Lia Chang: C.J. Wilson navigates armor and swordplay in Signature Theatre Company’s World Premiere of Kenneth Lonergan’s Medieval Play

C.J. Wilson (Photo by Lia Chang)

For C.J. Wilson, the Signature Theatre Company’s new Frank Gehry-designed complex- The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York- has been his home away from home since January 17th.

The Lady from Dubuque castmembers Laila Robins, C.J. Wilson, Tricia Paoluccio and Peter Francis James. Photo by Lia Chang

That’s when he began rehearsing for his role as Fred in Signature’s revival of Edward Albee’s The Lady From Dubuque, starring Jane Alexander in the title role, and featuring Catherine Curtin, Michael Hayden, Peter Francis James, Tricia Paoluccio, Laila Robins and Thomas Jay Ryan. The Lady From Dubuque began preview perfomances on February 14, was twice extended, and closed on April 15th.

C.J. Wilson as Fred and Tricia Paoluccio as Carol in Signature Theatre Company’s production of Edward Albee’s The Lady from Dubuque. Photo by Joan Marcus

“It was the first time I’d done an Albee play,” said Wilson. “Edward was around for the meet and greet, and then there was an ‘ask Edward any question you want day’. Later on, he would come to run thrus. I was inspired by him. He can be a very intimidating presence. I felt it was very inspiring because of his intensity. I was playing a very intense character. Fred, he’s a drinker, he’s been married 3 times, he’s brought his girlfriend to a party to meet his friends. He’s a bit of a racist, a lush, a drunk. I think there has to be something charming about him to have been married 3 times.”

In reviews of The Lady From Dubuque, Erik Haagensen of BACKSTAGE writes, “C.J. Wilson’s Fred is the epitome of testosterone-fueled misogyny, gleefully common and palpably sexual,” and Suzanna Bowling of Times Square Chronicles writes, “C.J. Wilson is perfect as the self obsessed soulless midlife man obsessed with youth.”

“Being a part of the cast of The Lady from Dubuque was my first time working with Signature,” said Wilson. It’s an honor to have performed in the inaugural production for the space. I’m very lucky.”

Medieval Play castmembers C.J. Wilson, Josh Hamilton, Tate Donovan, Kevin Geer and Halley Feiffer. Photo by Lia Chang

Little did Wilson know at the time that he would be cast in the world premiere of Kenneth Lonergan’s new comedy Medieval Play, which Lonergan is also directing. Against the classic comic background of late 14th century ecclesiastical politics, Lonergan’s Medieval Play follows the story of two French mercenary knights who set out on a quest for relative moral redemption.

It is a story of friendship, love, noble feats of arms, indiscriminate brutality, the progressive refinement of medieval table manners and the general decline of the chivalric ideal at the onset of the Great Papal Schism of 1378. When I met up with Wilson in the Café of the Center during his dinner break, he was in the throes of tech – navigating swords, shields, suits of armor and endless costume changes.

C.J. Wilson (Photo by Lia Chang)

“I’m having a blast working with Kenny Lonergan, who as the director and playwright, will instantly incorporate hilarious one-liners into the play,” said Wilson. “I’m playing three knights. I have three sets of armor changes. I fight in two of them. I feel like Robocop. You move differently. There’s no peripheral vision with the helmets. In addition to the knights, I play a medieval doctor with all of the trappings, a lusty cardinal, a pigeon, pilgrims and a monk. I’ve done a good handful of Shakespeare plays where I’ve worked with swords, using swordplay, but I’ve never had to wear armor before. There are lots of quick changes, and working with armor takes some getting used to.”

In addition to Wilson, the cast includes Anthony Arkin (I’m Not Rappaport, The Waverly Gallery), Heather Burns (Middletown, Lobby Hero), Tate Donovan (Good People, Lobby Hero), Kevin Geer (Unconditional, Twelve Angry Men), Halley Feiffer (The House of Blue Leaves, Tigers Be Still), Josh Hamilton (The Coast of Utopia, The Cherry Orchard) and John Pankow.

Wilson caught the acting bug when he attended Troy State University in Alabama.

C.J. Wilson (Photo by Lia Chang)

“My first acting experience was in college,” said Wilson. “I’m from Fairhope, Alabama, where there were no dramatic arts programs. I always wanted to act. I had a choice between watching Monday night football or auditioning for 1776. It was a Scottish part, and I could do the accent. After I auditioned for 1776, I also got cast in A.R. Guerney’s The Dining Room. I’ve been hooked ever since.”

