Theatre West to Host WE'RE NOT YOUR CUP OF TEA in May

Theatre West for WE'RE NOT YOUR CUP OF TEA, a celebration of AAPI stories and talent on May 11, 2024.

We're Not Your Cup of Tea takes its title from the fact that the evening's performers are boundary-breakers who shatter expectations and stereotypes regarding AAPI performers.

Evie Abat (Filipina-American) will share her experience as director of Survivors by Wendy Kout.

Survivors is an educational play with a diverse cast, about 10 Holocaust survivors, that is touring schools and organizations along the West Coast.

Cyndy Fujikawa (Japanese-American) will perform an excerpt from her solo show Old Man River, which had its West Coast debut at Theatre West in 1997. It relates the story of her father, actor Jerry Fujikawa, who was one of those forced into internment camps for Japanese Americans in 1942. Additionally, she will read publicly for the first time, his eyewitness statement of his experience at that time.

Marcel Licera (Filipino-Chinese-Spanish-American) will perform a solo piece about accepting and making peace for being conventionally different from his Asian culture and the standard of American society, by continually pursuing expressions that align with his good guy values.

Meg Lin (Taiwanese-American) breaks the tradition of "saving face" by sharing her darkest pain and deepest desires in an excerpt from her award-winning solo show What Am I, Chopped Suey? Meg was recently seen on Theatre West's stage in Love Stinks; Moose on the Loose; and Aladdin, the Princess, and the Magic Lamp.

Pamela Najera (Filipina-American) performs an excerpt from her solo show Too Old, Too Asian, Too Short in which she demonstrates how she destroyed the skepticism of others by achieving success as a professional dancer, cruise ship entertainer, and magician's assistant.

Apoorva Choudhary (Indian-American) will perform an Indian classical dance (Mohiniayattam) to the spiritual song Aigiri Nandini, which is about the strength of women.

Christina Villegas (Filipina-American) is a dancer, choreographer, and CEO of the company Flying Curves, with a commitment to "change lives one goddess at a time."

The evening will also include these guest speakers:

L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman; Dean Nakanishi, CEO of AADAP, Inc., and Giovannie Espiritu, filmmaker and advocate for domestic violence awareness and prevention, and LGBTQ equality.

Throughout the program, there will be a raffle drawing of donated merchandise provided by AADAP, Inc and various sponsors. Following the program is a reception serving Asian Pacific treats from various sponsors.

Technical director/Lighting design: David P. Johnson. Stage manager: David Mingrino.

Arden Teresa Lewis is the consulting director. She is a graduate of UCLA. Her directing credits at Theatre West include Walking in Space, A Thorn in the Family Paw, and The Night Forlorn, or Waitin' on Gosford. Her plays include Grandma Good, Baby Dreama, and Little Rhonda. She is also an actor.

Proceeds from this one-night-only event will support the ongoing work of Theatre West and AADAP, Inc.

Don't miss this opportunity to experience an exceptional evening of theatrical performance, dance, and inspiration.

This is the first event in a projected series of annual Asian Heritage Month celebrations at Theatre West.

Established in 1962, Theatre West is celebrating its 62nd year as the oldest continually running professional theatre company in the city of Los Angeles. It is a membership collective of actors, playwrights, directors, and technicians. Theatre West's alumni members include Ray Bradbury, Beau Bridges, Richard Dreyfuss, Sally Field, Betty Garrett, Martin Landau, Lee Meriwether, Jack Nicholson, Carroll O'Connor, Sherwood Schwartz, Joyce Van Patten, and Paul Winfield. Theatre West has produced more than 300 plays and musicals. Of these plays, nearly 70% are original works developed in its workshops and many have led to Broadway, regional tours, and feature films including A Bronx Tale by Chazz Palminteri; A Very Brady Musical by Lloyd Schwartz and Hope Juber; Our Man in Santiago by Mark Wilding that transferred to Off-Broadway in the Fall of 2022; and our co-production of Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground that went to Broadway in 2023.. Theatre West is supported in part by The Ahmanson Foundation, California Arts Council, Peter Glenville Foundation, The Green Foundation, Kaplan-Loring Foundation, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts, Lloyd E. Rigler-Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation, Sidney Stern Memorial Trust, Dwight Stuart Youth Fund, and L.A. Parent Magazine.

We're Not Your Cup of Tea

A celebration of AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) stories and talent. A reception follows the program.

Produced by Pamela Najera. Co-producers: Meg Lin, Evie Abat, Marcel Licera. Presented by Theatre West and AADAP, Inc. (Asian American Drug Abuse Program) . Consulting director: Arden Teresa Lewis.

Location: Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, in Los Angeles, CA 90068.

Date: Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 8:00 p.m.

Admission: $40.

Reservations: (323) 851-4839.

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