Lia Chang Photos: The 58th Annual Drama Desk Awards and After Party

Hold These Truths’ star Joel de la Fuente and playwright Jeanne Sakata. Photo by Lia Chang

I had a grand time at the 58th Annual Drama Desk Awards presented by TheaterMania.com at Town Hall on Sunday, May 19, 2013, with Jeanne Sakata and her husband, Tim Patterson. The pair had flown in from LA to celebrate Joel de la Fuente, the star of Sakata’s one-man show Hold These Truths, directed by Lisa Rothe and produced Off-Broadway by the Epic Theatre Ensemble last Fall, who had been nominated in the category of “Outstanding Solo Performance”. Jeanne Sakata’s critically-acclaimed play Hold These Truths, starring 2013 Drama Desk Award Nominee Joel de la Fuente, is set for the 10th Annual soloNOVA Arts Festival at Culture Project, 6/4, 6/10 and 6/11

Tim Patterson and his wife Jeanne Sakata, Melissa and Joel de la Fuente. Photo by Lia Chang

Founded in 1949 to explore key issues in the theater and to bring together critics and writers in an organization to support the ongoing development of theater in New York, Drama Desk began presenting its awards in 1955, and it is the only critics’ organization to honor achievement in the theater with competition among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions in the same categories.

The cast of Hands on a Hardbody. Photo by Lia Chang

Presenters Brian Stokes Mitchell and Beth Leavel. Photo by Lia Chang

The 58th Annual Drama Desk Awards ceremony streamed live on Theatermania.com, with co-hosting duties shared by Billy Army, Audrey Lynn Weston, Todd Susman and Marilyn Sokol from the cast of Old Jews Telling Jokes. The show opened with Hands on a Hardbody (Music by Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green, Lyrics by Amanda Green).

This year’s presenters included: Stephanie J. Block, Celia Keenan Bolger, Daniel Breaker, Danny Burstein, David Byrne, Charlotte d’Amboise, Jim Dale, John Glover, Cynthia Henson, Paul Huntley, Steve Karam, Lisa Kron, Beth Leavel, Martin Lowe, Terrence Mann, Joe Mantello, Jan Maxwell, Audra McDonald, Terrence McNally, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Donna Murphy, Denis O’Hare, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Michele Pawk, Tonya Pinkins, Alex Timbers, Tommy Tune, and William Wolf.

Terrence McNally and Tom Kirdahy. Photo by Lia Chang

Renee Albulario, Kelvin Moon Loh and Joshua Dela Cruz from the cast of Here Lies Love. Photo by Lia Chang

Dogfight’s Lindsay Mendez. Photo by Lia Chang

Here Lies Love, Starring Jose Llana and Ruthie Ann Miles, Extends at The Public through July 28, 2013
Other featured songs from Drama Desk nominated shows included “Pretty Funny” performed by Dogfight‘s Lindsay Mendez (Music and lyrics by Benji Pasek and Justin Paul); “He Wanted A Girl” performed by Giant‘s Katie Thompson (Music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa); and “God Draws Straight” performed by Renee Albulario, Joshua Dela Cruz and Kelvin Moon Loh (Music by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, Lyrics by David Byrne).

Marie-France Arcilla, Joe Cassidy, Donna Lynne Champlin, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Nehal Joshi, and Kenita R. Miller, the cast of Working: A Musical, performed “All The Livelong Day (I Hear America Singing)”(Music by Stephen Schwartz, Lyrics by Walt Whitman), and were presented with a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance from Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Working: A Musical’s Donna Lynne Champlin, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Marie-France Arcilla, Colin Donnell, Kenita Miller and Nehal Joshi. Photo by Lia Chang

After the awards ceremony and show at Town Hall, Jeanne, Tim and I met up with Joel and his family at the after party at the Liberty Theatre. Here are my photo highlights of the night. Congrats to all of the winners.