A graduate of Juilliard, Wilson has worked steadily in theater, film and TV, making his Broadway debut in the 2000 revival of Gore Vidal’s The Best Man. His other Broadway credits include A Steady Rain, Festen, Henry IV and Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Off-Broadway, he appeared in All-American at LCT 3; The Bear at HERE; Offices and Voysey Inheritance at Atlantic Theater; Race at Jewish Rep; Stop Kiss, The Cripple of Inishmaan and The Merry Wives of Windsor at The Public.

In 2010, Wilson received a Lucille Lortel nomination for his role as Michael, in Primary Stages’ production of Lucinda Coxon’s Happy Now?.

“I played this British ne’er-do-well,” said Wilson. “He was funny, charming and genuinely loved women. It made it easier for women to like him. It was a lot more joyful to play.

Charles Isherwood, of The New York Times writes, “This jolly lout, played to perfection by C. J. Wilson, exudes the friendly neediness of a tail-wagging golden retriever. He practices a patented form of seduction, lavishing sympathy and flattery on hard-driven professional women looking for a steam valve to release some pressure.”

Mary Bacon as Kitty and CJ Wilson as Michael in the Primary Stages production of Happy Now? by Lucinda Coxon at Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters. Directed by Liz Diamond. Photo credit: James Leynse.

A staff writer for the New York Daily News writes, “And Wilson delivers an especially potent performance as the sad-sack serial seducer who sets out to pick up a woman and ends up helping her to wake up to her life.”

Regionally, he has worked with the Berkshire Theatre Group, Wilma, Shakespeare Theatre, Old Globe, Williamstown, ACT in Seattle, Fulton Opera House, McCarter, Syracuse Stage, Acting Company. On TV, he has guest starred on “Blue Bloods,” “Pan Am,” “Onion Sportsdome,” “Brotherhood,” “Without a Trace,” “Third Watch,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order:SVU,” Law & Order: CI,” “Ed,” “New Amsterdam,” and “All My Children.” Wilson can be seen as a fireman in the summer release of Rob Reiner’s The Magic of Belle Isle, which stars Morgan Freeman and Virginia Madsen, and he has also appeared in the film Ghoul.

The design team for Medieval Play includes Walt Spangler (Scenic Design), Michael Krass (Costume Design), Jason Lyons (Lighting Design), David Van Tiegham (Sound Design) and J. David Brimmer (Fight Direction). The production stage manager is David H. Lurie.

C.J. Wilson, Medieval Play playwright/director Kenneth Lonergan and Matthew Broderick at The Signature Pershing Square Center in New York on May 12, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Kenneth Lonergan’s Medieval Play runs May 15 – June 24, 2012 with a June 7 opening night in The Irene Diamond Stage at the Company’s new Frank Gehry-designed home The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). Single tickets are now on sale for Medieval Play at the Signature Theatre Box Office (212-244-7529) and at signaturetheatre.org. Tickets are also on sale for Athol Fugard’s My Children! My Africa! and Will Eno’s Title and Deed.

Tickets to the initial runs of all productions of Signature’s Inaugural Season at The Pershing Square Signature Center are $25, part of the groundbreaking Signature Ticket Initiative: A Generation of Access, a program that guarantees affordable and accessible tickets to every Signature production for the next 20 years. Serving as a model for theatres and performing arts organizations across the country, the Initiative was founded in 2005 and is made possible by lead partner The Pershing Square Foundation and founding sponsor Time Warner, Inc., with additional seed support provided by the Ford Foundation, Margot Adams, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Other Articles by Lia Chang
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Thom Sesma is the keynote speaker for the Library of Congress celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) at the Mary Pickford Theater on May 17
BD Wong Creates Kickstarter Campaign for his Live Concert Recording of HERRINGBONE, to be performed May 21-22 as a Benefit for Dixon Place
Epic Theatre Presents Jeanne Sakata’s Hold These Truths, starring Joel de la Fuente, May 20-21, 2012
David Henry Hwang, Oskar Eustis, BD Wong, Brian d’Arcy James, Francis Jue, Jennifer Lim and Leigh Silverman at WNYC’s The Greene Space
Christine Toy Johnson helms Concert Reading of Jason Ma’s Gold Mountain starring Raymond J. Lee & Ali Ewoldt on 5/21
André De Shields in BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND at the Laurie Beechman, 5/4, 5/11 & 5/18
David Henry Hwang Set as Signature Theatre’s Residency One Playwright for the 2012-2013 Season
Photos: Laila Robins, Sean Dugan, C.J. Wilson, Peter Francis James, Bill Irwin and Tricia Paoluccio at Signature Theatre Company’s revival of Edward Albee’s The Lady From Dubuque
Athol Fugard’s Blood Knot, starring Colman Domingo & Scott Shepherd in The Alice Griffith Jewel Box at The Pershing Square Signature Center through March 11, 2012
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Rick Shiomi helms Mu Performing Arts’ Asian American Cast of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul, July 17-August 5, 2012

Randy Reyes, Sheena Janson, Sara Ochs, Katie Bradley, Eric Sharp, Suzie Juul, Alex Galick and Maxwell Thao are set for Mu Performing Arts’ production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, directed by Rick Shiomi, which runs at the Park Square Theatre, 20 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, MN, from July 17 – August 5, 2012. Opening night is Friday, July 20, 2012. Single tickets start at $25 (adults) / $10 (students and children under 18) and are now on sale through the Park Square Theatre box office at 651-291-7005 or by visiting www.muperformingarts.org.

