 Winner of the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History
THE GET DOWN, Baz Luhrmann’s New Drama Series Set in 1970s NYC That Gave Birth to Hip-Hop, Punk and Disco, to Premiere on Netflix in 2016
The American Playwriting Foundation Creates The Relentless Award to Honor the late Philip Seymour Hoffman
Variety.com: Ken Jeong to Star in ABC Medical Comedy Pilot ‘Dr. Ken’
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Advantageous, Oh Lucy!, Meru, Umrika, The Chinese Mayor, The Stanford Prison Experiment Among 2015 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners
Photos: Tony Award Winning Playwright David Henry Hwang, NEFA, Graham Sheffield CBE and Susan Stockton Receive 2015 ISPA Awards
Photos: Late Night at HERE LIES LOVE with Jaygee Macapugay, David Byrne, Jose Llana, Conrad Ricamora, Melody Butiu and More
THE WIZ Turns 40- Photos from Original Broadway Production and BC/EFA Gypsy of The Year Celebration Featuring André De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ken Page, Charl Brown, Carly Hughes, Christina Sajous, Alton Fitzgerald White, Lillias White and More
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
Crafting a Career
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

I spent the afternoon with Broadway vet Jose Llana at Carroll Music who was rehearsing for his Lincoln Center “American Songbook” debut set. The concert is on Thursday, March 12, 2015, in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, 165 West 65th Street, Rose Building, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10023. Showtime: 8:00 pm. Call CenterCharge at 212.721.6500 (10:00 am–9:00 pm) for ticket availability. $100 tickets include an afterparty.

Jose Llana and Jaygee Macapugay as Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos in HERE LIES LOVE. Photo by Lia Chang

Llana’s recent star turn as Marcos in David Byrne & Fat Boy Slim’s Here Lies Love at The Public Theater (dir. Alex Timbers), was his most charismatic and seductive to date, and garnered him a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical.

I photographed Jose and company in rehearsal – check out the photos below.

Llana’s concert will be a virtual Here Lies Love reunion onstage with musical direction by Kimberly Grigsby (HLL musical director); musical arrangements and orchestrations by Matt Stine (HLL musical editor) and Cody Owen Stine; and HLL cast members Jaygee Macapugay (Imelda), Jeigh Madjus and Enrico Rodriguez as his background singers.

1st Row- Erico Rodriguez, Jaygee Macapugay, Jeigh Madjus. 2nd Row- Jack Bashkow, Simon Kafka, Kimberly Grigsby, Jose Llana, Matt Stine, Pete Donovan, Kevin Garcia. Photo by Lia Chang

The musicians include Kimberly Grigsby (Piano), Kevin Garcia (Drums), Pete Donovan (Bass), Simon Kafka (Guitar) and Jack Bashkow (Reeds).

Jack Bashkow, Simon Kafka, Kimberly Grigsby, Pete Donovan and Kevin Garcia. Photo by Lia Chang

The program will be a celebration of Llana’s 19 year career that will include R&H, Adam Guettel, Leonard Bernstein, William Finn and, of course, David Byrne. There will also be a Tagalog song from his Filipino album along with some pop music for fun.

Jaygee Macapugay, Jeigh Madjus, Enrico Rodriguez, Simon Kafka and Jose Llana. Photo by Lia Chang

Jeigh Madjus, Enrico Rodriguez and Jose Llana. Photo by Lia Chang

Jeigh Madjus, Jose Llana and Enrico Rodriguez. Photo by Lia Chang

Jaygee Macapugay, Jeigh Madjus and Enrico Rodriguez. Photo by Lia Chang

Jaygee Macapugay and Jose Llana. Photo by Lia Chang

Kimberly Grigsby and Jose Llana. Photo by Lia Chang

Jose Llana with Ann Harada, who made her Lincoln Center American Songbook Concert debut last February. Photo by Lia Chang

Jose Llana’s Broadway credits include Chip Tolentino in William Finn’s The 25^th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee (Drama Desk Award, dir. James Lapine), El Gato in Wonderland, Wang Ta in David Henry Hwang’s adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song, Angel in RENT (dir. Michael Greif), Jessie-Lee in Streetcorner Symphony and his debut as Lun Tha in the 1996 Revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King & I opposite Donna Murphy and Lou Diamond Phillips. Off-Broadway appearances include Adam in Falling For Eve (York), Gabey in On the Town (dir. George C. Wolfe, Delacorte) and Adam Guettel’s Saturn Returns (dir. Tina Landau, Public Theater). Regional appearances include Bill Sikes in Oliver! (Papermill), Guillaume in Cameron Mackintosh’s Martin Guerre (Guthrie Theater), Tin Man in Ballad of Little Jo (Steppenwolf Theater, dir. Tina Landau, Jefferson Nomination – Best Supporting Actor) and Candide in Candide (Prince Theater, Barrymore Nomination – Best Actor). TV/Film appearances include HBO’s “Sex and the City“ opposite Margaret Cho and Hitch with Will Smith. Appearing on numerous cast albums Jose is also a best-selling recording artist on the VIVA Philippines label. Training from Manhattan School of Music. Jose is a constant advocate for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and serves on the Advisory Committee for Broadway Impact for Marriage Equality. www.josellana.com

Kimberly Grigsby, Jose Llana and Matt Stine. Photo by Lia Chang

KIM GRIGSBY – Musical Director/Piano
Music directing/conducting credits include, on Broadway: Spider- Man: Turn Off The Dark (music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge); Spring Awakening (music by Duncan Sheik); The Light in the Piazza (lyrics & music by Adam Guettel); Caroline, or Change (music by Jeanine Tesori); The Full Monty (lyrics & music by David Yazbek); You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown; and Twelfth Night (music by Jeanine Tesori); and Off-Broadway, Brooklynite! (music and lyrics by Peter Lerman); The Fortress of Solitude (music and lyrics by Michael Friedman); Here Lies Love (music and lyrics by David Byrne); Coraline (lyrics & music by Stephin Merritt); Mother Courage and Her Children (music by Jeanine Tesori); Two Gentlemen of Verona; Songs From an Unmade Bed (various composers, lyrics by Mark Campbell); The Immigrant (music by Steven Alper); Radiant Baby (music by Debra Barsha); and Twelfth Night (music by Duncan Sheik). For the Lincoln Center Songbook Series, Kimberly has appeared with Michael Winther, Duncan Sheik, Michael Friedman and the 2005 concert of Spring Awakening. Other collaborations include My Life Is A Fairy Tale and Orphan of Zhao, both with lyrics & music by Stephin Merritt for Lincoln Center Festival; Telaio: Desdemona (by Susan Botti); and the premiere of Jeanine Tesori’s The Lion, The Unicorn and Me for Washington National Opera. Ms. Grigsby holds degrees from Southern Methodist University and Manhattan School of Music.

Directions
The Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse is on the 10th floor of the Rose Building, between Broadway and Amsterdam. The building may be reached via stairs, elevator, and escalator to the west of the entrance to The Juilliard School. If coming from Lincoln Center’s main plazas, take the pedestrian bridge across 65th Street and turn left past the escalator to enter the building.

To reach the Kaplan Penthouse by subway, take the uptown 1 local service to 66th Street–Lincoln Center. The M5, M7, M10, M11, M66 and M104 bus lines also stop within one block of Lincoln Center.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Stephen Adly Guirgis’s BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY Starring Stephen McKinley Henderson, Victor Almanzar, Elizabeth Canavan, Rosal Colón, Liza Colón-Zayas, Michael Rispoli and Ron Cephas Jones, has performances through March 22 at Second Stage Theatre
Photos: “Swimming Awkward Moment,” the newest works by painter Arlan Huang at Trestle Gallery through March 27
Photos: Michael Mayer Helmed BROOKLYNITE Featuring Ann Harada, Matt Doyle, Nicolette Robinson, Andrew Call, Nick Cordero and More, Extends through March 29
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Mar. 8- 29: Pursuit of the Perfect Plate: tokyo fish story Premieres at South Coast Repertory starring Lawrence Kao, Jully Lee, Eddie Mui, Sab Shimono and Ryun Yu
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Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Telly Leung as Sammy Kimura and Lea Salonga as Kei Kimura in the World Premiere of Allegiance – A New American Musical at The Old Globe. Photo by Henry DiRocco.

George Takei as Sam Kimura in the World Premiere of Allegiance – A New American Musical at The Old Globe. Photo by Henry DiRocco.

Producers Lorenzo Thione and Andrew Treagus have announced that Tony Award winner Lea Salonga and Telly Leung will co-star with George Takei in Allegiance, a new American musical, set to open on Broadway next season at the Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street). Previews are set to begin on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 with opening night set for Sunday, November 8, 2015.

As previously announced, Television and film star George Takei will star in the new musical which had its world premiere in a record-breaking engagement at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. Allegiance has a book by Marc Acito with music and lyrics by Jay Kuo. Helming the production is Olivier Award nominee Stafford Arima (London’s Ragtime, Off-Broadway’s Bare, Carrie, Altar Boyz).

Allegiance is inspired by Takei’s true childhood experiences. Traversing the lush California heartland, the windswept prairies of Wyoming and the battlefields of war-torn Europe, Allegiance tells the epic multi-generational tale of deep family loyalty, romance, humor, optimism and unparalleled heroism in the face of fear and prejudice against Japanese-Americans during World War II and beyond.

George Takei, the original and beloved Mr. Sulu from “Star Trek”, film and television star, activist and social media icon, will make his Broadway debut in the production.

Lea Salonga

Lea Salonga is a singer and actress who is best known for her Tony Award winning role in Miss Saigon. In addition to the Tony, she has won the Olivier, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World Awards. She was also the first Asian to play Eponine in LES MISERABLES on Broadway and returned to the show as Fantine in the 2006 revival. Lea most recently wrapped touring with Il Divo for the group’s worldwide “A Musical Affair” tour. When not on tour, Lea is a coach on the Philippine version of the hit “The Voice”. Prior to that, Lea garnered a Craig Noel nomination for Outstanding Featured Performance in the musical Allegiance at the Old Globe Theater is San Diego. She was also seen in God of Carnage in Manila, Philippines and Singapore. Fans of all ages recognize Lea as the singing voice of Princess Jasmine from Aladdin and Fa Mulan for Mulan and Mulan II. For her portrayal of the beloved princesses, theWalt Disney Company bestowed her with the honor of “Disney Legend” in August of 2011. In 2010, she participated in the 25th Anniversary Concert of LES MISERABLES to sold- out crowds at the UK’s O2 arena and dazzled as the hauntingly tragic Grizabella in a limited run of CATS in Manila. Honored with an appointment as a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Goodwill Ambassador in October of 2010, Lea vowed to act as an advocate for the Youth and United Nations Global Alliance initiative led by the FAO. In her 30-year career, Lea has performed for six Philippine presidents (from Ferdinand Marcos to Begnino Aquino, III.), three American Presidents (George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush), and for Diana, Princess of Wales and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In 2002, she took on the role of a Chinese immigrant in a reinterpretation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song, on Broadway, opposite Jose Llana. The Salonga-led Broadway revival cast album was also a top contender at the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Musical Show Album. An avid techie and gamer, Lea divides her time between Manila, Philippines with her family and the United States.

Telly Leung

Telly Leung’s Broadway and national touring credits include Flower Drum Song, Pacific Overtures, Wicked (Boq, original Chicago company), Rent (final Broadway company) and Godspell. Off-Broadway, he was featured in Manhattan Theatre Club’s The World of Extreme Happiness. Regionally, some of his favorite roles include Sammy in the world-premiere of Allegiance (the Old Globe, with George Takei and Lea Salonga), Song in M. Butterfly (Philadelphia Theater Company), Angel in Rent at the Hollywood Bowl (directed by Neil Patrick Harris), Harold Bride in Titanic (The Muny), Teen Angel in Grease (Paper Mill Playhouse), Simon in Jesus Christ Superstar (Sacramento Music Circus) and Thuy in Miss Saigon (Pittsburgh CLO). Television audiences will recognize his work on Fox’s “Glee,” (Wes, the Warbler), “Law and Order: CI,” and Hulu’s “Deadbeat.” He has performed all over the world at venues like Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, the London Hippodrome, New York’s 54 Below, San Francisco’s Feinstein’s at the Nikko and the Hollywood Bowl. His debut album, {i’ll cover you}, was released on The Yellow Sound Label in 2012. Telly holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University, and has taught as an adjunct professor at NYU’s New Studio on Broadway. Telly can also be seen coaching the next generation of Broadway performers on the PBS documentary, “Broadway or Bust”. Producing credits include Grind (a musical short film starring Anthony Rapp and Claire Coffee) and Seasons of Broadway (a concert series that celebrates the diversity of the Great White Way).

