Satire Set in Contemporary China to Open Seattle Public's 2017-18 Season

Seattle Public Theater's 2017-18 Season opens with Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig's The World of Extreme Happiness.

Directed by Gregory Award winning director and co-founder of Azeotrope, Desdemona Chiang, The World of Extreme Happiness is a darkly comedic odyssey through contemporary China that centers around a young factory worker's struggle to pull herself out of poverty. When her actions lead to dire consequences for a fellow worker, she is forced to question the system she's spent her life trying to master, and stand up against the powers that be.

"It is important for theater to include voices from diverse viewpoints: from directors, to designers, to actors, and with community partners," says Seattle Public's Co-Producing Artistic Director Kelly Kitchens. "This season we looked at what conversations and connections we wanted to ignite. With its unflinching look at gender and class inequity, The World of Extreme Happiness is exactly the kind of story that will get audiences thinking and talking. How can we achieve equality when women and the working class are thrown in the trash everyday--literally and figuratively? What does it take for an individual to go up against the state and large corporations, and what are the consequences? How is this happening both in a world away and at home--and what can we do about it?"

Seattle Public Theater presents The World of Extreme Happiness in co-production with SIS Productions. "We're thrilled at this opportunity to partner with Seattle Public Theater on Frances' script so that this production can be shared between our mutual audiences," says SIS Productions' Co-Executive Producer, Kathy Hsieh. "Theatre creates communal experiences that allow people to see the world through other perspectives. This production offers a unique opportunity to explore a new story through the multicultural lens of two women-led theatre companies. At its heart, the play shares the stories of individuals struggling to find happiness because they want to be more than what they're born into."

The cast for The World of Extreme Happiness features Mika Swanson (Sunny); Kevin Lin (Pete/Ran Feng); Allen Go (Old Lao/Gao Chen); NIna Williams-Teramachi (Mr. Destiny); Van Lang Pham (James/Li Han); Kathy Hsieh (Artemis/Wang Hua); and Maile Wong (Ming-Ming/Qing Shu/Xiao Li).

The design team includes Burton Yuen (scenic), Jay Weinland (sound), Christine Tschirgi (costumes), Emily Leong (lighting). Emily Cioc is the production stage manager. Eliza Wu is the assistant director and dramaturg.

PERFORMANCES:
Preview: Thursday, October 12th, 2017 @ 7:30 pm
Opening Night: Friday, October 13th, 2017 @ 7:30 pm
Saturday, October 14th, 2017 @ 7:30pm
Sunday, October 15th, 2017 @ 2pm
Thursday, October 19th, 2017 @ 7:30pm
Friday, October 20th, 2017 @ 7:30pm
Saturday, October 21st, 2017 @ 7:30pm
Sunday, October 22nd, 2017 @ 2pm
Thursday, October 26th, 2017 @ 7:30pm
Friday, October 27th, 2017 @ 7:30pm
Saturday, October 28th, 2017 @ 7:30pm
Sunday, October 29th, 2017 @ 2pm
Thursday, November 2nd, 2017 @ 7:30pm
Friday, November 3rd, 2017 @ 7:30pm
Saturday, November 4th, 2017 @ 7:30pm
Sunday, November 5th, 2017 @ 2pm

ABOUT Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig (PLAYWRIGHT)

Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig's plays have been produced at the Royal Shakespeare Company, The National Theatre of Great Britain, Manhattan Theater Club, the Goodman Theatre, Trafalgar Studios 2 [West End], Crowded Fire, Page 73 Productions, Interact Theatre, Borderlands Theatre and the Contemporary American Theatre Festival. Her work has been awarded the Wasserstein Prize, the Yale Drama Series Award, an Edinburgh Fringe First Award, the David A. Callichio Award and the Keene Prize for Literature.

Frances has received artist residencies from Yaddo, Macdowell, Hedgebrook, Ragdale, the Sundance Playwright Retreats at Ucross and Flying Point, and the Santa Fe Art Institute. She has been Playwright-in-Residence at Manhattan Theater Club and Marin Theater Company and is currently under commission from South Coast Rep, the Goodman Theatre and the National Theatre. Her work has been published by Yale University Press, Glimmer Train, Methuen Drama, Samuel French and Dramatists Play Service.

Frances received an MFA in Writing from the James A. Michener Center for Writers at UT Austin, a BA in Sociology from Brown University, and a certificate in Ensemble-Based Physical Theatre from the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre. She was born in Philadelphia, and raised in Northern Virginia, Okinawa, Taipei and Beijing. Frances is currently an Assistant Professor of Playwriting at UC Santa Barbara.

ABOUT SEATTLE PUBLIC THEATER

Seattle Public Theater produces compelling and socially relevant theater to spark conversation and ignite empathy in order to foster an intellectually curious and inclusive world. Every year, Seattle Public produces six shows as part of its professional Mainstage season at its location in Green Lake in addition to its robust education program and community events.

ABOUT SIS PRODUCTIONS

SIS Productions is a Production Company that strives to create, develop and produce quality works that involve Asian American women, their themes, and Asian American issues. SIS Productions encourages opportunities and support for Asian American women to be involved in all aspects of the production of artistic endeavors.

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