First Time All Asian, Female Sketch Comedy Group Gets Show At Upright Citizens Brigade Theater

AzN PoP! is the first group of its kind to receive a run of their show, "AzN PoP!: Live in Concert!" at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York City. AzN PoP! is a comedy group comprised of Maya Deshmukh, Iliana Inocencio, Anna Suzuki, Angel Yau, and Ann Marie Yoo. All five members both wrote and star in the show. It is directed by Leslie Meisel, with choreography by Dave Mizzoni.

"AzN PoP!: Live in Concert!" is a musical sketch comedy show. Using elements from KPop, JPop, and 90s American girl bands, AzN PoP! takes the audience on a musical journey like you've never seen before. Band members, Baby Rice (Iliana Inocencio), Quirky Rice (Angel Yau), Edgy Rice (Anna Suzuki), Competitive Rice (Ann Marie Yoo), and Brown Rice (Maya Deshmukh) dance, sing, and rap about boys, friendship, and systemic racism/oppression. Super cute! They all represent different countries in Asia respectively: The Philippines, China, Japan, Korea, and India.

AzN PoP! worked through several iterations of the show, at The People's Improv Theater, The Second City in LA, and eventually, a Spank-a show's public "audition" -for a run at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York. The Spank was what earned the group a spot on The UCBT's regular calendar.

AzN PoP! was pleasantly surprised by the packed house and the reaction they received from the audience at their Spank. Some fellow Asian-American audience members expressed how the show's treatment of Asian-American issues was "cathartic" for them. That's not to say the show is only for Asian-American audiences. The comedic elements are relatable and touch on topics that are accessible to everyone. Maya Deshmukh stated, "Audience members from all cultural backgrounds will enjoy this. So many people love music and dancing and that's what we've got! You're basically at a concert. You're gonna wanna dance and sing with us!"

AzN Pop!: Live in Concert! is the first sketch show to feature an all Asian cast at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York. For AzN PoP!, this was and is a big deal to them. "We all love the UCB community and have always wanted to be a part of it-whether it's being on a house team or getting a run of our show," said Ann Marie Yoo. Iliana Inocencio added, "Getting a run of our show feels extra sweet because it's all the opinions we as Asian-American women really have and wanted to put out there." Anna Suzuki contributed, "Until recently, comedy has been viewed as a straight, white, male's game. As an all Asian female group, this feels like a big step in the right direction for us, the theater, and honestly, comedy as a whole." Angel Yau proudly added, "We upped the Asian female-ness on the UCB Roster! What an accomplishment!"

AzN PoP!: Live in Concert!, starts its open-ended run this January 2017 at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater Chelsea location. More information on AzN PoP! Available here: https://www.facebook.com/AzNPoPComedy
For tickets to AzN PoP!: Live in Concert! Visit: http://www.ucbtheatre.com/show/5996