Terrence McNally congratulates fellow playwright Christopher Durang. Photo by Lia Chang

Outstanding Play
Christopher Durang, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Christopher Durang, Emily Mann and Andre Bishop. Photo by Lia Chang

Outstanding Musical
Matilda

Outstanding Revival of a Play
Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’s Tracy Letts and Carrie Coons. Photo by Lia Chang

Cicely Tyson. Photo by Lia Chang

Billy Porter. Photo by Lia Chang

Outstanding Revival of a Musical or Revue
Pippin

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Tracy Letts, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Billy Porter, Kinky Boots

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Laura Osnes, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

Nathan Johnson, Katie Thompson and Laura Osnes. Photo by Lia Chang

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Richard Kind, The Big Knife

Richard Kind, Lindsay Mendez and Joe Mantello. Photo by Lia Chang

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Judith Light, The Assembled Parties

Judith Light. Photo by Lia Chang

Pam MacKinnon. Photo by Lia Chang

Andrea Martin. Photo by Lia Chang

Diane Paulus and presenter Tommy Tune. Photo by Lia Chang

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Bertie Carvel, Matilda

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Andrea Martin, Pippin

Outstanding Director of a Play
Pam MacKinnon, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Outstanding Director of a Musical
Diane Paulus, Pippin

Diane Paulus and her husband Randy Weiner. Photo by Lia Chang

Outstanding Choreography
Chet Walker and Gypsy Snider, Pippin

Chet Walker and Gypsy Snider. Photo by Lia Chang

David Byrne. Photo by Lia Chang

Outstanding Music
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, Here Lies Love

Outstanding Lyrics
Tim Minchin, Matilda

Outstanding Book of a Musical
Dennis Kelly, Matilda

Outstanding Orchestrations
Danny Troob, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

Outstanding Music in a Play
Glen Kelly, The Nance

Outstanding Revue
Old Hats

Old Hats’ David Shiner and Bill Irwin win for Outstanding Revue. Photo by Lia Chang

Old Hats’ David Shiner and Bill Irwin win for Outstanding Revue. Photo by Lia Chang

Old Hats’ Bill Irwin and Signature Theatre’s Jim Houghton. Photo by Lia Chang

Kenita Miller and Brandon Victor Dixon. Photo by Lia Chang

Laila Robins and Robert Cuccioli. Photo by Lia Chang

Chuck Cooper, Tonya Pinkins and Debra Brevoort. Photo by Lia Chang

Outstanding Set Design
Rob Howell, Matilda

Outstanding Costume Design
William Ivey Long, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

Outstanding Lighting Design
Justin Townsend, Here Lies Love
Daniel Winters, The Man Who Laughs

Outstanding Projection Design
Peter Nigrini, Here Lies Love

Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical (3-WAY TIE)
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Hands on a Hardbody
Scott Lehrer and Drew Levy, Chaplin: The Musical
Tony Meola, The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
Mel Mercier, The Testament of Mary

Outstanding Solo Performance
Michael Urie, Buyer & Cellar

Unique Theatrical Experience
Cirque du Soleil: Totem

Special Awards – Each year, the Drama Desk votes special awards to recognize excellence and significant contributions to the theater. For 2012-2013, these awards are:

Michael John LaChuisa, Isaac Robert Hurwitz, Isabel Santiago and Katie Thompson. Photo by Lia Chang

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF), Isaac Robert Hurwitz, Executive Director and Producer: for a decade of creating and nurturing new musical theater, ensuring the future of this essential art form.

Wakka Wakka. Photo by Lia Chang

Wakka Wakka (Gabrielle Brechner, Kirjan Waage, and Gwendolyn Warnock): for sophisticated puppet theater, as represented by this season’s SAGA, that explores with wit, imagination, and insight serious issues of our times.

Jayne Houdyshell. Photo by Lia Chang

Jayne Houdyshell: for her artistry as an exceptionally versatile and distinctive Broadway and Off-Broadway performer.

Samuel D. Hunter: His empathic and indelible The Whale affirms his arrival as a distinguished dramatist who depicts the human condition.

Maruti Evans, the Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award: for his ingenious lighting designs, reflecting an exquisite and bold theatrical aesthetic. This season’s The Pilo Family Circus and Tiny Dynamite confirm his incandescent creativity.

