This month is rich with opportunity to experience Asian American theater, as five productions bow this month across Los Angeles. Although May is regarded Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the abundance of performances opening this November have organically resulted in an unofficial "Asian American Theater month."
It started when the theaters began to reach out to each other to promote their respective shows. "We realized in the midst of getting the word out that there were five plays being produced this month by Asian American artists & theater companies. It's a very exciting time for Asian American Theater," says Leilani Chan, Artistic Director of TeAda Productions.
How did this happen? It may point to the National Asian American Theater Conference and Festival, which was held in Los Angeles this past summer. "It's an incredible time for Asian American theater again in Los Angeles" said Tim Dang, Producing Artistic Director of East West Players. "Earlier this summer, the Third National Asian American Theater Conference and Festival, hosted by East West Players and TeAda Productions on behalf of the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA), had 17 productions with Asian/Asian American themes. The Asian American theater community is certainly making its impact on the national theater landscape. Let's hope this trend continues throughout the year."
The abundance is not contained within Los Angeles, or November. Pioneering Asian American playwright David Henry Hwang's Chinglish opened October 28 on Broadway, while Extraordinary Chambers was nominated for four LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards - including actors Greg Watanabe and Francois Chau; and East West Players' Krunk Fu Battle Battle was nominated for two awards. Winners will be announced this month on November 14.
The theaters hope that Asian Americans and Angelenos as a whole will take advantage of this time to immerse themselves in Asian American theater, learn more about their stories, and the celebrate the diversity of work being presented. Official or not, November is "GO SEE ASIAN AMERICAN THEATER Month!"
Shows, Opening Dates, and more information:
November 4-20: Artists at Play presents Ching Chong Chinaman at the Actors Company. Life in the all-American Wong household is turned upside down with the arrival of an indentured servant from China, Jinqiang ("Ching Chong") who harbors his own American dreams!With an emphasis on but not limited to Asian American theatre, Artists at Play is a brand new company (making its debut withChing Chong Chinaman) bringing new narratives to the stage that will challenge, engage and broaden the theatrical experience. artistsatplayla.blogspot.com
November 4 to December 11: A high-energy stage adaptation of Carlos Bulosan's seminal short story about a love struck Filipino migrant worker in 1930s California, the Obie-Award winning The Romance of Magno Rubio by Lonnie Carter, presented by PAE Live! The World Premiere of a new translation into Tagalog opens November 5th - both open at the Ford.
www.FordTheatres.orgNovember 5-19: OPM's Decade of Hits opens at the Flight Theatre at the Complex. OPM (Opening People's Minds), Los Angeles' award-winning multicultural sketch comedy troupe, celebrates its tenth anniversary with "DECADE OF HITS," an hour-long showcase of the very best of its trademark irreverent humor.
www.opmcomedy.comNovember 9 to December 4: East West Players opens The Language Archive by Julia Cho at the Henry David Hwang Theater. George, a linguist, a master of languages, cannot express his love for his wife-and ends up losing her. Follow this whimsical and heartbreaking look at love and language that asks, "How do we save what is dying?"East West Players (EWP) is the nation's largest producing organization of Asian American artistic work and the longest-running professional theatre of color in the country.
www.eastwestplayers.org
November 11-13: TeAda Productions presents LA Malong Malong written and performed by Alison M. De La Cruz at the Miles Playhouse in Santa Monica (November 11-13th). Performance artist De La Cruz returns to the stage with this new solo work. In a mix of semi-autobiography and a queer adaptation of Rapunzel, De La Cruz explores the question: Who would you climb a tower for? Zelle, Princely Butch and a host of other characters chart this re-imagined, interactive urban fairy tale. Under the direction of artist Leilani Chan, TeAda Productions exists to enrich the repertoire of contemporary works created and performed by people of color.
www.teada.org
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