InterAct Theatre Company Returns To Live Theatre With THE CHINESE LADY

InterAct Theatre Company will launch its 2021-22 Season with The Chinese Lady by Lloyd Suh, a "piercing and intimate" play (New York Times) that peers through the past to examine our present moment through the eyes of one extraordinary woman. The Chinese Lady marks InterAct's return to live, in-person theatre since closing the critically acclaimed Man of God in February 2020.

Seen on stages from San Francisco to New York - and scheduled for a production by Ma-Yi Theater Company at The Public Theater in 2022 - The Chinese Lady follows Afong Moy, who at the age of 14 allegedly became the first Chinese woman to step foot on U.S. soil in 1834. With her loyal translator Atung by her side, Afong seeks to bridge two countries' cultures by displaying her "exotic" clothing, food and walk-but will she be the star of the show, in charge of her own destiny, or simply a sideshow in forgotten annals? Dark, poetic and whimsical, "by the end Suh's extraordinary play, we look at Afong and see whole centuries of American history" (New York Times).

"The Chinese Lady gripped me immediately," says Producing Artistic Director Seth Rozin. "Like everyone, I spent our months inside thinking about how we got to this point and where we could go from here. The Chinese Lady embodies that introspection, deftly unspooling the roots of anti-Asian hate from the 19th century to today-while being laugh-out-loud funny and quintessentially theatrical. This is a play that is meant to be a play: two people and an audience sharing a journey together in real time and space. I can't think of a better way to welcome you back to the theatre."

Under the direction of Justin Jain, who won the Barrymore Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in InterAct's The Great Leap in 2019, The Chinese Lady stars InterAct favorite Bi Jean Ngo as the eponymous Afong Moy, with Dan Kim portraying her loyal translator Atung. Barrymore Award-winning musician and composer Mel Hsu will score the production live.

In the course of its 34 year history, InterAct has made a name for itself by producing new plays that get audiences talking. At times, their plays seem almost prescient, as with their Fall 2019 production of Eureka Day by Jonathan Spector which dealt with what happens when the question of vaccination divides a community, and last year's virtual production of Eleanor Burgess's The Niceties about racial justice in the classroom of an elite university.

Because InterAct tends to do plays that beg to be discussed, the company will once again offer audiences the chance to go deeper with post-show discussions three nights a week. Following the Sunday matinee performances on November 7, 14 and 21, InterAct will hold Speaker Sunday talkbacks with guest speakers such as the playwright Lloyd Suh and Nancy E. Davis, author of The Chinese Lady: Afong Moy in Early America. Company Conversations will occur on Wednesday and Thursday nights (November 10-11 and November 17-18), featuring informal conversations facilitated by Rozin.

A "Pay What You Can" Final Dress Rehearsal will be held on Thursday, October 28 at 7 PM, with proceeds collected at the door to benefit Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists (PAPA).

Performances take place at the Proscenium Theatre at the Drake, located at 302 S Hicks St. (between 15th & 16th and Spruce & Pine, and run October 29-November 21. More information about the show and tickets can be found here: https://www.interacttheatre.org/the-chinese-lady

All attendees will be required to show proof of vaccination and wear a mask. For more about COVID safety at the Drake, please see our box office policies: https://www.interacttheatre.org/box-office.

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