365 WOMEN A YEAR: A PLAYWRITING PROJECT involves over 400 women who signed on to write one or more one-acts about extraordinary women in both past and present history. The project’s goal is to write women back into the social consciousness as well as empower and promote female playwrights around the globe.

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” 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 and Roscoe Orman. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Dael Orlandersmith, Jenny Lyn Bader, Lee Hunkins, Kara Lee Corthron, Caridad Svich and Fengar Gael Talk Playwrighting with the League of Professional Theatre Women’s (LPTW) Co-president Maxine Kern at Theater Lab
The Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, Inc.: 2015 Collaboration Award recognizing Women Working with Women Open Call
Sinatra: An American Icon Exhibit on View through September 4 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
“Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men” on view at Museum of the Moving Image through June 14; Required Viewing: Mad Men’s Movie Influences Film Series Screenings through April 26
Disney Developing Live-Action ‘Mulan’
Kenny Leon Helmed ‘The Wiz’ Set as NBC’s Next Live Musical to air on Dec. 3; Broadway Revival Slated for 2016-17
Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion Exhibition on view at New-York Historical Society through April 19; Photos of An Evening with Amy Tan
“Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong,” – Retrospective of Disney Legend at MOCA through September 13
Dining out at élan with Artist Arlan Huang; New Paintings on view at Trestle Gallery
Photos and Video: Rachel York, Alan Ariano, YoonJeong Seong and More in Dallas Summer Musicals’ THE KING AND I at the Music Hall at Fair Park through April 5
Award Winning Actor Raul Aranas Talks THE BLACKLIST, NAAP’S OLIVER!, Songwriting and the Zen of Cycling
Tony Award Winners Chita Rivera and Roger Rees, Jason Danieley, Mary Beth Peil, David Garrison & More Begin Previews in Terrence McNally’s THE VISIT on March 26
11th annual 72 Hour Shootout™ Filmmaking How-To Workshop: Writing the Best Script on April 16; Enter to Win a Free 72 Hour Shootout Registration
Vanity Fair: Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Jon Viktor Corpuz and More of Lincoln Center’s Revival of The King and I
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: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
Apr. 8: Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Screens John Carpenter’s BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA at the Japanese American National Museum
Photo: Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More in Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse through April 12; PYGMALION Themed Activities
LA Times Critic’s Choice FIGARO at A Noise Within; April 4, 5, 9, 10, 19, 30, May 1 and 10
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
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
11th annual 72 Hour Shootout™ Filmmaking How-To Workshop: Writing the Best Script on April 16; Enter to Win a Free 72 Hour Shootout Registration
Apr. 20: Garth Kravits joins Laura Benanti, Lena Hall, Scott Alan and more for BROADWAY SINGS TORI Concert to Benefit RAINN at (le) poisson rouge
East West Players’ Honors Paula Madison of Madison Media Management LLC and “Fresh Off The Boat” Executive Producers Nahnatchka Khan and Melvin Mar on April 20
April 23-30: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Lineup includes EVERYTHING BEFORE US, KTOWN COWBOYS, Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW, Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS, Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) presents Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS Featuring Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim, Jeanne Sakata, Jennifer Ikeda and Matthew Kim at the Aratani Theatre on April 24
April 26: The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Artist Spotlight- Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
May 1: A/P/A Institute at NYU presents Remembering SlutForArt: Tseng Kwong Chi with Muna Tseng, Ping Chong, and Bill T. Jones
15th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) Lineup includes Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA WITH A STRAW & Aparna Sen’s SAARI RAAT; May 4-9
Photos: Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Spring Exhibition, CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, May 7–August 16
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.
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
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.

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

Ars Nova has extended the world premiere of Small Mouth Sounds, a new play by Bess Wohl, directed by OBIE Award-winner Rachel Chavkin (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812) through April 25, 2015. The play began performances on March 10 and was scheduled to run through April 11, at Ars Nova (511 West 54th Street).

The cast of Small Mouth Sounds.

Jojo Gonzalez

Small Mouth Sounds features Jessica Almasy (A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest of the Great Lakes), Marcia DeBonis (Television: “Homeland”), OBIE Award-winner Jojo Gonzalez (The Romance of Magno Rubio), Brad Heberlee (This Beautiful City), Sakina Jaffrey (Television: “House of Cards”), Erik Lochtefeld (Metamorphoses) and Babak Tafti (The North Pool). In the overwhelming quiet of the woods, six runaways from city life embark on a silent retreat. As these strangers confront internal demons both profound and absurd, their vows of silence collide with the achingly human need to connect. Filled with awkward humor, this strange and compassionate new play asks how we address life’s biggest questions when words fail us.

“BESS WOHL’S LUMINOUS NEW PLAY IS AS ENTERTAINING AS IT IS TRANSCENDENT!”

— Jenna Scherer

“AS FUNNY AS IT IS, UH, QUIETLY MOVING, MS. WOHL’S PLAY IS ALSO A MODEL OF INGENUITY. INTREPID WRITING. SUPERB ACTING. A WONDERFUL CASE FOR HOW ELOQUENTLY SILENCE CAN SPEAK.”

—  Charles Isherwood

“FLAWLESS. SHATTERING.”

— Marilyn Stasio Small Mouth Sounds includes scenic design by Laura Jellinek, costume design by Tilly Grimes, lighting design by Mike Inwood, sound design by Stowe Nelson, projection design by Andrew Schneider and prop design by Noah Mease. Bess Wohl was a member of Ars Nova’s 2012-2013 Play Group, where the play was first developed, in addition to Ars Nova’s Summer Artist Retreat program. Small Mouth Sounds marks Rachel Chavkin’s first return to Ars Nova since her OBIE Award-winning direction of the smash hit Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. Tickets are $35. Tickets are now on sale to Ars Nova members. Mighty Nova Memberships start at $50 and offer free tickets to Ars Nova’s Off-Broadway productions, discounts to all comedy, music and developmental programming and other perks. To become a member, and book your Small Mouth Sounds tickets today, visit www.arsnovanyc.com/membership or call 212-352-3101. Small Mouth Sounds plays through April 25 as follows: Monday through Wednesday at 7pm and Thursday through Saturday at 8pm. Tickets available by visiting arsnovanyc.com or calling 212-352-3101.

Other articles about Jojo Gonzalez:

OBIE Award-winner Jojo Gonzalez, Jessica Almasy, Marcia DeBonis, Brad Heberlee, Sakina Jaffrey, Erik Lochtefeld and Babak Tafti in Ars Nova’s World Premiere of SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS through April 11; OBIE Winner Rachel Chavkin Directs

Myra Lucretia Taylor, JoJo Gonzalez, Linda Powell, Don Sparks and More in Long Wharf Theatre’s 50th Season Opening Production of OUR TOWN through November 2 

Photos: Late Night with Holy Land’s Jojo Gonzalez

Tina Chilip, Jojo Gonzalez, Marcus Ho and More in Leviathan Lab’s Twelfth Night Production Photos, Performances through 11/19 

Photos: Tina Chilip, Jojo Gonzalez, Dave Shih and More in NAATCO’s A Dream Play 

NAATCO Presents A Dream Play at Here, March 22 – April 13, 2013 

NAATCO’s All-Asian American cast for The Seagull features Marcus Ho, Mia Katigbak and Orville Mendoza

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films  Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” 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 and Roscoe Orman. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Lia Chang, James Hong, Peter Kwong, George Cheung, Al Leong, Gerald Okamura, Jeff Imada and James Lew to attend BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA Screening at JANM on April 8
The Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, Inc.: 2015 Collaboration Award recognizing Women Working with Women Open Call
Sinatra: An American Icon Exhibit on View through September 4 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
“Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men” on view at Museum of the Moving Image through June 14; Required Viewing: Mad Men’s Movie Influences Film Series Screenings through April 26
Disney Developing Live-Action ‘Mulan’
Kenny Leon Helmed ‘The Wiz’ Set as NBC’s Next Live Musical to air on Dec. 3; Broadway Revival Slated for 2016-17
Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion Exhibition on view at New-York Historical Society through April 19; Photos of An Evening with Amy Tan
“Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong,” – Retrospective of Disney Legend at MOCA through September 13
Dining out at élan with Artist Arlan Huang; New Paintings on view at Trestle Gallery
Photos and Video: Rachel York, Alan Ariano, YoonJeong Seong and More in Dallas Summer Musicals’ THE KING AND I at the Music Hall at Fair Park through April 5
Award Winning Actor Raul Aranas Talks THE BLACKLIST, NAAP’S OLIVER!, Songwriting and the Zen of Cycling
Tony Award Winners Chita Rivera and Roger Rees, Jason Danieley, Mary Beth Peil, David Garrison & More Begin Previews in Terrence McNally’s THE VISIT on March 26
11th annual 72 Hour Shootout™ Filmmaking How-To Workshop: Writing the Best Script on April 16; Enter to Win a Free 72 Hour Shootout Registration
Vanity Fair: Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Jon Viktor Corpuz and More of Lincoln Center’s Revival of The King and I
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: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
Photo: Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More in Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse through April 12; PYGMALION Themed Activities
LA Times Critic’s Choice FIGARO at A Noise Within; April 4, 5, 9, 10, 19, 30, May 1 and 10
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
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
11th annual 72 Hour Shootout™ Filmmaking How-To Workshop: Writing the Best Script on April 16; Enter to Win a Free 72 Hour Shootout Registration
Apr. 20: Garth Kravits joins Laura Benanti, Lena Hall, Scott Alan and more for BROADWAY SINGS TORI Concert to Benefit RAINN at (le) poisson rouge
East West Players’ Honors Paula Madison of Madison Media Management LLC and “Fresh Off The Boat” Executive Producers Nahnatchka Khan and Melvin Mar on April 20
April 23-30: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Lineup includes EVERYTHING BEFORE US, KTOWN COWBOYS, Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW, Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS, Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) presents Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS Featuring Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim, Jeanne Sakata, Jennifer Ikeda and Matthew Kim at the Aratani Theatre on April 24
April 26: The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Artist Spotlight- Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
May 1: A/P/A Institute at NYU presents Remembering SlutForArt: Tseng Kwong Chi with Muna Tseng, Ping Chong, and Bill T. Jones
15th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) Lineup includes Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA WITH A STRAW & Aparna Sen’s SAARI RAAT; May 4-9
Photos: Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Spring Exhibition, CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, May 7–August 16
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.
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
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.

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

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Theater and Harlem luminaries will converge on the Apollo Theater Soundstage, 253 West 125th Street in New York on April 13 to mark the 15^th anniversary of The Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH) (Ty Jones, Producing Artistic Director; David Roberts, Managing Director). Hosted by actor Leslie Odom, Jr. (Hamilton, Law & Order: SVU, Person of Interest and Smash), CTH’s 15^thAnniversary Celebration and Benefit Concert will feature the New York premiere of songs from the eagerly anticipated off-Broadway musical Witness Uganda, as well as an appearance by Patina Miller (Tony Award winner, Best Actress in a Musical, Pippin).

Called “a joyous, wrenching experience” by the Boston Globe, Witness Uganda by Griffin Matthews and Matt Gould has won the American Academy of Arts and Letters 2014 Richard Rodgers Production Award for Musical Theater, ASCAP’s Dean Kay Award and ASCAP’s Harold Adamson Award, among others. The show, which is set to open off-Broadway later this year, chronicles one man’s battle to find his place in a world full of injustice and inhumanity and explores the question: Is changing the world even possible?

Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews – Face Off

CTH celebrates 15 years of creating comprehensive access for theater artists of diverse backgrounds. This includes not only actors but also directors, designers, playwrights, technicians and arts administrators. Since its founding in 1999, CTH has presented a world repertory ranging from works by classical playwrights (Chekhov, Euripides and Shakespeare) and established 20^th-century playwrights (August Wilson, Langston Hughes and Derek Walcott) to new plays by emerging playwrights.

The Classical Theatre of Harlem’s 2015 season includes two anchor productions, the first being Shakespeare’s classic The Tempest, directed by Carl Cofield, and the second the world premiere of The First Noel, a holiday musical directed by Kamilah Forbes and created by Jason Michael Webb and Lelund Durond Thompson.

The family-friendly, free production of The Tempest will run from July 3 through 26 at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater at Marcus Garvey Park and is presented in association with City Parks Foundation’s SummerStage festival. The CTH-commissioned musical The First Noel, by composer/lyricist Jason Michael Webb (Brooklyn Tabernacle, Broadway’s Motown the Musical, Violet) and writer/lyricist Lelund Durond Thompson (founder, YellaFella Entertainment; and CTH Artistic Associate) will premiere in December. In development for two years, the Harlem-based holiday show is destined to become an evergreen classic for years to come.

The host committee for the CTH 15^th Anniversary Celebration and Benefit Concert includes Rodrick Covington; David and Monica Csatari; Frederick Davie and Michael Adams; Laurent Delly; Kwaku Driskell; Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews; Richard Habersham; Greg Mays; Joe Johnson; Ty and Jill Jones; Peggy and Ulrich Jorde; Jason and Yvonne Lee; Alex and Brad Linard; Greg Mays; Estela Ogiste, M.D., Ph.D., and Jason Ogiste, M.D.; Billy Porter; David Roberts and Paul Di Donato; Zead Ramadan; Juan Ignacio Rosa; Ken and Kate Ruck; Donavin and Emilie Scott; Meredith Simmons; and Sue Suh.

Tickets for the event, which starts at 6:30 pm, are $100 each and can be purchased online at www.cthnyc.org. The Classical Theatre of Harlem can be found on Twitter at @classicalharlem and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/theclassicaltheatreofharlem.

Ty Jones. Photo by Jill Jones

ABOUT THE CLASSICAL THEATRE OF HARLEM

The Classical Theatre of Harlem (Ty Jones, Producing Artistic Director; David Roberts, Managing Director) is an American theatre company which tells stories as seen through the lens of the African diaspora and does work that honors the cultural legacy of the neighborhood in which it was founded. CTH combines original adaptations, music and dance to present great classics of world literature as well as contemporary works that will stand the test of time, while being truly reflective of the diversity of ideas and racial tapestry that is America. CTH also proudly provides theater-based training and live theater experiences to Harlem youth and their families through its arts education program, Project Classics. The organization engages new audiences, provides artistic development of new work and gives exposure to emerging playwrights with its three free reading series: Future Classics, Playwrights’ Playground, and Revisited Classics. CTH is supported in part by Axe-Houghton Foundation, Casement Fund, City Parks Foundation, Columbus Foundation, Dramatists Guild Fund, Ford Foundation, Harlem Community Development Corporation, Jarvis & Constance Doctorow Family Foundation, L & N Andreas Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, Office of NYC Councilmembers Inez E. Dickens and Mark D. Levine, Princess Grace Awards, Puffin Foundation West, SHS Foundation and the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone. Local business sponsors include: Art in FLUX, The Cecil, Harlem Shake, Lido, and Minton’s. Visitwww.cthnyc.org and follow CTH on Twitter (@classicalharlem), Instagram (@classicalharlem), and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/theclassicaltheatreofharlem).

Other articles on the Audelcos:
Cheryl L. Davis’ Maid’s Door Sweeps AUDELCOs with 7 Wins; Complete List of 2014 AUDELCO Recipients
Chapman Roberts, Loretta Abbott, André De Shields, David Greer, Norm Lewis, Cherine Anderson, Lawrence Evans, Colby Christina & Nicholas A. Jenkins to Receive Special AUDELCO Awards on Nov. 17; 2014 AUDELCO Nominees Announced
2014 AUDELCO Nominations Announced; Ceremony at Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space on November 17
Signature’s Revival of The Piano Lesson Sweeps AUDELCO’s with 8 Wins including Best Revival, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Roslyn Ruff, Chuck Cooper and Brandon J. Dirden; Also Among 2013 “VIV” Winners – Wild with Happy’s Colman Domingo and Sharon Washington, and Storyville’s Mercedes Ellington 
Knock Me a Kiss Sweeps Audelcos with 9 Wins Including Best Dramatic Play, André De Shields, Marie Thomas, Charles Smith and Chuck Smith
Photos: André De Shields, Erin Cherry, Gillian Glasco, Marie Thomas, Sean Phillips, Morocco Omari, Charles Smith and Chuck Smith Among 13 Audelco Nods for Knock Me a Kiss
Costume Designer Karen Perry Receives Audelco Nod for The Public’s Brother/Sister Trilogy by Tarell Alvin McCraney
Classical Theatre of Harlem’s Archbishop Supreme Tartuffe, MTC’s Ruined, De Shields and Nottage Among 2009 Audelco Winners
AUDELCO 2009 “The VIV” Nominees for the 2008-2009 Theatre Season

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” 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 and Roscoe Orman. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Lia Chang, James Hong, Peter Kwong, George Cheung, Al Leong, Gerald Okamura, Jeff Imada and James Lew to attend BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA Screening at JANM on April 8
Dael Orlandersmith, Jenny Lyn Bader, Lee Hunkins, Kara Lee Corthron, Caridad Svich and Fengar Gael Talk Playwrighting with the League of Professional Theatre Women’s (LPTW) Co-president Maxine Kern at Theater Lab
The Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, Inc.: 2015 Collaboration Award recognizing Women Working with Women Open Call
Sinatra: An American Icon Exhibit on View through September 4 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
“Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men” on view at Museum of the Moving Image through June 14; Required Viewing: Mad Men’s Movie Influences Film Series Screenings through April 26
Disney Developing Live-Action ‘Mulan’
Kenny Leon Helmed ‘The Wiz’ Set as NBC’s Next Live Musical to air on Dec. 3; Broadway Revival Slated for 2016-17
Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion Exhibition on view at New-York Historical Society through April 19; Photos of An Evening with Amy Tan
“Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong,” – Retrospective of Disney Legend at MOCA through September 13
Dining out at élan with Artist Arlan Huang; New Paintings on view at Trestle Gallery
Photos and Video: Rachel York, Alan Ariano, YoonJeong Seong and More in Dallas Summer Musicals’ THE KING AND I at the Music Hall at Fair Park through April 5
Award Winning Actor Raul Aranas Talks THE BLACKLIST, NAAP’S OLIVER!, Songwriting and the Zen of Cycling
Tony Award Winners Chita Rivera and Roger Rees, Jason Danieley, Mary Beth Peil, David Garrison & More Begin Previews in Terrence McNally’s THE VISIT on March 26
11th annual 72 Hour Shootout™ Filmmaking How-To Workshop: Writing the Best Script on April 16; Enter to Win a Free 72 Hour Shootout Registration
Vanity Fair: Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Jon Viktor Corpuz and More of Lincoln Center’s Revival of The King and I
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: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
Photo: Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More in Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse through April 12; PYGMALION Themed Activities
LA Times Critic’s Choice FIGARO at A Noise Within; April 4, 5, 9, 10, 19, 30, May 1 and 10
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
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
11th annual 72 Hour Shootout™ Filmmaking How-To Workshop: Writing the Best Script on April 16; Enter to Win a Free 72 Hour Shootout Registration
Apr. 20: Garth Kravits joins Laura Benanti, Lena Hall, Scott Alan and more for BROADWAY SINGS TORI Concert to Benefit RAINN at (le) poisson rouge
East West Players’ Honors Paula Madison of Madison Media Management LLC and “Fresh Off The Boat” Executive Producers Nahnatchka Khan and Melvin Mar on April 20
April 23-30: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Lineup includes EVERYTHING BEFORE US, KTOWN COWBOYS, Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW, Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS, Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) presents Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS Featuring Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim, Jeanne Sakata, Jennifer Ikeda and Matthew Kim at the Aratani Theatre on April 24
April 26: The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Artist Spotlight- Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
May 1: A/P/A Institute at NYU presents Remembering SlutForArt: Tseng Kwong Chi with Muna Tseng, Ping Chong, and Bill T. Jones
15th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) Lineup includes Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA WITH A STRAW & Aparna Sen’s SAARI RAAT; May 4-9
Photos: Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Spring Exhibition, CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, May 7–August 16
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.
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
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.

