The Wilma Theater Presents Radical New Production Of THE GOOD PERSON OF SETZUAN

Philadelphia-based theater company The Wilma Theater continues its 2023-24 season with a new production of The Good Person of Setzuan by Bertolt Brecht. Working from an adaptation by playwright Tony Kushner (Angels in America), Brecht's timeless parable is retold and radically reclaimed through the vision of director Justin Jain with original live music and members of the Wilma HotHouse Acting Company.

The Good Person of Setzuan features notable award-winning actors Ross Beschler, Melanye Finister, Sarah Gilko, Makoto Hirano, Melanie Hsu, Jungwoong Kim, Jered McLenigan, Jordan McCree, Bi Jean Ngo, Campbell O'Hare, and Matteo Scammell. The production runs from April 2 to 21, with 18 performances presented in The Wilma's 300-seat theater.

The play begins with three Gods traveling to the city of Setzuan looking for one good person. They cross paths with Shen Te (Ngo), a downtrodden young woman trying to lead a “good” life amid the chaotic thrum and bustle of the shantytown. She offers the Gods shelter and, in return, they reward Shen Te with money intended as both a gift and a test. She initially attempts to maintain her charitable nature, but the hectic life of the city combined with the mounting needs of her neighbors lead her to assume an uncompromising male alter ego, Shui Ta, who becomes consumed by the Gods' challenge. The Good Person of Setzuan dares audiences to question what it means to be good and who gets to adjudicate right from wrong. 

The Wilma's production of The Good Person of Setzuan was developed in collaboration with the actors in the Wilma HotHouse Acting Company. Formed in 2011 by The Wilma's founder Blanka Zizka, the HotHouse is a group of long-term, collaborative artists created in order to develop a process for creating the trust that underlies the creation of living, adventurous art. The ensemble regularly convenes for sessions, workshops, and rehearsals to investigate theatrical pedagogy in order to support both individual and collective expression. 

The Wilma's latest production features several HotHouse members in the ensemble, led by award-winning actor, director, and educator Bi Jean Ngo as Shen Te and her male alter ego Shui Ta. She is joined by HotHouse Lead Artists Ross Beschler and Campbell O'Hare as well as fellow members Melanye Finister, Sarah Gilko, and Matteo Scammell. Actors Makoto Hirano, Melanie Hsu, Jungwoong Kim, Jered McLenigan, and Jordan McCree round out the rest of the cast. The Wilma's latest production represents a major development for The Acting Company.

“The Good Person of Setzuan marks a significant milestone in the evolution of the HotHouse with Justin Jain becoming the first member to direct on The Wilma stage,” said Lindsay Smiling, Wilma Co-Artistic Director and HotHouse member. “From its inception, the HotHouse has been a space to cultivate local artists. This production is a testament to The Wilma's commitment to the HotHouse and the continuing development of Philadelphia artists.”

Bertolt Brecht was a notable practitioner of epic theater, which involved using methods such as music to comment on the action or had characters breaking the fourth wall to directly evoke a response from the crowd. He used these methods in The Good Person of Setzuan to comment on contemporary altruism and how economic systems influence a society's morality. Through the HotHouse, Jain collaborated with company members to experiment with The Wilma's production and combine his personal experiences as a Queer Filipino-American artist with Brecht's own ideals to reclaim space for AAPI voices onstage. 

In order to subvert the fabric of the world of Brecht's play, he created a “Fictional Pan-Asian Narnia” to play upon the audience's cultural ignorance by incorporating multiple Asian cultural cues. This means presenting a version of Setzuan that looks like a South Asian slum, where the water seller speaks Korean, high-class characters wear their professions written in Chinese characters, songs are sung in Cantonese, and Shui Ta is a ruthless Vietnamese businessman.

“I love Bertolt Brecht and am dumbstruck at how this play from the 1940's still has the power to skewer our contemporary convictions, systems, and global relationships,” Jain shared. “As an AAPI theater maker, I am keenly aware of how depictions of our bodies and stories have historically been used to exotify, terrorize, sexualize, diminish, and in this case, distance audiences from characters who are otherwise complete and complex human beings.”

Justin Jain is an Actor, Director, Educator, HotHouse Company member, and Co-Artistic Director of The Berserker Residents. He has performed off-Broadway and with many regional theaters including The Arden Theatre Company, Interact Theatre, People's Light, FringeArts, and Ars Nova NYC. Jain won the 2019 Barrymore Award for Outstanding Performance in a Play for his work in Interact Theatre's production of The Great Leap. His recent credits include Noises Off at Delaware Theatre Company and Albie's Elevator on PBS. 

Jain leads a production team featuring Assistant Director Cat Ramirez, Co-Composer and Musical Director Melanie Hsu, Co-Composer, Co-Music Director, and Ensemble Musician Jordan McCree, Set Designer and installation artist Steven Dufala, Costume Designer Ariel Wang, Lighting Designer Krista Smith, Sound Designer Eugene Lew, and Dramaturg Kellie Mecleary. The team is rounded out with Stage Manager Josiane M. Lemieux and Assistant Stage Manager Chloe Kincade.

Ticket Information

 

Preview performances for The Good Person of Setzuan are from Tuesday, April 2, through Thursday, April 4. The production opens with an invite-only performance on Friday, April 5, at 7 p.m. and runs through Sunday, April 21. Single Digital Tickets will be available for sale toward the end of the show's in-person run. The digital presentation of The Good Person of Setzuan will only be available for viewing in the Greater Philadelphia region. Tickets start at $29 and can be purchased at www.wilmatheater.org or by calling the Wilma's box office at 215-546-7824.

The Wilma hosts a variety of ancillary events to further engage with audiences around its productions, beginning with a special AAPI Affinity Night performance on Wednesday, April 3, at 7 p.m. Theatergoers can attend the Sunday, April 7 matinee for The Let Out, an insightful and lively post-show conversation with Wilma staff and production members held immediately after the performance. The Aurora Circle presentation on April 11 at 7 p.m. includes a special pre-show reception with members of The Wilma community and post-show Café Chat in the lobby with the cast and crew. Post-show Café Chats are also available on April 12, 18, and 19. 

The Good Person of Setzuan has an estimated three hour runtime with an intermission. Single tickets and subscriptions can be purchased at www.wilmatheater.org or by calling the Wilma's box office at 215-546-7824. The Wilma offers discounts for select groups in addition to rush tickets and “Pay-What-You-Wilma” to attend preview performances. Learn more by visiting www.wilmatheater.org/visit/box-office. 

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