Kelvin Moon Loh and Here Lies Love director Alex Timbers. Photo by Lia Chang

Hold These Truths’ Family affair- Tim Patterson and his wife Jeanne Sakata, Melissa and Joel de La Fuente, Bob de la Fuente, Benjamin de la Fuente, Kathryn de la Fuente. Photo by Lia Chang

Isa Goldberg, president of the Drama Desk Board of Directors. Photo by Lia Chang

About Drama Desk
The 2012-2013 Board of Directors of the Drama Desk is composed of: Isa Goldberg (Broadwaychannel.com, Theaterlife.com) President, Leslie (Hoban) Blake (Theater Critic/City ARTS-Downtown; Co-Host/TWO on the AISLE, MNN) Vice President, Charles Wright (A+E Networks; Editorial Board, Best Plays Theater Year Book) Treasurer & 2nd Vice President, Richard Ridge (BroadwayWorld.com Backstage with Richard Ridge) Secretary, Arlene Epstein (South Shore Record/Herald Community Newspapers & LIHerald.com), Elysa Gardner (USA Today critic/reporter; New York Drama Critics Circle), Randy Gener (American Theatre; New York Theater Wire), John Istel (Freelance Editor and Arts Journalist; Managing Editor, Drama Desk website), David Kaufman (Author and Freelance), William Wolf (wolfentertainmentguide.com; Adjunct professor, NYU), and Lauren Yarger (Reflections in the Light; BroadwayWorld.com).

Jeanne Sakata, Scott and Barbara Siegel. Photo by Lia Chang

The 2012-2013 Drama Desk Nominating Committee is composed of: Barbara Siegel, Chairperson (TalkinBroadway.com and freelance); David Kaufman (author and freelance), Samuel L. Leiter (Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Theatre, Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center), Martha Wade Steketee (urbanexcavations.com; editor and contributor, Chance Magazine), Adrian Wattenmaker (Theater Faculty, Brooklyn College; Director, School of Creative and Performing Arts), and James Wilson (Professor of Theatre, CUNY; co-editor of Journal of American Drama and Theatre).

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About TheaterMania.com
Founded in 1999, TheaterMania connects the theater industry with a mass consumer audience with comprehensive listings, news, reviews, features, interviews, and video content covering theater across the United States. TheaterMania’s widely distributed email newsletters provide special offers to its subscribers. In addition to providing theaters with online marketing programs to drive ticket sales, TheaterMania’s proprietary ticketing system OvationTix™ is used throughout America by hundreds of performing arts organizations, museums, concerts, festivals, and events to process tickets sales, and manage fundraising and patron information. TheaterMania recently acquired London-based WhatsOnStage.com, a source for information and tickets to UK theater. Gretchen Shugart, CEO of TheaterMania, became Executive Producer of Drama Desk Awards in 2012.

About Joey Parnes Productions
Led by Joey Parnes, a veteran Broadway producer and general manager who served as coordinating producer for the TONY Awards from 2001 to 2008, primarily focuses on producing and general managing plays and musicals for Broadway as well as providing executive producer and general management services for a wide range of theatrical ventures including non-profit theater consulting and working with non-profits on Broadway transfers. Sue Wagner and John Johnson are his associates.

In addition to TheaterMania and Gretchen Shugart, Robert R. Blume and David S. Stone in association with Renee McCurry are Co-Executive Producers of Drama Desk Awards.

www.DramaDeskAwards.com

Brandon Victor Dixon and Lia Chang. Photo by
Tim Patterson

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. This summer she will appear as Carole Barbara in Lorey Hayes’ Power Play at the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, N.C., with Pauletta Pearson Washington, Roscoe Orman, Lorey Hayes, Marcus Naylor and Penwah, July 30-August 1, 2013.

