TOO OLD. TOO ASIAN. TOO SHORT. Comes to Theatre West Next Month

Too Old. Too Asian. Too Short. is subtitled "The Story of an Unlikely Showgirl," but that actually comes up later in Pamela K. Najera's absorbing story.

Pamela, a Filipina, spends her early childhood in a home of wealth and privilege. Her father, a friend of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, holds a position as a Philippine government official. Her single dad's reckless lifestyle will have consequences, eventually seeing her family emigrate to America. She'll bounce from west coast to east coast, living with a sister for a time. Now an adult, she has a job as a medical assistant while studying to be nurse (an acceptable profession for a young Philippine woman). After breaking up with a singer-songwriter who cruelly leaves her, she takes up dance as a means of coping (and, in her mind, exacting revenge). She becomes a stripper, then a magician's assistant, and at age 35, a dancer on cruise ships (this is the showgirl part). Most of the other dancers are very tall (Pamela's just five feet!), in their early twenties, and not Asian.

Can Pamela possibly prevail in this situation? Will she ever be enough to win the approval of others in work or romance? Will she ever be enough to please herself?

Pamela K. Najera is the writer-performer. She has been a professional dancer in various genres for 20 years. She is now a choreographer.

Alexander Great, a celebrated magician, will make a special appearance. He has received awards from the Magic Castle, Pacific Coast Association of Magicians, International Magic Awards, and the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

Jessica Lynn Johnson develops and directs Too Old. Too Asian. Too Short.. Acclaimed both as a solo performer and as a director of solo artists, she is the founder of the company Soaring Solo. Her directing credits include Unemployed Finally, The Mermaid Who Learned How to Fly, 365 Days of Crazy, Triangles Are My Favorite Shape, Bully-mia, Not My Show, Answers Outta The Blue, Dear Yoko,and more.

Too Old. Too Asian. Too Short. has previously been an Official Selection of Solofest, the Hollywood Fringe Festival, and the Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival. It is an Official Selection of Solopalooza 2.022, a festival of solo performance produced for Theatre West by Dina Morrone.

Established in 1962, Theatre West is 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 Patton, 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 and A Very Brady Musical by Lloyd Schwartz and Hope Juber. Our season continues with WestFest (a festival of new works), a new play by one of the company's resident playwrights in September 2022, and Moose on the Loose by Dina Morrone in April 2023. Our Storybook Theatre's Little Red Riding Hood will tour throughout the area in June and July 2022, supported by an NEA grant. Theatre West is supported in part by The Ahmanson Foundation, California Arts Council, Peter Glenville 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, and Lloyd E. Rigler- Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation.

Covid-19 safety protocols in effect on performance dates will be observed. As of this writing, that means that audience members must wear masks and be vaccinated (and able to show a vax card or digital record).

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