AEA to Celebrate Asian Heritage Month with 'ORPHANS OF THE NIGHTINGALE,' 5/27

In celebration of Asian Heritage month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Committee of Actors' Equity Association will present "Orphans of the Nightingale of the Desert Abridged: A Bollywood Spectacular," an evening of short plays written by members of the Ma-Yi Theater Company Writers Lab. This one-night only, free community event will take place on Tuesday, May 27 at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7:00 p.m.; first come, first served) at the Engelman Recital Hall at Baruch Performing Arts Center (55 Lexington Avenue at East 25th Street).

The eight featured short plays are: "Sanctuary" by Don Nguyen; "The Very Illuminating Allegory of Warrior Jayne Battling the Moldman" by Samantha Chanse; "Beauty and the Ignorant Beast" by Naveen Bahar Choudhury; "The Secret Treasure" by Sung Rno; "The Universal Declaration of Fungibility" by Ralph Peña; "On My Own" by Rehana Lew Mirza; "True Story" by Nandita Shenoy; and "What About the Children?" by Mrinalini Kamath. By examining these works, the evening will allow for a post-performance discussion regarding the progress surrounding stage roles and opportunities for Asian actors in the theater.

The evening will be directed by Nelson T. Eusebio III, featuring a cast of Actors' Equity Association members (subject to change): Farah Bala, Ali Ewoldt, Julie Fitzpatrick, Karen Tsen Lee, Jason Liebman, Matthew Park and David Shih. Bernita Robinson is stage manager. Nandita Shenoy and Mrinalini Kamath serve as producers.