Jeanne Sakata, Joel de la Fuente and Lia Chang. Photo by Tim Patterson

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Lorey Hayes’ Power Play Set for National Black Theatre Festival 7/30-8/1
Photos & Video: Frank London’s Klezmer Brass All-Stars, Manu Narayan, Deep Singh and More
Ghostlight Records Releases ‘Giant’ Original Cast Album Featuring Kate Baldwin, Brian d’Arcy James, P.J. Griffith, Raul Aranas, Katie Thompson and more
Here Lies Love, Starring Jose Llana and Ruthie Ann Miles, Extends at The Public through July 28, 2013
Two-Time Tony Nominee André De Shields, Nehal Joshi, Akash Chopra and More Set for Mary Zimmerman helmed The Jungle Book at The Goodman, 6/21-8/4 and The Huntington, 9/7-10/6
Christine Toy Johnson, Thom Sesma, Ali Ewoldt, Jose Llana, Ann Harada, Telly Leung and More Set for The Asian American Composers and Lyricists Project at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre
Photos: Working Theater’s World Premiere of Ed Cardona, Jr.’s La Ruta
Christine Toy Johnson and Raul Aranas Lead the Cast of the National Asian Artists Project’s (NAAP) Benefit Presentation of Hello Dolly!, at The Pershing Square Signature Center on April 29 and May 6
Photos: All-Access Pass to August Wilson’s Two Trains Running with John Earl Jelks, Harvy Blanks, Chuck Cooper, Anthony Chisholm, Owiso Odera, Roslyn Ruff and James A. Williams
Chuck Cooper, Austin Pendleton, Nicholas L. Ashe, Kyle Beltran, Grantham Coleman, Jeremy Pope, and Wallace Smith Set for MTC’s World Premiere of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy, June 18- July 21, 2013
Jose Llana, Ruthie Ann Miles, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Conrad Ricamora, Kelvin Moon Loh and More Set for World Premiere of David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s Here Lies Love at The Public, April 2 – May 19, 2013
Keith David, January LaVoy, John Douglas Thompson, Glynn Turman, Lillias White and More Set for Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the CTG/Mark Taper Forum, April 24 – June 9, 2013
Ellen Burstyn, Jayne Houdyshell, Elizabeth Marvel, Kristine Nielsen and David Hyde Pierce Set for Drama Desk Panel: “The Art of Storytelling” at Sardi’s on March 22, 2013
Photos: David Henry Hwang, Jennifer Lim, Leigh Silverman, Samuel L. Jackson, Kenny Leon, David Ives, Douglas Carter Beane and More at The Drama Desk & Fordham University Theatre Program’s “Anatomy of a Breakout” Panel
Orville Mendoza is currently appearing as Sergeant Lombardi in Classic Stage Company’s Passion through April 19, 2013
Ann Harada Plays Cinderella’s Stepsister Charlotte in Broadway Premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella at the Broadway Theatre
Manu Narayan, Mark Bennett, Lea Salonga, Michael K. Lee and Stafford Arima Among 2012 Craig Noel Award Nominees
Photos: Maurice Hines, Jonathan Groff, Mercedes Ellington, Charles Randolph Wright at The Beechman for André De Shields’s I PUT A SPELL ON YOU
Signature’s Off-Broadway Revival of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, helmed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, runs October 30 -December 9, 2012
Raul Aranas, Kate Baldwin, Brian d’Arcy James, P.J. Griffith, Bobby Steggert and Michele Pawk Set for New York Premiere of GIANT at The Public Theater, October 26-December 2, 2012
Albee, Hwang, Enos, Taylor, Wilson, Clarke and Jacobs-Jenkins Set for Signature Theatre’s 2013-14 Season
Photos: David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Opening Night at Signature Theatre
Photos: Partying with the Cast of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child
Photos: Q & A with Mel Sagrado Maghuyop, The King in Harbor Lights’ Production of The King and I
Playing Lady Thiang in the Harbor Lights’ Production of The King and I is a dream come true for Christine Toy Johnson
Multimedia: Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross
Tony Award Winner Tonya Pinkins Celebrates Ethel Waters at 54 Below on August 27, 2012
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
C.J. Wilson navigates armor and swordplay in Signature Theatre Company’s World Premiere of Kenneth Lonergan’s Medieval Play
Up Close and Personal with Darren Pettie, Star of The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore
Photos and Video: Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas- In the Makeup Chair with Thom Sesma
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2013 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

Jeanne Sakata’s critically-acclaimed play Hold These Truths, starring 2013 Drama Desk Award Nominee Joel de la Fuente, is set for the 10th Annual soloNOVA Arts Festival at Culture Project, 6/4, 6/10 and 6/11

Joel de la Fuente as Gordon Hirabayashi in Jeanne Sakata’s Hold These Truths. Photo by Lia Chang

Congratulations to 2013 Drama Desk nominee Joel de la Fuente, who has been nominated in the category of Outstanding Solo Performance for his tour-de-force turn in Jeanne Sakata’s critically-acclaimed Off-Broadway one-man show Hold These Truths, inspired by the true story of second generation Japanese-American Gordon Hirabayashi. Under the brilliant direction of Lisa Rothe, Hold These Truths had it’s New York premiere last October in a production by Epic Theatre Ensemble at the Theatre at the 14th Street Y.
Photos: The 58th Annual Drama Desk Awards and After Party

Mr. de la Fuente, who can currently be seen on Netflix’s “Hemlock Grove” and recently appeared in an episode of “Hawaii Five-O,” will reprise his portrayal as Gordon Hirabayashi and 36 other characters in Hold These Truths as one of the headliner events at the 10th Annual soloNOVA Arts Festival, the award-winning and longest-running solo performance festival in New York City.

