Playwright Minghao Tu Brings FOR THE SMOG IS RISING to NYPL

Voyage Theater Company/PARTS UNKNOWN Play Reading Series will present a staged reading of FOR THE SMOG IS RISING by Minghao Tu, directed by Luke Leonard, at the 53rd Street New York Public Library (18 W 53 Street, across the street from MOMA), Thursday August 15 at 7pm. Admission is FREE and open to the public, but reservations are highly encouraged. Please RSVP here. The performance will run approximately 110 minutes. There will be a brief talkback with the playwright and director immediately following the reading.

The play centers on three American sisters who are having an unpleasant reunion on the Great Wall of China. A late U.S. president shows up and offers them some help. However, mending broken sisterhood is never easy, especially when adoption and race come into play. FOR THE SMOG IS RISING is a comedy about family as a reality and as a myth, the capitalization on diversity and differences, what keeps us together and what keeps us apart.

The cast includes Ally Callaghan, Michaela Fox, Carla Johnston, Sue Kim, Natalie Leonard, Mickey Ryan, and Tina Wonglu.

MINGHAO TU (Playwright) writes angry plays that make people laugh, plays that are a quarter inch too big, that confront the confusion of the global age and the psychology behind building barriers. Born in Wuhan, China and currently based in Austin, he is a Michener fellow at the Michener Center for Writers. His plays have been developed and/or produced at Ground Floor Theatre in Austin, Lucky Chaos Productions, UT Austin, featured on The Steppenwolf Theatre's THE MIX, and on the finalist and semifinalist at UCross Foundation and PlayPenn. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and an alum of UC San Diego (BA Theatre 2017).

Luke Leonard (Director) is a theater director whose work spans the performing and visual arts. He is the Founding Artistic Director of New York nonprofit theater company Monk Parrots known for its diverse repertoire of concept-driven original productions. Luke's critically acclaimed stage productions are described as "outstanding" by The New York Times, "bold and experimental...a clear vision...pure theatrical experience" by nytheatre.com, and "clear to a fault" by Parterre Box. Luke is a member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, Dramatist Guild, and holds a MFA in Directing from The University of Texas at Austin. (www.lukeleonard.com)

VOYAGE THEATER COMPANY presents new and unheralded plays and playwrights from around the world, creating opportunities for collaboration between theater-makers of diverse cultures and disciplines. We serve our local community in New York City through professional productions, educational programming, internships, and discounted tickets for students and seniors. We present plays in multiple languages, and work in partnership with other non-profit organizations to broaden perspectives and build greater cultural equity across communities.

PARTS UNKNOWN Play Reading Series is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.