Kim's Convenience at Laguna Playhouse

LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE ANNOUNCES THE FIRST SHOW OF ITS 2022-2023 SEASON!The Orange County Premiere Of KIMS CONVENIENCE Written by Ins ChoiDirected by Jon Lawrence RiveraLIMITED ENGAGEMENT BEGINS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 AT THE LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE IN LAGUNA BEACH!Gut-bustingly funny with a huge heart. - Vancouver SunLAGUNA PLAYHOUSE opens its 2022-2023 season with the Orange County premiere of the hilarious KIMS CONVENIENCE, written by Ins Choi and directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera. Comments Executive Producing Director Ellen Richard, We have been waiting to bring this play to our subscribers and audiences for what feels like years now. To open our season with this uplifting and funny play is a dream come true for many of us at the Playhouse, and we cant wait for you to see why! KIMS CONVENIENCE begins previews on Wednesday, September 21; will open on Sunday, September 25 at 5:30pm and perform through Sunday, October 9, 2022 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Drive in Laguna Beach.The most successful new Canadian play of the last decade, KIM'S CONVENIENCE - set in a family-run Korean convenience store - is a hilarious and heartwarming ode to generations of immigrants. Mr. Kim is a first-generation Korean immigrant and the proud owner of Kims Convenience for the past 30 years. Now hes trying desperately - and hilariously - to grapple with both a changing neighborhood landscape and the chasm between him and his second-generation offspring. Before KIMS CONVENIENCE was a hit on Canadian TV and Netflix, it brought laughter to audiences through this warm and joyous stage play. ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CASTINS CHOI (Playwright) was born in Korea but grew up and currently lives in Toronto, Canada with his wife and two children. Some of his theatre acting credits includeBanana Boys, lady in the red dress(fu-GEN);Hamlet, The Odyssey, Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, All's Well That Ends Well(Stratford Festival);Alligator PieandDeath of a Saleman(Soulpepper). As a writer, his debut play,Kim's Convenience, won the Best New Play award and the Patron's Pick at the 2011 Toronto Fringe festival. It then launched Soulpepper theatre company's 2012 season, toured across Canada, and was adapted into a TV series of the same name on the CBC and Netflix for 5 seasons. Ins was a writer, executive producer and co-creator of the TV series. He has also written a solo show calledSubway Stations of the Cross: Songs, Stories and Spoken Wordsand was part of the collective that createdAlligator Pie, re(birth): ee cummings in song, Window on Toronto(Soulpepper);2000 Candles(Brookstone). His new play,Bad Parent, is being produced by Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre for the fall of 2022 at PTE in Winnipeg, the Cultch in Vancouver and at Soulpepper in Toronto. Hes also developing various TV and film projects.JON LAWRENCE RIVERA (Director) is the Founding Artistic Director of Playwrights Arena, and the recipient of the first Career Achievement Award from Stage Raw. He recently directed the following world premieres for Playwrights Arena: Apartment Living by Boni B. Alvarez, A Hit Dog Will Holler by Inda Craig-Galvn, Southernmost by Mary Lyon Kamitaki, Baby Eyes by Donald Jolly, Bloodletting by Boni B. Alvarez (Kirk Douglas Theatre), @THE SPEEDOFJAKE by Jennifer Maisel, Cinnamon Girl by Velina Hasu Houston and Nathan Wang (also in Beijing), The Anatomy Of Gazellas by Janine Salinas Schoenberg, Girl Most Likely To by Michael Premrirat, and Euripides Helen by Nick Salamone (at the Getty Villa). Other recent work includes: Anna In The Tropics by Nilo Cruz, Obama-ology by Aurin Squire, The Joy Luck Club by Susan Kim, The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown, Criers For Hire by Giovanni Ortega, Bingo Hall by Dillon Chitto, Fairly Traceable by Mary Kathryn Nagle, Stand-Off At Hwy #37 by Vickie Ramirez, and the landmark Los Angeles Premiere of Dogeaters by Jessica Hagedorn at SIPA and Kirk Douglas Theatre. Rivera is also the recipient of a NY Fringe Festival Award (for directing Hillary Agonistes), and an LA Weekly Award (for directing Sea Change).The Cast of KIMS CONVENIENCE features (in alphabetical order): Yong Kim as Appa, Gavin Lee as Jung, Susane Lee as Janet, Clinton Lowe as Alex, and Janet Song as Umma. Understudies for KIMS CONVENIENCE include: Joe Alanes, Peter Laboy,Pamela Lee Paek and Chris Yim.The Design Team for KIMS CONVENIENCE is as follows: Scenic Design is by You-Shin Chen; Costume Design by Jojo Siu; Lighting Design by Wesley Charles Siu Muen Chew; Sound Design by Ian Scot; Casting by Kim Montelibano Heil; Projection Design by Lily Bartenstein; Hair and Make-up Design byJoyce Cantrell and Wendell C. Carmichael; Fight Choreography by Andy Lowe; Cultural Consultant is Yong Kim; Dramaturg is Arnab Banerji. The Production Stage Manager is Vernon Willet.ABOUT THE SCHEDULE AND PRICINGKIMS CONVENIENCE will preview on Wednesday, September 21 at 7:30pm; Thursday, September 22 at 2:00pm & 7:30pm; Friday, September 23 at 7:30pm & Saturday, September 24 at 2:00pm & 7:30pm; will open on Sunday, September 25 at 5:30pm and perform through Sunday, October 9 at 1:00pm at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Drive in Laguna Beach.Performances will be Wednesdays through Fridays at 7:30pm; Saturdays at 2pm & 7:30pm; Sundays at 1:00pm & 5:30pm. There will be added performances on Thursday, September 29 at 2:00pm and Tuesday, October 4 at 7:30pm. There will be no performance on Sunday, October 9 at 5:30pm.Tickets range from $50 - $75 and can be purchased online at www.lagunaplayhouse.com or by calling (949) 497-ARTS (2787). Group discounts are available by calling 949-497-2787 ext. 229. Prices subject to change. The box office is open Mondays Saturdays: 12p.m. to 4p.m.; Sundays open 2 hours prior to show time until 15 minutes after curtain. Open until showtime on all performance days.COVID PROTOCOLS for the LAGUNA PLAYHOUSEThe Laguna Playhouse is no longer requiring vaccine or testing to attend performances. This policy is subject to change without notice and may not apply to every performance. Please see the performance listing and ticket buying page for specifics.Please visithttps://lagunaplayhouse.com/health-and-safety-policy/for additional details For more information on all shows and programming visit www.lagunaplayhouse.com. LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE is located at 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach. To schedule press interviews, photos or press comps, please contact David Elzer/DEMAND PR at 818/508-1754 or by e-mail at davidelzer@me.com.