Joel de la Fuente as Dr. Johann Pryce in Netflix’s Hemlock Grove. Photo: Netflix

Hold These Truths will have performances at the Culture Project, Tuesday, June 4 at 7pm, Monday, June 10 at 7pm and Tuesday, June 11 at 7pm at the Culture Project (45 Bleecker Street, NYC).

The design team for Hold These Truths includes set design by Mikiko Suzuki McAdams, sound designer and compositions by Daniel Kluger, lighting design by Cat Tate Starmer and costume design by Meg Weeden.

Joel de la Fuente as Gordon Hirabayashi in Jeanne Sakata’s Hold These Truths. Photo by Lia Chang

Inspired by a true story, Hold These Truths takes place in Seattle during World War II, where University of Washington student Gordon Hirabayashi is agonizing over U.S. government orders to forcibly remove and mass incarcerate all people of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast. As he fights to reconcile his country’s betrayal with his passionate belief in the U.S. Constitution, Hirabayashi journeys toward a greater understanding of America’s triumphs – and a confrontation with its failures.

In the dressing room with Joel de la Fuente, who stars as Gordon Hirabayashi in Jeanne Sakata’s Hold These Truths at The Theatre at the 14th Street Y in New York on November 24, 2012. Joel is holding a photo of Esther Schmoe and Gordon Hirabayashi on their wedding day. Photo by Lia Chang

Gordon Kiyoshi Hirabayashi (1918-2012) was an American sociologist best known for his resistance to the Japanese-American internment during World War II. He was one of the only three to openly defy it. After being convicted for curfew violation he was sentenced to 90 days in prison. The verdict was appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Hirabayashi v. United States (1943). They unanimously ruled against him. He later spent a year in federal prison for refusing induction into the armed forces after they had sent out a racially discriminatory survey to Japanese-Americans demanding renunciation of allegiance to the emperor of Japan. In 1987, the U.S. Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit overturned his conviction from 1943. In 2012, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Hirabayashi for his principled stand against Japanese-American internment.

“One of the stunning things about Joel de la Fuente’s performance in Jeanne Sakata’s gripping one-man show is how completely he embodies the real-life character of Gordon Hirabayashi….de la Fuente, under the direction of Lisa Rothe, also plays many other characters—but his portrayal of Hirabayashi, whom President Obama just this year posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, feels eerily true to life.”
The New Yorker, October 2012

“Jeanne Sakata’s eloquent one-man drama about civil rights giant Gordon Hirabayashi provides a concise examination of a fascinating chapter in American history….Joel de la Fuente plays Hirabayashi wtih buoyant, magnetic enthusiasm, under the direction of Lisa Rothe.”
The Washington Post/API, October 2012

“The astounding performance that Joel de la Fuente delivers as Gordon Hirabayashi is reason enough to recommend Hold These Truths…with Jeanne Sakata at the helm, we are treated to a dazzling, literary script that’s full of humor.”
New York Times Readers’ Review, October 2012

“Moving, instructive, thrilling….Travel downtown to be inspired by script, actor, and history in equal measure….Culled to its human and emotional essence, we hold Hirabayashi’s story as we must all ‘hold these truths.’”
Urban Excavations, October 2012

“Resonates with vitality and power….This is what living, breathing theater is about. Unforgettable.”
Technorati, October 2012

Joel de la Fuente comments: “Gordon’s story teaches us that the actions of one individual can have tremendous power. Gordon believed long enough to remind us of what it means to be American. As history teaches us, this is a lesson so important that it cannot be learned just once. We must always be willing to learn it again.

“Perhaps the biggest blessing of doing Jeanne Sakata’s HOLD THESE TRUTHS is that not only do I get to be an instrumental part in telling the story of a remarkable hero, but I am being asked to draw on my experiences as an AMERICAN. Gordon Hirabayashi is of Asian heritage, but he is also a citizen of the United States. Asian American actors so rarely get an opportunity to be seen on our stages as Americans, so to do so while telling such a remarkable story has been one of the most satisfying artistic experiences of my life.”