Composer, lyricist and co-book writer Jay Kuo, co-book writer Lorenzo Thione, co-book writer Marc Acito and star George Takei. Photo by Henry DiRocco

ALLEGIANCE wins the Outstanding New Musical 2012 Craig Noel Award Allegiance takes home the top honor from the San Diego Theater Critic Circle Association on February 4, 2013. Also recognized for Outstanding Featured Male Performer (Michael Lee). Photo by Lia Chang

Additional information, including complete casting, will be announced shortly. For more information go to www.AllegianceMusical.com

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Stephen Adly Guirgis’s BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY Starring Stephen McKinley Henderson, Victor Almanzar, Elizabeth Canavan, Rosal Colón, Liza Colón-Zayas, Michael Rispoli and Ron Cephas Jones, has performances through March 22 at Second Stage Theatre
Photos: “Swimming Awkward Moment,” the newest works by painter Arlan Huang at Trestle Gallery through March 27
MTC Run of World Premiere of The World of Extreme Happiness by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, starring Jennifer Lim, Francis Jue, Telly Leung, Jo Mei, James Saito and Sue Jin Song has performances through March 29
Photos: Michael Mayer Helmed BROOKLYNITE Featuring Ann Harada, Matt Doyle, Nicolette Robinson, Andrew Call, Nick Cordero and More, Extends through March 29
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s AN OCTOROON, Starring Maechi Aharanwa, Pascale Armand, Danielle Davenport, Amber Gray, Ian Lassiter, Austin Smith, Haynes Thigpen, and Mary Wiseman, Extends Again Off-Broadway Through March 29
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents Rajiv Joseph’s THE LAKE EFFECT Starring Adam Poss, Nilanjana Bose, Jason Bowen through March 29
Photos: Wendell Pierce, Kevin Mambo, Toccarra Cash, Thaddeus Daniels, Wendell Franklin and Megan Robinson Set for The Billie Holiday Theatre Production of Jackie Alexander’s Brothers from the Bottom through March 29
Photos: Jeanne Sakata, Jeremy Guskin, Angela Sauer, Andrew Ross Wynn, Elyse Mirto and More Set for A Noise Within’s FIGARO, March 1-May 10
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OBIE Award-winner Jojo Gonzalez, Jessica Almasy, Marcia DeBonis, Brad Heberlee, Sakina Jaffrey, Erik Lochtefeld and Babak Tafti Set for Ars Nova’s World Premiere of SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS, March 10 – April 11; OBIE Winner Rachel Chavkin to Direct
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Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More Set for Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse, March 17- April 12, 2015
Asia Society Presents Wu Tong: Song of the Sheng on March 19
Mar. 24: An Evening with Amy Tan at New-York Historical Society
Broadway Bound Doctor Zhivago Featuring Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Paul Nolan, Lora Lee Gayer, Melody Butiu and More Kicks Off Rehearsal; Previews Begin March 27
Brandon J. Dirden, Merritt Janson, Roslyn Ruff, Andrew Hovelson, Roger Robinson Set for World Premiere of YOUR BLUES AIN’T SWEET LIKE MINE, written and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson at Two River Theater, April 11-May 3
Tony Award® Nominees Omar Metwally and Arian Moayed to star in Rajiv Joseph’s GUARDS AT THE TAJ, helmed by Amy Morton, at Atlantic Theater Company, May 20-June 28
Photos: National Black Theatre Festival 2013; NBTF runs August 3-8, 2015 and will include Act III – A Celebration of Life Reception saluting the late theatre icon Garland Lee Thompson, Sr.
Photos: John W. Kuo, Jessica Hagedorn, and Neal Katyal Receive AALDEF 2015 Justice in Action Awards
Suzan-Lori Parks’ FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS, PARTS 1, 2 & 3 is the 2015 Winner of the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History
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Photos: Tony Award Winning Playwright David Henry Hwang, NEFA, Graham Sheffield CBE and Susan Stockton Receive 2015 ISPA Awards
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Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lincoln Center announcing the lifestream of Jose Llana's American Songbook debut on March 12, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Lincoln Center announcing the livestream of Jose Llana’s American Songbook debut on March 12, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

On my way to the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse for Jose Llana’s Lincoln Center “American Songbook” debut on Wednesday night, I was greeted by the sight of electronic billboards along W. 65th Street with Jose’s photo by Billy Bustamante, and the details for the livestream of his concert, which can be viewed here until 8pm on March 13, 2015.

Performance photos by Kevin Yatarola

Jeigh Madjus, Jaygee Macapugay, Enrico Rodriguez, Simon Kafka, Jose Llana, Pete Donovan and Kevin Garcia in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Kevin Yatarola

Jeigh Madjus, Jaygee Macapugay and Jose Llana in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Kevin Yatarola

Before a sold-out house, Llana’s lush and dynamic tenor filled the elegant, intimate room of The Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, framed against the backdrop of stunning views of the New York City skyline. The lineup was a celebration of Llana’s 19 year career and included Rodgers & Hammerstein, Adam Guettel, Leonard Bernstein, William Finn, David Byrne, and more. Check out the full lineup below.

Here Lies Love castmates Jeigh Madjus, Jaygee Macapugay, Enrico Rodriguez in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse for Jose Llana’s Lincoln Center “American Songbook” debut in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Kevin Yatarola

Llana’s concert was a virtual Here Lies Love reunion onstage with musical direction by Kimberly Grigsby (HLL musical director); musical arrangements and orchestrations by Matt Stine (HLL musical editor) and Cody Owen Stine; and HLL cast members Jaygee Macapugay, Jeigh Madjus and Enrico Rodriguez as his background singers.

He was accompanied by Kimberly Grigsby on Piano, Kevin Garcia on Drums, Pete Donovan on Bass, Simon Kafka on Guitar and Jack Bashkow on Reeds.

Kimberly Grigsby, Pete Donovan, Simon Kafka, Jose Llana, Jon Nakagawa, Lincoln Center’s Director of Contemporary Programming Charles Cermele, Producer of Contemporary Programming, Kevin Garcia, Jack Bashkow, Jeigh Madjus, Enrico Rodriguez, Jaygee Macapugay toast to the success of the concert backstage at the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

(Back Row) Kimberly Grigsby, Pete Donovan, Simon Kafka, Jose Llana, Jon Nakagawa, Lincoln Center’s Director of Contemporary Programming, Charles Cermele, Producer of Contemporary Programming, Kevin Garcia, Jack Bashkow, (Front Row) Jeigh Madjus, Enrico Rodriguez, Jaygee Macapugay toast to the success of the concert backstage at the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

During the evening, Llana reminisced about his history with The Public Theater, where he appeared as Gabey in On the Town (dir. George C. Wolfe, Delacorte) and Adam Guettel’s Saturn Returns (dir. Tina Landau, Public Theater), and most recently, David Byrne and Fat Boy Slim’s Here Lies Love, and gave shoutouts to Oskar Eustis, David Henry Hwang, Adam Guettel, David Byrne and Alex Timbers, who were sitting at tables in front of me. Also in the house, Jed Bernstein, Michael Friedman, Jeanine Tesori, Annie-B Parsons, Philip Himberg, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Christine Toy Johnson, Jhett Tolentino, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Sarah Saltzberg, Michael Winther, Debralee Daco, and so many more in the audience who leapt to their feet for several standing ovations. It was such a magical night of music from a gifted storyteller, straight from the heart.
nytimes.com: Review: Jose Llana Radiates Youthful Bravado in ‘American Songbook’

Enrico Rodriguez, Adam Guettel, Jose Llana, Kimberly Grigsby, Jaygee Macapugay, Jeigh Madjus, Matt Stine, Cody Owen Stine at the afterparty at Tavern on the Green in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Full Lineup

Jaygee Macapugay and Jose Llana sing Child of the Phillipines from Here Lies Love in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse on March 12, 2015. Photo by Kevin Yatarola

1. SATURN RETURNS (Saturn Returns by Adam Guettel)
2. ICARUS (Saturn Returns by Adam Guettel)
3. WE KISS IN A SHADOW/I HAVE DREAMED (The King & I by Rodgers & Hammerstein)- Llana’s Broadway Debut in 1996.
4. LONELY TOWN (from On the Town by Bernstein/Comden/Green)
5. BABY WORKOUT (by Jackie Wilson & Alonzo Tucker)
6. SUNDAY/SUNDAY MORNING (from Flower Drum Song by Rodgers & Hammerstein/Maroon 5 – Adam Levine, James Valentine, Jese Carmichael, Mickey Madden & Ryan Dusick)
7. HERO AND LEANDER — (by Adam Guettel)
8. CHILD OF THE PHILIPPINES — (by David Byrne & Fat Boy Slim)-Llana put his own spin on a song, originally sung by the Aquino character in Here Lies Love, and was joined by Jaygee Macapugay who portrayed Imelda.
9. KAILANGAN KITA — (by Ogie Alcasid, Filipino composer)
10. MY UNFORTUNATE ERECTION –(The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by William Finn

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee castmates Sarah Saltzberg, Jose Llana, Celia Keenan-Bolger. Photo by Lia Chang

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee reunion Sarah Saltzberg, Jose Llana, Celia Keenan-Bolger. Photo by Lia Chang

Llana shared, “We’re having a Spelling Bee original cast reunion concert, Monday, July 6, 2015, at Town Hall.”
11. THINKING OUT LOUD – (by Ed Sheeran)- dedicated to his partner, Erik Rose.

Jon Nakagawa,Lincoln Center’s Director of Contemporary Programming, Jose Llana and his partner, Erik Rose. Photo by Lia Chang

12. LULLABY – (by Billy Joel) – “I have a hero and her name is Patricia. She’s my older sister.” This is the song he hummed to her children, his niece, Veronica and nephew, Max, during midnight duty.

Jose Llana with his niece, Veronica. Photo by Lia Chang

Jose Llana receives flowers from his niece, Veronica. Photo by Lia Chang

Jose Llana and his family. Photo by Lia Chang

“This has been one of the most extraordinarily rewarding and difficult things I’ve ever done, but it is paying off,” said Llana. “An artist hopes that he has something to say, and everyone in this room has helped me become a better artist, a better partner, a better brother, son and better friend, so I thank you so much for coming tonight, everybody here.”
13. FREEDOM 90 – (by George Michael)
14. PERFECT HAND — (by David Byrne & Fat Boy Slim)

Alex Timbers, Jose Llana. Photo by Lia Chang

Jose Llana, David Byrne and Jaygee Macapugay. Photo by Lia Chang

Jose Llana and David Byrne. Photo by Lia Chang

Matt Stine, Debralee Daco, Jaygee Macapugay, Alex Timbers, Jeigh Madjus, Jose Llana, Enrico Rodriguez, Maria Christina Oliveros, Cody Owen Stine. Photo by Lia Chang

After the concert and champagne toast with his band, Llana greeted his guests in the green room, then headed to his after party at Tavern on the Green with his family.

Jed Bernstein, Lincoln Center President, and Jose Llana. Photo by Lia Chang

Jeigh Madjus, Jose Llana, David Byrne, Jaygee Macapugay, Enrico Rodriguez. Photo by Lia Chang

Jose Llana and his musical director Kimberly Grigsby at the Lincoln Center American Songbook afterparty at Tavern on the Green in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Michael Winther, Jose Llana and Philip Himberg. Photo by Lia Chang

Christine Toy Johnson, Jaygee Macapugay, David McQueen. Photo by Lia Chang

Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana and Enrico Rodriguez at the Lincoln Center American Songbook afterparty at Tavern on the Green in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Jaygee Macapugay and Jose Llana at the Lincoln Center American Songbook afterparty at Tavern on the Green in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Jose Llana at the Lincoln Center American Songbook afterparty at Tavern on the Green in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Jeigh Madjus, Jose Llana, Enrico Rodriguez at the Lincoln Center American Songbook afterparty at Tavern on the Green in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Patricia Llana and her brother Jose Llana at the Lincoln Center American Songbook afterparty at Tavern on the Green in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Jose Llana with his mother Regina Newport and his sister Patricia Llana at Tavern on the Green in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Enrico Rodriguez, Jose Llana, Jaygee Macapugay, Jeigh Madjus at the Lincoln Center American Songbook afterparty at Tavern on the Green in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Jaygee Macapugay, Jeigh Madjus, Enrico Rodriguez and Debralee Daco at the Lincoln Center American Songbook afterparty at Tavern on the Green in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang.

Jaygee Macapugay, Debralee Daco, Maria-Christina Oliveras at the Lincoln Center American Songbook afterparty at Tavern on the Green in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Enrico Rodriguez, Jose Llana_Kimberly Grigsby, Jaygee Macapugay, Jeigh Madjus at the Lincoln Center American Songbook afterparty at Tavern on the Green in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Jose Llana and his family at Tavern on the Green in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Jose Llana at the Lincoln Center American Songbook afterparty at Tavern on the Green in New York on March 12, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Since its launch in 1998, American Songbook has been dedicated to celebrating the extraordinary achievements of the popular American songwriter from the turn of the 20th century to the present day. Spanning all styles and genres from Tin Pan Alley and Broadway to the eclecticism of today’s songwriters working in pop, cabaret, rock, folk and country, American Songbooktraces the history and charts the course of the American song from its past and current forms to its future direction.

Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana and Lia Chang. Photo by David McQueen

Dallas Summer Musicals, Inc. and Michael A. Jenkins (six-time Tony Award winner) are presenting the classic Broadway musical, THE KING AND I, directed by Glenn Casale, from March 20 – April 5, 2015, in The Music Hall at Fair Park, 909 1st Ave, Dallas, TX 75210.

Alan Ariano and Rachel York lead the cast as the King of Siam and Anna in THE KING AND I. The production begins previews on Friday, March 20, 2015, at The Music Hall at Fair Park. Opening night is set for Tuesday, March 24, 2015, at 7:30 pm, with performances continuing through Sunday, April 5, 2015. All evening performances will be held at 7:30 p.m., and matinee performances will be at 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and select Thursdays during the show’s run.

