East West Players (EWP), the nation's premier Asian American theatre, continues its 44th season, themed Art Is..., with the west coast premiere of PO BOY TANGO, by Kenneth Lin. This production will be directed by the artistic director of The Chance Theater in Orange County, Oanh Nguyen. It will bring back to the EWP stage two of EWP's veteran actors, Jeanne Sakata and Dennis Dun and introduce African American actress Cece Antoinette.
PO BOY TANGO is a heart warming play where the issues of racism and death are addressed through the power of food. Shark Fin Soup. Drunken Crab. Black Feather Chicken. Po Mama's Chinese cuisine evokes the joy of cooking and her son, Richie Po has the palette to prove it. When Po Mama dies and passes her secrets on to him, he reunites with Gloria B, a "Soul Food" chef in the making. Together, they use Po Mama's TV cooking tapes to discover a deeper understanding of food, culture and the recipe for friendship.
"With our season's theme of Art Is... we want our audiences to be able to find the artistic value in everyday life," says Producing Artistic Director
Tim Dang. "There is so much artistry in cooking that can be witnessed on numerous television shows on the Food Network like Ace of Cakes, Iron Chef and Unwrapped.
Martha Stewart is a prime example of discovering the art in food. However, food doesn't just feed our stomachs, the art of cooking brings people together like a list of ingredients creating an intensely rich stew of relationships. The power of cooking used in this production helps the characters overcome so many challenges, and in the end, feeds our soul. It will truly give you insight the next time you prepare a meal."
PO BOY TANGO was work-shopped in
South Coast Repertory's Pacific Playwright's Festival in 2007. It received its world premiere at
Northlight Theatre in Chicago earlier this year. Playwright Kenneth Lin is the recipient of the Princess Grace Award, the L. Arnold Weissberger Award and the winner of the Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Competition. An alumnus of Cornell University, the U.S. Fulbright Scholarship Program and the Yale School of Drama, Lin was awarded the ASCAP
Cole Porter Prize for Excellence in Playwriting.
Director Oanh Nguyen is the producing artistic director and co-founder for The Chance Theater Company in Orange County. Previously he directed a reading of YEAR ZERO, the 2nd place recipient of East West Players' Pacific Century Playwriting Competition. He is currently the associate director for a production of THE HAPPY ONES at
South Coast Repertory. Recent directing credits include: HAIR, THE GIRL, THE GROUCH, THE GOAT, PORECLAIN and RABBIT HOLE. He is the recipient of the TCG Nathan Cummings Young Leaders of Color fellowship and serves on the board of Network of Ensemble Theatres.
Actors Dennis Dun and
Jeanne Sakata return to the EWP stage.
Jeanne Sakata was last seen in EWP's
David Henry Hwang Theater in her critically acclaimed portrayal of Maria Callas in MASTER CLASS. Sakata previously was in EWP's production of CARRY THE TIGER TO THE MOUNTAIN and RED where she received the 2002 Ovation Award for playing a man. Dennis Dun has performed at East West Players including MASHA, NO HOME and BIG HUNK ‘O BURNING LOVE. Dun was featured in the
John Carpenter film Prince of Darkness which was filmed at the Union Center for The Arts prior to its renovation. Joining the EWP stage for the first time will be CeCe Antoinette who recently appeared in BRONZEVILLE, a production by the Robey Theatre Company at The New LA Theatre Center. Antoinette has received much acclaim for touring her one woman show WATERMELON-GIT IT WHILE IT'S HOT!!! performed at the 2008 NAACP awards.
The design team consists of set designer Shaun L. Motley, costume designer Erika Miller, lighting designer K.C. Wilkerson, sound designer
Nathan Wang, property master
Christopher Scott Murillo, projection designer
John MacDonald and culinary consultant John Lau. The stage manager is Darlene Miyakawa.
This production is made possible with the support of the Aratani Foundation, the California Community Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, the Shubert Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the LA County Arts Commission and the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. Opening night sponsor is Southern California Edison.
All performances of PO BOY TANGO will be staged at the
David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center for the Arts at 120 Judge John Aiso St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. PO BOY TANGO opens Wednesday, November 11, 2009 and closes on Sunday, December 6, 2009. Opening night will be accompanied by a pre-performance cocktail reception and a post show reception with the cast and creative team. Performances are Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm. Previews are Thursday - Saturday, November 5 - 6 at 8pm and Sunday, November 7 at 2pm. The Pay-What-You-Can Performance will be held Friday, November 27 at 8 pm. There will be no performance on Thursday, November 26th, Thanksgiving Day.
Special Events include Wine Down Friday, where a complimentary glass of wine is served every non-preview Friday prior to and during intermission of the show. Next Generation Community Night which offers complimentary pizza, soda & beer and $1 opportunity drawings will be Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 7pm. A post-show discussion will be held on Sunday November 22nd.
General Tickets range from $25 - $35. Preview tickets are $20 for all seats. Opening night tickets are $60 for all seats. Tickets are currently on sale. For ticket purchases or more information, please call East West Players at (213) 625-7000 or visit
www.eastwestplayers.org. Senior, student and group discounts are available. Dates and details are subject to change.
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