Into the Woods, a multiple Tony Award winning modern classic with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, takes familiar fairy tales and turns them on their heads. Sondheim’s memorable score includes crowd-pleasing musical numbers such as “Agony,” “Giants in the Sky,” and “No One is Alone.”

Randy Reyes, who has appeared in Mu Performing Arts’ productions of Little Shop of Horrors, Flower Drum Song, Yellowface, The Romance of Magno Rubio; at the Guthrie Theater in M. Butterfly, Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Government Inspector); and in Il Campiello, As You Like It with Ten Thousand Things, leads the cast of Into the Woods as the Baker. Sheena Janson (Theatre Latte Da’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), whose sultry voice brought new life to Audrey II in Mu’s production of Little Shop of Horrors, plays the Baker’s Wife.

Also featured in the cast are Sara Ochs (Little Shop of Horrors, Flower Drum Song, Four Destinies) as Cinderella; Katie Bradley (CTC’s Mulan, Jr, Little Shop of Horrors, Four Destinies) as the Witch; Suzie Juul (Park Square’s Ragtime) as Little Red Riding Hood; Alex Galick (Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them), as Prince Charming; Maxwell Thao (Stages Theatre Co.’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon) as Jack. Eric Sharp, who has appeared in numerous Mu productions and in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Odyssey and Oliver Twist at Park Square Theatre returns to play the Wolf and Rapunzel’s Prince.

Jeannie Lander, Tom Thao, Lara Trujillo, Meghan Kreidler, Danice Cabanela, Alice McGlave, Tom Lee, Jennifer Kelley, Natalie Chung, Michael Sung Ho, Kim Egan, and Brianna Heu round out the twelve member ensemble, many of whom are making their Mu Performing Arts debut.

Rick Shiomi Photo by Lia Chang

Mu concludes its landmark 20th Anniversary Season, by diving further into its musical theater initiative. Into the Woods marks the Midwest’s first production of the show by a nationally recognized Asian American theater company. Director Rick Shiomi explains how the popular musical will been re-imagined from an Asian American perspective:

“Ever after… like you’ve never seen it before. We are transporting the musical from the woods of Europe to the forests of Asia. Imagine Jack and his mother in Hmong attire, Little Red in a Cambodian skirt, Cinderella in a Filipino gown and the Baker and his wife in Korean hanboks. It will be a striking variation on the original and yet, since the stories are so universal (many of these fairy tales have Asian equivalents) they will feel as funny and real, sad and sweet, beautiful and moving as ever, but in a totally different context.”
~ Rick Shiomi, Director

The artistic team includes Denise Prosek (Music Director). Maria Kelly (Choreographer), Jennifer Weir (Assistant Director),Gunther Gullickson (Scenic Designer), Karin Olson, Lighting Designer, Tom Sandelands (Sound designer), Paula Lee (Costume Designer), Sarah Salisbury (Props Designer) and Lisa Smith (Stage Manager).

Into the Woods begins preview performances on July 17, opens on July 20 and continues through August 5 at Park Square Theatre (20 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, MN 55102). Single tickets start at $25 (adults) / $10 (students and children under 18) and are now on sale through the Park Square Theatre box office at 651-291-7005 or by visiting www.muperformingarts.org

Mu Performing Arts
Mu was first founded in 1992 as Theater Mu, a theater company dedicated to bringing Asian American voices to the stage in the Twin Cities at a time when Asian American theater did not exist in the area and the Asian American community was rarely recognized. After forming Mu Daiko, a taiko drumming ensemble, the company rebranded itself as Mu Performing Arts, reflecting their broad artistic base of theater, taiko, and artist development. Mu Performing Arts remains Minnesota’s only pan-Asian performing arts organization, and has grown into the second largest Asian American performing arts company in the United States. In 2011, Mu Performing Arts published a new anthology of plays through Temple University Press, Asian American Plays for a New Generation. Six of the seven plays included were commissioned and/or produced by Mu. Each season, Mu produces three mainstage plays and one mainstage taiko concert, along with numerous artist development programs and other special events. Celebrating its 20th Anniversary mainstage season, Mu Performing Arts continued its string of ‘Best of’ top end of year picks by The Minneapolis Star Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press, with last year’s musical offering Little Shop of Horrors. In the last three seasons, seven out of nine productions have been listed on end of year lists. www.muperformingarts.org.