This exciting new production of this classic tale of a British schoolteacher’s unexpected relationship with the imperious King of Siam, features a revamped script, timeless songs, a new physical production with an entirely fresh interpretation of the musical, and original choreography by Bob Richard.

The cast also features Tami Swartz (as Lady Thiang), Yoon Jeong Seong (as Tuptim), Devin Ilaw (as Lun Tha), Ted Deasy (as Captain Orton/Sir Edward Ramsey), Stephen Major Yongji Curda (as Prince Chulalongkorn), Aidan Winn (as Louis) and Ray Rochelle (as Kralahome).

East versus West makes for a dramatic, richly textured and ultimately uplifting tale of enormous fascination. It is 1862 in Siam when an English widow, Anna Leonowens, and her young son arrive at the Royal Palace in Bangkok, having been summoned by the King to serve as tutor to his many children and wives. The King is largely considered to be a barbarian by those in the West, and he seeks Anna’s assistance in changing his image, if not his ways. With both keeping a firm grip on their respective traditions and values, Anna and the King grow to understand and, eventually, respect one another, in a truly unique love story. Along with the dazzling score, the incomparable Jerome Robbins ballet, ‘The Small House of Uncle Thomas,’ is one of the all-time marvels of the musical stage.

Featured in the ensemble are Frenie Acoba, Carol Angeli, Eric Badique, Korey Buecheler, Alysia Chang, Alex Chester, Louise Marie Cornillez, Justine “Icy” Moral, Jan Javier, Jolina Javier, Peter King-Yuen, Bety Le, Eddy Lee, Stephanie Lo, Azumi Milligan, Rumi Oyama, Marcus Shane, Sai Somboon, Sam Tanabe, and Jee Teo.

“What makes Dallas Summer Musicals’ THE KING AND I revival special is the chemistry between Alan Ariano as the King and Rachel York as Anna. It is a musical to share with the entire family that has a great story and a lush score,” said director Casale. “A truly timeless production that will have you invested in the story leaving you humming all of its songs.”

Glenn Casale (Director) helmed the new production of Dallas Summer Musicals Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID this past year. Casale’s work is seen in the Broadway production of PETER PAN starring Cathy Rigby and filmed by A&E. Off Broadway he directed THE PROPERTY KNOWN AS GARLAND, DRAGAPELLA at Studio 54. Internationally he directed Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Casale’s work has been seen throughout the U.S. in productions of DR. DOLITTLE; BALLROOM starring Tyne Daly and Charles Durning; WRESTLERS starring Mark Harmon and George Clooney; FROM THE TOP starring Carol Burnett; CAMELOT starring Michael York; and THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE with Jason Alexander. He is artistic director for the California Musical Theater in Sacramento.

Bob Richard (Choreographer) has pleased audiences with classics such as THE KING AND I, THE MUSIC MAN, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, and ANNIE, as well as the world premiere productionof Dean Pitchford and Tom Snow’s FOOTLOOSE and the Tenth Anniversary Production of Frank Wildhorn’s JEKYLL AND HYDE. Bob also choreographed the first productions of both HAIRSPRAY and LES MISERABLES to ever be staged in the round. His work can be seen every year at the Old Globe Theatre, with the long?running family production of HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS!: THE MUSICAL. Encompassing a career of more than 30 years of dancing, teaching and choreographing in major cities all over the world, Richard is the resident choreographer for Sacramento Music Circus and has staged over twenty?nine productions there over the past 13 years.

The design team for THE KING AND I includes Michael Anania (Scenic Design), Costume World, Inc. (Costume Design), Charlie Morrison (Lighting Design), Timothy K. Schmidt (Sound Design), Wigboys (Hair Design), Stephanie Klapper CSA (Casting), Craig Barna (Music Direction).

Single tickets, priced from $25-$108, are now on sale online at www.DallasSummerMusicals.org, by phone at 1.800.514.ETIX (3849), and at The Box Office, 5959 Royal Lane, Suite 542 in Dallas, TX. Mini Packs, which allow all ticket buyers to pick 3 or more shows for as low as $55, are also available online or may be ordered by mail or in person at The Box Office, by phoning 214.346.3300 or through fax at 214.691.7386. Season subscribers and other patrons who have questions about their tickets can call The Box Office at 214.691.7200. Groups of 10 or more receive a 15% discount, priority seating, and many more benefits. Please call 214.426.GROUP (4768) or email Groups@DallasSummerMusicals.org.

Dallas Summer Musicals, Inc. (DSM) is the preeminent nonprofit presenter of Broadway theatre in North Texas. DSM produces, presents and promotes excellence in live musical theatre with year-round performances for diverse audiences of all ages, impacting the lives of children and families through community outreach and education, and enriching the cultural landscape of Dallas/Fort Worth, North Texas and the Southwest Region. As a nonprofit organization, DSM relies on a variety of funding sources to bring the Best of Broadway to Dallas at affordable ticket prices, as well as to preserve the beautiful historic theatre, educate young audiences and create important community programs. DSM’s Seats for Kids program provides a meaningful arts education experience to thousands of low income, at-risk and special needs children. DSM provides positive incentives for youth that are at risk for gang membership through the Stage Right program. In addition, The Dallas Summer Musicals Academy of Performing Arts offers professional theatre arts training and scholarships to talented students in need. DSM’s High School Musical Theatre Awards are patterned after Broadway’s Tony Awards and celebrates the power of the arts to significantly improve all areas of education. Ticket sales alone do not sustain these endeavors. Only support from committed businesses, foundations and individuals make these programs possible.

For more information about Dallas Summer Musicals, call 214.421.5678 or visit the website at www.dallassummermusicals.org.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: David Byrne, Alex Timbers, Jaygee Macapugay, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Adam Guettel, Sarah Saltzberg and More Celebrate Jose Llana’s Lincoln Center American Songbook Debut
Signature Theatre Company’s Founding Artistic Director James Houghton To Step Down After 2015-16 25th Anniversary Season
Photos: In Rehearsal with Jose Llana; Set for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Debut
Stephen Adly Guirgis’s BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY Starring Stephen McKinley Henderson, Victor Almanzar, Elizabeth Canavan, Rosal Colón, Liza Colón-Zayas, Michael Rispoli and Ron Cephas Jones, has performances through March 22 at Second Stage Theatre
Photos: “Swimming Awkward Moment,” the newest works by painter Arlan Huang at Trestle Gallery through March 27
Photos: Michael Mayer Helmed BROOKLYNITE Featuring Ann Harada, Matt Doyle, Nicolette Robinson, Andrew Call, Nick Cordero and More, Extends through March 29
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s AN OCTOROON, Starring Maechi Aharanwa, Pascale Armand, Danielle Davenport, Amber Gray, Ian Lassiter, Austin Smith, Haynes Thigpen, and Mary Wiseman, Extends Again Off-Broadway Through March 29
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents Rajiv Joseph’s THE LAKE EFFECT Starring Adam Poss, Nilanjana Bose, Jason Bowen through March 29
Photos: Wendell Pierce, Kevin Mambo, Toccarra Cash, Thaddeus Daniels, Wendell Franklin and Megan Robinson Set for The Billie Holiday Theatre Production of Jackie Alexander’s Brothers from the Bottom through March 29
Save on Preview Tickets to Lincoln Center’s Revival of THE KING AND I Starring Kelli O’Hara, Ken Watanabe, Ruthie Ann Miles, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora, Paul Nakauchi and More
Photos: John W. Kuo, Jessica Hagedorn, and Neal Katyal Receive AALDEF 2015 Justice in Action Awards
Suzan-Lori Parks’ FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS, PARTS 1, 2 & 3 is the 2015 Winner of the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History
Photos: Francis Jue, Telly Leung, Jennifer Lim, Jo Mei, James Saito, Sue Jin Song, Harriet Harris and More at Opening Night of The World of Extreme Happiness
Video: Viola Davis, Charles Dutton, Laurence Fishburne, James Earl Jones, Suzan-Lori Parks, Phylicia Rashad and More Share Stories in American Masters-August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand Documentary
Photos: National Black Theatre Festival 2013; NBTF runs August 3-8, 2015 and will include Act III – A Celebration of Life Reception saluting the late theatre icon Garland Lee Thompson, Sr.
Mar. 8- 29: Pursuit of the Perfect Plate: tokyo fish story Premieres at South Coast Repertory starring Lawrence Kao, Jully Lee, Eddie Mui, Sab Shimono and Ryun Yu
OBIE Award-winner Jojo Gonzalez, Jessica Almasy, Marcia DeBonis, Brad Heberlee, Sakina Jaffrey, Erik Lochtefeld and Babak Tafti Set for Ars Nova’s World Premiere of SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS, March 10 – April 11; OBIE Winner Rachel Chavkin to Direct
Broadway Bound Doctor Zhivago Featuring Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Paul Nolan, Lora Lee Gayer, Melody Butiu and More Kicks Off Rehearsal; Previews Begin March 27
CAAMFest 2015 Honors Filmmaker Arthur Dong with World Premiere Screenings of Forbidden City, USA (3/14), The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor (3/15) & In Conversation with B. Ruby Rich (3/20)
CAAMFest Presents Ursula Liang’s Documentary 9-Man: Northern California Premiere at the Great Star Theatre on March 13; East Bay Premiere at The New Parkway Theater on March 22
Photos: Jeanne Sakata, Jeremy Guskin, Angela Sauer, Andrew Ross Wynn, Elyse Mirto and More Set for A Noise Within’s FIGARO, March 1-May 10
Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More Set for Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse, March 17- April 12, 2015
Asia Society Presents Wu Tong: Song of the Sheng on March 19
Mar. 24: An Evening with Amy Tan at New-York Historical Society
Broadway Bound Doctor Zhivago Featuring Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Paul Nolan, Lora Lee Gayer, Melody Butiu and More Kicks Off Rehearsal; Previews Begin March 27
Brandon J. Dirden, Merritt Janson, Roslyn Ruff, Andrew Hovelson, Roger Robinson Set for World Premiere of YOUR BLUES AIN’T SWEET LIKE MINE, written and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson at Two River Theater, April 11-May 3
Tony Award® Nominees Omar Metwally and Arian Moayed to star in Rajiv Joseph’s GUARDS AT THE TAJ, helmed by Amy Morton, at Atlantic Theater Company, May 20-June 28
Tony Award winner Lea Salonga and Telly Leung Set to Co-star with George Takei in ALLEGIANCE; Previews Begin at the Longacre Theatre on October 6
THE GET DOWN, Baz Luhrmann’s New Drama Series Set in 1970s NYC That Gave Birth to Hip-Hop, Punk and Disco, to Premiere on Netflix in 2016
Variety.com: Ken Jeong to Star in ABC Medical Comedy Pilot ‘Dr. Ken’
Photos: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Advantageous, Oh Lucy!, Meru, Umrika, The Chinese Mayor, The Stanford Prison Experiment Among 2015 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners
Photos: Tony Award Winning Playwright David Henry Hwang, NEFA, Graham Sheffield CBE and Susan Stockton Receive 2015 ISPA Awards Photos:
Late Night at HERE LIES LOVE with Jaygee Macapugay, David Byrne, Jose Llana, Conrad Ricamora, Melody Butiu and More
THE WIZ Turns 40- Photos from Original Broadway Production and BC/EFA Gypsy of The Year Celebration Featuring André De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ken Page, Charl Brown, Carly Hughes, Christina Sajous, Alton Fitzgerald White, Lillias White and More
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
Crafting a Career
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Leigh Silverman, James Houghton, David Henry Hwang and Beth Whitaker at the opening night party of Kung Fu at The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York on February 24, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

Signature Theatre Board Chairman Edward Norton and Board President Kate Roche Hope have announced that Founding Artistic Director James Houghton will step down next year at the end of the 2015-16 25th Anniversary Season. Signature has formed a search committee to lead a national search for its next Artistic Director, who it will welcome by July 1, 2016.

Bill Irwin and James Houghton at the 2013 Drama Desk Awards at Town Hall in New York on May 19, 2013. Photo by Lia Chang

Houghton was recently diagnosed with stomach cancer and will be attending to his health and family. He will continue his work as the Richard Rodgers Director of the Drama Division at the Juilliard School.

Mare Winningham, James Houghton and Lois Smith at the opening night party of Old Hats, starring Bill Irwin, David Shiner and Nellie McKay, on March 4, 2013. Photo by Lia Chang

Under James Houghton’s leadership as Founding Artistic Director, Signature Theatre has become one of the country’s preeminent theatre companies. Signature was the first company to dedicate a full season to a living writer’s body of work, and in the past 25 years has hosted a diverse roster of some of the theatre’s most exciting and accomplished playwrights. The company has since launched two additional residency programs, as well as the Signature Ticket Initiative, its groundbreaking ticket subsidy program. In 2012 Signature opened The Pershing Square Signature Center, the largest new theatre center in New York City in nearly 50 years, and was recognized in 2014 with the Regional Theatre Tony Award for its unique mission and outstanding body of work. Houghton has worked closely with the Board of Trustees to identify a clear path toward securing a thoughtful and smooth transition to the next phase in the company’s future.

James Houghton and Edward Albee at the opening party for David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child at The Pershing Square Signature Center on November 13, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Founding Artistic Director James Houghton said, “It has been a privilege beyond measure to work with the extraordinary writers, artists, staff, trustees, and visionary supporters, past and present, that have all defined Signature with an unparalleled passion and fortitude. I look forward to working with them all over this next year as we move into this next exciting chapter. A bright future lies ahead.”

Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Leslie Uggams, Leslie Lee and James Houghton after a preview performance of The First Breeze of Summer at the Peter Norton Space at Signature Theatre Company on August 17, 2008. Photo by Lia Chang

Chairman Edward Norton said, “Signature Theatre has come a long way since Jim founded the company almost 25 years ago, and is making smart, proactive moves to ensure the success of its next 25 years by cultivating the next generation of artistic leadership under Jim’s close collaboration and support. Jim has been an incredible leader with remarkable vision, and he proactively designed a plan for the company to grow and thrive for the long haul. The wonderful thing about Signature is that, as much as Jim has defined and personified the spirit of the company, our success has ultimately been driven by the strength and uniqueness of the underlying mission.”

President Kate Roche Hope said, “We are filled with profound gratitude for Jim’s extraordinary vision and leadership over the past 25 years. Jim not only blazed the path for Signature’s unique place in the New York theatre world, but also created a singular home for playwrights and our community.

Together with our artists, staff and Board, we are excited for the endless potential that lies ahead for Signature Theatre and The Pershing Square Signature Center.”

About SIGNATURE THEATRE
Signature Theatre exists to honor and celebrate the playwright. Founded in 1991 by James Houghton, Signature makes an extended commitment to a playwright’s body of work, and during this journey, the writer is engaged in every aspect of the creative process. By championing in-depth explorations of a playwright’s body of work, Signature delivers an intimate and immersive journey into the playwright’s singular vision. In 2014 Signature became the first New York City theatre to receive the Regional Theatre Tony Award®.

Signature serves its mission through its permanent home at The Pershing Square Signature Center, a three-theatre facility on West 42nd Street designed by Frank Gehry Architects to host Signature’s three distinct playwrights’ residencies and foster a cultural community. At the Center, opened in January 2012, Signature continues its founding Playwright-in-Residence model as Residency One, a first-of-its-kind, intensive exploration of a single writer’s body of work. Residency Five, the only program of its kind, was launched at the Center to support multiple playwrights as they build bodies of work by guaranteeing each writer three productions over a five-year period. The Legacy Program, launched during Signature’s 10th Anniversary, invites writers from both residencies back for productions of premiere or earlier plays.

The Pershing Square Signature Center is a major contribution to New York City’s cultural landscape and provides a venue for cultural organizations that supports and encourages collaboration among artists throughout the space. In addition to its three intimate theatres, the Center features a studio theatre, rehearsal studio, and a public café, bar and bookstore. Through the Signature Ticket Initiative: A Generation of Access, Signature has also made an unprecedented commitment to making its productions accessible by underwriting the cost of initial run tickets, currently priced at $25, through 2031.

Signature has presented entire seasons of the work of Edward Albee, Lee Blessing, Horton Foote, Maria Irene Fornes, Athol Fugard, John Guare, David Henry Hwang, Bill Irwin, Adrienne Kennedy, Tony Kushner, Romulus Linney, Charles Mee, Arthur Miller, Sam Shepard, Paula Vogel, August Wilson, Lanford Wilson, and a season celebrating the historic Negro Ensemble Company. The current Residency One playwrights are A.R. Gurney and Naomi Wallace. The current Residency Five playwrights are Annie Baker, Martha Clarke, Will Eno, Katori Hall, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Kenneth Lonergan and Regina Taylor. In addition to the Regional Theatre Tony Award®, Signature’s productions and its resident writers have been recognized with the Pulitzer Prize, Lucille Lortel Awards, Obie Awards, Drama Desk Awards, and AUDELCO Awards, among many other distinctions.

For more information, please visit www.signaturetheatre.org.

James Houghton, Lia Chang and David Henry Hwang at the opening night party of Signature Theatre Company’s revival of Hwang’s The Dance and the Railroad on February 25, 2013 at The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York.

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. She is a Signature Theatre alumni who was in the cast of Sam Shepard’s Chicago, during his Signature 1996-1997 Playwright-in-Residence Season.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: David Byrne, Alex Timbers, Jaygee Macapugay, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Adam Guettel, Sarah Saltzberg and More Celebrate Jose Llana’s Lincoln Center American Songbook Debut
Photos: In Rehearsal with Jose Llana; Set for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Debut
Stephen Adly Guirgis’s BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY Starring Stephen McKinley Henderson, Victor Almanzar, Elizabeth Canavan, Rosal Colón, Liza Colón-Zayas, Michael Rispoli and Ron Cephas Jones, has performances through March 22 at Second Stage Theatre
Photos: “Swimming Awkward Moment,” the newest works by painter Arlan Huang at Trestle Gallery through March 27
Photos: Michael Mayer Helmed BROOKLYNITE Featuring Ann Harada, Matt Doyle, Nicolette Robinson, Andrew Call, Nick Cordero and More, Extends through March 29
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s AN OCTOROON, Starring Maechi Aharanwa, Pascale Armand, Danielle Davenport, Amber Gray, Ian Lassiter, Austin Smith, Haynes Thigpen, and Mary Wiseman, Extends Again Off-Broadway Through March 29
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents Rajiv Joseph’s THE LAKE EFFECT Starring Adam Poss, Nilanjana Bose, Jason Bowen through March 29
Photos: Wendell Pierce, Kevin Mambo, Toccarra Cash, Thaddeus Daniels, Wendell Franklin and Megan Robinson Set for The Billie Holiday Theatre Production of Jackie Alexander’s Brothers from the Bottom through March 29
Save on Preview Tickets to Lincoln Center’s Revival of THE KING AND I Starring Kelli O’Hara, Ken Watanabe, Ruthie Ann Miles, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora, Paul Nakauchi and More
Mar. 8- 29: Pursuit of the Perfect Plate: tokyo fish story Premieres at South Coast Repertory starring Lawrence Kao, Jully Lee, Eddie Mui, Sab Shimono and Ryun Yu
OBIE Award-winner Jojo Gonzalez, Jessica Almasy, Marcia DeBonis, Brad Heberlee, Sakina Jaffrey, Erik Lochtefeld and Babak Tafti Set for Ars Nova’s World Premiere of SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS, March 10 – April 11; OBIE Winner Rachel Chavkin to Direct
Dallas Summer Musicals to Stage THE KING AND I Starring Rachel York, Alan Ariano, YoonJeong Seong, Tami Swartz and More at the Music Hall at Fair Park, 3/20-4/5
Broadway Bound Doctor Zhivago Featuring Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Paul Nolan, Lora Lee Gayer, Melody Butiu and More Kicks Off Rehearsal; Previews Begin March 27
CAAMFest 2015 Honors Filmmaker Arthur Dong with World Premiere Screenings of Forbidden City, USA (3/14), The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor (3/15) & In Conversation with B. Ruby Rich (3/20)
CAAMFest Presents Ursula Liang’s Documentary 9-Man: Northern California Premiere at the Great Star Theatre on March 13; East Bay Premiere at The New Parkway Theater on March 22
Photos: Jeanne Sakata, Jeremy Guskin, Angela Sauer, Andrew Ross Wynn, Elyse Mirto and More Set for A Noise Within’s FIGARO, March 1-May 10
Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More Set for Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse, March 17- April 12, 2015
Asia Society Presents Wu Tong: Song of the Sheng on March 19
Mar. 24: An Evening with Amy Tan at New-York Historical Society
Broadway Bound Doctor Zhivago Featuring Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Paul Nolan, Lora Lee Gayer, Melody Butiu and More Kicks Off Rehearsal; Previews Begin March 27
Brandon J. Dirden, Merritt Janson, Roslyn Ruff, Andrew Hovelson, Roger Robinson Set for World Premiere of YOUR BLUES AIN’T SWEET LIKE MINE, written and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson at Two River Theater, April 11-May 3
Tony Award® Nominees Omar Metwally and Arian Moayed to star in Rajiv Joseph’s GUARDS AT THE TAJ, helmed by Amy Morton, at Atlantic Theater Company, May 20-June 28
Tony Award winner Lea Salonga and Telly Leung Set to Co-star with George Takei in ALLEGIANCE; Previews Begin at the Longacre Theatre on October 6
Photos: John W. Kuo, Jessica Hagedorn, and Neal Katyal Receive AALDEF 2015 Justice in Action Awards
Suzan-Lori Parks’ FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS, PARTS 1, 2 & 3 is the 2015 Winner of the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History
Photos: Francis Jue, Telly Leung, Jennifer Lim, Jo Mei, James Saito, Sue Jin Song, Harriet Harris and More at Opening Night of The World of Extreme Happiness
Video: Viola Davis, Charles Dutton, Laurence Fishburne, James Earl Jones, Suzan-Lori Parks, Phylicia Rashad and More Share Stories in American Masters-August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand Documentary
Photos: National Black Theatre Festival 2013; NBTF runs August 3-8, 2015 and will include Act III – A Celebration of Life Reception saluting the late theatre icon Garland Lee Thompson, Sr.
THE GET DOWN, Baz Luhrmann’s New Drama Series Set in 1970s NYC That Gave Birth to Hip-Hop, Punk and Disco, to Premiere on Netflix in 2016
Variety.com: Ken Jeong to Star in ABC Medical Comedy Pilot ‘Dr. Ken’
Photos: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Advantageous, Oh Lucy!, Meru, Umrika, The Chinese Mayor, The Stanford Prison Experiment Among 2015 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners
Photos: Tony Award Winning Playwright David Henry Hwang, NEFA, Graham Sheffield CBE and Susan Stockton Receive 2015 ISPA Awards Photos:
Late Night at HERE LIES LOVE with Jaygee Macapugay, David Byrne, Jose Llana, Conrad Ricamora, Melody Butiu and More
THE WIZ Turns 40- Photos from Original Broadway Production and BC/EFA Gypsy of The Year Celebration Featuring André De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ken Page, Charl Brown, Carly Hughes, Christina Sajous, Alton Fitzgerald White, Lillias White and More
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
Crafting a Career
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Bryce Ryness and Pearl Sun. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Pearl Sun (Broadway’s If/Then) stars as Hope, and Bryce Ryness (HAIR on Broadway, Peter Pan Live!) as Charles in Prospect Theater Company’s NYC premiere of LONG STORY SHORT, adapted from David Schulner’s play An Infinite Ache by Brendan Milburn and Valerie Vigoda, and directed by Kent Nicholson. LONG STORY SHORT began performances on February 28 at 59E59 Theaters, 59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues in New York, for a limited engagement through March 29.

A funny, frazzled couple-one Jewish, one Asian American-careens from first date to old age, illuminating the challenges and joys of a life time of love. Brendan Milburn and Valerie Vigoda (Striking 12) turn David Schulner’s play An Infinite Ache into a touching, melodic pop-rock musical, unwrapping a 50-year romance in 95 minutes and 17 songs. Music Director Vadim Feichtner leads a four-piece band.

The design team includes David L. Arsenault (scenic design); Kirche Leigh Zeile (costume design); Grant W. S. Yeager (lighting design); and Kevin Heard (sound design). The Production Stage Manager is Emily Paige Ballou.

Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $50 ($35 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Signature Theatre Company’s Founding Artistic Director James Houghton To Step Down After 2015-16 25th Anniversary Season
Photos: David Byrne, Alex Timbers, Jaygee Macapugay, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Adam Guettel, Sarah Saltzberg and More Celebrate Jose Llana’s Lincoln Center American Songbook Debut
Photos: In Rehearsal with Jose Llana; Set for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Debut
Stephen Adly Guirgis’s BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY Starring Stephen McKinley Henderson, Victor Almanzar, Elizabeth Canavan, Rosal Colón, Liza Colón-Zayas, Michael Rispoli and Ron Cephas Jones, has performances through March 22 at Second Stage Theatre
Photos: “Swimming Awkward Moment,” the newest works by painter Arlan Huang at Trestle Gallery through March 27
Photos: Michael Mayer Helmed BROOKLYNITE Featuring Ann Harada, Matt Doyle, Nicolette Robinson, Andrew Call, Nick Cordero and More, Extends through March 29
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s AN OCTOROON, Starring Maechi Aharanwa, Pascale Armand, Danielle Davenport, Amber Gray, Ian Lassiter, Austin Smith, Haynes Thigpen, and Mary Wiseman, Extends Again Off-Broadway Through March 29
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents Rajiv Joseph’s THE LAKE EFFECT Starring Adam Poss, Nilanjana Bose, Jason Bowen through March 29
Photos: Wendell Pierce, Kevin Mambo, Toccarra Cash, Thaddeus Daniels, Wendell Franklin and Megan Robinson Set for The Billie Holiday Theatre Production of Jackie Alexander’s Brothers from the Bottom through March 29
Save on Preview Tickets to Lincoln Center’s Revival of THE KING AND I Starring Kelli O’Hara, Ken Watanabe, Ruthie Ann Miles, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora, Paul Nakauchi and More
Mar. 8- 29: Pursuit of the Perfect Plate: tokyo fish story Premieres at South Coast Repertory starring Lawrence Kao, Jully Lee, Eddie Mui, Sab Shimono and Ryun Yu
OBIE Award-winner Jojo Gonzalez, Jessica Almasy, Marcia DeBonis, Brad Heberlee, Sakina Jaffrey, Erik Lochtefeld and Babak Tafti Set for Ars Nova’s World Premiere of SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS, March 10 – April 11; OBIE Winner Rachel Chavkin to Direct
Dallas Summer Musicals to Stage THE KING AND I Starring Rachel York, Alan Ariano, YoonJeong Seong, Tami Swartz and More at the Music Hall at Fair Park, 3/20-4/5
Broadway Bound Doctor Zhivago Featuring Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Paul Nolan, Lora Lee Gayer, Melody Butiu and More Kicks Off Rehearsal; Previews Begin March 27
CAAMFest 2015 Honors Filmmaker Arthur Dong with World Premiere Screenings of Forbidden City, USA (3/14), The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor (3/15) & In Conversation with B. Ruby Rich (3/20)
CAAMFest Presents Ursula Liang’s Documentary 9-Man: Northern California Premiere at the Great Star Theatre on March 13; East Bay Premiere at The New Parkway Theater on March 22
Photos: Jeanne Sakata, Jeremy Guskin, Angela Sauer, Andrew Ross Wynn, Elyse Mirto and More Set for A Noise Within’s FIGARO, March 1-May 10
Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More Set for Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse, March 17- April 12, 2015
Asia Society Presents Wu Tong: Song of the Sheng on March 19
Mar. 24: An Evening with Amy Tan at New-York Historical Society
Broadway Bound Doctor Zhivago Featuring Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Paul Nolan, Lora Lee Gayer, Melody Butiu and More Kicks Off Rehearsal; Previews Begin March 27
Brandon J. Dirden, Merritt Janson, Roslyn Ruff, Andrew Hovelson, Roger Robinson Set for World Premiere of YOUR BLUES AIN’T SWEET LIKE MINE, written and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson at Two River Theater, April 11-May 3
Tony Award® Nominees Omar Metwally and Arian Moayed to star in Rajiv Joseph’s GUARDS AT THE TAJ, helmed by Amy Morton, at Atlantic Theater Company, May 20-June 28
Tony Award winner Lea Salonga and Telly Leung Set to Co-star with George Takei in ALLEGIANCE; Previews Begin at the Longacre Theatre on October 6
Photos: John W. Kuo, Jessica Hagedorn, and Neal Katyal Receive AALDEF 2015 Justice in Action Awards
Suzan-Lori Parks’ FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS, PARTS 1, 2 & 3 is the 2015 Winner of the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History
Photos: Francis Jue, Telly Leung, Jennifer Lim, Jo Mei, James Saito, Sue Jin Song, Harriet Harris and More at Opening Night of The World of Extreme Happiness
Video: Viola Davis, Charles Dutton, Laurence Fishburne, James Earl Jones, Suzan-Lori Parks, Phylicia Rashad and More Share Stories in American Masters-August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand Documentary
Photos: National Black Theatre Festival 2013; NBTF runs August 3-8, 2015 and will include Act III – A Celebration of Life Reception saluting the late theatre icon Garland Lee Thompson, Sr.
THE GET DOWN, Baz Luhrmann’s New Drama Series Set in 1970s NYC That Gave Birth to Hip-Hop, Punk and Disco, to Premiere on Netflix in 2016
Variety.com: Ken Jeong to Star in ABC Medical Comedy Pilot ‘Dr. Ken’
Photos: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Advantageous, Oh Lucy!, Meru, Umrika, The Chinese Mayor, The Stanford Prison Experiment Among 2015 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners
Photos: Tony Award Winning Playwright David Henry Hwang, NEFA, Graham Sheffield CBE and Susan Stockton Receive 2015 ISPA Awards Photos:
Late Night at HERE LIES LOVE with Jaygee Macapugay, David Byrne, Jose Llana, Conrad Ricamora, Melody Butiu and More
THE WIZ Turns 40- Photos from Original Broadway Production and BC/EFA Gypsy of The Year Celebration Featuring André De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ken Page, Charl Brown, Carly Hughes, Christina Sajous, Alton Fitzgerald White, Lillias White and More
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
Crafting a Career
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

The award-winning, nationally-renowned Ma-Yi Theater Company – one of the country’s leading producers of new works for the stage by Asian-American writers – will continue its 2014-15 season this spring with the world premiere of SOLDIER X by Rehana Lew Mirza, with preview performances set to begin March 24 prior to an official opening night on March 31 at the HERE (145 Sixth Avenue, enter on Dominick Street, one block south of Spring) in NYC.SOLDIER X is directed by Lucie Tiberghien.

SOLDIER X follows a young African American military social worker, Monica, who falls for a returning soldier, Jay, and the subsequent love triangle that ensues when he decides he is in love with his fallen comrade’s Muslim sister. The play tallies the emotional scars inflicted on our young men and women returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. How exactly do you rejoin a society that remains as conflicted about its wars as it is with issues of race and gender?

Featured in the cast of SOLDIER X are Kaliswa Brewster, Cleo Gray, Jared McNeil, Turna Mete and Carolyn Michelle Smith Downey. Set design is by Daniel Conway; costume design is by Beth Goldenberg; lighting design is by Peter West; and sound design is by Broken Chord.

Rehana Lew Mirza is the author of the plays LONELY LEELA, presented by the Asian American Theater Company; A DISTANT RELATION; PARTICLES OF PAKISTAN for Ensemble Studio Theatre’s Sloan Commission; and IF IT’S SAD I DON’T WANT TO SEE IT at Queens Theater in the Park. Her plays have been published with Alexander Street Press, indietheaternow and New York Theatre Review. She is a member of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab, having served as its co-director for two years.

Lucie Tiberghien has directed the world premiere of ASHES UNDER THE GAIT CITY for Contemporary American Theater Festival, the world premiere of Charles Randolph Wright’sLOVE IN AFGHANISTAN at Arena Stage, WATER BY THE SPOONFUL at Arden Theater Company and the world premiere of DON’T GO GENTLE by Stephen Belber at MCC. She directed the world premiere of Katori Hall’s HOODOO LOVE at Cherry Lane Theatre and AUGUSTA by Richard Dresser at CATF). She recently joined the team of Stew and Heidi Rodewald’s new musical TWO ZERO ZERO TWO for Studio Theatre in Washington, DC.

SOLDIER X will run March 24 through April 19: Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:30 pm and Sundays at 4 pm. Tickets are $25 during previews; regularly $30; seniors and guaranteed student tickets are $15. For reservations log on to www.here.org or call 212 352 3101.

SOLDIER X is part of SubletSeries@HERE, HERE’s curated rental program which provides artists with subsidized space and equipment as well as technical support.

MA-YI THEATER COMPANY – which recently enjoyed great critical and popular success with its double-bill this fall of LIVIN’ LA VIDA IMELDA and CHAIRS AND A LONG TABLE on Theater Row – won the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for its critically-acclaimed production ofTHE WONG KIDS IN THE SECRET OF THE SPACE CHUPACABRA GO! last season. Founded in 1989 and now celebrating its 26th anniversary 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. It is currently led by Ralph B. Peña (Artistic Director) and Jorge Z. Ortoll (Executive Director). 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 last season’s BIKE AMERICA, JESUS IN INDIA, 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.”

www.ma-yitheatre.org

Other articles on Ma-Yi:
Mar. 9: Francis Jue, Ron Domingo, Orville Mendoza, Judy Blazer, Jake Manabat and More Set for Ma-Yi Theater’s Industry Reading of PAPER DOLLS by Philip Himberg at The Acorn Theatre
Photos: Ron Domingo, Julie Fitzpatrick, Julienne Hanzelka Kim, Moses Villarama, Jeena Yi, Jojo Gonzalez at Ma-Yi’s Chairs and a Long Table
Photos: Ma-Yi Theater Company Presents Carlos Celdran’s LIVIN’ LA VIDA IMELDA and Han Ong’s CHAIRS AND A LONG TABLE at the Clurman Theater at Theatre Row
Oct. 28-Nov. 23: Ma-Yi Theater Company Presents Carlos Celdran’s LIVIN’ LA VIDA IMELDA and Han Ong’s CHAIRS AND A LONG TABLE at the Clurman Theater at Theatre Row
Ralph B. Peña and Leigh Silverman Among Six Mid-Career Directors Selected for Sundance Institute’s Theatre Directors Retreat in Arles, France
Ma-Yi Theatre Company Presents Qui Nguyen’s THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G at Theatre Row’s Beckett Theatre
Photos: Playwright Lonnie Carter Talks TRIM, The Tiger Woods What If Story, The Romance of Magno Rubio and The Lost Boys of Sudan
The Romance of Magno Rubio – A Rite of Passage of the Filipino American Experience Off Broadway

The Billie Holiday Theatre has kicked off a two-year residency at the Brooklyn Music School Playhouse with Brothers from the Bottom, starring actor and TONY Award-winning producer Wendell Pierce (SELMA, “Treme,” “The Wire”), two-time Emmy Award winner Kevin Mambo, who played the title role in Fela! on Broadway and recently appeared in the critically-acclaimed Fortress of Solitude, Toccarra Cash, Thaddeus Daniels, Wendell Franklin and Megan Robinson.

Kevin Mambo, Toccarra Cash, Wendell Pierce, Wendell Franklin and Megan Robinson. Photo by Helen L. Collen

Helmed by Jackie Alexander, BHT artistic director and author of Brothers from the Bottom, the production began preview performances on March 6 and will continue through March 29 at The Brooklyn Music School Playhouse, 126 Saint Felix Street between Hanson and Lafayette, in the heart of the BAM Cultural District.

Wendell Pierce and Kevin Mambo in Brothers from the Bottom. Photo by Helen L. Collen

What the critics are saying:
“Timely and sympathetic . . . Mr. Pierce is terrific . . . the acting stands way above the floodline.” – New York Times
“Polished ensemble, intriguing narrative and, most of all, authenticity of the New Orleans place and people presented on stage.” – Nola Vie-Life and Culture in New Orleans

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets. For the Sunday, March 15th, 7pm performance only, use promo code WICG for $10 off the regular $30 ticket price. That’s only $20 per ticket!!

Check out the Wendell Pierce’s video promo below.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Signature Theatre Company’s Founding Artistic Director James Houghton To Step Down After 2015-16 25th Anniversary Season
Photos: David Byrne, Alex Timbers, Jaygee Macapugay, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Adam Guettel, Sarah Saltzberg and More Celebrate Jose Llana’s Lincoln Center American Songbook Debut
Photos: In Rehearsal with Jose Llana; Set for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Debut
Stephen Adly Guirgis’s BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY Starring Stephen McKinley Henderson, Victor Almanzar, Elizabeth Canavan, Rosal Colón, Liza Colón-Zayas, Michael Rispoli and Ron Cephas Jones, has performances through March 22 at Second Stage Theatre
Photos: “Swimming Awkward Moment,” the newest works by painter Arlan Huang at Trestle Gallery through March 27
Photos: Michael Mayer Helmed BROOKLYNITE Featuring Ann Harada, Matt Doyle, Nicolette Robinson, Andrew Call, Nick Cordero and More, Extends through March 29
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s AN OCTOROON, Starring Maechi Aharanwa, Pascale Armand, Danielle Davenport, Amber Gray, Ian Lassiter, Austin Smith, Haynes Thigpen, and Mary Wiseman, Extends Again Off-Broadway Through March 29
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents Rajiv Joseph’s THE LAKE EFFECT Starring Adam Poss, Nilanjana Bose, Jason Bowen through March 29
Save on Preview Tickets to Lincoln Center’s Revival of THE KING AND I Starring Kelli O’Hara, Ken Watanabe, Ruthie Ann Miles, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora, Paul Nakauchi and More
Mar. 8- 29: Pursuit of the Perfect Plate: tokyo fish story Premieres at South Coast Repertory starring Lawrence Kao, Jully Lee, Eddie Mui, Sab Shimono and Ryun Yu
OBIE Award-winner Jojo Gonzalez, Jessica Almasy, Marcia DeBonis, Brad Heberlee, Sakina Jaffrey, Erik Lochtefeld and Babak Tafti Set for Ars Nova’s World Premiere of SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS, March 10 – April 11; OBIE Winner Rachel Chavkin to Direct
Dallas Summer Musicals to Stage THE KING AND I Starring Rachel York, Alan Ariano, YoonJeong Seong, Tami Swartz and More at the Music Hall at Fair Park, 3/20-4/5
Broadway Bound Doctor Zhivago Featuring Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Paul Nolan, Lora Lee Gayer, Melody Butiu and More Kicks Off Rehearsal; Previews Begin March 27
CAAMFest 2015 Honors Filmmaker Arthur Dong with World Premiere Screenings of Forbidden City, USA (3/14), The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor (3/15) & In Conversation with B. Ruby Rich (3/20)
CAAMFest Presents Ursula Liang’s Documentary 9-Man: Northern California Premiere at the Great Star Theatre on March 13; East Bay Premiere at The New Parkway Theater on March 22
Photos: Jeanne Sakata, Jeremy Guskin, Angela Sauer, Andrew Ross Wynn, Elyse Mirto and More Set for A Noise Within’s FIGARO, March 1-May 10
Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More Set for Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse, March 17- April 12, 2015
Asia Society Presents Wu Tong: Song of the Sheng on March 19
Mar. 24: An Evening with Amy Tan at New-York Historical Society
Broadway Bound Doctor Zhivago Featuring Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Paul Nolan, Lora Lee Gayer, Melody Butiu and More Kicks Off Rehearsal; Previews Begin March 27
Brandon J. Dirden, Merritt Janson, Roslyn Ruff, Andrew Hovelson, Roger Robinson Set for World Premiere of YOUR BLUES AIN’T SWEET LIKE MINE, written and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson at Two River Theater, April 11-May 3
Tony Award® Nominees Omar Metwally and Arian Moayed to star in Rajiv Joseph’s GUARDS AT THE TAJ, helmed by Amy Morton, at Atlantic Theater Company, May 20-June 28
Tony Award winner Lea Salonga and Telly Leung Set to Co-star with George Takei in ALLEGIANCE; Previews Begin at the Longacre Theatre on October 6
Photos: John W. Kuo, Jessica Hagedorn, and Neal Katyal Receive AALDEF 2015 Justice in Action Awards
Suzan-Lori Parks’ FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS, PARTS 1, 2 & 3 is the 2015 Winner of the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History
Photos: Francis Jue, Telly Leung, Jennifer Lim, Jo Mei, James Saito, Sue Jin Song, Harriet Harris and More at Opening Night of The World of Extreme Happiness
Video: Viola Davis, Charles Dutton, Laurence Fishburne, James Earl Jones, Suzan-Lori Parks, Phylicia Rashad and More Share Stories in American Masters-August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand Documentary
Photos: National Black Theatre Festival 2013; NBTF runs August 3-8, 2015 and will include Act III – A Celebration of Life Reception saluting the late theatre icon Garland Lee Thompson, Sr.
THE GET DOWN, Baz Luhrmann’s New Drama Series Set in 1970s NYC That Gave Birth to Hip-Hop, Punk and Disco, to Premiere on Netflix in 2016
Variety.com: Ken Jeong to Star in ABC Medical Comedy Pilot ‘Dr. Ken’
Photos: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Advantageous, Oh Lucy!, Meru, Umrika, The Chinese Mayor, The Stanford Prison Experiment Among 2015 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners
Photos: Tony Award Winning Playwright David Henry Hwang, NEFA, Graham Sheffield CBE and Susan Stockton Receive 2015 ISPA Awards Photos:
Late Night at HERE LIES LOVE with Jaygee Macapugay, David Byrne, Jose Llana, Conrad Ricamora, Melody Butiu and More
THE WIZ Turns 40- Photos from Original Broadway Production and BC/EFA Gypsy of The Year Celebration Featuring André De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ken Page, Charl Brown, Carly Hughes, Christina Sajous, Alton Fitzgerald White, Lillias White and More
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
Crafting a Career
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

