Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists Present First Full Production TIGER STYLE

Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists (PAPA) solidify their presence in the city with their first full production, Tiger Style! By Mike Lew. Travelling from California to China this raucous comedy examines the successes and failures of "tiger parenting" from the point of view of a playwright who's actually been through it.This hilarious and fast-paced story of the struggle of two siblings to deal with their upbringing, heritage, and loaded preconceptions was described by ArtsATL as "a spirited, fast-paced, colorful, funny and entertaining romp that's as energetic as it is easy to like."

Tiger Style! begins Wednesday, January 24, 2018 and opens Friday, January 26, 2018. All performances are being held at The Louis Bluver Theatre at The Drake, 302 S. Hicks Street 19102.

Critics and members of the press are invited to attend Press Night on Saturday, January 27, 2018 at 8pm. For ticket arrangements, contact Cat Ramirez at phillyasianperformingartists@gmail.com or 610-348-4206.

The play surrounds the trials and tribulations of star students and squabbling siblings Albert and Jennifer Chen. Thanks to diligent work (and parental encouragement that borders on overbearing) they reached the pinnacle of adolescent achievement. But when it comes to adulthood, they're epic failures. Albert has just been passed up for promotion and Jennifer's been dumped by her loser boyfriend. So they do what any reasonable brother and sister would do -- go on an epic Asian Freedom Tour!

"In tackling this rollicking comedy about Tiger parenting, the model minority, and the identity struggles of bi/multicultural people, I've been thinking about how the differences between East and West truly are more than cosmetic," describes Tiger Style! Director Jeff Liu, "They are in fact wildly different Operating Systems, which makes them harder to reconcile, but also more likely to provide genuine insights into each other. This seems to be the deeper issue the characters are struggling with, trying to resolve or synthesize, whether they realize it or not. How radical would it be for us to see China not as an exotic adversary, but as potentially the most vital collaborator in building a peaceful future?"

Production History

Tiger Style! premiered at Atlanta's ALLIANCE THEATRE in September 2015 and has experienced successful runs at San Diego's La Jolla Playhouse and Boston's Huntington Theatre in the Fall of 2016.

About the Playwright

Mike Lew's plays include Teenage Dick (Public Studio, O'Neill, St. Louis Rep, Florida Studio Theater, and Playwrights Foundation workshops; Vineyard reading), Tiger Style! (Huntington, La Jolla Playhouse, and Alliance productions; O'Neill, CTG, and Juilliard workshops), microcrisis (Ma-Yi, InterAct, and Next ACT Productions), Stockton (AracaWorks and EST workshops), People's Park (Victory Gardens workshop), In Paris You will Find Many Baguettes... (Humana), Roanoke (Humana), and Moustache Guys. He is co-book writer of the musical Bhangin' It. He is a Tony voter, Dramatists Guild Council member, and recipient of a Mellon Foundation residency, Lark Venturous residency, NYFA fellowship, and the Lanford Wilson, Helen Merrill, Heideman, and Kendeda awards. He is co-director of Ma-Yi Writers Lab, the largest collective of Asian-American Playwrights in the country. He is married to fellow playwright Rehana Lew Mirza, who he met in Ma-Yi Lab (read the story here). Training: Juilliard (2013), Yale (2003).

About the Director

JEFF LIU co-wrote and co-produced the indie feature The Last Tour, which premiered at the LA Asian American Film Festival and won the Jury prize for Best Screenplay. Another feature he co-wrote, Charlotte Sometimes, won an Audience Award at South by Southwest. He also adapted and directed the Pulitzer nominated play Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang for the YOMYOMF Network on YouTube. He directed the Los Angeles premiere of Chinglish, which became the highest grossing play ever at East West Players, the nation's longest running theatre of color. Other productions include the world premieres of Texas and Solve For X by Judy Soo Hoo, Murderobilia and Terminus Americana by Matt Pelfrey, The Golden Hour and Grace Kim and the Spiders From Mars by Philip W. Chung, and The Chinese Massacre (Annotated) by Tom Jacobson. He is a member of the O'Neill National Directors Fellowship cohort of 2016.

Cast and Design Team

The cast features an ensemble of local actors including Barrymore Nominated Stephanie N. Walters as Jennifer Chen, Richard Chan as Albert Chen, and Anita Holland, Daniel Kim, & Arlen Hancock as a host of supporting characters.

The artistic team includes Set Designer Yoshi Nomura, Costume Designer Asaki Kuruma, Lighting Designer Stephanie DiBona, Sound Designer Daniel Ison, and Props Master Shreshth Khilani. Melody Wong is the Stage Manager and Kimie Muroya is the Assistant Director.

Tickets

Ticket prices range from $15-$25. Tickets are available through by visiting papatigerstyle.bpt.me; emailing Cat Ramirez, Producer, at phillyasianperformingartists@gmail.com; or arriving to the Box Office for Tiger Style! an hour before each performance, located at The Louis Bluver Theater at The Drake at 302 S. Hicks Street.

Mission

Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists (PAPA) are a collective of theatre artists who seek to enhance and strengthen the presence of Asian Americans in the Philadelphia theatre community. Our goal is to provide consistent, focused training with workshops and mentorship for their members through partnerships with professional theaters and artists. As a result of sustaining and increasing the skill levels of their group, we hope to empower and retain emerging Asian American theater artists in Philadelphia. As PAPA grows and strengthens, we aim to encourage and create performance opportunities for PAPA members and also reflect the greater diversity of this city and its stories.

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