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 Off-Broadway League today announced nominations in 18 categories for the 30th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway. The Lortel Awards will be handed out on Sunday, May 10, 2015 at NYU Skirball Center beginning at 7:00 PM EST, and hosted by Emmy-nominated actors Anna Chlumsky (“Veep,” Broadway’s Living on Love) and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (“Modern Family,” this summer’s The Tempest). This year’s event will once again benefit The Actors Fund.

The twelve nominations for The Public Theater’s Hamilton broke the record of eleven set just last year. Prior to that, the most nominations earned by one show had been eight. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton was nominated for outstanding musical, director (Thomas Kail), choregrapher (Andy Blankenbuehler), lead actor in a musical (Lin-Manuel Miranda), lead actor (Leslie Odom, Jr.), lead actress in a musical (Phillipa Soo), featured actor in a musical (Brian d’Arcy James), featured actor in a musical (Daveed Diggs), featured actress in a musical (Renée Elise Goldsberry), lighting design (Howell Binkley), sound design (Nevin Steinberg) and costume design (Paul Tazewell).

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

Terrence McNally. Photo by Lia Chang

The Atlantic Theater’s production of Stephen Adly Guirgis’s Between Riverside and Crazy received six nominations including outstanding play, director (Austin Pendleton), lead actor in play (Stephen McKinley Henderson), featured actor in a play (Victor Almanzar), featured actress in a play (Liza Colón-Zayas) and scenic design (Walt Spangler).

Pulitzer prize winning playwright Ayad Aktar’s The Invisible Hand, produced by New York Theatre Workshop, received five nominations  including outstanding play, director (Ken Rus Schmoll), lead actor in a play (Usman Ally), lighting design (Tyler Micoleau) and sound design (Leah Gelpe). MCC’s production of The Nether by Jennifer Haley, also garner five nominations including outstanding play, featured actress in a play (Sophia Anne Caruso), scenic design (Laura Jellinek), lighting design (Ben Stanton), sound design (Daniel Kluger and Brandon Wolcott).

Among Off Broadway musicals, Into the Woods received seven nominations including outstanding revival, choreographer (Lisa Shriver), lead actor in a musical (Ben Steinfield), lead actress in a musical (Jennifer Mudge), featured actor in a musical (Andy Grotelueschen), featured actress in a musical (Emily Young), scenic design (Derek McLane); while The Public Theater’s production of The Fortress of Solitude scored four nominations in the categories of outstanding musical, choregrapher (Camille A. Brown), lead actor in a musical (Adam Chanler-Berat), featured actor in a musical (Kevin Mambo).

As previously announced, playwright Terrence McNally will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award; writer and composer Jeanine Tesori will be inducted onto the famed Playwrights’ Sidewalk in front of the Lucille Lortel Theatre; and veteran general manager Nancy Nagel Gibbs will receive the Edith Oliver Service to Off-Broadway Award.

A cocktail reception honoring the nominees will take place on Monday, April 20, at The Library at the Public Theater (425 Lafayette Street).

Members of the general public are again welcome to view the 7:00 PM ceremony. Public tickets are $75.00 and will be available starting today, April 2, via phone at 212.998.4941, online atwww.nyuskirball.org and in person at the Skirball Center’s Shagan Box Office (556 LaGuardia) from Tuesday – Saturday from 12 – 6pm, and two hours before performance.

2015 LUCILLE LORTEL AWARDS NOMINATIONS

Outstanding Play

Between Riverside and Crazy Produced by Atlantic Theater Company, Written by Stephen Adly Guirgis

Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3), Produced by The Public Theater in association with American Repertory Theater, Written by Suzan-Lori Parks

The Invisible Hand, Produced by New York Theatre Workshop, Written by Ayad Akhtar

My Mañana Comes, Produced by The Playwrights Realm, Written by Elizabeth Irwin

The Nether, Produced by MCC Theater, Written by Jennifer Haley

Father Comes Home From The Wars Opening Night Celebration on October 28, 2014 at The Public Theater- Cast members Sterling K Brown, Jenny Jules, Jeremie Harris, Peter Jay Fernandez, Tonye Patano, playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, Louis Cancelmi, Russell G. Jones, Jacob Ming Trent, director Jo Bonney and Julian Rozzell Jr. Photo by Lia Chang

Outstanding Musical
The Fortress of Solitude – Produced by The Public Theater in association with Dallas Theater Center, Book by Itamar Moses, Music and Lyrics by Michael Friedman, Conceived by Daniel Aukin, Based upon the novel by Jonathan Lethem

Hamilton – Produced by The Public Theater, Book, Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Inspired by the book Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

The Lightning Thief – Produced by Theatreworks USA, Music and Lyrics by Rob Rokicki, Book by Joe Tracz

Adapted from the book by Rick Riordan

Nevermore – The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe, Produced by Radio Mouse Entertainment, Martin Hummel, Caiola Productions, Terry Schnuck, Susan Jaffe Tane, Hernreich-Horvath Productions, Catalyst Theatre in association with Fireboat Productions, Mary Cossette, Meredith Lynsey Schade, Written and Composed by Jonathan Christenson

Pretty Filthy – Produced by The Civilians in association with Jon B. Platt, Music and Lyrics by Michael Friedman, Book by Bess Wohl, Conceived by Steve Cosson, Michael Friedman & Bess Wohl

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

Outstanding Revival

Fashions for Men – Produced by Mint Theater Company, Written by Ferenc Molnár

Indian Ink – Produced by Roundabout Theatre Company in association with American Conservatory Theater, Written by Tom Stoppard

Into the Woods – Produced by Roundabout Theatre Company in association with McCarter Theatre Center, a Fiasco Theater production, Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by James Lapine

Sticks and Bones – Produced by The New Group, Written by David Rabe

The Wayside Motor Inn. Produced by Signature Theatre, Written by A.R. Gurney

Outstanding Solo Show

EVERY BRILLIANT THING, Produced by Scott Morfee, Jean Doumanian, Tom Wirtshafter, Patrick Daly, Kelpie Arts LLC, Scott Rudin, Marc & Lisa Biales, Terry Allen Kramer, Michael Ostin, Written by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe, Performed by Jonny Donahoe

Josephine and I, Produced by The Public Theater, Written and Performed by Cush Jumbo

Just Jim Dale, Produced by Roundabout Theatre Company,Written and Performed by Jim Dale

The Lion, Produced by Manhattan Theatre Club, Written and Performed by Benjamin Scheuer

Nneka Okafor, Starla Benford, Mandi Masden, Joaquina Kalukango. Photo by Joan Marcus

Outstanding Director

Michael Greif, Our Lady of Kibeho

Thomas Kail, Hamilton

Austin Pendleton, Between Riverside and Crazy

Ken Rus Schmoll, The Invisible Hand

Ivo van Hove, Scenes From a Marriage

Outstanding Choreographer

Andy Blankenbuehler, Hamilton

Camille A. Brown, The Fortress of Solitude

Denis Jones, Piece of My Heart: The Bert Berns Story

Laura Krewski, Nevermore – The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe

Lisa Shriver, Into the Woods

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play

Usman Ally and Justin Kirk in The Invisible Hand. Photo: Joan Marcus

Usman Ally, The Invisible Hand

Carson Elrod, The Heir Apparent

Stephen McKinley Henderson, Between Riverside and Crazy

Owiso Odera, Our Lady of Kibeho

Bill Pullman, Sticks and Bones

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play

Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Grand Concourse

Anna Gunn, Sex With Strangers

Jan Maxwell, The City of Conversation

S. Epatha Merkerson, While I Yet Live

Tonya Pinkins, Rasheeda Speaking

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical

Adam Chanler-Berat, The Fortress of Solitude

Claybourne Elder, Allegro

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton

Leslie Odom Jr., Hamilton

Ben Steinfeld, Into the Woods

The Schuyler sisters work it in Paul Tazewell’s costumes: Phillipa Soo, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Jasmine Cephas Jones, who plays their sib and Hamilton’s mistress. Photo by Joan Marcus

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical

Michelle Knight, DISENCHANTED! The Hilarious Hit Musical

Jennifer Mudge, Into the Woods

Sally Murphy, The Threepenny Opera

Phillipa Soo, Hamilton

Lillias White, Texas in Paris

Lillias White stars as Osceola Mays, and Scott Wakefield as John Burrus in Texas in Paris. Photo by Carol Rosegg

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play

Victor Almanzar, Between Riverside and Crazy

Jacob Ming-Trent, Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)

Jesse Pennington, Bootycandy

Will Pullen, Punk Rock

Scott Shepherd, The Village Bike

Liza Colón-Zayas. ©2015, Carol Rosegg

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play

Sophia Anne Caruso, The Nether

Sun Mee Chomet, brownsville song (b-side for tray)

Liza Colón-Zayas, Between Riverside and Crazy

Beth Dixon, The City of Conversation

Deirdre O’Connell, By the Water

Sun Mee Chomet and Sheldon Best in brownsville song (b-side for tray). Photo by Erin Baiano

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical

Kevin Mambo. Photo by Lia Chang

Daveed Diggs, Hamilton

Andy Grotelueschen, Into the Woods

Brian d’Arcy James, Hamilton

Kevin Mambo, The Fortress of Solitude

Steve Rosen, Pretty Filthy

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical

Renée Elise Goldsberry, Hamilton

Luba Mason, Pretty Filthy

Lulu Picart, DISENCHANTED! The Hilarious Hit Musical

Jessica Tyler Wright, Allegro

Emily Young, Into the Woods

Outstanding Scenic Design

Brett J. Banakis, Big Love

Laura Jellinek, The Nether

Derek McLane, Into the Woods

Walt Spangler, Between Riverside and Crazy

Jan Versweyveld, Scenes From a Marriage

Outstanding Costume Design

Candice Donnelly, Indian Ink

Bretta Gerecke, Nevermore – The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe

Clint Ramos, Bootycandy

Paul Tazewell, Hamilton

Anthony Ward, Josephine and I

Outstanding Lighting Design

Howell Binkley, Hamilton

David Lander, The Library

Tyler Micoleau, The Invisible Hand

Ben Stanton, The Nether

Japhy Weideman, Punk Rock

Outstanding Sound Design

Mikhail Fiksel, My Mañana Comes

Leah Gelpe, The Invisible Hand

Daniel Kluger and Brandon Wolcott, The Nether

Nevin Steinberg, Hamilton

Matt Tierney, Pocatello

SPECIAL AWARDS

Lifetime Achievement Award

Terrence McNally

Playwrights’ Sidewalk Inductee

Jeanine Tesori

Edith Oliver Service to Off-Broadway Award

Nancy Nagel Gibbs

The Off-Broadway League’s Lortel Awards Producing & Administration Committee (Terry Byrne, Dean Carpenter, Denise Cooper, Margaret Cotter, Carol Fishman, George Forbes, Michael Page, Catherine Russell, and Lindsey Sag) produces the Lortel Awards ceremony. Acclaimed writer/director Michael Heitzman returns to direct the Lortel Awards for the sixth consecutive year. The Lucille Lortel Awards are produced by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Foundation. Additional support is provided by Theatre Development Fund.

Representatives of the Off-Broadway League, Actors’ Equity Association, Stage Directors & Choreographers Society, the Lucille Lortel Foundation, in addition to theatre journalists and academics and other Off-Broadway professionals, serve on the Voting Committee.

Related articles:
World Premiere Musical HAMILTON Transfers to Broadway; Previews begin July 13
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
Ayad Akhtar’s THE INVISIBLE HAND Stars Usman Ally, Justin Kirk, Jameal Ali and Dariush Kashani at New York Theatre Workshop through January 4, 2015
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 
Opening Night Photos: Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) by Suzan-Lori Parks at The Public Theater
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
Katori Hall’s OUR LADY OF KIBEHO on Time Out New York Critic Adam Feldman’s 10 best shows of 2014; closes December 14
Chay Yew Helms World Premiere of The Playwrights Realm’s Production of MY MAÑANA COMES by Elizabeth Irwin at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater
Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” 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 and Roscoe Orman. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Lia Chang, James Hong, Peter Kwong, George Cheung, Al Leong, Gerald Okamura, Jeff Imada and James Lew to attend BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA Screening at JANM on April 8
Dael Orlandersmith, Jenny Lyn Bader, Lee Hunkins, Kara Lee Corthron, Caridad Svich and Fengar Gael Talk Playwrighting with the League of Professional Theatre Women’s (LPTW) Co-president Maxine Kern at Theater Lab
The Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, Inc.: 2015 Collaboration Award recognizing Women Working with Women Open Call
Sinatra: An American Icon Exhibit on View through September 4 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
“Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men” on view at Museum of the Moving Image through June 14; Required Viewing: Mad Men’s Movie Influences Film Series Screenings through April 26
Disney Developing Live-Action ‘Mulan’
Kenny Leon Helmed ‘The Wiz’ Set as NBC’s Next Live Musical to air on Dec. 3; Broadway Revival Slated for 2016-17
Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion Exhibition on view at New-York Historical Society through April 19; Photos of An Evening with Amy Tan
“Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong,” – Retrospective of Disney Legend at MOCA through September 13
Dining out at élan with Artist Arlan Huang; New Paintings on view at Trestle Gallery
Photos and Video: Rachel York, Alan Ariano, YoonJeong Seong and More in Dallas Summer Musicals’ THE KING AND I at the Music Hall at Fair Park through April 5
Award Winning Actor Raul Aranas Talks THE BLACKLIST, NAAP’S OLIVER!, Songwriting and the Zen of Cycling
Tony Award Winners Chita Rivera and Roger Rees, Jason Danieley, Mary Beth Peil, David Garrison & More Begin Previews in Terrence McNally’s THE VISIT on March 26
11th annual 72 Hour Shootout™ Filmmaking How-To Workshop: Writing the Best Script on April 16; Enter to Win a Free 72 Hour Shootout Registration
Vanity Fair: Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Jon Viktor Corpuz and More of Lincoln Center’s Revival of The King and I
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: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
Photo: Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More in Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse through April 12; PYGMALION Themed Activities
LA Times Critic’s Choice FIGARO at A Noise Within; April 4, 5, 9, 10, 19, 30, May 1 and 10
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
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
11th annual 72 Hour Shootout™ Filmmaking How-To Workshop: Writing the Best Script on April 16; Enter to Win a Free 72 Hour Shootout Registration
Apr. 20: Garth Kravits joins Laura Benanti, Lena Hall, Scott Alan and more for BROADWAY SINGS TORI Concert to Benefit RAINN at (le) poisson rouge
East West Players’ Honors Paula Madison of Madison Media Management LLC and “Fresh Off The Boat” Executive Producers Nahnatchka Khan and Melvin Mar on April 20
April 23-30: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Lineup includes EVERYTHING BEFORE US, KTOWN COWBOYS, Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW, Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS, Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) presents Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS Featuring Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim, Jeanne Sakata, Jennifer Ikeda and Matthew Kim at the Aratani Theatre on April 24
April 26: The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Artist Spotlight- Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
May 1: A/P/A Institute at NYU presents Remembering SlutForArt: Tseng Kwong Chi with Muna Tseng, Ping Chong, and Bill T. Jones
15th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) Lineup includes Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA WITH A STRAW & Aparna Sen’s SAARI RAAT; May 4-9
Photos: Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Spring Exhibition, CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, May 7–August 16
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.
Photos: John W. Kuo, Jessica Hagedorn, and Neal Katyal Receive AALDEF 2015 Justice in Action Awards
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Crafting a Career
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

16-Time Grammy® Award Winner Sting and wife Trudy Styler have donated to a relief benefit for victims of the East Village explosion and fire. The donation will go to GOLES (Good Old Lower East Side), for LES Ready, a local relief network providing assistance to displaced residents. GOLES and other LES Ready partners have been working nonstop since the explosion, providing relief and support.

Alan Kaufman (via Facebook)

A gala benefit event featuring performers and celebrities from the world of music, literature and drama (TBA) will take place at Theatre 80 St. Marks,  80 St. Marks Pl. in New York, on April 12, 2015 at 8pm. Tickets will range from $20 -$150. All proceeds from the theater event will also go to GOLES for the relief of the victims. Click here to purchase tickets.

The event is being spearheaded by author Alan Kaufman, and long-time East Village resident and visual artist, Jim Storm. Also working closely with Kaufman and Storm are model Jennifer Pugh and Roderick Romero of the band Sky Cries Mary. Local photographer Clayton Patterson has lent important support.

The theater space and other costs have been donated by Lorcan Otway, whose theater has become a hub of community culture and activism. Michael Chang-Han Liu is donating his skills and efforts. A community rally spearheaded by Lorcan and inspired by legendary performer and LES activist Penny Arcade is planned for 5PM in the theater three hours before the event. For more information contact 212-388-0388.

Contact Damaris Reyes, Executive Director, GOLES, at 212-358-1231 for information on how to donate to GOLES. LES Ready is group of forty organizations and faith based groups that came together in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy to provide relief and support services to victims of disasters. GOLES, a local community organization, is a member of LES Ready and serving as the fiscal conduit for this effort. To learn more about LES Ready or for a list of members, visit: Http://lesready.org. For more information about GOLES, visit http://goles.org.