From left, Lawrence Kao (Nobu), Sab Shimono (Koji), Ryun Yu (Takashi) appear in a scene from “tokyo fish story” at South Coast Repertory. BEN HORAK, SOUTH COAST REPERTORY

South Coast Repertory is presenting the world premiere of Kimber Lee’s tokyo fish story, helmed by Bart DeLorenzo, and starring Sab Shimono (Kojii), Ryun Yu (Takashi), Lawrence Kao (Nobu), Jully Lee (Ama) and Eddie Mui (Tuna Dealer Apprentice/Oishi/Toru/Daisuke/Yuji/Hirayama), on the Julianne Argyros Stage at South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, through March 29. Tickets are available at www.scr.org.

Eddie Mui, left, and Sab Shimono in “tokyo fish story.” DEBORA ROBINSON, SOUTH COAST REPERTORY

Sushi Master Koji’s restaurant falls into decline as the new hip spot down the street packs customers in. His brilliant protégé Takashi could be the key to bringing glory back to the older restaurant, but out of respect, Takashi unwaveringly follows Koji’s instruction—despite the urgings of Nobu, his hip-hop obsessed assistant and Ama, a punked-out sushi chef trying to make her way in a man’s world. Ambition and tradition come to a head as they attempt to keep the restaurant open, fill their kitchen staff and strike a balance between art and commerce.

From left, Ryun Yu, Sab Shimono and Jully Lee in “tokyo fish story.” DEBORA ROBINSON, SOUTH COAST REPERTORY

Kimber Lee

“I’m fascinated by the daily grind behind genius,” said playwright Kimber Lee. Lee also found inspiration in the art behind the food and has used it as a vehicle to reveal the relationships between her characters. “In this play, I was interested in exploring that daily ritual pursuit of perfection, and the way it might press on a relationship between a father and a son. There are such beautiful and painful ways that we hold on to each other and let each other go, even and especially in unspoken moments. And somehow, the food in the play carries those things in a very intimate way.”

Lee has also written the plays fight and brownsville song (b-side for tray), which premiered at the 2014 Humana Festival, with other productions at Lincoln Center Theatre/LCT3, Long Wharf Theatre and Philadelphia Theatre Company. In 2014, Center Theatre Group presented the world premiere of her play different words for the same thing, directed by Neel Keller. Her work has been presented by Lark Play Development Center, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, The Old Globe and Dramatists Guild Fellows Program. Lee is a Lark Playwrights Workshop Fellow (2014-15), member of Ma-Yi Writers Lab, and is currently under commission at theatres including Lincoln Center Theater/LCT3, SCR, Denver Center Theatre Company and Hartford Stage. She received the 2014 Ruby Prize, the 2013-14 PoNY Fellowship, the 2014-15 Aetna New Voices Fellowship and the inaugural 2015 PoNY/Bush Theatre Playwright Residency in London.

Ryun Yu, left, and Sab Shimono in “tokyo fish story.” DEBORA ROBINSON, SOUTH COAST REPERTORY

The design and creative team includes Neil Patel, scenic design; Christina Haatainen-Jones, costume design; Elizabeth Harper, lighting design; John Zalewski, sound design; Jason H. Thompson, projections; and Jerry Patch, dramaturg. The show’s production manager is Joshua Marchesi and the stage manager is Jenny Butler.

tokyo fish story is generously supported by Honorary Producers Samuel and Tammy Tang and Bill and Carolyn Klein.

Tickets start at $22. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 25 years of age and under, fulltime educators, seniors and groups of 10 or more. For complete information, visit: www.scr.org.

Tickets: May be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or by visiting the box office at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. Performances run through March 29. Ticket prices start at $22.

Performance Dates, Times:

Special notes: There are no Monday performances. There is no evening performance on Sunday, March 29.

Evenings:

o Saturday and Sunday, March 14-15, March 21-22, March 28, at 7:45 p.m.

o Tuesday-Friday, March 17-20, and March 24-27, 7:45 p.m.

Matinees:

o Saturdays-Sundays, March 14-15, March 21-22, and March 28-29 at 2 p.m.

ASL-interpreted: Saturday, March 28, at 2 p.m.

Special Events:

Post-Show Discussions: Tuesday, March 17, and Wednesday, March 18. Discuss the play with cast members of tokyo fish storyduring free post-show discussions led by South Coast Repertory’s literary team. Julianne Argyros Stage.
Inside the Season: Saturday, March 21, from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Led by members of SCR’s literary staff, this lively two-hour session features in-depth interviews with cast members and artists from SCR’s production staff, revealing secrets and offering insights into SCR’s production of tokyo fish story.The event includes a guided tour of the set. Julianne Argyros Stage. Tickets are $12 and may be purchased in advance or at the door.

Location: South Coast Repertory is located at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, at the Bristol Street/Avenue of the Arts exit off the San Diego (405) Freeway in the David Emmes/Martin Benson Theatre Center, part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Parking is available on Park Center Drive, off Anton Boulevard.

Upcoming Productions: Of Good Stock by Melissa Ross, March 27-April 26; Mr. Wolf by Rajiv Joseph, April 12-May 3; Peter and the Starcatcher by Rick Elice, May 8-June 7; and OZ 2.5 by Catherine Trieschmann, May 22-June 7. Pacific Playwrights Festival runs April 24-26. More information is available online: www.scr.org.

ABOUT SOUTH COAST REPERTORY: Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson and now under the leadership of Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Managing Director Paula Tomei, is widely recognized as one of the leading professional theatres in the United States. While its productions represent a balance of classic and modern theatre, SCR is renowned for its extensive new-play development program, which includes the nation’s largest commissioning program for emerging and established writers. Of SCR’s 487 productions, one-quarter have been world premieres. SCR-developed works have garnered two Pulitzer Prizes and eight Pulitzer nominations, several Obie Awards and scores of major new-play awards. Located in Costa Mesa, Calif., SCR is home to the 507-seat Segerstrom Stage, the 336-seat Julianne Argyros Stage and the 94-seat Nicholas Studio. www.scr.org

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Mar. 8- 29: Pursuit of the Perfect Plate: tokyo fish story, by Kimber Lee, Premieres at South Coast Repertory starring Lawrence Kao, Jully Lee, Eddie Mui, Sab Shimono and Ryun Yu
Signature Theatre Company’s Founding Artistic Director James Houghton To Step Down After 2015-16 25th Anniversary Season
Photos: David Byrne, Alex Timbers, Jaygee Macapugay, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Adam Guettel, Sarah Saltzberg and More Celebrate Jose Llana’s Lincoln Center American Songbook Debut
Photos: In Rehearsal with Jose Llana; Set for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Debut
Stephen Adly Guirgis’s BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY Starring Stephen McKinley Henderson, Victor Almanzar, Elizabeth Canavan, Rosal Colón, Liza Colón-Zayas, Michael Rispoli and Ron Cephas Jones, has performances through March 22 at Second Stage Theatre
Photos: “Swimming Awkward Moment,” the newest works by painter Arlan Huang at Trestle Gallery through March 27
Photos: Michael Mayer Helmed BROOKLYNITE Featuring Ann Harada, Matt Doyle, Nicolette Robinson, Andrew Call, Nick Cordero and More, Extends through March 29
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s AN OCTOROON, Starring Maechi Aharanwa, Pascale Armand, Danielle Davenport, Amber Gray, Ian Lassiter, Austin Smith, Haynes Thigpen, and Mary Wiseman, Extends Again Off-Broadway Through March 29
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents Rajiv Joseph’s THE LAKE EFFECT Starring Adam Poss, Nilanjana Bose, Jason Bowen through March 29
Save on Preview Tickets to Lincoln Center’s Revival of THE KING AND I Starring Kelli O’Hara, Ken Watanabe, Ruthie Ann Miles, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora, Paul Nakauchi and More
OBIE Award-winner Jojo Gonzalez, Jessica Almasy, Marcia DeBonis, Brad Heberlee, Sakina Jaffrey, Erik Lochtefeld and Babak Tafti Set for Ars Nova’s World Premiere of SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS, March 10 – April 11; OBIE Winner Rachel Chavkin to Direct
Dallas Summer Musicals to Stage THE KING AND I Starring Rachel York, Alan Ariano, YoonJeong Seong, Tami Swartz and More at the Music Hall at Fair Park, 3/20-4/5
Broadway Bound Doctor Zhivago Featuring Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Paul Nolan, Lora Lee Gayer, Melody Butiu and More Kicks Off Rehearsal; Previews Begin March 27
CAAMFest 2015 Honors Filmmaker Arthur Dong with World Premiere Screenings of Forbidden City, USA (3/14), The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor (3/15) & In Conversation with B. Ruby Rich (3/20)
CAAMFest Presents Ursula Liang’s Documentary 9-Man: Northern California Premiere at the Great Star Theatre on March 13; East Bay Premiere at The New Parkway Theater on March 22
Photos: Jeanne Sakata, Jeremy Guskin, Angela Sauer, Andrew Ross Wynn, Elyse Mirto and More Set for A Noise Within’s FIGARO, March 1-May 10
Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More Set for Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse, March 17- April 12, 2015
Asia Society Presents Wu Tong: Song of the Sheng on March 19
Mar. 24: An Evening with Amy Tan at New-York Historical Society
Broadway Bound Doctor Zhivago Featuring Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Paul Nolan, Lora Lee Gayer, Melody Butiu and More Kicks Off Rehearsal; Previews Begin March 27
Brandon J. Dirden, Merritt Janson, Roslyn Ruff, Andrew Hovelson, Roger Robinson Set for World Premiere of YOUR BLUES AIN’T SWEET LIKE MINE, written and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson at Two River Theater, April 11-May 3
Tony Award® Nominees Omar Metwally and Arian Moayed to star in Rajiv Joseph’s GUARDS AT THE TAJ, helmed by Amy Morton, at Atlantic Theater Company, May 20-June 28
World Premiere Musical HAMILTON Transfers to Broadway; Previews begin July 13
Photos: National Black Theatre Festival 2013; NBTF runs August 3-8, 2015 and will include Act III – A Celebration of Life Reception saluting the late theatre icon Garland Lee Thompson, Sr.
Tony Award winner Lea Salonga and Telly Leung Set to Co-star with George Takei in ALLEGIANCE; Previews Begin at the Longacre Theatre on October 6
Photos: John W. Kuo, Jessica Hagedorn, and Neal Katyal Receive AALDEF 2015 Justice in Action Awards
Suzan-Lori Parks’ FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS, PARTS 1, 2 & 3 is the 2015 Winner of the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History
Photos: Francis Jue, Telly Leung, Jennifer Lim, Jo Mei, James Saito, Sue Jin Song, Harriet Harris and More at Opening Night of The World of Extreme Happiness
Video: Viola Davis, Charles Dutton, Laurence Fishburne, James Earl Jones, Suzan-Lori Parks, Phylicia Rashad and More Share Stories in American Masters-August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand Documentary
THE GET DOWN, Baz Luhrmann’s New Drama Series Set in 1970s NYC That Gave Birth to Hip-Hop, Punk and Disco, to Premiere on Netflix in 2016
Variety.com: Ken Jeong to Star in ABC Medical Comedy Pilot ‘Dr. Ken’
Photos: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Advantageous, Oh Lucy!, Meru, Umrika, The Chinese Mayor, The Stanford Prison Experiment Among 2015 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners
Photos: Tony Award Winning Playwright David Henry Hwang, NEFA, Graham Sheffield CBE and Susan Stockton Receive 2015 ISPA Awards Photos:
Late Night at HERE LIES LOVE with Jaygee Macapugay, David Byrne, Jose Llana, Conrad Ricamora, Melody Butiu and More
THE WIZ Turns 40- Photos from Original Broadway Production and BC/EFA Gypsy of The Year Celebration Featuring André De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ken Page, Charl Brown, Carly Hughes, Christina Sajous, Alton Fitzgerald White, Lillias White and More
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
Crafting a Career
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

The Company of The Fortress of Solitude. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus

THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE Original Cast CD Release Concert will feature original cast members André De Shields, Adam Chanler-Berat, Kevin Mambo, Kyle Beltran, Ken Barnett, Britton Smith, Akron Watson and Juson Williams, at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater on Monday, April 13 at 9:30 PM.

