Southern Plains Productions Announces 2023 Season

Southern Plains Productions, the Oklahoma City Theatre Company known for championing early-career artists and its work to make the performing arts more accessible, has announced its 2023 season. This year features two timely, family friendly shows.

Kicking off Southern Plains Productions' third season is The Chinese Lady, a Lloyd Suh play based on the life of Afong Moy, believed to be the first female Chinese immigrant to the United States. The story begins when Moy arrives in the U.S. from Guangzhou Province in 1834 and becomes the living centerpiece of her own museum exhibit. For the next 50 years, spectators watch her eat, see her interact with her translator, Atung, and witness her walking on bound feet. The Chinese Lady is an historic yet timely show that examines the human psyche and early American society through the eyes of a young Asian woman.

Southern Plains Productions' presentation of The Chinese Lady runs from July 20-23 at Plenty Mercantile's The Venue at PLENTY in Oklahoma City's Automobile Alley.

The show is directed by Los Angeles native Samantha Toy Ozeas and features a creative team that includes Oklahoma City's Hui Cha Poos as movement director and Shanghai, China native Zhang Yu as costume designer.

The Chinese Lady is being presented with the support of the Oklahoma City Asian District Cultural Association.

"We are thrilled to support the Oklahoma City premiere of The Chinese Lady," said Asian District Executive Director Andrea Schultz. "This story portrays how contemporary racism lingers within our society and offers a powerful perspective that is not often represented in mass media. By shining light on the Asian experience in America, The Chinese Lady shows how far we've come, but still have so far to go."

In August, Southern Plains Productions presents the play Silent Sky in partnership with Science Museum Oklahoma. Silent Sky tells the story of Henrietta Leavitt, who at the turn of the 20th century worked in the Harvard University Observatory as a human "computer," helping map the stars but receiving no credit. Despite the restrictive gender norms of her time and challenges associated with hearing loss, Leavitt discovered a means of measuring distance on an inter-galactic scale, which changed our perspective of the universe.

"Silent Sky just radiates hope," said Director Cameron King. "There is a certain grateful glow that I'm always left with after finishing the script. The question of what lies beyond our sky lingers in all our imaginations, and I can't wait to stargaze with Oklahoma City."

In an age of electric vehicles and artificial intelligence, it's significant to remember that Henrietta Leavitt's work and story are still relevant today.

"Like myself, the women in this play are females working in male-dominated fields," said King. "Henrietta Leavitt was not only a trailblazing astronomer for her brilliant mind, but she was a huge participant in the shattering of gender confines in the early 20th century. Her rebellious attitude against the patriarchal world of science reshaped the way women were treated in STEM fields and beyond, and I can't help but think without her contributions to this world, my life would be very different."

Silent Sky lights up the Science Museum Oklahoma Planetarium August 10-13.

"This year, we're proud to spotlight two women of such strong character and celebrate their contributions to science, to humanity, and to the ongoing American story," said Jackson Gifford, Southern Plains Productions founder and artistic director.

Southern Plains Productions is an Oklahoma City professional theatre company that champions collegiate and early-career artists, and accessibility in the performing arts. A 501(c)(3) non-profit theatre company, Southern Plains Productions is committed to serving Oklahoma City with exceptional artistic productions, both musicals and plays, that enhance quality of life for our audiences and bring great credit to our craft. southernplainsproductions.org

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