KING OF THE YEES Opens May 21 At Sierra Madre Playhouse

Sierra Madre Playhouse presents King of the Yees, the award-winning play by Lauren Yee. Directed by Tim Dang. Produced for Sierra Madre Playhouse by Gary Lamb.

For nearly 20 years, playwright Lauren Yee's father Larry has been a driving force in the Yee Family Association, a seemingly obsolescent Chinese American men's club formed 150 years ago in the wake of the Gold Rush. But when her father goes missing, Lauren must plunge into the rabbit hole of San Francisco Chinatown and confront a world both foreign and familiar. At once bitingly hilarious and heartbreakingly honest, King of the Yees is an epic joyride across cultural, national and familial borders that explores what it means to truly be a Yee.

Tim Dang directs. Previously at Sierra Madre Playhouse, he directed The Joy Luck Club and Nothing Is the Same. Mr. Dang is Producing Artistic Director Emeritus, of East West Players, guiding that group from 1993 through 2016, making himself and his company among the most highly regarded in the Los Angeles theatrical community. He is the recipient of Ovation Awards for directing Pacific Overtures and for directing and producing Sweeney Todd. He received numerous awards for direction, production and performance from Backstage West and Drama-Logue. He has directed dozens of shows in an astonishingly prolific career. He has also been a playwright and lyricist (co-writing Nisei Widows Club, Canton Jazz Club, Beijing Spring).

His numerous honors include Tim Dang Day (L.A. City Council); Local Hero of the Year (KCET/Union Bank); Top 100 Asian Americans of the Decade (A. Magazine); Leadership Award (James Irvine Foundation); Zelda Fichandler Award (Society of Directors and Choreographers); many, many more. Tim will continue to initiate and innovate diversity and inclusion across the American theatre. Tim's cast for King of the Yees includes Christopher Chen, Tom Dang, Dennis Dun, Miley Yamamoto and Harmony Zhang. Lauren Yee is the playwright.

Her plays include Cambodian Rock Band; Ching Chong Chinaman; The Great Leap; Hookman; The Hatmaker's Wife;; The Tiger Among Us; and more. For television, she wrote episodes of the Netflix series Soundtrack. King of the Yees is the winner of the Ashland New Play Festival Award (2016). The play had its World Premiere in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada in 2016.

This show is experiencing strong advance sales. Please reserve early to get your date of choice. King of the Yees is a story of a Chinese-American who starts off distant from her heritage and Chinese culture, connects with her family and her heritage, and learns how to embrace it as a Chinese-American in her own way. But Lauren's journey is likely to resonate with you, no matter your ethnicity. King of the Yees is a play that can be enjoyed by everyone.

Previews Friday, May 20 at 8:00 p.m. Opens Saturday, May 21, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.. Learn more at http://sierramadreplayhouse.org.

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