OUT OF TIME Director Les Waters and Collaborator Mia Katigbak Discuss Creation

Les Waters and Mia Katigbak discussed their creation of Out of Time, which is to be staged at The Public Theater. It is a collection of new plays centered on aging actors and Asian American communities. Director Les Waters attended a dance performance of Mitten wir im Leben sind/Bach6Cellosuiten, choreographed by Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, that featured an ensemble of aging dancers.

Moved by the piece, he shared his experience with NAATCO (National Asian American Theatre Company) co-founder Mia Katigbak, and from this conversation, the idea for OUT OF TIME was born. The production is set to run from February 15th through March 13th. General tickets start at $60. More information about the production can be found here.

In speaking with Katigbak, Waters said, "Wouldn't it be wonderful to make a piece for older actors saying wonderful words and one wonderful actor following one wonderful actor saying more wonderful things? Actors have all this experience and are up against the limitations of memory. How cruel it is. And how magnificent it is. And how underused older actors are."

NAATCO set to work commissioning five playwrights, each tasked to write a monologue during the pandemic. Writers Jaclyn Backhaus, Sam Chanse, Mia Chung, Naomi Iizuka, and Anna Ouyang Moench came together to create a theatrical tapestry exploring age, memory, parenthood, and identity.

The result is a piece that amplifies Asian American voices - particularly those over the age of 60 - which was pertinent for the artists in light of the pandemic's impact on this community. The seasoned cast of Asian American actors includes Mia Katigbak (Ena; NAATCO Co-Founder), Glenn Kubota (Taki), Page Leong (Woman), Natsuko Ohama (Leonie), and Rita Wolf (Carla). Learn more about the cast and access tickets here.