Church of the Nativity to distribute clothes for displaced victims from the East Village Explosion on April 1 

DNAinfo.com: How to Help Victims of the East Village Explosion and Who’s Helping

gothamist.com: [UPDATES] Gas Explosion Causes East Village Building Collapse, Fire, Multiple Injuries 3/26/15 nytimes.com: At Least 2 People Missing After Explosion in Lower Manhattan 3/27/15

Updated: 3/28/15

Gothamist: 3 Restaurants Destroyed in East Village Explosion

Updated 3/29/15

Nicholas Figueroa identified as one of two bodies pulled from East Village blast site; he died while paying check on sushi date, family says

Autumn, an absorbing new drama by Richard Wesley that probes the fragility of political legacies and human relationships, will premiere at Crossroads Theatre Company, April 23 through May 3. Opening night is Saturday, April 25, at 8 p.m. Crossroads Theater Company is located at 7 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, NJ.

Autumn explores the conflicts that arise when aspirations collide across a generational divide marked by sharply different political styles. In the play, Franklyn Longley (Jerome Preston Bates) is an old-school, big-city mayor who expects to cement his legacy with a history-making governorship, when Ron Drayton, his younger protégé – and godson – (Michael Chenevert) is suddenly tapped by the party to run instead.

The new work is Wesley’s first full-length stage play since the premiere of his acclaimed work, The Talented Tenth, in 1989, which looked at the lives of a group of Howard University graduates who were part of an emerging black elite.

His previous stage works include The Black Terror (Drama Desk Award, 1971) and The Mighty Gents (1978), which was produced on Broadway. An accomplished screenwriter, Wesley wrote “Uptown Saturday Night” and “Let’s Do it Again,” both starring Sydney Poitier and Bill Cosby, as well as “Native Son” and “Fast Forward.” For television, he has authored or co-written numerous made-for-television films and series episodes. In recent years, he has completed two librettos for Trilogy Opera Company in Newark.

Since 1995, Wesley has been an associate professor of dramatic writing at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he served as chair of the Rita and Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing for eight years. He is a former vice president of the Writers Guild of America, East, Inc., and currently sits on the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. as well as other boards. Born in Newark, Wesley graduated from Howard University. He and his wife, the novelist Valerie Wilson Wesley, live in Montclair.

Wesley notes that the concept for Autumn was gestating for more than 20 years as he observed the evolution of black politicians against a changing political landscape.

“I began thinking that there was a new generation of post-civil rights movement politicians emerging that was very different from the generation that came of age during the civil rights movement,” Wesley related. “There was a group of old-school politicians who found themselves wrapped up in political scandals; and right behind [them] were these younger politicians who were moving up.”

Autumn is directed by Seret Scott, who previously has acted at Crossroads in The River Niger and directed Spooks.

In addition to Bates and Chenevert, the cast includes Stephanie Berry as Tricia Johnson, Terria Joseph as The Governor, Kim Weston Moran as Melissa Longley, Tony Sallemi and Count Stovall as Zack Drayton. Stovall and Berry are Crossroads veterans; Berry was featured the recent Crossroads production, Repairing a Nation.

Founded in 1978 by Ricardo Khan and L. Kenneth Richardson, Crossroads Theatre Company embraces the vision that African-American theater is intended for a broad-based, diverse audience. As a major force in the development of new ideas and the introduction of formerly marginalized writers, Crossroads produces works that enrich and diversify the representation of African American culture on the American stage.

Performances are of Autumn are April 23, 24, 25, 30, May 1, 2 at 8 p.m.; April 25, 26, May 2, 3 at 3 p.m.; April 29 at 10 a.m. Tickets: $25, $35, $45. Call (732) 545-8100 or purchase online at crossroadstheatrecompany.org.

Other articles on the Audelcos:
Cheryl L. Davis’ Maid’s Door Sweeps AUDELCOs with 7 Wins; Complete List of 2014 AUDELCO Recipients
Chapman Roberts, Loretta Abbott, André De Shields, David Greer, Norm Lewis, Cherine Anderson, Lawrence Evans, Colby Christina & Nicholas A. Jenkins to Receive Special AUDELCO Awards on Nov. 17; 2014 AUDELCO Nominees Announced
2014 AUDELCO Nominations Announced; Ceremony at Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space on November 17
Signature’s Revival of The Piano Lesson Sweeps AUDELCO’s with 8 Wins including Best Revival, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Roslyn Ruff, Chuck Cooper and Brandon J. Dirden; Also Among 2013 “VIV” Winners – Wild with Happy’s Colman Domingo and Sharon Washington, and Storyville’s Mercedes Ellington 
Knock Me a Kiss Sweeps Audelcos with 9 Wins Including Best Dramatic Play, André De Shields, Marie Thomas, Charles Smith and Chuck Smith
Photos: André De Shields, Erin Cherry, Gillian Glasco, Marie Thomas, Sean Phillips, Morocco Omari, Charles Smith and Chuck Smith Among 13 Audelco Nods for Knock Me a Kiss
Costume Designer Karen Perry Receives Audelco Nod for The Public’s Brother/Sister Trilogy by Tarell Alvin McCraney
Classical Theatre of Harlem’s Archbishop Supreme Tartuffe, MTC’s Ruined, De Shields and Nottage Among 2009 Audelco Winners
AUDELCO 2009 “The VIV” Nominees for the 2008-2009 Theatre Season

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” 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 and Roscoe Orman. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
A Sumptuous View of Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More in Lincoln Center Theater’s Revival of The King and I
Joe Mantegna receives Lifetime Achievement Award for Film and Television from The Riverside International Film Festival
Hamilton tops Lucille Lortel Award Nominations along with Into the Woods, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Invisible Hand, The Nether and The Fortress of Solitude
The Classical Theatre of Harlem 15th Anniversary Benefit featuring Patina Miller, Leslie Odom, Jr., and music from Witness Uganda at the Apollo Theater Soundstage on April 13 
Lia Chang, James Hong, Peter Kwong, George Cheung, Al Leong, Gerald Okamura, Jeff Imada and James Lew to attend BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA Screening at JANM on April 8
Dael Orlandersmith, Jenny Lyn Bader, Lee Hunkins, Kara Lee Corthron, Caridad Svich and Fengar Gael Talk Playwrighting with the League of Professional Theatre Women’s (LPTW) Co-president Maxine Kern at Theater Lab
The Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, Inc.: 2015 Collaboration Award recognizing Women Working with Women Open Call
Sinatra: An American Icon Exhibit on View through September 4 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
“Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men” on view at Museum of the Moving Image through June 14; Required Viewing: Mad Men’s Movie Influences Film Series Screenings through April 26
Disney Developing Live-Action ‘Mulan’
Kenny Leon Helmed ‘The Wiz’ Set as NBC’s Next Live Musical to air on Dec. 3; Broadway Revival Slated for 2016-17
Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion Exhibition on view at New-York Historical Society through April 19; Photos of An Evening with Amy Tan
“Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong,” – Retrospective of Disney Legend at MOCA through September 13
Dining out at élan with Artist Arlan Huang; New Paintings on view at Trestle Gallery
Photos and Video: Rachel York, Alan Ariano, YoonJeong Seong and More in Dallas Summer Musicals’ THE KING AND I at the Music Hall at Fair Park through April 5
Award Winning Actor Raul Aranas Talks THE BLACKLIST, NAAP’S OLIVER!, Songwriting and the Zen of Cycling
Tony Award Winners Chita Rivera and Roger Rees, Jason Danieley, Mary Beth Peil, David Garrison & More Begin Previews in Terrence McNally’s THE VISIT on March 26
11th annual 72 Hour Shootout™ Filmmaking How-To Workshop: Writing the Best Script on April 16; Enter to Win a Free 72 Hour Shootout Registration
Vanity Fair: Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Jon Viktor Corpuz and More of Lincoln Center’s Revival of The King and I
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: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
Photo: Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More in Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse through April 12; PYGMALION Themed Activities
LA Times Critic’s Choice FIGARO at A Noise Within; April 4, 5, 9, 10, 19, 30, May 1 and 10
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
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
11th annual 72 Hour Shootout™ Filmmaking How-To Workshop: Writing the Best Script on April 16; Enter to Win a Free 72 Hour Shootout Registration
Apr. 20: Garth Kravits joins Laura Benanti, Lena Hall, Scott Alan and more for BROADWAY SINGS TORI Concert to Benefit RAINN at (le) poisson rouge
East West Players’ Honors Paula Madison of Madison Media Management LLC and “Fresh Off The Boat” Executive Producers Nahnatchka Khan and Melvin Mar on April 20
April 23-30: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Lineup includes EVERYTHING BEFORE US, KTOWN COWBOYS, Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW, Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS, Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) presents Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS Featuring Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim, Jeanne Sakata, Jennifer Ikeda and Matthew Kim at the Aratani Theatre on April 24
April 26: The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Artist Spotlight- Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
May 1: A/P/A Institute at NYU presents Remembering SlutForArt: Tseng Kwong Chi with Muna Tseng, Ping Chong, and Bill T. Jones
15th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) Lineup includes Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA WITH A STRAW & Aparna Sen’s SAARI RAAT; May 4-9
Photos: Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Spring Exhibition, CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, May 7–August 16
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.
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
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.

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

Kirsten Vangsness as Analyst Penelope Garcia, Shemar Moore as Derek Morgan, A.J. Cook as SSA Jennifer “JJ” Jareau, Joe Mantegna as David Rossi, Thomas Gibson as Aaron Hotchner, Jennifer Love Hewitt as SSA Kate Callahan and Matthew Gray Gubler as Dr. Spencer Reid, CBS ©2014 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Joe Mantegna

Congrats to Joe Mantegna, who was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Film and Television from The Riverside International Film Festival at its Annual Gala on Saturday April, 4th 2015, at the Box Theater in Riverside, CA.

Mantegna, 67, who stars in the CBS crime drama “Criminal Minds,” conducted a 25-minute Q&A in which he talked about the challenges of acting vs. directing, his professional acting debut in a 1969 stage production of Hair in Chicago and the genesis of his long-running play about Chicago Cubs fans called Bleacher Bums.

Chicagomag.com: The Audacity of Hope

During his 46-year career he has appeared in over 200 films and television shows from The Godfather: Part III to “The Simpsons.”

Joe Mantegna as Joey Zasa and the wiseguys in The Godfather Part III. © 1990 – Paramount Pictures

Click below to read the full article.

RIVERSIDE: Mantegna, no ‘bum,’ receives lifetime achievement award

Chicago native Joe Mantegna has a strong background in both theater and film. After making his Broadway debut in Stephen Schwartz’s musical of Studs Terkel’s Working, Mantegna was awarded the Tony and Joseph Jefferson Award for his acclaimed performance as cynical real-estate agent Richard Roma in David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Glengarry Glen Ross.

Closely associated with Mamet’s work, Mantegna starred in the theatrical premiere of A Life in the Theatre, The Disappearance of the Jews at the Goodman Theatre, and in the Broadway production of Speed the Plow with Ron Silver and Madonna.

In addition, Mantegna directed a critically acclaimed stage production of Mamet’s Lakeboat, starring Ed O’Neil and George Wendt, in a successful Los Angeles theatrical run.

The cast of Bleacher Bums. Photo: Stuart Gordon/Chicago Tribune

Always the baseball fan, Mantegna conceived and co-wrote the Off-Broadway play Bleacher Bums, inspired by countless afternoons watching the Chicago Cubs play in Wrigley Field. Once the Chicago PBS affiliate picked it up for production, the play both earned Mantegna an Emmy Award and gave him the opportunity to direct an updated version in a successful run at Chicago’s Organic Theater.

An Organic Theater Reunion at Meshach Taylor’s 67th birthday in Toluca Lake, CA on April 12, 2014. From left to right: Joe Mantegna, Ina Jaffe, Arlene Mantegna, Jack Wallace, Meshach Taylor, Carolyn Gordon, John Heard, Lenny Kleinfeld, Keith Szarabajka, Josephine Paoletti, Vinny Guastaferro, Stuart Gordon, Dennis Franz, Roberta Custer. Photo by Lia Chang

Mantegna made his feature film debut in 1985 as the womanizing dentist in Frank Perry’s Compromising Positions, based on Susan Isaacs’ bestseller. His early films include co-starring roles in The Money Pit, Weeds and Suspect.

THINGS CHANGE, from left: Joe Mantegna, Don Ameche, 1988, © Columbia

He also starred in the critically acclaimed David Mamet films House of Games (now a cult classic) and Things Change, for which he and co-star Don Ameche both received the coveted Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival. In 1991, Mantegna starred in the highly praised police thriller, Homicide.

BUGSY, Warren Beatty, Joe Mantegna, 1991, (c) TriStar

Mantegna has also starred in Woody Allen’s Alice and Celebrity, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part III, Barry Levinson’s Liberty Heights and Bugsy, Steven Zaillian’s Searching for Bobby Fischer and Billy Crystal’s Forget Paris. Other standout roles include Up Close and Personal, Baby’s Day Out, Airheads, Queens Logic, Wait Until Spring Bandini, Eye for an Eye, The Runner, and Stephen King’s Thinner.

Mantegna had a starring role in the CBS miniseries of Mario Puzo’s best-selling novel The Last Don, which garnered him an Emmy Award nomination. He also enjoys appearing regularly as the voice of Fat Tony on “The Simpsons.” Mantegna’s original feature films for cable include starring roles in State of Emergency, A Call to Remember, My Little Assassin, The Water Engine, The Comrades of Summer, Persons Unknown, Boy Meets Girl, and The Rat Pack, for which he was nominated for both another Emmy and a Golden Globe Award. In later films like Hoods and Jerry and Tom, Mantegna both starred and served as Executive Producer.

During his career Mantegna has portrayed several real people, such as George Raft in Bugsy, Fidel Castro in My Little Assassin, and most notably, as Dean Martin in The Rat Pack. His role as Josh Waitzkin’s father in Searching for Bobby Fischer was based on Fred Waitzkin, who wrote the book upon which the film was based. In fact, Mantegna’s TV-movie debut was as Joe Esposito, Elvis’ road manager and close friend in the 1979 miniseries Elvis starring Kurt Russell.

Angus Macfadyen, Ray Liotta, Don Cheadle and Joe Mantegna in the 1998 TV movie ‘The Rat Pack.’ Image supplied by WENN.

In 2000, Mantegna completed production on his feature film directorial debut, Lakeboat, written for the screen by David Mamet from his original play. Starring Charles Durning, Peter Falk, Robert Forster, Andy Garcia, Denis Leary and George Wendt, the film opened the L.A. Film Festival to critical acclaim last fall and made its theatrical release in June 2001.

Mantegna headlined a series of original films for the A&E Network, based on Robert Parker’s popular Spenser detective novels. The first, Small Vices, premiered in summer of 1999 with the second, Thin Air, following in fall 2000. His last entry to the Spenser series, Walking Shadow, continues to play on A&E.

Spring of 2001 found Mantegna staring as Justice Joseph Novelli in the CBS Supreme Court drama, First Monday with James Garner and Charles Durning.

Summer 2002 found Mantegna in his hometown of Chicago filming the classic family friendly film Uncle Nino.

SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER, Ben Kingsley, Joe Mantegna, Joan Allen, Laurence Fishburne, 1993, (c)Paramount

Joe Mantegna received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April, 2011. Photo courtesy of the Joe Mantegna Website

Mantegna starred for two seasons as police chief Will Girardi in “Joan of Arcadia.” Joan received several Emmy and Golden Globe nominations during its 2 season run. In 2005, Mantegna co-stared in the Rodrigo Garcia film Nine Lives with Kathy Baker. The film was accepted in Sundance in 2005 and also stars Glenn Close, Amy Brenneman, Holly Hunter, Dakota Fanning and Sissy Spacek. In 2006 Mantegna was as busy as ever with roles in Elvis and Anabelle, West of Brooklyn and the USA Network Mini Series “Starter Wife” with Debra Messing, which he was again nominated for an Emmy. In 2010 Mantegna lent his voice to the Disney/PIXAR film, CARS 2. and in April of 2011 Mantegna received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next to his childhood idol Errol Flynn.

Peter Jacobson, left, Debra Messing and Joe Mantegna in the USA mini-series, The Starter Wife. (2007) Paul A. Broben/USA Network

He currently stars as David Rossi in the 10th season of the hit CBS drama “Criminal Minds” as well as hosting and producing duties on “Gun Stories” for the Outdoor Channel.

Charity Work
Since 2002 Mantegna has participated in the National Memorial Day Concert in Washington DC, and has been the co-host with Gary Sinise for most of that time. With a rich family history in the military Joe has always been a supporter of our men and women who serve. In 2005 he was appointed the Honorary Chairman for The Salute to Hospitalized Veterans and has often lent his time to charities that benefit our military, their families and the USO.

In 2007 he was instrumental in raising thousands of dollars for Operation Iraqi Children. A charity formed by Gary Sinise to give school supplies to children in Iraq and Afghanistan delivered by US Military troops. When possible he visits wounded service men and women at the VA Hospital, taking the time to sit and talk with them and their families with hopes that he can briefly take their minds off the long road to recovery.

Over his career Mantegna has helped raise millions of dollars for charities all over the world, including Autism, The Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center, Pediatric Aids Research, The National Kidney Foundation, Easter Seals, Melanoma Research, The Tom Sullivan Blind Children’s Charity and Breast Cancer Awareness to name a few. It would be impossible to list them all, but it’s safe to say that Joe has had a very positive affect on the lives of thousands of people through his philanthropic endeavors.

May of 2012 Mantegna was appointed the National Spokesperson for The U.S. Army Museum, to lead the fundraising campaign to build the long-planned National Museum of the United States Army.

In March of 2013 Mantegna received the USO of Metropolitan Washington prestigious Merit award for his work in entertaining and supporting our troops and their families.

In 2014 Mantegna received the Lifetime Achievement award from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for his dedication to the community and craft of acting.