Other articles on Mu Performing Arts:
Randy Reyes Embraces his Passion for Storytelling as an Actor, Director and Theater Educator
Randy Reyes directs Mu Performing Arts’ production of EDITH CAN SHOOT THINGS AND HIT THEM by A. Rey Pamatmat at Mixed Blood Theatre, March 13-April 1, 2012
Mu Performing Arts’ Little Shop of Horrors on 2 ‘Best of’ Lists; Women in Arts Panel on 1/29, in Conjunction with Mu Daiko’s 15th Anniversary Concert and Tour
Mu Daiko 15th Anniversary Concert and Minnesota Tour, February 9-19, 2012
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Photos: Opening Night of Mu Performing Arts’ Katie Hae Leo’s Four Destinies
Photos: Backstage at Mu Performing Arts’ Four Destinies by Katie Hae Leo
Mu Performing Arts 2011-2012 20th Anniversary Season: Four Destinies, Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them, Into the Woods, & Mu Daiko 15th Anniversary Concert
Up Close and Personal with Rick Shiomi, Award-winning Playwright & Artistic Director of Mu Performing Arts
Photos: On the town with Rick Shiomi, Co-Editor of “Asian American Plays for a New Generation”, in D.C. & NY
Temple Press: Rick Shiomi recounts his tour for “Asian American Plays for a New Generation”
Mu Blog: Rick Shiomi’s Book Tour Logbook
knightarts.org: Reading on the road inside the book tour
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Lia Chang Theater Portfolio at Library of Congress Features Photos of Thom Sesma’s Makeup Transformation as Scar in Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas, Robert Lee and Leon Ko’s Heading East Starring BD Wong, David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish, and Samrat Chakrabarti and Sanjiv Jhaveri’s Bakwas Bumbug! on View Through August 2
Photos: Rick Shiomi Checks out Performing Arts Playwrights Series in the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection of Library of Congress; Attends “Asian American Plays for a New Generation” Book Signing in NY on 7/29 “Asian American Plays for a New Generation”, A New Anthology of Asian American Plays Is Subject of Book Talk
Click here for more articles on Rick Shiomi.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Encore Performances of Rachel Klein’s The Tragedy of Maria Macabre at Access Theater
Susan Soon He Stanton’s TAKARAZUKA!!! featuring Jennifer Ikeda, Brooke Ishibashi, Paul Juhn, Glenn Kubota, and Angela Lin kicks off Clubbed Thumb’s 17th annual SUMMERWORKS at Here, May 26-June 4
C.J. Wilson navigates armor and swordplay in Signature Theatre Company’s World Premiere of Kenneth Lonergan’s Medieval Play
Photos: In Rehearsal with BD Wong at Dixon Place for Live Concert Recording of Herringbone
David Henry Hwang Set as Signature Theatre’s Residency One Playwright for the 2012-2013 Season
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: David Henry Hwang, Oskar Eustis, BD Wong, Brian d’Arcy James, Francis Jue, Jennifer Lim and Leigh Silverman at WNYC’s The Greene Space
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Lia Chang: Dixon Place presents the World Premiere of Rachel Klein’s Symphony of Shadows: A Tale From the Land Beyond the Veil, June 7-23, 2012

Symphony of Shadows: A Tale From the Land Beyond the Veil. Photo by Michael Blase

Award-winning theater artist Rachel Klein returns to Dixon Place with the world premiere of her latest extravaganza, Symphony of Shadows: A Tale From the Land Beyond the Veil, Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays in June. The performance schedule is June 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23 @ 7:30. Dixon Place is located at 161A Chrystie Street in New York. Tickets are $15 General Admission / $12 Students & Seniors online at www.dixonplace.org.

Symphony of Shadows: A Tale From the Land Beyond the Veil. Photo by Michael Blase

This movement-based spectacular tells the story of a woman combating a variety of sleep disorders, phantasmagorical night terrors, hypnotic horrors, and other, visually stunning conjurings from the subconscious depths of her own disturbed mind. Symphony of Shadows merges striking elements of circus and aerial arts, dance and movement, burlesque, and operatic productions to vividly illustrate its storyline in a genre-defying form which “evokes a live-action silent film.” Symphony of Shadows was commissioned by Dixon Place as a world premiere as part of the theater’s Monde Cane original works series.

