Pan Asian Rep's NO-NO BOY Begins Performances Tomorrow

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre (Tisa Chang, Artistic Producing Director), in tandem with "Day of Remembrance", opens its 41st season on themes of social justice and historic amnesia with the special return engagement of the acclaimed play NO-NO BOY by Ken Narasaki, based on the groundbreaking novel byJohn Okada. Directed by Ron Nakahara, the cast will feature Leanne Cabrera, Dinh James Doan, Chris Doi, Eric Elizaga, David Huynh, Scott Kitajima, Karen Tsen Lee, Claro de los Reyes, Shigeko Sara Suga, and Tony Vo.

Performances begin TOMORROW, February 7, 2018 for a limited engagement through February 18, 2018 at The Studio Theatre at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street). Opening Night is Sunday afternoon, February 11, 2018 at 2:30 p.m.

Set after World War II as Japanese Americans return to the West Coast, NO-NO BOY follows Ichiro Yamada, who struggles to reconnect with the Seattle community, after taking a bold stance on questions of allegiance. NO-NO BOY received critical acclaimed when it was presented in 2014 by Pan Asian Rep, and returned to NYC in 2016 prior to embarking on a national tour where the play received rave reviews in Washington, D.C.

The limited run of NO-NO BOY is running in tandem with the Day of Remembrance (DOR), a day commemorating the Japanese American internment during World War II. Events in numerous U.S. States are held on or near February 19, the day in 1942 that Executive Order 9066 was signed, requiring internment of all Americans of Japanese ancestry.

Ken Narasaki stated, "Even today, the term ["No-No Boy"] can spark bitter explosions amongst people who remain angry about the kinds of real life-or-death decisions they and their generation were forced to make."

John Stoltenberg of DC Metro Theater Arts says: "No-No Boy is an extraordinary and essential play. It's about what happened to innocent people when this country demonized and incarcerated Japanese Americans during World War II. To witness it now-as anti-Muslim rumblings are being trumped up to a roar...I can only urge everyone who cares about how theater connects to this country's past and future to catch Pan Asian Rep's No-No Boy wherever whenever you can."

The creative team includes sets by Sheryl Liu (Sayonara, Film Chinois), costumes by Hyun Sook Kim (A Dream of Red Pavilions), lights by Leslie Smith (Acquittal), and sound by Ian Wehrle (Fishing For Wives). The Production Stage Manager is Elis C. Arroyo with Sabrina Morabito.

NO-NO BOY will play the following performance schedule: Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday & Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets NOW ON SALE are priced at $43.25 for all performances and may be purchased through Telecharge at www.telecharge.com, or by calling 212-239-6200. For information on Group, Senior, or Student Discounts, please email info@panasianrep.org, or call (212) 868-4030.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Ken Narasaki (Playwright). His plays include the recent adaptation of NO-NO BOY and the award-winning plays Innocent When You Dream (2006 Kuma Kahua Pacific Rim Award), The Mikado Project (co-written with Doris Baizley - 2008 Kuma Kahua Pacific Rim Award), and Ghosts and Baggage. As an actor, he starred in "Zwei Profis" for German television, and appeared in Lane Nishikawa's Only The Brave. He has also appeared in nearly 60 plays, including Po Boy Tango, A Winter People, and Theory of Everything, in Chicago, Los Angeles, Singapore, New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Sacramento, and elsewhere.

Ron Nakahara (Director) has been an actor/director in New York City since 1979 and was designated a Senior Artist with Pan Asian Repertory Theatre in 1987 and is an Artistic Associate. Ron has directed one-woman shows at Don't Tell Mama and The Duplex, and has worked extensively with and directed the Asian-American performance group SLANT at La MaMa ETC, and NYSF Public Theatre. His other directing credits in New York include NAATCO, and Ensemble Studio Theatre. His regional credits include The Studio Theatre (Washington, DC), Hartford Stage Co., Fulton Opera House (Lancaster, PA) where his production of Miss Ever's Boys won him a best director award, Honolulu Theatre for Youth, New York State Theatre Institute, Hangar Theatre (Ithaca,) Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Virginia Stage Company (Norfolk,) and Actor's Theatre of Louisville. In addition, Ron has also directed for New York University and Virginia Commonwealth University. He has served on several NEA panels and was one of the first recipients of an NEA/TCG Directing Fellowship. He is a member of SDC, SAG-AFTRA, and AEA.

Tisa Chang (Pan Asian Rep Founding Artistic Producing Director) has led the company since its inception promoting stories seldom told and voices seldom heard. She has been a theatre professional for 5 decades as actor, dancer director. Highlights include: Sayonara (2015); The Joy Luck Club (2007); intercultural epic Cambodia Agonistes which toured nationally and to Cairo and Johannesburg; Kwatz! The Tibetan Project; and Rashomon (2003) which was invited to Havana Theatre Festival. She innovated premieres in English and Mandarin Chinese of the Peking opera, Return of the Phoenix, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, founded 41 years ago, is the East Coast's most veteran producer of Asian American theatre dedicated to providing a professional forum to Asian American and minority artists. Led by Tisa Chang, Pan Asian Rep has opened doors for many who enjoy careers in film, television and on Broadway. Daniel Dae Kim, Lucy Liu,Tina Chen, David Henry Hwang and Philip Kan Gotanda are some of the alumni artists who have collaborated with Pan Asian Rep over the years. The company has been invited to many international theater festivals including Edinburgh, Singapore, Cairo and Johannesburg. It was the first professional theater from the United States to be invited to the Havana Theatre Festival in 2003. As noted by Variety Magazine, "....the aesthetic mission and professional chops of the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre are admirable." The 41st Season will begin the company's multi-year process for growth and transition to embrace expanded leadership towards a visionary new future with national and international collaborations.

Pan Asian Theatre Programs are made possible, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council; City Council member Margaret Chin and major support from the Ford, Shubert, Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels, and Lucille Lortel Foundations; 21st Century Heritage Fund, and many Individual donors.

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