Gia Mantegna, Joe Mantegna, Mia Mantegna, Arlene Mantegna and the late Meshach Taylor at Taylor’s 67th birthday in Toluca Lake, CA on April 12, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

Related articles:
Photos: Joe Mantegna and Danny Ramm Talk about ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode Honoring Veterans and the late Meshach Taylor 
Jan. 21: Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor 
Q & A with Danny Ramm, Co-writer of Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor; Airs January 21, 2015
Joe Mantegna to Helm ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor
Joe Mantegna, Delta Burke, Gerald McRaney, President Bill Clinton and More Remember Meshach Taylor
Photos: Meshach Taylor Celebrates 67th Birthday with Arlene and Joe Mantegna, Delta Burke, Gerald McRaney, Jean Smart, Dennis Franz, Ernie Hudson, John Heard, Keith Szarabajka, Stuart Gordon, Shadoe Stevens and More
goodmantheatre.com: Goodman Theatre Remembers Meshach Taylor (July 1, 2014)

Keith Szarabajka, Lia Chang and Joe Mantegna

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” 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 and Roscoe Orman. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Hamilton tops Lucille Lortel Award Nominations along with Into the Woods, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Invisible Hand, The Nether and The Fortress of Solitude
Lia Chang, James Hong, Peter Kwong, George Cheung, Al Leong, Gerald Okamura, Jeff Imada and James Lew to attend BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA Screening at JANM on April 8
The Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, Inc.: 2015 Collaboration Award recognizing Women Working with Women Open Call
Sinatra: An American Icon Exhibit on View through September 4 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
“Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men” on view at Museum of the Moving Image through June 14; Required Viewing: Mad Men’s Movie Influences Film Series Screenings through April 26
Disney Developing Live-Action ‘Mulan’
Kenny Leon Helmed ‘The Wiz’ Set as NBC’s Next Live Musical to air on Dec. 3; Broadway Revival Slated for 2016-17
Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion Exhibition on view at New-York Historical Society through April 19; Photos of An Evening with Amy Tan
“Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong,” – Retrospective of Disney Legend at MOCA through September 13
Award Winning Actor Raul Aranas Talks THE BLACKLIST, NAAP’S OLIVER!, Songwriting and the Zen of Cycling
Tony Award Winners Chita Rivera and Roger Rees, Jason Danieley, Mary Beth Peil, David Garrison & More in Terrence McNally’s THE VISIT 
Vanity Fair: Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Jon Viktor Corpuz and More of Lincoln Center’s Revival of The King and I
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: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
Photo: Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More in Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse through April 12; PYGMALION Themed Activities
LA Times Critic’s Choice FIGARO at A Noise Within; April 4, 5, 9, 10, 19, 30, May 1 and 10
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
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
11th annual 72 Hour Shootout™ Filmmaking How-To Workshop: Writing the Best Script on April 16; Enter to Win a Free 72 Hour Shootout Registration
Apr. 20: Garth Kravits joins Laura Benanti, Lena Hall, Scott Alan and more for BROADWAY SINGS TORI Concert to Benefit RAINN at (le) poisson rouge
East West Players’ Honors Paula Madison of Madison Media Management LLC and “Fresh Off The Boat” Executive Producers Nahnatchka Khan and Melvin Mar on April 20
April 23-30: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Lineup includes EVERYTHING BEFORE US, KTOWN COWBOYS, Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW, Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS, Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) presents Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS Featuring Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim, Jeanne Sakata, Jennifer Ikeda and Matthew Kim at the Aratani Theatre on April 24
April 26: The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Artist Spotlight- Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
May 1: A/P/A Institute at NYU presents Remembering SlutForArt: Tseng Kwong Chi with Muna Tseng, Ping Chong, and Bill T. Jones
15th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) Lineup includes Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA WITH A STRAW & Aparna Sen’s SAARI RAAT; May 4-9
Photos: Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Spring Exhibition, CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, May 7–August 16
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.
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 
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.

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

Kelli O’Hara and Ken Watanabe. Photo by Paul Kolnik

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.

Here Lies Love stars Ruthie Ann Miles and Conrad Ricamora are featured as Lady Thiang and Lun Tha, respectively. The principal cast also includes Ashley Park (Mamma Mia!) as Tuptim, Edward Baker-Duly (Peter and the Starcatcher) as Sir Edward Ramsey, Jon Viktor Corpuz (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) as Prince Chulalongkorn, Murphy Guyer (South Pacific) as Captain Orton, Jakes Lucas (Newsies) as Louis, Paul Nakauchi (Chu Chem) as Kralahome and Marc Oka (Anything Goes) as Phra Alack. The production began preview performances Thursday, March 12, 2015, and will open on Thursday, April 16, 2015, at the Vivian Beaumont Theater (150 West 65 Street).

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.

Kelli O’Hara (center) and company. Photo by Paul Kolnik

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

Kelli O’Hara and Ken Watanabe. Photo by Paul Kolnik

THE KING AND I has 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 features the musical’s original 1951 orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett with dance and incidental music arranged by Trude Rittmann. Music director Ted Sperling conducts a 29-piece orchestra.

Kelli O’Hara, Ken Watanabe and company. Photo by Paul Kolnik

The King and I has performances 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.

The company of THE KING AND I. Photo by Paul Kolnik

*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.

Related articles:
Vanity Fair: Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Jon Viktor Corpuz and More of Lincoln Center’s Revival of The King and I 
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
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 Kicks off Rehearsals; Previews Begin March 12 
Video: Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Set for Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I
Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Set for Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I 
Photos: Late Night at HERE LIES LOVE with Jaygee Macapugay, David Byrne, Jose Llana, Conrad Ricamora, Melody Butiu and More
James Yaegashi, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Ernest Abuba, Tsering Dorjee, Takemi Kitamura, James Saito, Jon Norman Schneider in Sarah Ruhl’s The Oldest Boy in the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at LCT
Photos: Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (3pm) with André Bishop, Mary Beth Hurt, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Philip Kan Gotanda, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Richard Thomas, Jay O. Sanders, and more
Photos: Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (8pm) with Oskar Eustis, Patti LuPone, Lisa Emery, Ann Harada, Paolo Montalban, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Henry Stram, Richard Thomas, John Weidman and more
Photos: BD Wong in Rehearsal for “Passing It On: An Evening of Mentorship to Benefit Rosie’s Theater Kids”
Photos: In Rehearsal with Director Bartlett Sher and the cast of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” 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 and Roscoe Orman. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Joe Mantegna receives Lifetime Achievement Award for Film and Television from The Riverside International Film Festival
Hamilton tops Lucille Lortel Award Nominations along with Into the Woods, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Invisible Hand, The Nether and The Fortress of Solitude
Lia Chang, James Hong, Peter Kwong, George Cheung, Al Leong, Gerald Okamura, Jeff Imada and James Lew to attend BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA Screening at JANM on April 8
The Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, Inc.: 2015 Collaboration Award recognizing Women Working with Women Open Call
Sinatra: An American Icon Exhibit on View through September 4 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
“Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men” on view at Museum of the Moving Image through June 14; Required Viewing: Mad Men’s Movie Influences Film Series Screenings through April 26
Disney Developing Live-Action ‘Mulan’
Kenny Leon Helmed ‘The Wiz’ Set as NBC’s Next Live Musical to air on Dec. 3; Broadway Revival Slated for 2016-17
Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion Exhibition on view at New-York Historical Society through April 19; Photos of An Evening with Amy Tan
“Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong,” – Retrospective of Disney Legend at MOCA through September 13
Award Winning Actor Raul Aranas Talks THE BLACKLIST, NAAP’S OLIVER!, Songwriting and the Zen of Cycling
Tony Award Winners Chita Rivera and Roger Rees, Jason Danieley, Mary Beth Peil, David Garrison & More in Terrence McNally’s THE VISIT 
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: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
Photo: Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More in Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse through April 12; PYGMALION Themed Activities
LA Times Critic’s Choice FIGARO at A Noise Within; April 4, 5, 9, 10, 19, 30, May 1 and 10
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
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
11th annual 72 Hour Shootout™ Filmmaking How-To Workshop: Writing the Best Script on April 16; Enter to Win a Free 72 Hour Shootout Registration
Apr. 20: Garth Kravits joins Laura Benanti, Lena Hall, Scott Alan and more for BROADWAY SINGS TORI Concert to Benefit RAINN at (le) poisson rouge
East West Players’ Honors Paula Madison of Madison Media Management LLC and “Fresh Off The Boat” Executive Producers Nahnatchka Khan and Melvin Mar on April 20
April 23-30: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Lineup includes EVERYTHING BEFORE US, KTOWN COWBOYS, Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW, Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS, Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) presents Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS Featuring Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim, Jeanne Sakata, Jennifer Ikeda and Matthew Kim at the Aratani Theatre on April 24
April 26: The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Artist Spotlight- Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
May 1: A/P/A Institute at NYU presents Remembering SlutForArt: Tseng Kwong Chi with Muna Tseng, Ping Chong, and Bill T. Jones
15th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) Lineup includes Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA WITH A STRAW & Aparna Sen’s SAARI RAAT; May 4-9
Photos: Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Spring Exhibition, CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, May 7–August 16
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.
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 
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
Photos: Joe Mantegna and Danny Ramm Talk about ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode Honoring Veterans and the late Meshach Taylor 
Jan. 21: Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor 
Q & A with Danny Ramm, Co-writer of Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor; Airs January 21, 2015
Joe Mantegna to Helm ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor
Joe Mantegna, Delta Burke, Gerald McRaney, President Bill Clinton and More Remember Meshach Taylor
Photos: Meshach Taylor Celebrates 67th Birthday with Arlene and Joe Mantegna, Delta Burke, Gerald McRaney, Jean Smart, Dennis Franz, Ernie Hudson, John Heard, Keith Szarabajka, Stuart Gordon, Shadoe Stevens and More
Crafting a Career
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

Actor-dancer André De Shields in his 39th-floor Manhattan apartment. PHOTO: AXEL DUPEUX FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Actor, singer and dancer André De Shields, 69, has appeared on TV and in Broadway shows, including “The Wiz,” “The Full Monty,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Play On!” He currently is preparing for the Chicago premiere of “Gotta Dance,” which opens this year. 

Click here to read the full article.

Other articles about André De Shields:
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 
Production Photos: André De Shields, Bowman Wright, E. Faye Butler, KenYatta Rogers, Jessica Frances Dukes and Michael Anthony Williams in Arena Stage’s King Hedley II through March 8
tcgcircle.org THE GRAND ILLUSION by ANDRÉ DE SHIELDS in FOX FELLOWSHIPS
wtop.com: André Robin De Shields , Original ‘Wiz’ hits Arena Stage for August Wilson play ‘King Hedley II’
BWW Interviews: One Legend Tackles Another in Arena Stage’s King Hedley II
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: André De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ken Page, Charl Brown, Carly Hughes, Alton Fitzgerald White, Lillias White in 40th Anniversary of The WIZ Tribute at BC/EFA’s GYPSY OF THE YEAR; Competition Breaks Records With Over $5 Million as Hugh Jackman’s THE RIVER Brings in Top Donation
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 
Nov. 17: Chapman Roberts, Loretta Abbott, André De Shields, David Greer, Norm Lewis, Cherine Anderson, Lawrence Evans, Colby Christina & Nicholas A. Jenkins to Receive Special AUDELCO Awards
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 
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
Aug. 14: André De Shields, Keith David, Tony Plana, Hill Harper, Armando Riesco, Kevin Mambo, Colman Domingo, and Peter McRobbie Set for Staged Reading of Toast By Lemon Andersen at Guild Hall
Dinner with André De Shields at Chez Josephine
Photos & Video: The Wiz’s André De Shields Sang “So You Wanted to Meet the Wizard” in The Black Stars of The Great White Way Broadway Reunion: Live The Dream at Carnegie Hall
Nov. 16: Conversations with the Divine with Owais Ahmed, Baize Buzan, Kathryn Cesarz, Kamal Hans, Brian Grey, Donica Lynn, Patrese McClain and Miranda Zola at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theater
Photos: André De Shields, Michael Shannon, Rajiv Joseph, Christine Sherrill, Doug Peck, Alexis J. Rogers, Karen Ziemba and More Celebrate 2013 Jeff Equity Awards
Click here for more articles on André De Shields.

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” 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 and Roscoe Orman. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
A Sumptuous View of Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More in Lincoln Center Theater’s Revival of The King and I
Joe Mantegna receives Lifetime Achievement Award for Film and Television from The Riverside International Film Festival
Hamilton tops Lucille Lortel Award Nominations along with Into the Woods, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Invisible Hand, The Nether and The Fortress of Solitude
Lia Chang, James Hong, Peter Kwong, George Cheung, Al Leong, Gerald Okamura, Jeff Imada and James Lew to attend BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA Screening at JANM on April 8
The Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, Inc.: 2015 Collaboration Award recognizing Women Working with Women Open Call
Sinatra: An American Icon Exhibit on View through September 4 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
“Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men” on view at Museum of the Moving Image through June 14; Required Viewing: Mad Men’s Movie Influences Film Series Screenings through April 26
Disney Developing Live-Action ‘Mulan’
Kenny Leon Helmed ‘The Wiz’ Set as NBC’s Next Live Musical to air on Dec. 3; Broadway Revival Slated for 2016-17
Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion Exhibition on view at New-York Historical Society through April 19; Photos of An Evening with Amy Tan
“Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong,” – Retrospective of Disney Legend at MOCA through September 13
Award Winning Actor Raul Aranas Talks THE BLACKLIST, NAAP’S OLIVER!, Songwriting and the Zen of Cycling
Tony Award Winners Chita Rivera and Roger Rees, Jason Danieley, Mary Beth Peil, David Garrison & More in Terrence McNally’s THE VISIT 
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: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
Photo: Stan Egi, Ellen Crawford, Paige Lindsey White, Bruce Turk, Greg Watanabe and More in Jessica Kubzansky helmed PYGMALION at The Pasadena Playhouse through April 12; PYGMALION Themed Activities
LA Times Critic’s Choice FIGARO at A Noise Within; April 4, 5, 9, 10, 19, 30, May 1 and 10
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
Rebecca Naomi Jones kicks off run as Yitzhak in HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH on April 14
11th annual 72 Hour Shootout™ Filmmaking How-To Workshop: Writing the Best Script on April 16; Enter to Win a Free 72 Hour Shootout Registration
Apr. 20: Garth Kravits joins Laura Benanti, Lena Hall, Scott Alan and more for BROADWAY SINGS TORI Concert to Benefit RAINN at (le) poisson rouge
East West Players’ Honors Paula Madison of Madison Media Management LLC and “Fresh Off The Boat” Executive Producers Nahnatchka Khan and Melvin Mar on April 20
April 23-30: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Lineup includes EVERYTHING BEFORE US, KTOWN COWBOYS, Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW, Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS, Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) presents Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS Featuring Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim, Jeanne Sakata, Jennifer Ikeda and Matthew Kim at the Aratani Theatre on April 24
April 26: The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Artist Spotlight- Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
May 1: A/P/A Institute at NYU presents Remembering SlutForArt: Tseng Kwong Chi with Muna Tseng, Ping Chong, and Bill T. Jones
15th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) Lineup includes Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA WITH A STRAW & Aparna Sen’s SAARI RAAT; May 4-9
Photos: Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Spring Exhibition, CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, May 7–August 16
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.
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 
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
Photos: Joe Mantegna and Danny Ramm Talk about ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode Honoring Veterans and the late Meshach Taylor 
Jan. 21: Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor 
Q & A with Danny Ramm, Co-writer of Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor; Airs January 21, 2015
Joe Mantegna to Helm ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor
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Crafting a Career
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

Tony nominees Keith David (Jelly’s Last Jam) as Dolomite and John Earl Jelks (Radio Golf) as Stackolee lead the cast of The Public Lab production of Lemon Andersen’s ToasT, helmed by Elise Thoron, with preview performances beginning on Tuesday, April 21 and running through Sunday, May 10 at The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street in New York. The official press opening is on Tuesday, May 5.

Keith David, Hill Harper, playwright Lemon Andersen, John Earl Jelks in the lobby of The Public Theater in New York on April 13, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

The cast also features Phillip James Brannon as Annabelle Jones, Dan Butler as Sheriff Jody, Teddy Cañez as G.I. Joe, Hill Harper as Hard Rock,  Jonathan Earl Peck as Hobo Ben, and Armando Riesco as Jesse James.

Free tickets to the first preview on Tuesday, April 21 will be available via TodayTix mobile lottery, launching Tuesday, April 14. Winners will be notified by email and push notifications between 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on the day of the first preview. Winners must confirm their winning tickets in the TodayTix app within one hour of being notified.

Single tickets, starting at $20, are available now and can be accessed by calling (212) 967-7555, www.publictheater.org, or in person at the Taub Box Office at The Public Theater at 425 Lafayette Street.

ToasT is an electrifying new play by acclaimed spoken word artist and Tony Award-winning writer Lemon Andersen, directed by Andersen’s County of Kings collaborator Elise Thoron. A Public Theater commission first presented at The Public’s Under the Radar Festival, ToasT ingeniously weaves major characters from black oral narratives into a gripping story about a group of inmates fighting to keep their minds free amidst the 1971 riots that rocked Attica Prison. After 27 years served for murder in Attica’s D-Block, Willie Green, aka the legendary Dolomite, has become an unlikely father figure to his cellmates, folklore heroes like Jesse James, Hobo Ben, Annabelle Jones, Stackolee and Hard Rock. When word brews throughout Attica that a riot is coming, Dolomite has to decide whether to join in or bet on the quickly approaching chance to taste freedom. Honoring the spoken word narratives recited in pool halls, bars and prisons across America by generations of black poets, ToasT is a stunning new play about men trying to live free in a system-and a world-designed to keep them chained. ToasT was developed, in part, at the Sundance Institute Theatre Program. Funding for the development of ToasT is provided by The Time Warner Foundation, and the MAP Fund, a program of Creative Capital supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. MellonFoundation.

ToasT features scenic design by Alexis Distler, costume design by Dede Ayite, lighting design by Jen Schriever, and sound design by Rob Kaplowitz.

LEMON ANDERSEN (Playwright) For a decade, his performances have rocked iconic venues including San Francisco’s Theatre On The Square, Gammage Performing Arts Center in Arizona, Charleston’s Spoleto Festival, New Haven’s Arts & Ideas Festival, the Chicago Theatre and the Kodak Theatre in L.A. Spike Lee produced Andersen’s memoir County of Kings at The Public, which was published in 2010, and awarded the New York Book Festival’s Grand Prize. Andersen won a Tony Award in 2003 for Def Poetry Jam, produced by Russell Simmons and broadcast on HBO for six seasons. He trained with The Public’s Shakespeare Lab and his work has received support from the Sundance Institute. As an author, he has publish a book of new poems titled Straightrazor and his writing was excerpted by actor/activist Hill Harper in Letters To An Incarcerated Brother.