Symphony of Shadows: A Tale From the Land Beyond the Veil. Photo by Michael Blase

Starring the expressionistic theatrics of the Rachel Klein Theater Ensemble (The Tragedy of Maria Macabre, Act Up! At Howl Festival), aerialists from the House of Yes (Brooklyn’s foremost aerial venue—Circus of Circus, Caligula), dancers from Martha Graham Company II, Alvin Ailey, the Love Show (Nutcracker: Rated R) and Desert Sin Dance Company (Museé de Femmes at the Zipper Factory) along with acrobatic interludes from Bro Circus (Oh! You Pretty Things at (le) Poisson Rouge, Blunderland at Red Lotus Room), an original concerto by Sean Hagerty (Steampunk Haunted House at Abrons Art Center), and a live electric string orchestra. Symphony of Shadows will be the company’s largest production to date which includes a cast of 25 dancers, aerialists, musicians, a contortionist, and silent film style actors.

Symphony of Shadows: A Tale From the Land Beyond the Veil. Photo by Michael Blase

Rachel Klein Photo by Michael Blase

Rachel Klein (Director, Choreographer, Costume Designer) is a director, choreographer, producer, and costume/production designer. Miss Klein established the RKP ensemble in 2007 with her adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost and since has worked with RKP and other collaborators (including Junta Juleil Theatricals, the Jackie Factory, Disgraced Productions, HQ Rep, the House of Yes, Bluebox Productions, and Razors Edge Productions) to build and develop the full length productions The Tragedy of Maria Macabre, Metro, All Kinds of Shifty Villains, Sir Sheever, Aenigma, Go-Go Killers!, Hound, Princes of Darkness, Circus of Circus, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Lizardman, a Musical. Shorter works and dance pieces include: Our Prison, La Enferma, Medusa, Sisters of the Moon, Sweeter Than Wine, Killer Workout, Beat Girl, Rocky Horror at Oh! You Pretty Things, London Calling, March of the Black Queen, ACT Up! Ballet: Why?, and Night of the Living Dolls. The Rachel Klein Theater Ensemble’s choreographic work has been presented all over the city at several venues, festivals, art galleries, and nightlife events including the Kitchen, Dixon Place, Theater for the New City, DUMBO Dance Festival, Night of 1000 Stevies, the Highline Ballroom, La MaMa, Banzai! at the Red Lotus Room, legendary rock ‘n roll club Don Hill’s, the Hiro Ballroom, the Bushwick Site Fest, Bushwick Open Studios Festival, the World Famous Bob’s Give Thanks!, Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO, the House of Yes, HOWL Festival, and Off-Broadway at the Bleecker Street Theater. Miss Klein was a 2010 recipient of the Emerging Artists’ Residency Grant from the Field in Association with the Tides Foundation, currently curates a monthly performance art review at Bowery Poetry Club, and was nominated for Outstanding Director of a Play and Outstanding Choreography/Movement for the 2011 New York Innovative Theater Awards. – www.rachelkleinproductions.com

Sean Hagerty (Composer, Musician) is a composer, sound designer, and violinist, specializing in live electronics and music for theater and dance. Upon arriving in New York, he found himself writing arrangements for the Broadway cast of Sweeney Todd, performed at the 20th Annual Easter Bonnet Festival. He also performed with the cast, playing violin on his arrangement of “Lady, Your Roof Brings Me Down” at the Bowery Ballroom.

Symphony of Shadows features a story by Rachel Klein and Sean Gill, Costume design by Rachel Klein, Kae Burke, and Make Fun Studios, and will be stage managed by Marina Steinberg. Starring Elizabeth Stewart, Michael Porsche, Danielle Marie Fusco, and Eric Schmalenberger. Featuring: Ted Caine, Brian Ferree, Xavier Hageman, Zahra Hashemian, Abdiel Jacobsen, Christina Johnson, Natasha King, Kristen Lee, Freddy Mancilla, Ka Mazing, Danny Mendoza, Nicki Miller, Robyn Nielsen, Megan O’Connor, Scooter Pie, Evgenia Radilova, Brian Rubiano, Francis Stallings, and the Shadow Orchestra.