Adam Chanler-Berat, Kevin Mambo, André De Shields, Kyle Beltran. Photo by Lia Chang

The show, which was produced by The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham), is based on the national best-selling novel of the same name by Jonathan Lethem, with a book by Itamar Moses, music and lyrics by Michael Friedman, and conceived and directed by Daniel Aukin. Time Out New York raved, “Michael Friedman’s score draws excitingly on period sounds” and according to The New York Times, “the score flows in undulating rivers of soul, funk, punk and rap.” Friedman wrote the musicals Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and Love’s Labour’s Lost, also produced at The Public Theater and available from Ghostlight Records. THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE has orchestrations by John Clancy, with additional orchestrations by Matt Beck. The 24-track, 70-minute recording was produced by Dean Sharenow and Kurt Deutsch. To pre-order the CD, please visit www.sh-k-boom.com/fortress.

Below is Ghostlight’s advance preview track from the CD, “The One I Remember”, featuring the full cast.

THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, a co-production with Dallas Theater Center, is the extraordinary coming-of-age story about 1970s Brooklyn and beyond – of black and white, soul and rap, block parties and blackouts, friendship and betrayal, comic books and 45s. And the story of what would happen if two teenagers obsessed with superheroes believed that maybe, just maybe, they could fly.

The complete cast of THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE featured Ken Barnett (Abraham Ebdus); Kyle Beltran (Mingus); Adam Chanler-Berat (Dylan); André De Shields (Senior); Carla Duren (Marilla); Stephane Duret (Swing); Rebecca Naomi Jones (Lala, Abby); Jahi Kearse (Raf, Henry, Desmond, Jared); Kevin Mambo (Junior); Malaiyka Reid (Swing); David Rossmer (Arthur); Conor Ryan (Radio Guy, Mike, Gabe); Kristen Sieh (Rachel Ebdus); Britton Smith (Subtle Distinction); Brian Tyree Henry (Robert); Akron Watson (Subtle Distinction); Alison Whitehurst (Skater Girl, Liza); and Juson Williams (Subtle Distinction).

The new musical featured scenic design by Eugene Lee; costume design by Jessica Pabst; lighting design by Tyler Micoleau; sound design by Robert Kaplowitz; projection design by Jeff Sugg; hair and wig design by Leah Loukas; and choreography by Camille A. Brown. Kimberly Grigsby serves as Musical Director.

The Public Theater gratefully acknowledges the support of Tom Hulce and Ira Pittelman for this production. THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE is supported in part by the National Fund for New Musicals, a program of National Alliance for Musical Theatre, with funding from Stacey Mindich Productions – http://www.namt.org.

THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE CD release concert will be presented at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater. The venue is located at 425 Lafayette Street (between East 4th and Astor Place) NYC, adjacent to The Public Theater. For tickets – which cost $12 – call (212) 967-7555 or visit joespub.com, or visit in person at The Public Theater Box Office from 1pm to 6pm Joe’s Pub from 6pm to 10pm (Both located at 425 Lafayette St. For table reservations, call (212) 539-8778.

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The Fortress of Solitude starring André De Shields, Adam Chanler-Berat, Kevin Mambo, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Kyle Beltran & More at The Public
Mar. 7-Apr. 6: André De Shields, Adam Chanler-Berat, Kyle Beltran, Kevin Mambo and More Set for DTC’s World Premiere Musical The Fortress of Solitude, A Co-Production with The Public Theater
Two-time Tony Nominee and Emmy Winner André De Shields Performs FREDERICK DOUGLASS: Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory and Speaks on The Wisdome of The Ancient Art of Storytelling at AFP 2014: Change Through Stories, Sept. 8-9, 2014
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Rebecca Naomi Jones. Photo by Susan Rosenberg Jones

On Tuesday, April 14, 2015, Rebecca Naomi Jones (American Idiot, Passing Strange) kicks off her run as Yitzhak in the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Revival Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Belasco Theatre, 111 West 44th Street in New York.

Jones will join John Cameron Mitchell who is currently starring in Hedwig through April 26th, a show he co-created with composer and lyricist Stephen Trask. (Darren Criss takes over the role for a 12-week engagement, starting April 29.)

Variety: Broadway Review: John Cameron Mitchell in ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’
The Hollywood Reporter: Critic’s Notebook: John Cameron Mitchell in ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’

Jones has received critical acclaim for her performances in Big Love which just ended its run on March 15, 2015 at Signature Theatre Company, Murder Ballad (Lily Award, Lortel Award nomination), American Idiot, and Passing Strange.

Rebecca Naomi Jones, Libby Winters and Stacey Sargeant. Photo by T Charles Erickson.

Video: Rebecca Naomi Jones, Bobby Steggert, Stacey Sargeant, Emmanuel Brown, Lynn Cohen and More in for Charles Mee’s BIG LOVE at Signature Theatre
Last Fall, Jones appeared in The Fortress of Solitude at The Public Theater, and is featured on the original cast album due for release on March 24, 2015.

THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE cast members Rebecca Naomi Jones and André De Shields. Photo by Lia Chang

The Fortress of Solitude, starring Adam Chanler-Berat, André De Shields, Kyle Beltran, Kevin Mambo, Rebecca Naomi Jones ends extended run 11/16; Ghostlight to Record Cast Album

Apr. 13: THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE Original Cast Album Release Concert at Joe’s Pub will feature André De Shields, Adam Chanler-Berat, Kevin Mambo, Kyle Beltran, Ken Barnett, Britton Smith, Akron Watson and Juson Williams

Time Out New York has called her “a future legend of the New York stage” and “a member of the next generation of theatrical superstars.” She can also be seen in the indie film Ratter which premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in January.

Rebecca Naomi Jones and the company of American Idiot. Photo by Paul Kolnik

Rebecca Naomi Jones and the company of American Idiot in 2010. Photo by Paul Kolnik

As previously announced Tony Award winner Lena Hall will play her final performance as Yitzhak on Sunday, April 4. Before Jones joins the cast of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Shannon Conley will play the role of Yitzhak for one week starting Tuesday, April 7.

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Photos: André De Shields, Adam Chanler-Berat, Jose Llana, Kevin Mambo, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Kyle Beltran, Kim Brockington and More at The Fortress of Solitude

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TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents Rajiv Joseph’s THE LAKE EFFECT Starring Adam Poss, Nilanjana Bose, Jason Bowen through March 29
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Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Dael Orlandersmith

On Monday, March 23, 2015, the League of Professional Theatre Women (LPTW), a not-for-profit organization committed to promoting visibility and increasing opportunities for women in the professional theatre, will present a special event for Women’s History month, Writing Plays By, For, or About Women. The event will be from 6pm to 8pm at Theater Lab at 357 W. 36th St. on the 3rd floor, focusing on the roles of women in today’s theater. Tickets are FREE for League Members or $15 for the public and available at theatrewomen.org.

The Round Table Discussion will feature several notable playwrights including Obie Award winners Dael Orlandersmith (Forever), Caridad Svich (Any Place But Here), and Edith Oliver Award winner Jenny Lyn Bader (The Church of Why Not and the History of Communication). Additionally, the panel will include Emmy Nominee Lee Hunkins, Paula Vogel Award Winner Kara Lee Corthron, Craig Noel Award Winner Fengar Gael and Joyce Award Winner Tracey Scott Wilson (The Good Negro, The Story). The discussion will be moderated by the LPTW Co-president Maxine Kern, herself a dramaturg, playwright, and lecturer at Columbia University.

Click here to read bios of the panelists.

Following the discussion, will be a Q&A and an informal networking session. (Remember to bring your business cards!) Refreshments will be available.

Tickets are $15 and available online. Tickets may also be purchased at the door. Admission for LPTW members is FREE, but they must RSVP toNetworking@TheatreWomen.org or call 1-888-297-3117 x 1.

This event was organized by the Networking Committee of the League of Professional Theatre Woman, (Richarda Abrams, Romy Nordlinger, Committee Co-Chairs). The League of Professional Theatre Women, Inc. is an advocacy organization with a mission to reinforce the positive image of, promote the visibility of, and increase opportunities for women in the arts and entertainment industries, more particularly professional theatre. Information about LPTW can be found at http://www.theatrewomen.org.

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Stephen Adly Guirgis’s BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY Starring Stephen McKinley Henderson, Victor Almanzar, Elizabeth Canavan, Rosal Colón, Liza Colón-Zayas, Michael Rispoli and Ron Cephas Jones, has performances through March 22 at Second Stage Theatre
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Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s AN OCTOROON, Starring Maechi Aharanwa, Pascale Armand, Danielle Davenport, Amber Gray, Ian Lassiter, Austin Smith, Haynes Thigpen, and Mary Wiseman, Extends Again Off-Broadway Through March 29
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OBIE Award-winner Jojo Gonzalez, Jessica Almasy, Marcia DeBonis, Brad Heberlee, Sakina Jaffrey, Erik Lochtefeld and Babak Tafti Set for Ars Nova’s World Premiere of SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS, March 10 – April 11; OBIE Winner Rachel Chavkin to Direct
Dallas Summer Musicals to Stage THE KING AND I Starring Rachel York, Alan Ariano, YoonJeong Seong, Tami Swartz and More at the Music Hall at Fair Park, 3/20-4/5
Photos: Jeanne Sakata, Jeremy Guskin, Angela Sauer, Andrew Ross Wynn, Elyse Mirto and More Set for A Noise Within’s FIGARO, March 1-May 10
Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More Set for Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse, March 17- April 12, 2015
Asia Society Presents Wu Tong: Song of the Sheng on March 19
Mar. 24: An Evening with Amy Tan at New-York Historical Society
Broadway Bound Doctor Zhivago Featuring Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Paul Nolan, Lora Lee Gayer, Melody Butiu and More Kicks Off Rehearsal; Previews Begin March 27
Brandon J. Dirden, Merritt Janson, Roslyn Ruff, Andrew Hovelson and Charles Weldon Set for World Premiere of YOUR BLUES AIN’T SWEET LIKE MINE, written and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson at Two River Theater, April 11-May 3
Apr. 13: THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE Original Cast Album Release Party at Joe’s Pub will feature André De Shields, Adam Chanler-Berat, Kevin Mambo, Kyle Beltran, Ken Barnett, Britton Smith, Akron Watson and Juson Williams
Rebecca Naomi Jones kicks off run as Yitzhak in HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH on April 14
Tony Award® Nominees Omar Metwally and Arian Moayed to star in Rajiv Joseph’s GUARDS AT THE TAJ, helmed by Amy Morton, at Atlantic Theater Company, May 20-June 28
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Photos: National Black Theatre Festival 2013; NBTF runs August 3-8, 2015 and will include Act III – A Celebration of Life Reception saluting the late theatre icon Garland Lee Thompson, Sr.
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Crafting a Career
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Playwright Rajiv Joseph doesn’t want to disclose much about his new play, Mr. Wolf, other than a hint: it’s a psychological mystery. The play, commissioned by South Coast Repertory, has its world premiere on SCR’s Julianne Argyros Stage, April 12-May 3. It’s directed by Founding Artistic Director David Emmes. This production is part of the Pacific Playwrights Festival. Tickets are available at www.scr.org. South Coast Repertory is located at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa.

Here’s the set-up: The universe is vast, but 15-year-old Theresa seeks to understand how and why it came to be. Her guide in that quest is a man named Mr. Wolf. But when we meet her, the only life she has ever known is coming to an end. When the center of her world disappears, she must come to terms with how to find her place in it.

“Rajiv deftly examines the cost of being lost and being found, and he does this with strong and beautiful writing,” said Artistic Director Marc Masterson.

The cast for Mr. Wolf includes Tessa Auberjonois, John de Lancie, Emily Ruth James, Kwana Martinez and Jon Tenney.

The design and creative team includes Nephelie Andonyadis, scenic design; Leah Piehl, costume design; Lap Chi Chu, lighting design; Cricket Myers, sound design; and John Glore, dramaturg. The show’s production manager is Joshua Marchesi and the stage manager is Sue Karutz.