ELISE THORON (Director) is a playwright, director, and educator who brings stories which have not been widely heard to life on the stage. She developed and directed Andersen’s County of Kings with Andersen performing it at The Public, Spotleto, and venues around the world. Her plays have been produced in the U.S. and Europe, including Green Violin, music by Frank London; Prozak and the Platypus, music by Jill Sobule (also album/graphic novella); and Charlotte: Life? or Theater? based on paintings of the German Jewish artist, Charlotte Salomon. She also created Recycling: washi tales, a theater piece from the art work of distinguished Japanese paper artist Kyoko Ibe. At American Place Theater, Thoron with Wynn Handman, co-founded Literature to Life, a performance-based literacy program, which presents professionally staged adaptations of American literary works and partners with NYC schools and performing arts centers around the country. She continues as its Associate Artistic Director today.

PHILLIP JAMES BRANNON (Annabelle Jones) has appeared Off-Broadway in Bootycandy, The City of Conversation, Love and Information, and Belleville. His film and television credits include Contagion; and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”

DAN BUTLER (Sheriff Jody) has appeared at The Public Theater in Much Ado About Nothing and on Broadway in Twentieth Century, Biloxi Blues, and The Hothouse. His additional Off-Broadway credits include The Weir; Olive and the Bitter Ends; The Irish Curse; Beast, Old Money; The Only Worse Thing You Could Have Told Me, which he also wrote; The Lisbon Traviata; Waiting for Godot; and True West. His film and television credits include The Silence of the Lambs, Captain Ron, The Fan, “Roseanne,” “From the Earth to the Moon.” Suddenly Susan,” “Frasier,” and many others.

TEDDY CAÑEZ (G.I. Joe) has appeared on Broadway in A Streetcar Named Desire. His film and television credits include Sleepwalk with Me, A Most Violent Year, “The Wire,” “How to Make It in America,” “The Mob Doctor,” and “Madame Secretary.”

KEITH DAVID (Dolomite) has appeared at The Public in Othello, The Pirates of Penzance, Waiting for Godot, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, La Boheme, Coriolanus, Titus Andronicus, The Winter’s Tale, and Kit Marlow. His Broadway credits include Hot Feet, Seven Guitars, Hedda Gabler, Jelly’s Last Jam, Macbeth, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, and The Lady from Dubuque. His film and television credits include Armageddon; There’s Something About Mary; Pitch Black; Where The Heart Is; Highway; Sons of Liberty; “Gargoyles”; “The Job”; “The Big House”; “ER”; “Adventure Time”; “Community”; and many others.

HILL HARPER (Hard Rock) has appeared at The Public in Dogeaters, and his additional Off-Broadway credit includes Blue. His film and television credits include He Got Game; Beloved; In Too Deep; The Skulls; The Visit; The Breed; 30 Days; The Volunteer, 1982; Parts Per Billion; “City of Angels”; “The Handler”; “CSI: NY”; “Covert Affairs”; and others.

JOHN EARL JELKS (Stackolee) has appeared on Broadway in Holler If Ya Hear Me, Radio Gold, and Gem of the Ocean. His Off-Broadway credits include Fetch Clay, Make Men; The Break of Noon; and The First Breeze of Summer. His film and television credits include A Powerful Thang, Enter the Dangerous Mind, and “Blue Bloods.”

JONATHAN EARL PECK (Hobo Ben) has appeared on Broadway in The Lion in Winter; Words & Music; and The Rothschilds. His Off-Broadway credits include Three Sisters, A Soldier’s Play, and Black.

ARMANDO RIESCO (Jesse James)’s theater credits include The Happiest Song Plays Last, Olives and Blood, Water by the Spoonful, Becky Shaw, Sonia Flew, Four, Eleven Rooms of Proust, Bash, and This is our Youth. His film and television credits include Adult World, CHE, Putzel, Fever Pitch, National Treasure, 25th Hour, Garden State, “Elementary,” Blue Bloods,” “A Gifted Man,” “Army Wives,” “Kings,” “Fringe,” and others.

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Branden Jacob-Jenkins’ Appropriate, Lisa Kron’s Fun Home, Sonya Tayeh, Emmanuel Brown, Mia Katigbak, K. Todd Freeman, John Earl Jelks Among 2014 OBIE Award Winners
LAByrinth Extends New York Times Critic’s Pick Sunset Baby, Starring John Earl Jelks, DeWanda Wise and Harvey Gardner Moore, to December 15
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NYTW Production Photos of Fetch Clay, Make Man: Ray Fisher, Nikki M. James, John Earl Jelks, K. Todd Freeman

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” 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 and Roscoe Orman. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: Traveling through the mouth of the Dragon with BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA’s James Hong, Peter Kwong, Lia Chang, Gerald Okamura, George Cheung, Al Leong, Jeff Imada, James Lew, Gary Goldman, Eric Lee, Joycelyne Lew
A Sumptuous View of Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More in Lincoln Center Theater’s Revival of The King and I
Joe Mantegna receives Lifetime Achievement Award for Film and Television from The Riverside International Film Festival
Hamilton tops Lucille Lortel Award Nominations along with Into the Woods, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Invisible Hand, The Nether and The Fortress of Solitude
The Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, Inc.: 2015 Collaboration Award recognizing Women Working with Women Open Call
Sinatra: An American Icon Exhibit on View through September 4 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
“Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men” on view at Museum of the Moving Image through June 14; Required Viewing: Mad Men’s Movie Influences Film Series Screenings through April 26
Disney Developing Live-Action ‘Mulan’
Kenny Leon Helmed ‘The Wiz’ Set as NBC’s Next Live Musical to air on Dec. 3; Broadway Revival Slated for 2016-17
Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion Exhibition on view at New-York Historical Society through April 19; Photos of An Evening with Amy Tan
“Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong,” – Retrospective of Disney Legend at MOCA through September 13
Dining out at élan with Artist Arlan Huang; New Paintings on view at Trestle Gallery
Award Winning Actor Raul Aranas Talks THE BLACKLIST, NAAP’S OLIVER!, Songwriting and the Zen of Cycling
Tony Award Winners Chita Rivera and Roger Rees, Jason Danieley, Mary Beth Peil, David Garrison & More in Terrence McNally’s THE VISIT
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: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
LA Times Critic’s Choice FIGARO at A Noise Within; April 4, 5, 9, 10, 19, 30, May 1 and 10
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
Apr. 20: Garth Kravits joins Laura Benanti, Lena Hall, Scott Alan and more for BROADWAY SINGS TORI Concert to Benefit RAINN at (le) poisson rouge
East West Players’ Honors Paula Madison of Madison Media Management LLC and “Fresh Off The Boat” Executive Producers Nahnatchka Khan and Melvin Mar on April 20
Jerome Preston Bates, Michael Chenevert, Stephanie Berry, Terria Joseph, Kim Weston Moran, Tony Sallemi and Count Stovall set for World Premiere of Richard Wesley’s AUTUMN at Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, April 23 through May 3
April 23-30: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Lineup includes EVERYTHING BEFORE US, KTOWN COWBOYS, Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW, Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS, Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) presents Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS Featuring Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim, Jeanne Sakata, Jennifer Ikeda and Matthew Kim at the Aratani Theatre on April 24
April 26: The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Artist Spotlight- Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
May 1: A/P/A Institute at NYU presents Remembering SlutForArt: Tseng Kwong Chi with Muna Tseng, Ping Chong, and Bill T. Jones
15th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) Lineup includes Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA WITH A STRAW & Aparna Sen’s SAARI RAAT; May 4-9
Photos: Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Spring Exhibition, CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, May 7–August 16
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.
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
Variety.com: Ken Jeong to Star in ABC Medical Comedy Pilot ‘Dr. Ken’
Photos: Late Night at HERE LIES LOVE with Jaygee Macapugay, David Byrne, Jose Llana, Conrad Ricamora, Melody Butiu and More
Crafting a Career
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

Two River Theater (Artistic Director John Dias, Managing Director Michael Hurst) presents the world premiere of Your Blues Ain’t Sweet Like Mine, written and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. The press opening is Friday, April 17 at 8pm and performances will continue through Sunday, May 3 in Two River’s Rechnitz Theater, 21 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank, NJ.  Tickets are available from 732.345.1400 or tworivertheater.org.

Merritt Janson (Judith) and Brandon J. Dirden (Zeke) in the world premiere of Your Blues Ain’t Sweet Like Mine at Two River Theater. Photo by Michal Daniel

Production Photos: Michal Daniel

An Upper West Side dinner party invitation brings an unlikely group together, spawning a passionate and explosive debate on America’s relationship to race. Brandon J. Dirden and Merritt Janson star as Zeke and Judith in Two River’s commissioned world-premiere drama about America’s relationship to race—and the power of hope and possibility in all of our lives. Zeke is a highly educated, once-homeless man who describes himself as a “walking outburst.”  Judith, a self-described “seeker of knowledge,” is a writer who decides that his life would make a great feature for The New York Times Magazine. As the story progresses and their worlds collide, Zeke and Judith discover the price of history, sacrifice, and legacy.

Brandon J. Dirden (Zeke), far right, with from left: Roslyn Ruff (Janeece), Andrew Hovelson (Randall) and Merritt Janson (Judith) in the world premiere of Your Blues Ain’t Sweet Like Mine at Two River Theater. Photo by Michal Daniel

Brandon J. Dirden (Zeke) most recently appeared on Broadway as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. opposite Bryan Cranston’s LBJ in All the Way. His other New York theater credits include Clybourne Park and The Piano Lesson; at Two River Theater, he starred in Jitney and Topdog/Underdog. His television credits include The Americans and The Good Wife.

Merritt Janson (Judith) was most recently seen in Theatre for a New Audience’s production of Tamburlaine the Great and The Last Will with Abingdon Theatre Company. She has appeared in numerous productions with Shakespeare & Company, American Repertory Theatre, and the Moscow Art Theatre.

Roslyn Ruff (Janeece) and Andrew Hovelson (Randall) in the world premiere of Your Blues Ain’t Sweet Like Mine at Two River Theater. Photo by Michal Daniel

Also featured in the cast are Andrew Hovelson (Broadway’s Lucky Guy and An Enemy of the People) as Randall, Judith’s boyfriend; Charles Weldon (Broadway’s The River Niger and Big Time Buck White with Mohammed Ali and Stir Crazy opposite Richard Pryor) as Zebedee, a recluse who has chosen to live for the past 40 years in a book-lined room under Grand Central Station; and Roslyn Ruff (Two Trains Running at Two River Theater, Lortel Award winner for The Piano Lesson at Signature Theatre, All the Way on Broadway) as Janeece, Judith’s best friend.

Charles Weldon (Zebedee) and Brandon J. Dirden (Zeke) in the world premiere of Your Blues Ain’t Sweet Like Mine at Two River Theater. Photo by Michal Daniel

Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Photo by Lia Chang

Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s directing credits include August Wilson’s Jitney and Two Trains Running at Two River Theater and The Piano Lesson for Signature Theatre. He won an Obie Award and critical acclaim for his solo show Lackawanna Blues, and his screenplay for the HBO adaptation received the Humanitas Prize and other honors. As an actor, his credits include August Wilson’s Seven Guitars, for which he received the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play; August Wilson’s How I Learned What I Learned at Signature Theatre; and the feature film Selma.

The creative team for Your Blues Ain’t Sweet Like Mine includes scenic designer Michael Carnahan, costume designer Karen Perry, lighting designer Driscoll Otto, and sound designer Robert Kaplowitz. The production will feature original music by Bill Sims Jr. The fight director is Thomas Schall, the casting is by Heidi Griffiths and the production stage manager is Laura Wilson.

Click here to RSVP.

Two River Theater is supported in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a division within the Department of State and a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Stone Foundation of New Jersey, Monmouth University, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Durso Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley, Investors Bank, Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center, Brookdale Community College, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, William T. Morris Foundation, Springpoint Senior Living Foundation at the Atrium at Navesink Harbor, , and many other generous foundations, corporations and individuals.

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

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” 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 and Roscoe Orman. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Photo:The Public Theater Presents Tony Award-winner Lemon Andersen’s TOAST starring Tony Nominees Keith David and John Earl Jelks, Hill Harper and more, April 21 – May 10
Photos: Traveling through the mouth of the Dragon with BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA’s James Hong, Peter Kwong, Lia Chang, Gerald Okamura, George Cheung, Al Leong, Jeff Imada, James Lew, Gary Goldman, Eric Lee, Joycelyne Lew
A Sumptuous View of Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More in Lincoln Center Theater’s Revival of The King and I
Joe Mantegna receives Lifetime Achievement Award for Film and Television from The Riverside International Film Festival
Hamilton tops Lucille Lortel Award Nominations along with Into the Woods, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Invisible Hand, The Nether and The Fortress of Solitude
The Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, Inc.: 2015 Collaboration Award recognizing Women Working with Women Open Call
Sinatra: An American Icon Exhibit on View through September 4 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
“Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men” on view at Museum of the Moving Image through June 14; Required Viewing: Mad Men’s Movie Influences Film Series Screenings through April 26
Disney Developing Live-Action ‘Mulan’
Kenny Leon Helmed ‘The Wiz’ Set as NBC’s Next Live Musical to air on Dec. 3; Broadway Revival Slated for 2016-17
Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion Exhibition on view at New-York Historical Society through April 19; Photos of An Evening with Amy Tan
“Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong,” – Retrospective of Disney Legend at MOCA through September 13
Dining out at élan with Artist Arlan Huang; New Paintings on view at Trestle Gallery
Award Winning Actor Raul Aranas Talks THE BLACKLIST, NAAP’S OLIVER!, Songwriting and the Zen of Cycling
Tony Award Winners Chita Rivera and Roger Rees, Jason Danieley, Mary Beth Peil, David Garrison & More in Terrence McNally’s THE VISIT
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: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
LA Times Critic’s Choice FIGARO at A Noise Within; April 4, 5, 9, 10, 19, 30, May 1 and 10
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
Apr. 20: Garth Kravits joins Laura Benanti, Lena Hall, Scott Alan and more for BROADWAY SINGS TORI Concert to Benefit RAINN at (le) poisson rouge
East West Players’ Honors Paula Madison of Madison Media Management LLC and “Fresh Off The Boat” Executive Producers Nahnatchka Khan and Melvin Mar on April 20
Jerome Preston Bates, Michael Chenevert, Stephanie Berry, Terria Joseph, Kim Weston Moran, Tony Sallemi and Count Stovall set for World Premiere of Richard Wesley’s AUTUMN at Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, April 23 through May 3
April 23-30: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Lineup includes EVERYTHING BEFORE US, KTOWN COWBOYS, Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW, Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS, Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) presents Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS Featuring Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim, Jeanne Sakata, Jennifer Ikeda and Matthew Kim at the Aratani Theatre on April 24
April 26: The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Artist Spotlight- Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
May 1: A/P/A Institute at NYU presents Remembering SlutForArt: Tseng Kwong Chi with Muna Tseng, Ping Chong, and Bill T. Jones
15th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) Lineup includes Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA WITH A STRAW & Aparna Sen’s SAARI RAAT; May 4-9
Photos: Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Spring Exhibition, CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, May 7–August 16
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.
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
Variety.com: Ken Jeong to Star in ABC Medical Comedy Pilot ‘Dr. Ken’
Photos: Late Night at HERE LIES LOVE with Jaygee Macapugay, David Byrne, Jose Llana, Conrad Ricamora, Melody Butiu and More
Crafting a Career
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

David Henry Hwang. Photo by Lia Chang

The Ford Foundation has announced a new effort centered on the roles art and culture play in illuminating and addressing urgent issues of equity, opportunity, and justice in the U.S. and around the globe. The yearlong exploration, The Art of Change, which builds on the foundation’s decades-long commitment to advancing freedom of expression, reaffirms the central importance of creativity and cultural expression to healthy societies at a time when they are increasingly under threat.

“Changes in the world around us demand, more than ever, that we recognize and celebrate art, creativity, and freedom of expression as the revolutionary forces they are,” said Darren Walker, president of Ford Foundation. “Widening inequality, growing extremism, evolving technology, and volatile markets render art—and its unique role in effecting social change—more important, not less, for societies today.”

Bill Rauch, Artistic Director, Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Photo by Lia Chang

Over the next 12 months, the Ford Foundation will bring together leading thinkers, artists, cultural leaders, and activists from around the world for a series of provocative conversations to better understand the interplay of art, creativity, equality, and justice. The initiative will help determine how the foundation can most effectively advance the arts—and by, extension, drive social change—in an increasingly diverse and evolving world.

To help prompt and inform fresh thinking, the foundation is awarding a series of fellowships to exemplary artists and cultural leaders, each distinguished in their field, whose work touches on issues of equity and justice. The fellowships seek to inspire innovation and encourage civic dialogue, giving fellows the opportunity to study issues that intersect with the foundation’s work and reflect the cultural richness of diverse communities around the world.

Each of the 13 fellows will study a thought-provoking issue or question during the course of the fellowship, ranging from the role of artists and artwork to challenge rising extremism, to literature’s ability to elucidate the impact of climate change, to the importance of increasing diversity in leadership roles in the cultural institutions.

The 2015 visiting fellows include:
Robert Battle, artistic director, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York, NY
Amitav Ghosh, author, Brooklyn, NY
Thelma Golden, director and chief curator, Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY
David Henry Hwang, dramatist, Brooklyn, NY
Deeyah Khan music producer and filmmaker, London, U.K.
Arnold Lehman, director, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
Joy Mboya, executive director, GoDown Arts Centre, Nairobi, Kenya
Laura Poitras, filmmaker, New York, NY
Bill Rauch, artistic director, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland, OR
Toshi Reagon, singer, composer, musician, and producer, Brooklyn, NY
Pedro Reyes, visual artist, Coyoacán, Mexico
Albie Sachs, activist, jurist and author, Johannesburg, South Africa
Carrie Mae Weems, visual artist, Syracuse, NY

The arts have long been central to Ford’s mission. Throughout its history, the foundation has invested in and supported key ideas, individuals, and institutions on the local, national, and international scene, supporting several generations of arts leaders who are firmly grounded in the communities in which they reside.

“The arts illustrate, explore, convey, and critique our world and our assumptions about it, and have therefore long been central to Ford’s work advancing social change,” said Darren Walker. “This digital age calls for a recommitment to those values, as well as new approaches to arts and cultural funding—both of which this year of exploration will help us define.”

The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization. For more than 75 years it has worked with courageous people on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

Fordfoundation.org: Foundation Launches Effort to Advance Arts, Culture, and Social Justice in the 21st Century

David Henry Hwang‘s work includes the plays M.Butterfly, Chinglish, Yellow Face, Golden Child, The Dance and the Railroad, and FOB, as well as the Broadway musicals Aida (co-author), Flower Drum Song (2002 revival), and Tarzan. Upcoming productions include two new musicals: The Forgotten Arm, with music and lyrics by Aimee Mann and Paul Bryan, for the Public Theater; and Pretty Dead Girl, with music and lyrics by Anne-Marie Milazzo.