Symphony of Shadows: A Tale From the Land Beyond the Veil. Photo by Michael Blase

Symphony of Shadows: A Tale From the Land Beyond the Veil
Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays in June
June 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23 @ 7:30
Dixon Place
161A Chrystie Street
New York, NY 10002
Tickets: Advance online: $15 General Admission / $12 Students & Seniors
www.dixonplace.org
212 219-0736
Click below for Symphony of Shadows Vimeo trailer:

ABOUT DIXON PLACE
Dixon Place is a non-profit organization founded in 1986 to provide a space for literary and performing artists to create and develop new works in front of a live audience. While other venues of its kind have since disappeared or now only present established artists, Dixon Place remains at the heart of the New York experimental performance scene. Taking risks is crucial to the life of Dixon Place, its artists and audiences. Dixon Place’s primary commitments are to bring artists and audiences together through live performance in order to expand the understanding of the creative process and its final product, and to provide a supportive environment for emerging artists to present new work. Over the last twenty-five years, Dixon Place has successfully maintained its intimate atmosphere and unique environment while increasing its programming to fulfill the need for performance opportunities for the New York community of performing and literary artists.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Encore Performances of Rachel Klein’s The Tragedy of Maria Macabre at Access Theater
Susan Soon He Stanton’s TAKARAZUKA!!! featuring Jennifer Ikeda, Brooke Ishibashi, Paul Juhn, Glenn Kubota, and Angela Lin kicks off Clubbed Thumb’s 17th annual SUMMERWORKS at Here, May 26-June 4
C.J. Wilson navigates armor and swordplay in Signature Theatre Company’s World Premiere of Kenneth Lonergan’s Medieval Play
Photos: In Rehearsal with BD Wong at Dixon Place for Live Concert Recording of Herringbone
David Henry Hwang Set as Signature Theatre’s Residency One Playwright for the 2012-2013 Season
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: David Henry Hwang, Oskar Eustis, BD Wong, Brian d’Arcy James, Francis Jue, Jennifer Lim and Leigh Silverman at WNYC’s The Greene Space
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Susan Soon He Stanton’s TAKARAZUKA!!! featuring Jennifer Ikeda, Brooke Ishibashi, Paul Juhn, Glenn Kubota, and Angela Lin kicks off Clubbed Thumb’s 17th annual SUMMERWORKS at Here, May 26-June 4

Clubbed Thumb’s 17th annual SUMMERWORKS season of new plays kicks off with Susan Soon He Stanton’s TAKARAZUKA!!!, directed by Lear deBessonet, about the real-life all-female Japanese theatre troupe from May 26-June 4 at HERE Arts Center, 145 6th Ave in New York.

Angela Lin

The cast of TAKARAZUKA!!! includes Jennifer Ikeda (TOP GIRLS, Manhattan Theater Club; TITUS ANDRONICUS, The Public), Brooke Ishibashi (THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G, Ma-Yi Theater Company in association with Vampire Cowboys Theater Company), Paul Juhn (“30 Rock”), Glenn Kubota (Pan Asian Rep) and Angela Lin (CHINGLISH). For tickets, priced $18, phone (212) 352-3101 or visit HERE.org. HERE Arts Center is located 145 Sixth Ave at Dominick. Showtime is at 8:30, there is no performance on May 30, 2012.

Part ghost story, part love story, TAKARAZUKA!!! tracks the career sunset of Yuko, the star of a Japanese theater that stages all-female Western style musical extravaganzas. But when you take away her partner, her fans, and her tux, who will she be?

SUSAN SOON HE STANTON’s plays include AMERICAN PIG PEN, CYGNUS, FURBALL, THE THINGS ARE AGAINST US, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO JOHN BOY KIHANO?, THE UNDERNEATH, THE ART OF PRESERVATION and others. She is a member of The Public Theater’s Emerging Writer’s Group and Ma-Yi Playwrights Lab. Awards include the 2011 Van Lier Fellowship at The Lark, and The Sloan Foundation feature film development grant. MFA: Yale Playwriting. From Honolulu, Susan lives in New York City. This is Susan’s first NYC production.

LEAR deBESSONET Original works have been produced by Lincoln Center Theatre, the Old Globe Theatre, the Intiman Theatre, Joe’s Pub, and Performance Space 122. She has worked with writers Marcus Gardley, Naomi Iizuka, Todd Almond, Deborah Stein, and Lucy Thurber. She most recently conceived and directed ODYSSEY at the Old Globe, featuring a cast of nearly 200 performers including local choirs, marching bands, and park rangers.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Shinsai: Theaters for Japan Photos: (3pm) with André Bishop, Mary Beth Hurt, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Richard Thomas, Jay O. Sanders, and more
C.J. Wilson navigates armor and swordplay in Signature Theatre Company’s World Premiere of Kenneth Lonergan’s Medieval Play
Photos: In Rehearsal with BD Wong at Dixon Place for Live Concert Recording of Herringbone
David Henry Hwang Set as Signature Theatre’s Residency One Playwright for the 2012-2013 Season
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: David Henry Hwang, Oskar Eustis, BD Wong, Brian d’Arcy James, Francis Jue, Jennifer Lim and Leigh Silverman at WNYC’s The Greene Space
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

12th Annual New York Indian Film Festival Nominees for Best Picture, Best Documentary, Best Actor, & Best Actress