Playwright Rajiv Joseph on the set of his new play, “Describe the Night” at the Shubert Theatre in New York on November 21, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

Rajiv Joseph came to national attention when his celebrated hit Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo became a finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and received an Outstanding New American Play Award from the National Endowment for the Arts. With direction by Moisés Kaufman, Bengal Tiger was a sensational hit at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles in 2009 and moved to the Mark Taper Forum in 2010 where the New York Times described it as a “boldly imagined, harrowing and surprisingly funny drama.” The show made its Broadway debut starring Robin Williams in March 2011. Joseph’s other plays include Gruesome Playground Injuries, All This Intimacy, and Animals Out of Paper (all at Second Stage Theatre); The Leopard and the Fox (adaptation, Alter Ego); Huck & Holden (Cherry Lane Theatre); The North Pool; The Lake Effect; and Guards at the Taj. He is the book writer and co-lyricist for the musical, Fly. Joseph also wrote for the Showtime series “Nurse Jackie” for its third and fourth seasons and was the co- screenwriter of the film Draft Day, which was released last year, starring Kevin Costner and Jennifer Garner. He earned a bachelor of arts in creative writing from Miami University and a master of fine arts in playwriting from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He served for three years in the Peace Corps in Senegal, West Africa. Joseph was named a 2010 Rockefeller Fellow by United States Artists. He is the recipient of the Lucille Lortel Award, the Whiting Award, the Glickman Award, the 2013 Equity Jeff Award for The Lake Effect, produced by Silk Road Rising in Chicago and the prestigious 2013 Steinberg Playwright Award from the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. Guards at the Taj was awarded the 2015 Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award, given annually for an unproduced, full-length play of social relevance by an emerging American playwright.

Mr. Wolf is generously supported by The Playwrights Circle.

Tickets: May be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or by visiting the box office at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. Performances run April 12-May 3. Ticket prices start at $22. Low-priced preview performances run April 12-16.

Performance Dates, Times:

Previews
- Sunday, April 12 at 2 p.m.
- Tuesday-Thursday, April 14-16 7:45 p.m.
  Note: Friday, April 17, is an invitation-only performance
Regular performances
Special notes: There are no Monday performances. There is no evening performance on Sunday, May 3.
- Evenings:
  - Saturday and Sunday, April 18-19 and April, 25-26, at 7:45 p.m.
  - Tuesday-Friday, April 21-24, April 28-May 1, at 7:45 p.m.
- Matinees:
  - Saturdays-Sundays, April 18-19, April 25-26, and May 2-3, at 2 p.m.
ASL-interpreted: Saturday, May 2, at 2 p.m.

Special Events:

Post-Show Discussions: Tuesday, April 21, and Wednesday, April 22. Discuss the play with cast members of Mr. Wolf during free post-show discussions led by South Coast Repertory’s literary team. Julianne Argyros Stage.
Inside the Season: Saturday, May 2, from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Led by members of SCR’s literary staff, this lively two-hour session features in-depth interviews with cast members and artists from SCR’s production staff, revealing secrets and offering insights into SCR’s production of Mr. Wolf. The event includes a guided tour of the set. Julianne Argyros Stage. Tickets are $12 and may be purchased in advance or at the door.

Current and Upcoming Productions: Of Good Stock by Melissa Ross, March 27-April 26; Mr. Wolf by Rajiv Joseph, April 12-May 3; Theatre Movement Bazaar’s BIG SHOT: A.K.A. This is Not the Godfather, April 22-May3; Peter and the Starcatcher by Rick Elice, May 8-June 7; and OZ 2.5 by Catherine Trieschmann, May 22-June 7. The 18th annual Pacific Playwrights Festival runs April 24-26. More information is available online: www.scr.org.

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia starred as Carole Barbara in Lorey Hayes’ Power Play at the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, N.C., with Pauletta Pearson Washington, Roscoe Orman. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Production Photos: Kimber Lee’s tokyo fish story starring Sab Shimono, Ryun Yu, Lawrence Kao, Jully Lee and Eddie Mui at South Coast Repertory through March 29
Photos: David Byrne, Alex Timbers, Jaygee Macapugay, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Adam Guettel, Sarah Saltzberg and More Celebrate Jose Llana’s Lincoln Center American Songbook Debut
Photos: In Rehearsal with Jose Llana; Set for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Debut
11th annual 72 Hour Shootout™ Filmmaking Workshops on March 19 and April 16; Enter to Win a Free 72 Hour Shootout Registration
The Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, Inc.: 2015 Collaboration Award recognizing Women Working with Women Open Call
Cheryl L. Davis’ Maid’s Door Sweeps AUDELCOs with 7 Wins; Complete List of 2014 AUDELCO Recipients
Signature Theatre Company’s Founding Artistic Director James Houghton To Step Down After 2015-16 25th Anniversary Season
Stephen Adly Guirgis’s BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY Starring Stephen McKinley Henderson, Victor Almanzar, Elizabeth Canavan, Rosal Colón, Liza Colón-Zayas, Michael Rispoli and Ron Cephas Jones, has performances through March 22 at Second Stage Theatre
Photos: “Swimming Awkward Moment,” the newest works by painter Arlan Huang at Trestle Gallery through March 27
Photos: Michael Mayer Helmed BROOKLYNITE Featuring Ann Harada, Matt Doyle, Nicolette Robinson, Andrew Call, Nick Cordero and More, Extends through March 29
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s AN OCTOROON, Starring Maechi Aharanwa, Pascale Armand, Danielle Davenport, Amber Gray, Ian Lassiter, Austin Smith, Haynes Thigpen, and Mary Wiseman, Extends Again Off-Broadway Through March 29
Save on Preview Tickets to Lincoln Center’s Revival of THE KING AND I Starring Kelli O’Hara, Ken Watanabe, Ruthie Ann Miles, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora, Paul Nakauchi and More
OBIE Award-winner Jojo Gonzalez, Jessica Almasy, Marcia DeBonis, Brad Heberlee, Sakina Jaffrey, Erik Lochtefeld and Babak Tafti Set for Ars Nova’s World Premiere of SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS, March 10 – April 11; OBIE Winner Rachel Chavkin to Direct
Dallas Summer Musicals to Stage THE KING AND I Starring Rachel York, Alan Ariano, YoonJeong Seong, Tami Swartz and More at the Music Hall at Fair Park, 3/20-4/5
Photos: Jeanne Sakata, Jeremy Guskin, Angela Sauer, Andrew Ross Wynn, Elyse Mirto and More Set for A Noise Within’s FIGARO, March 1-May 10
Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More Set for Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse, March 17- April 12, 2015
Asia Society Presents Wu Tong: Song of the Sheng on March 19
Mar. 23: League of Professional Theatre Women (LPTW) Presents “Roundtable Discussion: Writing Plays By, For, or About Women” at Theater Lab Featuring Dael Orlandersmith, Caridad Svich, Jenny Lyn Bader, Lee Hunkins, Kara Lee Corthron, Fengar Gael
Mar. 24: An Evening with Amy Tan at New-York Historical Society
Garth Kravits Joins “NEW STANDARDS: Songs For The Stage By Jim Territo” Lineup at 42West on March 25
Broadway Bound Doctor Zhivago Featuring Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Paul Nolan, Lora Lee Gayer, Melody Butiu and More Kicks Off Rehearsal; Previews Begin March 27
Brandon J. Dirden, Merritt Janson, Roslyn Ruff, Andrew Hovelson and Charles Weldon Set for World Premiere of YOUR BLUES AIN’T SWEET LIKE MINE, written and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson at Two River Theater, April 11-May 3
Apr. 13: THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE Original Cast Album Release Party at Joe’s Pub will feature André De Shields, Adam Chanler-Berat, Kevin Mambo, Kyle Beltran, Ken Barnett, Britton Smith, Akron Watson and Juson Williams
Rebecca Naomi Jones kicks off run as Yitzhak in HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH on April 14
World Premiere Musical HAMILTON Transfers to Broadway; Previews begin July 13
Photos: National Black Theatre Festival 2013; NBTF runs August 3-8, 2015 and will include Act III – A Celebration of Life Reception saluting the late theatre icon Garland Lee Thompson, Sr.
ALL MY CHILDREN ALUM Debbi Morgan and Darnell Williams to Co-Chair the 2015 National Black Theatre Festival, August 3-8
Tony Award winner Lea Salonga and Telly Leung Set to Co-star with George Takei in ALLEGIANCE; Previews Begin at the Longacre Theatre on October 6
Photos: John W. Kuo, Jessica Hagedorn, and Neal Katyal Receive AALDEF 2015 Justice in Action Awards
Suzan-Lori Parks’ FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS, PARTS 1, 2 & 3 is the 2015 Winner of the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History
Photos: Francis Jue, Telly Leung, Jennifer Lim, Jo Mei, James Saito, Sue Jin Song, Harriet Harris and More at Opening Night of The World of Extreme Happiness
Video: Viola Davis, Charles Dutton, Laurence Fishburne, James Earl Jones, Suzan-Lori Parks, Phylicia Rashad and More Share Stories in American Masters-August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand Documentary
THE GET DOWN, Baz Luhrmann’s New Drama Series Set in 1970s NYC That Gave Birth to Hip-Hop, Punk and Disco, to Premiere on Netflix in 2016
Variety.com: Ken Jeong to Star in ABC Medical Comedy Pilot ‘Dr. Ken’
Photos: Tony Award Winning Playwright David Henry Hwang, NEFA, Graham Sheffield CBE and Susan Stockton Receive 2015 ISPA Awards
Photos: Late Night at HERE LIES LOVE with Jaygee Macapugay, David Byrne, Jose Llana, Conrad Ricamora, Melody Butiu and More
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
Crafting a Career
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Stephen Adly Guirgis’s BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY Starring Stephen McKinley Henderson, Victor Almanzar, Elizabeth Canavan, Rosal Colón, Liza Colón-Zayas, Michael Rispoli and Ron Cephas Jones, has performances through March 22 at Second Stage Theatre

Photos: Wendell Pierce, Kevin Mambo, Toccarra Cash, Thaddeus Daniels, Wendell Franklin and Megan Robinson in The Billie Holiday Theatre Production of Jackie Alexander’s Brothers from the Bottom through March 29

Save on Preview Tickets to Lincoln Center’s Revival of THE KING AND I Starring Kelli O’Hara, Ken Watanabe, Ruthie Ann Miles, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora, Paul Nakauchi and More

Lea Salonga in Concert at Town Hall on March 14

MTC Run of World Premiere of The World of Extreme Happiness by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, starring Jennifer Lim, Francis Jue, Telly Leung, Jo Mei, James Saito and Sue Jin Song has performances through March 29

ALL MY CHILDREN Alum Debbi Morgan and Darnell Williams to Co-Chair the 2015 National Black Theatre Festival, August 3-8

Lia Chang Photos: In Rehearsal with Jose Llana; Set for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Debut on March 12

Tony Award winner Lea Salonga and Telly Leung Set to Co-star with George Takei in ALLEGIANCE; Previews Begin at the Longacre Theatre on October 6

Lia Chang Photos: David Byrne, Alex Timbers, Jaygee Macapugay, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Adam Guettel, Sarah Saltzberg and More Celebrate Jose Llana’s Lincoln Center American Songbook Debut

Dallas Summer Musicals to Stage THE KING AND I Starring Rachel York, Alan Ariano, YoonJeong Seong, Tami Swartz and More at the Music Hall at Fair Park, 3/20-4/5

Signature Theatre Company’s Founding Artistic Director James Houghton To Step Down After 2015-16 25th Anniversary Season

Pearl Sun and Bryce Ryness Star in LONG STORY SHORT at 59E59 Theaters through March 29

Ma-Yi Theater Company Presents World Premiere of SOLDIER X by Rehana Lew Mirza at HERE, March 24 – April 19

Jackie Alexander’s BROTHERS FROM THE BOTTOM Starring Wendell Pierce, Kevin Mambo, Toccarra Cash, Thaddeus Daniels, Wendell Franklin and Megan Robinson at the Brooklyn Music School Playhouse through March 29

Production Photos: Kimber Lee’s tokyo fish story starring Sab Shimono, Lawrence Kao, Jully Lee, Eddie Mui and Ryun Yu at South Coast Repertory through March 29

Apr. 13: THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE Original Cast CD Release Concert at Joe’s Pub will feature André De Shields, Adam Chanler-Berat, Kevin Mambo, Kyle Beltran, Ken Barnett, Britton Smith, Akron Watson and Juson Williams

Rebecca Naomi Jones kicks off run as Yitzhak in HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH on April 14

Mar. 23: League of Professional Theatre Women (LPTW) Presents “Roundtable Discussion: Writing Plays By, For, or About Women” at Theater Lab Featuring Dael Orlandersmith, Caridad Svich, Jenny Lyn Bader, Lee Hunkins, Kara Lee Corthron, Fengar Gael and Tracey Scott Wilson

Jon Tenney, Tessa Auberjonois, John de Lancie, Emily Ruth James and Kwana Martinez Set for World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Mr. Wolf at South Coast Repertory, April 12-May 3

Kyra Bowes, Kate Carolan, Adrien Cortizo, Richard Ryngel, Amelia Temple, Neill Lynskey, Oscar Cortizo, Kaitlin Garrity, Lexi Marta, Mackay Johnson and Liz Pollard Set for Union Catholic Performing Arts Company’s HAIRSPRAY, Mar. 20, 21, 27, 28