As America’s most-produced living opera librettist, he has written four pieces with composer Philip Glass, including The Voyage (Metropolitan Opera, 1992), as well as Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar (two 2007 Grammy Awards), Bright Sheng’s The Silver River (1997), Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland (2007 “World Premiere of the Year” by Opernwelt magazine), Howard Shore’s The Fly (2008) and Huang Ruo’s An American Soldier (2014). Upcoming operas include Through the Looking Glass with Unsuk Chin for the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and Dream of the Red Chamber with Bright Sheng for the San Francisco Opera.

Mr. Hwang penned the screenplays for M. Butterfly (1993), starring Jeremy Irons and John Lone; Golden Gate (1994), starring Matt Dillon and Joan Chen; and Possession (co-writer, 2002), starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart. With the pop star Prince, he co-wrote the song “Solo,” released on Prince’s 1994 gold album Come. He is currently writing a feature film for Dreamworks Animation and the film adaptation of Chinglish, to be directed by Justin Lin (Better Luck Tomorrow, the Fast & Furious franchise), as well as creating an original television series, “Shanghai,” for Lions Gate and Bravo.

Hwang is a Tony Award® winner and three-time nominee, a three-time Obie Award winner, and a two-time Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He received the 2011 PEN/Laura Pels Award, the 2012 William Inge Award, the 2012 Steinberg “Mimi” Award, and the 2014 Doris Duke Artist Award, and recently completed his the Residency One Playwright term at NYC’s Signature Theatre, which produced a season of his plays, including the world premiere of his newest work Kung Fu in February 2014. He serves as President of Young Playwrights Inc, and sits on the boards of the Lark Play Development Center, The American Theatre Wing, and The Actors Fund.

David Henry Hwang Articles:
The Los Angeles Philharmonic presents West Coast premiere of Unsuk Chin’s Opera Alice in Wonderland, Featuring Libretto Co-Written with David Henry Hwang, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on February 27-28 
Dream of the Red Chamber to be featured at the 2015 Stanford Pan-Asian Music Festival February 20-21, including the Symposium with David Gockley, Bright Sheng, David Henry Hwang and Stan Lai
Photos: Tony Award Winning Playwright David Henry Hwang, NEFA, Graham Sheffield CBE and Susan Stockton Receive 2015 ISPA Awards
Behind the Scenes with Disney on Broadway with David Henry Hwang, Chad Beguelin and Rick Elice at New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
David Henry Hwang, Adriane Lenox, Chuck Cooper, Kevin Carolan, Stephanie J. Block, Caissie Levy & More will Sleep on the Streets for Covenant House’s Sleep Out: Broadway Edition
David Henry Hwang and Lynn Nottage Appointed to the Playwriting Faculty of Columbia University School of the Arts Theatre Program
Tony Award Winning Playwright David Henry Hwang Receives $275,000 Doris Duke Artist Award
Signature’s Production of David Henry Hwang’s Kung Fu, starring Cole Horibe, Phoebe Strole and Francis Jue, extends through April 6, 2014 
Photos: Backstage and Opening Night of Signature’s World Premiere of David Henry Hwang’s Kung Fu 
Photos: David Henry Hwang, Annie Baker and Rajiv Joseph honored at Sixth Annual Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards 
Click here for more articles on David Henry Hwang.

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” 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 and Roscoe Orman. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: Traveling through the mouth of the Dragon with BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA’s James Hong, Peter Kwong, Lia Chang, Gerald Okamura, George Cheung, Al Leong, Jeff Imada, James Lew, Gary Goldman, Eric Lee, Joycelyne Lew
Photo: The Public Theater Presents Tony Award-winner Lemon Andersen’s TOAST starring Tony Nominees Keith David and John Earl Jelks, Hill Harper and more, April 21 – May 10 
A Sumptuous View of Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More in Lincoln Center Theater’s Revival of The King and I
Joe Mantegna receives Lifetime Achievement Award for Film and Television from The Riverside International Film Festival
Hamilton tops Lucille Lortel Award Nominations along with Into the Woods, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Invisible Hand, The Nether and The Fortress of Solitude
The Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, Inc.: 2015 Collaboration Award recognizing Women Working with Women Open Call
Sinatra: An American Icon Exhibit on View through September 4 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
“Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men” on view at Museum of the Moving Image through June 14; Required Viewing: Mad Men’s Movie Influences Film Series Screenings through April 26
Disney Developing Live-Action ‘Mulan’
Kenny Leon Helmed ‘The Wiz’ Set as NBC’s Next Live Musical to air on Dec. 3; Broadway Revival Slated for 2016-17
Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion Exhibition on view at New-York Historical Society through April 19; Photos of An Evening with Amy Tan
“Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong,” – Retrospective of Disney Legend at MOCA through September 13
Dining out at élan with Artist Arlan Huang; New Paintings on view at Trestle Gallery
Award Winning Actor Raul Aranas Talks THE BLACKLIST, NAAP’S OLIVER!, Songwriting and the Zen of Cycling
Tony Award Winners Chita Rivera and Roger Rees, Jason Danieley, Mary Beth Peil, David Garrison & More in Terrence McNally’s THE VISIT
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: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
LA Times Critic’s Choice FIGARO at A Noise Within; April 4, 5, 9, 10, 19, 30, May 1 and 10
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
Apr. 20: Garth Kravits joins Laura Benanti, Lena Hall, Scott Alan and more for BROADWAY SINGS TORI Concert to Benefit RAINN at (le) poisson rouge
East West Players’ Honors Paula Madison of Madison Media Management LLC and “Fresh Off The Boat” Executive Producers Nahnatchka Khan and Melvin Mar on April 20
Jerome Preston Bates, Michael Chenevert, Stephanie Berry, Terria Joseph, Kim Weston Moran, Tony Sallemi and Count Stovall set for World Premiere of Richard Wesley’s AUTUMN at Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, April 23 through May 3
April 23-30: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Lineup includes EVERYTHING BEFORE US, KTOWN COWBOYS, Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW, Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS, Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) presents Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS Featuring Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim, Jeanne Sakata, Jennifer Ikeda and Matthew Kim at the Aratani Theatre on April 24
April 26: The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Artist Spotlight- Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
May 1: A/P/A Institute at NYU presents Remembering SlutForArt: Tseng Kwong Chi with Muna Tseng, Ping Chong, and Bill T. Jones
15th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) Lineup includes Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA WITH A STRAW & Aparna Sen’s SAARI RAAT; May 4-9
Photos: Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Spring Exhibition, CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, May 7–August 16
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.
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
Variety.com: Ken Jeong to Star in ABC Medical Comedy Pilot ‘Dr. Ken’
Photos: Late Night at HERE LIES LOVE with Jaygee Macapugay, David Byrne, Jose Llana, Conrad Ricamora, Melody Butiu and More
Crafting a Career
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

Michael Friedman and André De Shields. Photo by Lia Chang

The audience in the sold-out house of The Fortress of Solitude Original Cast CD Release Concert at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater on Monday, April 13 were treated to a glorious night of music featuring tracks from the CD sung by original cast members André De Shields, Kevin Mambo, Adam Chanler-Berat, Kyle Beltran, Britton Smith, Akron Watson, Juson Williams, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Ken Barnett, Carla Duren, Jahi Kearse, Malaiyka Reid and Conor Ryan, accompanied by musical director Kimberly Grigsby on the keys.

André De Shields, Daniel Aukin and Kevin Mambo. 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 order the CD, please visit www.sh-k-boom.com/fortress or click here to purchase on iTunes.

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

The Fortress of Solitude scored four Lucille Lortel Award nominations in the categories of outstanding musical, choregrapher (Camille A. Brown), lead actor in a musical (Adam Chanler-Berat), featured actor in a musical (Kevin Mambo).

Hamilton tops Lucille Lortel Award Nominations along with Into the Woods, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Invisible Hand, The Nether and The Fortress of Solitude 

Set List
Superman/If I Could Fly/Grab Something
(Adam, Kyle, Kevin, Akron, Juson, Britton)
Ballad of Barrett Rude, Sr.
(André, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Carla Duren, Malaiyka Reid)
Painting
(Ken, Kyle)
Take Me to the Bridge
(André and Company)
Liner Notes
(Kevin, Akron, Juson, Britton, Adam)
Middle Spaces
(Adam, Kyle, Company)

Click below for BWW’s recap of the night.

BWW Reviews: Energetic THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE CD RELEASE CONCERT is Filled with Soul and Heart

Kevin Mambo, Akron Watson, Britton Smith and Juson Williams. Photo by Lia Chang

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.

André De Shields, Kevin Mambo, Akron Watson, Kimberly Grigsby, Britton Smith, Juson Williams. Photo by Lia Chang

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 – www.namt.org.

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

The Fortress of Solitude CD Reviews:
BWW CD Reviews: Ghostlight Records’ THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE (Original Cast Recording) is Accessible and Artful

Other articles about André De Shields:
Actor André De Shields on His Self-Made Journey 
Production Photos: André De Shields, Bowman Wright, E. Faye Butler, KenYatta Rogers, Jessica Frances Dukes and Michael Anthony Williams in Arena Stage’s King Hedley II through March 8
tcgcircle.org THE GRAND ILLUSION by ANDRÉ DE SHIELDS in FOX FELLOWSHIPS
wtop.com: André Robin De Shields , Original ‘Wiz’ hits Arena Stage for August Wilson play ‘King Hedley II’
BWW Interviews: One Legend Tackles Another in Arena Stage’s King Hedley II
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: André De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ken Page, Charl Brown, Carly Hughes, Alton Fitzgerald White, Lillias White in 40th Anniversary of The WIZ Tribute at BC/EFA’s GYPSY OF THE YEAR; Competition Breaks Records With Over $5 Million as Hugh Jackman’s THE RIVER Brings in Top Donation
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 
Nov. 17: Chapman Roberts, Loretta Abbott, André De Shields, David Greer, Norm Lewis, Cherine Anderson, Lawrence Evans, Colby Christina & Nicholas A. Jenkins to Receive Special AUDELCO Awards
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 
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
Dinner with André De Shields at Chez Josephine
Photos & Video: The Wiz’s André De Shields Sang “So You Wanted to Meet the Wizard” in The Black Stars of The Great White Way Broadway Reunion: Live The Dream at Carnegie Hall
Conversations with the Divine with Owais Ahmed, Baize Buzan, Kathryn Cesarz, Kamal Hans, Brian Grey, Donica Lynn, Patrese McClain and Miranda Zola at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theater
Photos: André De Shields, Michael Shannon, Rajiv Joseph, Christine Sherrill, Doug Peck, Alexis J. Rogers, Karen Ziemba and More Celebrate 2013 Jeff Equity Awards
Click here for more articles on André De Shields.

André De Shields, Lia Chang and Kevin Mambo. Photo by Jack Bashkow

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” 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 and Roscoe Orman. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
David Henry Hwang, Laura Poitras, Amitav Ghosh, Deeyah Khan, Bill Rauch, Robert Battle, Carrie Mae Weems named among 13 Ford Foundation “Art of Change” Fellows
Photos: Traveling through the mouth of the Dragon with BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA’s James Hong, Peter Kwong, Lia Chang, Gerald Okamura, George Cheung, Al Leong, Jeff Imada, James Lew, Gary Goldman, Eric Lee, Joycelyne Lew
Photo: The Public Theater Presents Tony Award-winner Lemon Andersen’s TOAST starring Tony Nominees Keith David and John Earl Jelks, Hill Harper and more, April 21 – May 10 
A Sumptuous View of Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More in Lincoln Center Theater’s Revival of The King and I
Joe Mantegna receives Lifetime Achievement Award for Film and Television from The Riverside International Film Festival
Hamilton tops Lucille Lortel Award Nominations along with Into the Woods, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Invisible Hand, The Nether and The Fortress of Solitude
The Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, Inc.: 2015 Collaboration Award recognizing Women Working with Women Open Call
Sinatra: An American Icon Exhibit on View through September 4 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
“Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men” on view at Museum of the Moving Image through June 14; Required Viewing: Mad Men’s Movie Influences Film Series Screenings through April 26
Disney Developing Live-Action ‘Mulan’
Kenny Leon Helmed ‘The Wiz’ Set as NBC’s Next Live Musical to air on Dec. 3; Broadway Revival Slated for 2016-17
Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion Exhibition on view at New-York Historical Society through April 19; Photos of An Evening with Amy Tan
“Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong,” – Retrospective of Disney Legend at MOCA through September 13
Dining out at élan with Artist Arlan Huang; New Paintings on view at Trestle Gallery
Award Winning Actor Raul Aranas Talks THE BLACKLIST, NAAP’S OLIVER!, Songwriting and the Zen of Cycling
Tony Award Winners Chita Rivera and Roger Rees, Jason Danieley, Mary Beth Peil, David Garrison & More in Terrence McNally’s THE VISIT
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: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC
LA Times Critic’s Choice FIGARO at A Noise Within; April 4, 5, 9, 10, 19, 30, May 1 and 10
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
Apr. 20: Garth Kravits joins Laura Benanti, Lena Hall, Scott Alan and more for BROADWAY SINGS TORI Concert to Benefit RAINN at (le) poisson rouge
East West Players’ Honors Paula Madison of Madison Media Management LLC and “Fresh Off The Boat” Executive Producers Nahnatchka Khan and Melvin Mar on April 20
Jerome Preston Bates, Michael Chenevert, Stephanie Berry, Terria Joseph, Kim Weston Moran, Tony Sallemi and Count Stovall set for World Premiere of Richard Wesley’s AUTUMN at Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, April 23 through May 3
April 23-30: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Lineup includes EVERYTHING BEFORE US, KTOWN COWBOYS, Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW, Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS, Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) presents Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS Featuring Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim, Jeanne Sakata, Jennifer Ikeda and Matthew Kim at the Aratani Theatre on April 24
April 26: The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Artist Spotlight- Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
May 1: A/P/A Institute at NYU presents Remembering SlutForArt: Tseng Kwong Chi with Muna Tseng, Ping Chong, and Bill T. Jones
15th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) Lineup includes Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA WITH A STRAW & Aparna Sen’s SAARI RAAT; May 4-9
Photos: Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Spring Exhibition, CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, May 7–August 16
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.
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
Variety.com: Ken Jeong to Star in ABC Medical Comedy Pilot ‘Dr. Ken’
Photos: Late Night at HERE LIES LOVE with Jaygee Macapugay, David Byrne, Jose Llana, Conrad Ricamora, Melody Butiu and More
Crafting a Career
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

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

Playwright Rajiv Joseph is one of the nation’s hottest new playwrights—as well as screenwriter and other credits. South Coast Repertory commissioned him to write a theatre piece and the resulting play, Mr. Wolf, has its world premiere at South Coast Repertory, April 12-May 3, 2015, directed by Founding Artistic Director David Emmes.  In this conversation with SCR Associate Artistic Director John Glore, Joseph talks about writing, inspiration and his new play. Opening night is April 17, 2015.

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.

Emily James and John de Lancie in South Coast Repertory’s 2015 world premiere of Mr. Wolf by Rajiv Joseph. Photo by Ben Horak/SCR.

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.

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.

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.

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 through 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.

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.

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.

Related Articles:
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
Playwright Rajiv Joseph wins Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award for New Play GUARDS AT THE TAJ; Set for World Premiere at Atlantic Theater Company in May 
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
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents Rajiv Joseph’s THE LAKE EFFECT Starring Adam Poss, Nilanjana Bose, Jason Bowen through March 29
Jaime Castañeda to Helm Rajiv Joseph’s GUARDS AT THE TAJ at La Jolla Playhouse, February 2-28, 2016
The Old Globe Presents World Premiere of Christopher Gattelli Helmed IN YOUR ARMS Featuring Vignettes written by David Henry Hwang, Rajiv Joseph, Douglas Carter Beane, Nilo Cruz, Christopher Durang, Carrie Fisher, Terrence McNally, Marsha Norman, Lynn Nottage, and Alfred Uhry, September 16 – October 25
NYU Theatrical Production Presents the World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe the Night in the Shubert Theatre at Tisch School of the Arts through November 24
Nov. 19-24: NYU Theatrical Production Presents the World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe the Night in the Shubert Theatre at Tisch School of the Arts
East West Players’ Los Angeles Premiere of “Animals Out of Paper” by Rajiv Joseph, Featuring C.S. Lee and Tess Lina, Opens Sept. 10, 2014
Dec. 16: Award Winning Playwrights Rajiv Joseph and Tarell Alvin McCraney, the focus of PBS Film, Playwright: From Page to Stage
Photos: David Henry Hwang, Annie Baker and Rajiv Joseph honored at Sixth Annual Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards
Nov. 18: David Henry Hwang, Annie Baker and Rajiv Joseph to be honored at Sixth Annual Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards
Photos: André De Shields, Michael Shannon, Rajiv Joseph, Christine Sherrill, Doug Peck, Alexis J. Rogers, Karen Ziemba and More Celebrate 2013 Jeff Equity Awards

The new Broadway musical DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, directed by  two-time Tony Award winner Des McAnuff, began previews, Friday, March 27 at the Broadway Theatre (1681 Broadway), with opening night set for Tuesday, April 21.

Kelli Barrett, Tam Mutu. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Michael Weller. Photo by Lia Chang

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, based on Boris Pasternak’s Nobel Prize-winning 20th-century epic Russian masterpiece, is directed by two-time Tony Award winner Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys), with a book by Academy Award nominee Michael Weller (Ragtime), music by two-time Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Lucy Simon (The Secret Garden), lyrics by Tony Award nominee Michael Korie (Grey Gardens) and Emmy Award nominee Amy Powers (Ella Enchanted), and choreography by Tony Award nominee Kelly Devine (Rocky).

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO stars Tam Mutu (Donmar Warehouse’s City of Angels) making his Broadway debut as the passionate Doctor and poet Yurii Zhivago, Kelli Barrett (Wicked) as the alluring Lara Guishar, Tony Award nominee Tom Hewitt (Rocky Horror Show) as the cynical bourgeois magistrate Viktor Komarovsky, Paul Alexander Nolan (Jesus Chris Superstar) as political radical Pasha Antipov, and Lora Lee Gayer as Tonia Gromeko, Zhivago’s devoted wife.