The 12th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), presented by the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC), which runs from May 23 to 27 at the Tribeca Cinemas in Lower Manhattan, showcases more than 50 features, documentaries, and short films over a span of five days. The festival kicked off with an opening night red carpet screening of Bedabrata Pain’s CHITTAGONG on May 23 at the Paris Theater, followed by a VIP gala dinner at the Essex House Ballroom. Tonight, Rituparno Ghosh’s CHITRANGADA, the centerpiece film will have its world premiere at Tribeca Cinemas. On Sunday, May 27, 2012, Anurag Kashyap’s GANGS OF WASSEYPUR closes the festival at NYU’s Skirball Theater, followed by an awards ceremony and closing night party, sponsored by Wells Fargo.

“And the nominees for the 12th annual NYIFF are…”
BEST FILM
Aadukalam
Chitrangada
Chittagong
Gattu
Shala

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
Big in Bollywood
Inshallah Football
Kumare
Saving Face
Transgenders: Pakistan’s Open Secret

BEST SCREENPLAY
Pooja Desai, Anvita Dutt, Rajesh Narasimhan, Ashish Patil (Mujshe Fraaandship Karoge)
Avinash Deshpande (Shala)
Rituparno Ghosh (Chitrangada)
Vetri Maaran (Aadukalam)
Bedabrata Pain, Shonali Bose (Chittagong)

BEST DIRECTOR
Sujay Dahake (Shala)
Rituparno Ghosh (Chitrangada)
Vetri Maaran (Aadukalam)
Prashant Nair (Delhi in a Day)
Bedabrata Pain (Chittagong)

BEST YOUNG ACTOR
Sihle Dlamini (Lucky)
Dilzad Hiwale (Bubble Gum)
Dilzad Hiwale (Chittagong)
Ashuman Joshi(Shala)
Ketaki Mategaonkar (Shala)
Mohd Samad (Gattu)

THE BEST SHORTS
Aashpordha
Bombay Snow
Dilli Dreams
Do Pahar
Silent Waters

BEST ACTOR
Manoj Bajpayee (Chittagong)
Dhanush (Aadukalam)
Ankur Khanna (Abosheshey)
Nana Patekar (Shagird)
Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Dekh Indian Circus)
Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Chittagong)

BEST ACTRESS
Jayashree Basavaraj (Lucky)
Priyanka Bose (Gangor)
Tannishtha Chatterjee (Dekh Indian Circus)
Anjali Patil (Delhi in a Day)
Lipica Shah (Let’s Be Out, The Sun Is Shining)

The independent jury who votes for their favorite nominees in each category are: Parag Amladi, Ashish Avikunthak, Dev Benegal, Jerry Carlson, Tejaswini Ganti, Udayan Gupta, Poorna Jagannathan, Kavey Kaul, Joseph Mathew, Myrna Moncayo-Iyengar, Claus Mueller, Muriel (Mike) Peters, Zenobia Shroff, and Nilita Vachani. The awards are audited by KPMG, and the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony following the closing night film on May 27.

For more information about the entire schedule, please visit http://www.iaac.us/NYIFF2012/.

About the Indo-American Arts Council: The Indo-American Arts Council is a registered not-for-profit arts organization passionately dedicated to showcasing, building awareness, and celebrating artists of Indian origin in the performing, visual and literary arts. Annual festivals of art, dance, play writing and film are scheduled through the year, with several special events and book launches. For further information please visit www.iaac.us. NYIFF was born in the aftermath of 9/11 in response to Mayor Giuliani’s call to New Yorkers to help rebuild a limping city. The First Annual film Festival opened its doors with Film Diaspora Godfather Ismail Merchant and closed with New York’s favorite Indian filmmaker Mira Nair.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
C.J. Wilson navigates armor and swordplay in Signature Theatre Company’s World Premiere of Kenneth Lonergan’s Medieval Play
Photos: In Rehearsal with BD Wong at Dixon Place for Live Concert Recording of Herringbone
David Henry Hwang Set as Signature Theatre’s Residency One Playwright for the 2012-2013 Season
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: David Henry Hwang, Oskar Eustis, BD Wong, Brian d’Arcy James, Francis Jue, Jennifer Lim and Leigh Silverman at WNYC’s The Greene Space
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Lia Chang Photos: In Rehearsal with BD Wong at Dixon Place for Live Concert Recording of Herringbone

For 30 years, BD Wong has been obsessed with the one-man musical Herringbone, which features a book by Tom Cone, music by Skip Kennon and lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh, and was first produced in New York at Playwright’s Horizons in a memorable 1982 production starring David Rounds.