Tam Mutu. Photo by Matthew Murphy

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO features Jamie Jackson, Jacqueline Antaramian, Jonah Halperin, Sophia Gennusa and Ava-Riley Miles, with Wendi Bergamini, Heather Botts, Ashley Brooke, Melody Butiu, Josh Canfield, Briana Carlson-Goodman,Julian Cihi, Bradley Dean, Michael Brian Dunn, Drew Foster, Kira Guloien, Robert Hager, Ericka Hunter, Denis Lambert, David McDonald, Joseph Medeiros, Pilar Millhollen, Gary Milner, Spencer Moses, Julius Sermonia, Jacob Smith and Jesse Wildman in a cast of 32.

Kelli Barrett, Sophia Gennusa. Photo by Matthew Murphy

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO feature. scenic design by Michael Scott-Mitchell (Wagner’s Ring Cycle), costume design by five-time Tony Award nominee Paul Tazewell (Memphis), lighting design by Tony Award winner Howell Binkley (Jersey Boys), sound design by Tony Award winner SCK Sound Design (700 Sundays), projection design by Sean Nieuwenhuis (Jesus Christ Superstar), hair & wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, special effects design by Greg Meeh, fight directions by Steve Rankin, orchestrations by Danny Troob, music arrangements by Eric Stern, with musical direction and supervision by Ron Melrose. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO will be produced on Broadway by Anita Waxman,Tom Dokton, Latitude Link, Ted Hartley/RKO Stage and Chunsoo Shin, with Margo & Roger Coleman, Corcoran Productions, J. Todd Harris, The Pelican Group, Chase Mishkin, Ahmos Hassan, Conrad Prebys & Debbie Turner, Adam Silberman, The Goldiner Group/Caroline Lieberman and Bruce D. Long. Junkyard Dog Productions is the executive producer of DOCTOR ZHIVAGO.

Paul Alexander Nolan, Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Lora Lee Gayer. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Tom Hewitt. Photo by Matthew Murphy

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO is an epic romance, revolving around the search for love during the final days of Czarist Russia, the First World War and the chaos of the Russian revolution. Raised as an aristocrat, Zhivago is a political idealist, physician and poet whose life is tossed by the tides of history as he is torn between a life with his devoted wife, Tonia Gromeko and the passionate and mysterious Lara Guishar. Zhivago however, is not alone in his yearnings for Lara, and must compete with both revolutionaries and aristocracy alike to win the heart of the woman he cannot live without.Doctor Zhivago celebrates the strength of love and art, in the face of political oppression and revolution.

Tickets for DOCTOR ZHIVAGO are available at the Broadway Theatre box office or through Telecharge.com (212-239-6200). Tickets range from $42.50 – $145.00 (include $2 Facilities Fee). For groups of 10 or more visit Telecharge.com/groups or to order by phone, call 800-432-7780. The playing schedule for DOCTOR ZHIVAGO is as follows: Tuesday through Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 7:30pm with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. Beginning April 27 the playing schedule will be: Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3pm. Please note: There will be special performances Sunday, April 19 at 3pm, Monday, April 20 at 8pm, and there will be no performances Sunday, April 19 at 2pm or 7:30pm, or Wednesday, April 22.

Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett and Company. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Rush Ticket policy: A limited number of $35 tickets (inclusive of $2 facility fee) for patrons ages 30 and under will be available for each performance when the box office opens for that day’s performance (s) with valid photo identification.

Paul Alexander Nolan. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Lora Lee Gayer. Photo by Matthew Murphy

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Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Paul Nolan, Lora Lee Gayer, Melody Butiu, Julian Cihi and More Set for Broadway Bound Doctor Zhivago
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Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” 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 and Roscoe Orman. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: Inside THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE CD Release Concert with André De Shields, Kevin Mambo, Adam Chanler-Berat, Michael Friedman and More
David Henry Hwang, Laura Poitras, Amitav Ghosh, Deeyah Khan, Bill Rauch, Robert Battle, Carrie Mae Weems named among 13 Ford Foundation “Art of Change” Fellows
Photos: Traveling through the mouth of the Dragon with BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA’s James Hong, Peter Kwong, Lia Chang, Gerald Okamura, George Cheung, Al Leong, Jeff Imada, James Lew, Gary Goldman, Eric Lee, Joycelyne Lew
Photo: The Public Theater Presents Tony Award-winner Lemon Andersen’s TOAST starring Tony Nominees Keith David and John Earl Jelks, Hill Harper and more, April 21 – May 10 
A Sumptuous View of Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More in Lincoln Center Theater’s Revival of The King and I
Joe Mantegna receives Lifetime Achievement Award for Film and Television from The Riverside International Film Festival
Hamilton tops Lucille Lortel Award Nominations along with Into the Woods, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Invisible Hand, The Nether and The Fortress of Solitude
The Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, Inc.: 2015 Collaboration Award recognizing Women Working with Women Open Call
Sinatra: An American Icon Exhibit on View through September 4 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
“Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men” on view at Museum of the Moving Image through June 14; Required Viewing: Mad Men’s Movie Influences Film Series Screenings through April 26
Disney Developing Live-Action ‘Mulan’
Kenny Leon Helmed ‘The Wiz’ Set as NBC’s Next Live Musical to air on Dec. 3; Broadway Revival Slated for 2016-17
Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion Exhibition on view at New-York Historical Society through April 19; Photos of An Evening with Amy Tan
“Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong,” – Retrospective of Disney Legend at MOCA through September 13
Dining out at élan with Artist Arlan Huang; New Paintings on view at Trestle Gallery
Award Winning Actor Raul Aranas Talks THE BLACKLIST, NAAP’S OLIVER!, Songwriting and the Zen of Cycling
Tony Award Winners Chita Rivera and Roger Rees, Jason Danieley, Mary Beth Peil, David Garrison & More in Terrence McNally’s THE VISIT
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
Apr. 20: Garth Kravits joins Laura Benanti, Lena Hall, Scott Alan and more for BROADWAY SINGS TORI Concert to Benefit RAINN at (le) poisson rouge
Jerome Preston Bates, Michael Chenevert, Stephanie Berry, Terria Joseph, Kim Weston Moran, Tony Sallemi and Count Stovall set for World Premiere of Richard Wesley’s AUTUMN at Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, April 23 through May 3
April 23-30: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Lineup includes EVERYTHING BEFORE US, KTOWN COWBOYS, Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW, Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS, Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) presents Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS Featuring Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim, Jeanne Sakata, Jennifer Ikeda and Matthew Kim at the Aratani Theatre on April 24
April 26: The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Artist Spotlight- Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
May 1: A/P/A Institute at NYU presents Remembering SlutForArt: Tseng Kwong Chi with Muna Tseng, Ping Chong, and Bill T. Jones
15th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) Lineup includes Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA WITH A STRAW & Aparna Sen’s SAARI RAAT; May 4-9
Photos: Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Spring Exhibition, CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, May 7–August 16
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.
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 
Crafting a Career
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

East West Players (EWP), the nation’s premier Asian American theatre, celebrates its Golden Anniversary at their Annual Visionary Awards Dinner & Silent Auction. The Visionary Awards laud the achievements of individuals who have raised the visibility of the Asian Pacific American (APA) community through their craft. The fundraising event will take place on Monday April 20, 2015 at the Universal Hilton. Proceeds from the gala will benefit East West Players’ educational and artistic programs.

Jeff Imada has amassed over 400 credits in feature films, TV shows, commercials, and music videos as a 2nd Unit Director, Stunt Coordinator, Fight Choreographer, Technical Advisor, Stuntman, and/or Actor. His most recent work can be seen in Fast and Furious 7. Besides acting, another passion in Jeff’s life is the martial arts. In 1973, he met the legendary Dan Inosanto (Bruce Lee’s protégé and colleague) and has been training with him ever since in numerous styles. Jeff currently holds the rank of Senior Instructor with Inosanto and is one of the few certified instructors in Jeet Kune Do and the Filipino/Indonesian martial arts. I saw Imada last week at the Big Trouble in Little China screening and cast reunion at JANM’s Tateuchi Democracy Forum.

A Big Trouble in Little China reunion with Peter Kwong, screenwriter Gary Goldman, James Lew, George Cheung, James Hong, Lia Chang, Gerald Okamura, Jeff Imada, Joycelyn Lew, Al Leong and Eric Lee at JANM’s Tateuchi Democracy Forum in LA on April 8, 2015. Photo by Tami Chang.

Photos: Traveling through the mouth of the Dragon with BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA’s James Hong, Peter Kwong, Lia Chang, Gerald Okamura, George Cheung, Al Leong, Jeff Imada, James Lew, Gary Goldman, Eric Lee

Confirmed to host the event is actor Parvesh Cheena (TV’s “Outsourced” and “Arrested Development”; “Barbershop” film franchise). “I am excited to be hosting the gala on such a huge anniversary for East West Players,“ Cheena notes. “I’m also thrilled that everyone will be able to get a sneak peek at The Who’s Tommy, that opens in May!”

Also confirmed to attend are Randall Park and Constance Wu, stars of the hit TV Comedy “Fresh Off the Boat.” They are scheduled to present honorees Nahnatchka Khan and Melvin Mar with their awards.

Including Imada, the 2015 Honorees are:

Paula Williams Madison. Madison (Chairman and CEO of Madison Media Management LLC)

Receiving the EWP/AARP Real Possibilities Visionary Award is Paula Williams Madison. Madison is Chairman and CEO of Madison Media Management LLC, a Los Angeles based media consultancy company with global reach.

In 2011, Madison retired from NBCUniversal, where she had been Executive Vice President of Diversity as well as a Vice President of the General Electric Company (GE), then the parent company of NBCU. During her 22 years with NBCU, she held a number of successful leadership roles, including President and General Manager of NBC4 Los Angeles, Los Angeles Regional General Manager for NBCU’s Telemundo TV stations and Vice President and News Director of NBC4 New York.

Her career as a journalist led to a 1996 Peabody Award for NBC4 New York’s investigation, “A License to Kill. Madison’s continued dedication to quality journalism helped NBC4 Los Angeles earn numerous Emmy, Golden Mike and Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards.

Madison is the executive producer and subject of Finding Samuel Lowe: From Harlem to China, a compelling documentary that chronicles her journey to her maternal grandfather’s homeland in China and the reconnection of her family with his 300 descendants. HarperCollins will publish a memoir on the journey, Finding Samuel Lowe China, Jamaica, Harlem in April 2015.

“I am deeply humbled that the East West Players and AARP would honor me with their Visionary Award. A few years ago, I retired from the corporate world and focused on bridging a gap to connect with my grandfather’s descendants in China after an almost 100-year separation. This award truly recognizes and celebrates this recent chapter in my life’s story. It characterizes what we Hakka Chinese people say in our Hakka dialect, “Chee Gah Ngin” or “Many Places, One People.”

Nahnatchka Khan (Creator/Executive Producer “Fresh Off the Boat”). Photo by Karen Neal

East West Players also honors Nahnatchka Khan and Melvin Mar. Nahnatchka Khan is the creator for television/Executive Producer and Melvin Mar is Executive Producer for the new comedy Fresh Off the Boat, which airs Tuesdays on ABC and is produced by FOX.

“As a girl with glasses, I take special pride in receiving the Visionary Award from East West Players. It’s truly an honor to be recognized by this great organization,” said showrunner & executive producer Nahnatchka Khan.

Nahnatchka Khan is creator for television and executive producer of Fresh Off the Boat. Prior to that, she was the creator and executive producer of Don’t Trust the B—- In Apartment 23, which aired for two seasons on ABC, from 2011-2012. Before creating her own series, she served as an executive producer on the Fox animated show American Dad.

Eddie Huang, Hudson Yang, Melvin Mar and MSNBC anchor Richard Lui during the talkback at the #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC on February 4, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Melvin Mar (Executive Producer, “Fresh Off the Boat”)

Melvin Mar began his career at Dreamworks SKG and then at Scott Rudin Productions, where he built a solid relationship with Orange County director Jake Kasdan. They’ve worked together since on The TV Set, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Bad Teacher,New Girl and Sex Tape. Besides serving as executive producer on Fresh Off the Boat, he is also executive producer for the upcoming Fox series Weird Loners.

“Growing up I had Chinese parents who constantly reminded me how I had to be a doctor to be successful. East West Players represents that a Chinese kid could pursue his dreams in the arts. It’s an honor to be recognized,” said executive producer, Melvin Mar.

Current major sponsors (as of March 18) of the gala include: PLATINUM CIRCLE – AARP, CBS Corporation, Comcast NBC Universal, The Walt Disney Company; SILVER CIRCLE – IW Group, Sony Pictures Entertainment; BRONZE CIRCLE – Tim Dang & Darrel Cummings, HBO, Robert M. Kawahara and Martie Quan, Mattel (3), Sanrio Inc., Lynn Waggoner.

MSNBC anchor Richard Lui, #FreshOfftheBoat executive producer Melvin Mar, star Randall Park and Jeff Yang at the #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC on February 4, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Award-winning composer Nathan Wang (Beijing Olympics/Shaolin Monks, Steven Spielberg’s Oscar Award-winning film The Last Days) will serve as the evening’s Musical Director.

East West Players’ Golden Anniversary Visionary Awards Dinner and Silent Auction will be held on Monday, April 20, 2015 at the Hilton Universal City, 555 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City, CA 91608. The VIP Reception for table sponsors will begin at 5pm. No-host reception and silent auction will start at 6pm. The dinner and awards program will start at 7pm. Individual tickets are $200- $1,500. Full table sponsorship packages are also available. For more information on East West Players’ Golden Anniversary Visionary Awards Dinner and Silent Auction, please visit eastwestplayers.org or contact East West Players at (213) 625-7000 or Development Manager Monika Ramnath at mramnath@eastwestplayers.org

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” 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 and Roscoe Orman. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

#FreshOffTheBoat Articles
East West Players’ Honors Paula Madison of Madison Media Management LLC and “Fresh Off The Boat” Executive Producers Nahnatchka Khan and Melvin Mar on April 20
KoreAm Feature on the FRESH OFF THE BOAT Viewing Parties Across the Country 
Mar. 10: Also-Known-As, Inc. Hosts FRESH OFF THE BOAT Viewing Party and Talkback at Taj
FRESH OFF THE BOAT Community Screening and Talkback with Hudson Yang, Jeff Yang, Jen Kwok, Ray Rahman and Jen Chung at the Time & Life Building
The Greene Space at WNYC presents Preview Screenings of ABC’s FRESH OFF THE BOAT; Conversation with Amy Chua, Awkwafina & Jay Smooth, moderated by Jeff Yang
Photos: Hudson Yang, Randall Park, Eddie Huang, Richard Lui, Lori Tan Chinn and More at #FreshOffTheBoat Viewing Party at The Circle NYC 
vulture.com: Watching Fresh Off the Boat With 999 Asian-Americans
nbcnews.com: ‘Today, We’ve Arrived': Fresh Off the Boat Makes TV History
slate.com:“It Takes More Than Lunchables to Assimilate” Arthur Chu, Jennifer Lai, and Phil Yu discuss the Fresh Off the Boat premiere.
asamnews.com: An Inside Look at The Fresh Off the Boat Launch Party in New York
takepart.com: ‘Fresh off the Boat’ Made People Uncomfortable Before It Even Aired
latimes.com: ABC sitcom ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ is a satire that works
ew.com: Fresh Off the Boat’s showrunner talks joking about race (without being racist)
Feb. 4: “Fresh Off the Boat” Live Viewing Party at THE CIRCLE NYC with Hudson Yang; ‘Fresh On The Air’ by Jeff Yang and Louie Chin
ABC’s “Fresh Off the Boat” starring Randall Park, Constance Wu, Hudson Yang, Forrest Wheeler, and Ian Chen, Premieres on February 4 & 10

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: Inside THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE CD Release Concert with André De Shields, Kevin Mambo, Adam Chanler-Berat, Michael Friedman and More
David Henry Hwang, Laura Poitras, Amitav Ghosh, Deeyah Khan, Bill Rauch, Robert Battle, Carrie Mae Weems named among 13 Ford Foundation “Art of Change” Fellows
Photos: The Public Theater Presents Tony Award-winner Lemon Andersen’s TOAST starring Tony Nominees Keith David and John Earl Jelks, Hill Harper and more, April 21 – May 10 
A Sumptuous View of Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More in Lincoln Center Theater’s Revival of The King and I
Joe Mantegna receives Lifetime Achievement Award for Film and Television from The Riverside International Film Festival
Production Photos: Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Lora Lee Gayer & Paul Alexander Nolan in DOCTOR ZHIVAGO on Broadway; Opens April 21
Hamilton tops Lucille Lortel Award Nominations along with Into the Woods, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Invisible Hand, The Nether and The Fortress of Solitude
The Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, Inc.: 2015 Collaboration Award recognizing Women Working with Women Open Call
Sinatra: An American Icon Exhibit on View through September 4 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
“Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men” on view at Museum of the Moving Image through June 14; Required Viewing: Mad Men’s Movie Influences Film Series Screenings through April 26
Disney Developing Live-Action ‘Mulan’
Kenny Leon Helmed ‘The Wiz’ Set as NBC’s Next Live Musical to air on Dec. 3; Broadway Revival Slated for 2016-17
Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion Exhibition on view at New-York Historical Society through April 19; Photos of An Evening with Amy Tan
“Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong,” – Retrospective of Disney Legend at MOCA through September 13
Dining out at élan with Artist Arlan Huang; New Paintings on view at Trestle Gallery
Award Winning Actor Raul Aranas Talks THE BLACKLIST, NAAP’S OLIVER!, Songwriting and the Zen of Cycling
Tony Award Winners Chita Rivera and Roger Rees, Jason Danieley, Mary Beth Peil, David Garrison & More in Terrence McNally’s THE VISIT
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
Apr. 20: Garth Kravits joins Laura Benanti, Lena Hall, Scott Alan and more for BROADWAY SINGS TORI Concert to Benefit RAINN at (le) poisson rouge
Jerome Preston Bates, Michael Chenevert, Stephanie Berry, Terria Joseph, Kim Weston Moran, Tony Sallemi and Count Stovall set for World Premiere of Richard Wesley’s AUTUMN at Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, April 23 through May 3
April 23-30: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Lineup includes EVERYTHING BEFORE US, KTOWN COWBOYS, Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW, Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS, Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) presents Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS Featuring Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim, Jeanne Sakata, Jennifer Ikeda and Matthew Kim at the Aratani Theatre on April 24
April 26: The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Artist Spotlight- Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
May 1: A/P/A Institute at NYU presents Remembering SlutForArt: Tseng Kwong Chi with Muna Tseng, Ping Chong, and Bill T. Jones
15th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) Lineup includes Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA WITH A STRAW & Aparna Sen’s SAARI RAAT; May 4-9
Photos: Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Spring Exhibition, CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, May 7–August 16
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.
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 
Crafting a Career
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

Peter Kwong, Suzee Pai and Kim Cattrall in Big Trouble in Little China. (c) Twentieth Century Fox

Big Trouble in Little China cast members Peter Kwong and Gerald Okamura strike a stance at JANM’s Tateuchi Democracy Forum in LA on April 8, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

It was great to reconnect with my friend and colleague Peter Kwong last week at the sold out screening of the cult classic Big Trouble in Little China, part of the Big Trouble in Little Tokyo film series presented by JANM in partnership with Angry Asian Man, First Pond Entertainment, and Visual Communications last week.

The night proved to be an epic reunion of historic proportions with my fellow cast members including Kwong, the legendary James Hong, Gerald Okamura, Al Leong, George Cheung, James Lew, Jeff Imada, Eric Lee,  and screenwriter Gary Goldman.

A Big Trouble in Little China reunion with Peter Kwong, screenwriter Gary Goldman, James Lew, George Cheung, James Hong, Lia Chang, Gerald Okamura, Jeff Imada, Joycelyn Lew, Al Leong and Eric Lee at JANM’s Tateuchi Democracy Forum in LA on April 8, 2015. Photo by Tami Chang.

Kwong is a veteran of film, television and stage, best known for his roles as Rain in Big Trouble in Little China and as Tommy Tong in Eddie Murphy’s Golden Child. He just finished filming Cooties, starring Elijah Wood, and has appeared in more than 100 film and television roles.

Nasim Pedrad, Rainn Wilson, Elijah Wood, Alison Pill, Jack McBrayer and Peter Kwong in COOTIES (Image Credit: Tony Rivetti Jr.)

Peter Kwong as Rain In Big Trouble in Little China.

Other favorite films include roles in The Presidio, Angel Town, Never Too Young To Die, Gleaming The Cube, Steel Justice, Theodore Rex with Whoopie Goldberg, Row Your Boat with Jon Bon Jovi and Bai Ling, and Pearl S. Buck’s historic epic The Living Reed as the King of Korea. On television you may have seen him in “Sullivan & Son,” “Malcolm and Eddie,” “Sisters,” “The Wayan Brothers,” “Daddy Dearest,” “Renegade,” ” Top Cops,” “Full House,” “Doctor, Doctor”.  On stage, Kwong portrayed the lead role as Dr. Haing S. Ngor in The Survivor: A Cambodian Odyssey by Jon Lipsky at the Actors Theatre of Louisville/Humana Festival, and stretched his musical theater skills in Mame with the late Juliet Prowse.

Peter Kwong as Tommy Tong in Golden Child.

In addition to his thriving acting career, Kwong recently served on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for two terms and served on The Board of Directors of SAG-AFTRA, chairman of the Committee for Racial Equality of Actors Equity Association, and the Vice-Chairs of the Ethnic Equal Opportunities and the Young Performers Committees of the Screen Actors Guild. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences & Television Academy.  He has also served with the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Heritage Week. He has emceed events for Visual Communications, The Lotus Festival, Asian Business League, and the Los Angeles Miss Chinatown Pageant four times and had the privilege to go to Namibia, Africa to judge the Miss Universe Pageant.

Kwong’s talents have won him an honorary membership in the Los Angeles Mime Guild. He is featured dancing on numerous music videos, including Ed Sheeran’s Sing.

He studied Northern Shaolin Kung-fu which has allowed him to do many of his own stunts and eventually branch off to more meditative disciplines such as Tai Chi Chuan and Chi Kung Meditation. He currently teaches Tai Chi Chuan.

Peter Kwong displays his ‘Rain’ action figures at JANM’s Tateuchi Democracy Forum in LA on April 8, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Peter Kwong as Rain in BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA.

Peter Kwong: After about thirty years, this film has taken an incredible journey. Lately, they’ve come out with a comic book, some more action figures. There’s a lot of activity that has been going on recently. What the fans would like to know about the film, there are a lot of secrets of what went on behind the scenes to make this film. This film had a lot of impact because it came out right after Year of the Dragon. We of the crew and the cast had to do a lot of work on it in order for us to fight the protests that were going on at that time. Not only did it represent fun and games, but it represented a critical point of where the community met Hollywood. John Carpenter was really amazing because he really reached out to cast and crew. He really asked for all of us to put in our imput. What was nice about it for example, the long hair. I’ve always fantasized about wanting to have that character because of the old Chinese movies, the old sword fighting movies. I was the only one of the three Storms that wasn’t from Hong Kong. They knew I was in trouble. I had to sit in three hours of makeup everyday just to get in and out of the $3000 wig. Kwong then treated the audience to a double sword demo, straight from the final scene of the film.

Peter Kwong Website

Related articles:
Photos: Traveling through the mouth of the Dragon with BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA’s James Hong, Peter Kwong, Lia Chang, Gerald Okamura, George Cheung, Al Leong, Jeff Imada, James Lew, Gary Goldman, Eric Lee ‪
lookitseugeneabano.wordpress.com: Big Trouble in Little China Revisited- Picture Heavy
Funko to Release Big Trouble in Little China Pop! and ReAction Figures

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

South Coast Repertory is presenting the world premiere of Mr. Wolf, by Rajiv Joseph, directed by Founding Artistic Director David Emmes through May 3, 2015. The cast for Mr. Wolf includes Tessa Auberjonois, John de Lancie, Emily Ruth James, Kwana Martinez and Jon Tenney.

This production began previews on April 12 and celebrated it’s opening night on April 17. It 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.

John de Lancie and Emily James in Mr. Wolf by Rajiv Joseph. Photo by Debora Robinson/SCR.

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.

Emily James, Jon Tenney and John de Lancie in Mr. Wolf by Rajiv Joseph. Photo by Debora Robinson/SCR.

Click below to read the ocregister.com review.

‘Mr. Wolf’ tears at the fabric of deep emotions – and of the universe

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.

Tessa Auberjonois and Jon Tenney in Mr. Wolf by Rajiv Joseph. Photo by Debora Robinson/SCR.

Tessa Auberjonois, Jon Tenney, Emily James and John de Lancie in Mr. Wolf by Rajiv Joseph. Photo by Debora Robinson/SCR.

Jon Tenney and Kwana Martinez in Mr. Wolf by Rajiv Joseph. Photo by Debora Robinson/SCR.

Emily James and John de Lancie in Mr. Wolf by Rajiv Joseph. Photo by Debora Robinson/SCR.

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.

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 through May 3. Ticket prices start at $22.

Performance Dates, Times:

• 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.

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.

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-May 3; 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.

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.

Related Articles:
Jon Tenney, Tessa Auberjonois, John de Lancie, Emily Ruth James and Kwana Martinez in World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s MR. WOLF at South Coast Repertory through May 3; SCR Podcast features the playwright’s inspiration
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
Playwright Rajiv Joseph wins Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award for New Play GUARDS AT THE TAJ; Set for World Premiere at Atlantic Theater Company in May 
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
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents Rajiv Joseph’s THE LAKE EFFECT Starring Adam Poss, Nilanjana Bose, Jason Bowen through March 29
Jaime Castañeda to Helm Rajiv Joseph’s GUARDS AT THE TAJ at La Jolla Playhouse, February 2-28, 2016
The Old Globe Presents World Premiere of Christopher Gattelli Helmed IN YOUR ARMS Featuring Vignettes written by David Henry Hwang, Rajiv Joseph, Douglas Carter Beane, Nilo Cruz, Christopher Durang, Carrie Fisher, Terrence McNally, Marsha Norman, Lynn Nottage, and Alfred Uhry, September 16 – October 25
NYU Theatrical Production Presents the World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe the Night in the Shubert Theatre at Tisch School of the Arts through November 24
Nov. 19-24: NYU Theatrical Production Presents the World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe the Night in the Shubert Theatre at Tisch School of the Arts
East West Players’ Los Angeles Premiere of “Animals Out of Paper” by Rajiv Joseph, Featuring C.S. Lee and Tess Lina, Opens Sept. 10, 2014
Dec. 16: Award Winning Playwrights Rajiv Joseph and Tarell Alvin McCraney, the focus of PBS Film, Playwright: From Page to Stage
Photos: David Henry Hwang, Annie Baker and Rajiv Joseph honored at Sixth Annual Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards
Nov. 18: David Henry Hwang, Annie Baker and Rajiv Joseph to be honored at Sixth Annual Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards
Photos: André De Shields, Michael Shannon, Rajiv Joseph, Christine Sherrill, Doug Peck, Alexis J. Rogers, Karen Ziemba and More Celebrate 2013 Jeff Equity Awards

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” 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 and Roscoe Orman. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Thom Sesma, Emily Padgett, J. Elaine Marcos and Thai Superstar Bie Sukrit lead the cast of the world premiere of WATERFALL at The Pasadena Playhouse, May 29 – June 28 and Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre, October 1-25
Production Photos: Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Lora Lee Gayer & Paul Alexander Nolan in DOCTOR ZHIVAGO on Broadway; Opens April 21
Photos: Inside THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE CD Release Concert with André De Shields, Kevin Mambo, Adam Chanler-Berat, Michael Friedman and More
David Henry Hwang, Laura Poitras, Amitav Ghosh, Deeyah Khan, Bill Rauch, Robert Battle, Carrie Mae Weems named among 13 Ford Foundation “Art of Change” Fellows
Photos: Traveling through the mouth of the Dragon with BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA’s James Hong, Peter Kwong, Lia Chang, Gerald Okamura, George Cheung, Al Leong, Jeff Imada, James Lew, Gary Goldman, Eric Lee, Joycelyne Lew
Photo: The Public Theater Presents Tony Award-winner Lemon Andersen’s TOAST starring Tony Nominees Keith David and John Earl Jelks, Hill Harper and more, April 21 – May 10 
A Sumptuous View of Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More in Lincoln Center Theater’s Revival of The King and I
Joe Mantegna receives Lifetime Achievement Award for Film and Television from The Riverside International Film Festival
Hamilton tops Lucille Lortel Award Nominations along with Into the Woods, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Invisible Hand, The Nether and The Fortress of Solitude
The Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, Inc.: 2015 Collaboration Award recognizing Women Working with Women Open Call
Sinatra: An American Icon Exhibit on View through September 4 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
“Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men” on view at Museum of the Moving Image through June 14; Required Viewing: Mad Men’s Movie Influences Film Series Screenings through April 26
Disney Developing Live-Action ‘Mulan’
Kenny Leon Helmed ‘The Wiz’ Set as NBC’s Next Live Musical to air on Dec. 3; Broadway Revival Slated for 2016-17
Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion Exhibition on view at New-York Historical Society through April 19; Photos of An Evening with Amy Tan
“Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong,” – Retrospective of Disney Legend at MOCA through September 13
Dining out at élan with Artist Arlan Huang; New Paintings on view at Trestle Gallery
Award Winning Actor Raul Aranas Talks THE BLACKLIST, NAAP’S OLIVER!, Songwriting and the Zen of Cycling
Tony Award Winners Chita Rivera and Roger Rees, Jason Danieley, Mary Beth Peil, David Garrison & More in Terrence McNally’s THE VISIT
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
Apr. 20: Garth Kravits joins Laura Benanti, Lena Hall, Scott Alan and more for BROADWAY SINGS TORI Concert to Benefit RAINN at (le) poisson rouge
Jerome Preston Bates, Michael Chenevert, Stephanie Berry, Terria Joseph, Kim Weston Moran, Tony Sallemi and Count Stovall set for World Premiere of Richard Wesley’s AUTUMN at Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, April 23 through May 3
April 23-30: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Lineup includes EVERYTHING BEFORE US, KTOWN COWBOYS, Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW, Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS, Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) presents Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS Featuring Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim, Jeanne Sakata, Jennifer Ikeda and Matthew Kim at the Aratani Theatre on April 24
April 26: The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Artist Spotlight- Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
May 1: A/P/A Institute at NYU presents Remembering SlutForArt: Tseng Kwong Chi with Muna Tseng, Ping Chong, and Bill T. Jones
15th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) Lineup includes Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA WITH A STRAW & Aparna Sen’s SAARI RAAT; May 4-9
Photos: Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Spring Exhibition, CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, May 7–August 16
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.
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 
Crafting a Career
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

Pittsburgh Public Theater’s 40th anniversary Season of Legends continues with William Shakespeare’s great drama, Othello. Directed by Ted Pappas, Othello runs April 16 – May 17, 2015 at the O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

Edward James Hyland

Pappas has set his fast-paced new production of Othello in mid-19th century Venice and Cyprus. He has assembled an extraordinary cast to tell this thrilling and timeless story of jealousy, betrayal, and heartbreak. In the title role is Teagle F. Bougere, who received great acclaim last season for his performance here in An Iliad. Making his Public Theater debut as Iago is Jeremy Kushnier, who appeared on Broadway in Jersey Boys, Rent, Footloose, and Jesus Christ Superstar. Returning to play Desdemona is Amanda Leigh Cobb, who was last seen at The Public as Sibyl in Private Lives.

Also returning as Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, is Edward James Hyland (Electra; Harry’s Friendly Service). Paul Terzenbach, who performed in Good People, play Cassio and Michael MacCauley, seen here last season in Noises Off, plays Montano.

Public Theater favorites include Daniel Krell as Lodovico, Larry John Meyers as Gratiano, and David Whalen as the Duke of Venice. The Public welcomes Christopher McFarland as Roderigo, Jessica Wortham as Emilia, Robin Abramson as Bianca. Also featured are Shaun Cameron Hall, Ross Kobelak, Joseph Martinez, Andrew William Miller, Garrett Storm, and Michael Sullivan.

The designers for Othello are James Noone (Scenery), Gabriel Berry (Costumes), Kirk Bookman (Lighting), and Zach Moore (Sound). Randy Kovitz is the Fight Director and Casting is by McCorkle Casting. Ruth E. Kramer is the Production Stage Manager and Caitlin Roper is the Assistant Stage Manager.

• Tuesdays at 7pm
• Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm (Except April 29)
• Saturday at 2pm (Except April 25). Also 2pm on Thursday, May 14
• Sunday at 2 & 7pm (Except May 17, when the final performance is at 2pm)

Ticket prices:
Start at $23. Tickets for students and age 26 and younger are $15.75.
Discounts for groups of 10+ are available by contacting Katie Conaway at 412.316.1600 x704 or kconaway@ppt.org.
Call 412.316.1600 or Buy Online

O’Reilly Theater
621 Penn Ave | Pittsburgh, PA | 15222 | Directions
Phone: (412) 316-1600

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” 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 and Roscoe Orman. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Thom Sesma, Emily Padgett, J. Elaine Marcos and Thai Superstar Bie Sukrit lead the cast of the world premiere of WATERFALL at The Pasadena Playhouse, May 29 – June 28 and Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre, October 1-25
Production Photos: Jon Tenney, Emily Ruth James, Tessa Auberjonois, John de Lancie, and Kwana Martinez in World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s MR. WOLF at South Coast Repertory through May 3
Production Photos: Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tom Hewitt, Lora Lee Gayer & Paul Alexander Nolan in DOCTOR ZHIVAGO on Broadway; Opens April 21
Photos: Inside THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE CD Release Concert with André De Shields, Kevin Mambo, Adam Chanler-Berat, Michael Friedman and More
David Henry Hwang, Laura Poitras, Amitav Ghosh, Deeyah Khan, Bill Rauch, Robert Battle, Carrie Mae Weems named among 13 Ford Foundation “Art of Change” Fellows
Photos: Traveling through the mouth of the Dragon with BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA’s James Hong, Peter Kwong, Lia Chang, Gerald Okamura, George Cheung, Al Leong, Jeff Imada, James Lew, Gary Goldman, Eric Lee, Joycelyne Lew
Photo: The Public Theater Presents Tony Award-winner Lemon Andersen’s TOAST starring Tony Nominees Keith David and John Earl Jelks, Hill Harper and more, April 21 – May 10 
A Sumptuous View of Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More in Lincoln Center Theater’s Revival of The King and I
Joe Mantegna receives Lifetime Achievement Award for Film and Television from The Riverside International Film Festival
Hamilton tops Lucille Lortel Award Nominations along with Into the Woods, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Invisible Hand, The Nether and The Fortress of Solitude
The Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, Inc.: 2015 Collaboration Award recognizing Women Working with Women Open Call
Sinatra: An American Icon Exhibit on View through September 4 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
“Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men” on view at Museum of the Moving Image through June 14; Required Viewing: Mad Men’s Movie Influences Film Series Screenings through April 26
Disney Developing Live-Action ‘Mulan’
Kenny Leon Helmed ‘The Wiz’ Set as NBC’s Next Live Musical to air on Dec. 3; Broadway Revival Slated for 2016-17
Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion Exhibition on view at New-York Historical Society through April 19; Photos of An Evening with Amy Tan
“Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong,” – Retrospective of Disney Legend at MOCA through September 13
Dining out at élan with Artist Arlan Huang; New Paintings on view at Trestle Gallery
Award Winning Actor Raul Aranas Talks THE BLACKLIST, NAAP’S OLIVER!, Songwriting and the Zen of Cycling
Tony Award Winners Chita Rivera and Roger Rees, Jason Danieley, Mary Beth Peil, David Garrison & More in Terrence McNally’s THE VISIT
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
Apr. 20: Garth Kravits joins Laura Benanti, Lena Hall, Scott Alan and more for BROADWAY SINGS TORI Concert to Benefit RAINN at (le) poisson rouge
Jerome Preston Bates, Michael Chenevert, Stephanie Berry, Terria Joseph, Kim Weston Moran, Tony Sallemi and Count Stovall set for World Premiere of Richard Wesley’s AUTUMN at Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, April 23 through May 3
April 23-30: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Lineup includes EVERYTHING BEFORE US, KTOWN COWBOYS, Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW, Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS, Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) presents Jennifer Phang’s ADVANTAGEOUS Featuring Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim, Jeanne Sakata, Jennifer Ikeda and Matthew Kim at the Aratani Theatre on April 24
April 26: The 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) Artist Spotlight- Arthur Dong’s FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. and THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR
May 1: A/P/A Institute at NYU presents Remembering SlutForArt: Tseng Kwong Chi with Muna Tseng, Ping Chong, and Bill T. Jones
15th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) Lineup includes Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA WITH A STRAW & Aparna Sen’s SAARI RAAT; May 4-9
Photos: Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Spring Exhibition, CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, May 7–August 16
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.
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 
Crafting a Career
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