BD Wong, star of Herringbone, in rehearsal at Dixon Place in New York on May 20, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Wong has headlined four critically-acclaimed productions of the ambitious musical – in which he enacts, sings and dances at least 11 characters – at the Williamstown Theatre Festival (2007), McCarter Theatre (2008), and La Jolla Playhouse (2010), all directed by Tony Award-winner Roger Rees (Nicholas Nickleby, Peter And The Starcatcher). Wong also starred in another earlier production at the American Musical Theatre Festival in 1994.

Dixon Place is presenting BD Wong’s tour-de-force performance in this difficult-to-perform musical, which is rarely revived.

BD Wong, star of Herringbone, in rehearsal at Dixon Place in New York on May 20, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Wong, best known for his Tony Award winning performance in M. Butterfly and his role in the long running hit series “Law & Order: SVU,” will appear in Herringbone to benefit Dixon Place for two performances only: Monday May 21, and Tuesday May 22, at 7:00pm. The production, which will be recorded live for a future CD release, will be Wong’s first appearance in New York of the material, timed with the 30th anniversary of the original New York production. Dixon Place is at 161A Chrystie St. (between Rivington and Delancey). Tickets and more information are available at dixonplace.org and at 212 219-0736.

Backstage at Dixon Place in New York with BD Wong, star of Herringbone on May 20, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Last night, before the first performance, Wong received notification that he had reached his $35,000 Kickstarter campaign goal, which will help fund the live recording of the CD. Click below to see BD Wong’s very personal message.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/484701422/bd-wong-live-concert-recording-of-the-musical-herr
I documented Wong’s astonishing performance in 2008 at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ. Do consider donating to this historical project, you’ll be glad you did.

BD Wong in Herringbone. Photo by Lia Chang

Herringbone is written as a traditional two-act musical with a score of more than 14 songs and 11 characters. The conceit of a single performer enacting all of the characters underlines its theme of the human struggle to negotiate the light and dark sides within.

In the musical, set in Alabama during the Great Depression, 8-year-old George Nookin is possessed by the vengeful spirit of Lou, a jaded hoofer who was murdered by Lou’s partner in a Vaudeville act, Chicken Mosely. George’s parents, Arthur and Louise, are torn asunder by George’s astonishing new ability to sing and dance, shlepping across the country as Lou seduces them into believing that exploiting George’s newfound talent is the family’s ticket on the train out of hard times. Wong plays George, Lou, Mosely, Arthur, Louise, as well as George’s Grandmother, a floozie hotel clerk, and a host of other supporting characters.

Reprising their work on this project from the Williamstown Theatre Festival, McCarter Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse productions are Darren Lee (choreography), Dan Lipton (music direction), Scott Lehrer and Leon Rothenberg (sound design), and William Ivey Long (costumes).

BD Wong won the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Clarence Derwent, Theater World and Tony Awards for his performance in M. BUTTERFLY. He has appeared in more than 20 films and on television in six seasons of HBO’s “OZ,” eleven seasons of “LAW & ORDER: SVU,” and the inaugural season of the critically-acclaimed NBC drama “AWAKE”.

ABOUT DIXON PLACE
Dixon Place is a non-profit organization founded in 1986 to provide a space for literary and performing artists to create and develop new works in front of a live audience. While other venues of its kind have since died off, or now only present established artists, Dixon Place remains at the heart of the New York experimental performance scene. Taking risks is crucial to the life of Dixon Place, its artists and audiences. Dixon Place’s primary commitments are to bring artists and audiences together through live performance in
order to expand the understanding of the creative process and its final product, and to provide a supportive environment for emerging artists to present new work. Over the last twenty-five years, Dixon Place has successfully maintained its intimate atmosphere and unique environment while increasing its programming to fulfill the need for performance opportunities for the New York community of performing and literary artists.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
BD Wong Creates Kickstarter Campaign for his Live Concert Recording of HERRINGBONE, to be performed May 21-22 as a Benefit for Dixon Place
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
BD Wong to Star in Live Concert Recording of HERRINGBONE for Two Nights Only as a Benefit for Dixon Place, May 21-22
Photos: David Henry Hwang, Oskar Eustis, BD Wong, Brian d’Arcy James, Francis Jue, Jennifer Lim and Leigh Silverman at WNYC’s The Greene Space

Photos: BD Wong, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Brandon Victor Dixon, Tom Viola at “Passing It On: An Evening of Mentorship to Benefit Rosie’s Theater Kids”
Photos: BD Wong in Rehearsal for “Passing It On: An Evening of Mentorship to Benefit Rosie’s Theater Kids”
Tony award-winning actor BD Wong stars in NBC’s Awake; video preview and interview
Herringbone is BD Wong’s Tour de Force
Click here for more BD Wong articles.

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com