Joel de la Fuente (Photo by Lia Chang)

Joel de la Fuente’s (Gordon Hirabayashi) NY theatre credits include: Ivanov in Ivanov; The Downtown Plays; Claudio in Beatrice and Benedict, with the NY Philharmonic; The Square; America Dreaming and Valentine in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. In 2005, Joel served as the Artistic Associate of the National Asian American Theater Company and also appeared in their world premiere of Cowboy v. Samurai, among others. Other theatrical credits include Vershinin in The Three Sisters; Ariel in The Tempest; Florizel in The Winter’s Tale; Chay Yew’s Red and Liu Mengmei in The Peony Pavilion. On television, Joel has spent ten seasons in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” He was a series regular on the Fox drama, “Space: Above & Beyond;” and is recurring in the upcoming series “Hemlock Grove,” exclusively available on Netflix. On screen, he stars in Brief Reunion (Audience Choice Award Winner) and in the upcoming film, Forgetting The Girl. Additional film credits include: Personal Velocity; The Adjustment Bureau; The Happening; Heights; Return to Paradise and From Other Worlds. Joel’s essay on his experiences as an Asian American actor is published in Pyong Gap Min’s “Struggle for Ethnic Identity.”

Lisa Rothe

Lisa Rothe (Director). Recent Credits: Penelope (Playmakers Repertory Theatre); Ada (Center for Contemporary Opera). Directed and/or developed in NY: The Foundry, New Georges, Epic Theatre Ensemble, Lark Play Development Center, Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST), 52nd Street Project, Naked Angels, New York Theatre Workshop, The Public Theater, BAM, Summer Play Festival (SPF), NYMF, Midtown InterNational Theatre Festival (Best Director), The Women’s Project, National Actors Theater, Keen Company (Keen Teens), Orchard Project, Voice & Vision, HERE, Dixon Place. Regionally: Synchronicity Theatre, Chautauqua Theatre, Vermont Stage Company, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Shakespeare Theatre, The New Harmony Project, Riverside Theatre, Seaside Shakespeare (Nantucket), among others. Director of Offsite Programs and Partnerships at the Lark Play Development Center.

Jeanne Sakata (Photo by Lia Chang)

Jeanne Sakata’s HOLD THESE TRUTHS has its world premiere in 2007 at East West Players under the title of DAWN’S LIGHT: THE JOURNEY OF GORDON HIRABAYASHI, co-presented by the Japanese American National Museum, UCLA Department of Asian American Studies, and the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, and was subsequently chosen by the Epic Theatre Ensemble and the Lark Play Development Center for their first joint presentation, as well as by the New York Theatre Workshop to be showcased at their 2009 Dartmouth Residency. In its New York premiere with the Epic in October 2012, HOLD THESE TRUTHS opened to unanimous rave reviews from The New Yorker, The Washington Post/API, and many other critics. It has also been performed at Chicago’s Pritzker Pavilion with Silk Road Rising/Millennium Park as part of the Park’s 2011 IN THE WORKS New Plays Series; the Epic’s 2010 Passion Play Festival with the John Jay College of Criminal Justice; the University of California at Riverside; the 16th Annual Conference of the Japan Studies Association in Honolulu; at Japanese American Citizens League Day of Remembrance events in Sacramento and Salinas, California; and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, where it served as the inspiration and theatrical centerpiece of the civil rights symposium “Civil Liberties, National Security and the Legacies of the Japanese Removal and Incarceration.” With the East West Players Theatre For Youth program in 2008 and 2010, the play has twice toured high schools and junior high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. HOLD THESE TRUTHS is now part of the Library of Congress Playwrights Archive in the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection in Washington DC, where Sakata’s working script was recently on view in the Thomas Jefferson Building in conjunction with the Library of Congress celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. (www.facebook.com/holdthesetruths, www.holdthesetruths.info)

Jeanne is also a renowned actress whose many accolades include an LA Ovation Award for Best Lead Actress for Chay Yew’s RED at East West Players in Los Angeles. In the 2011-2012 season she performed in A CAGE OF FIREFLIES at the 2012 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab, in the title role of George Bernard Shaw’s MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION at the Antaeus Company’s Classics Fest, SEVEN at USC, THE LANGUAGE ARCHIVE at East West Players, and RED FLAMBOYANT at Ojai Playwrights Festival. Regionally, she has performed with The Public Theater, Lincoln Center Theater, Kennedy Center, Mark Taper Forum, La Jolla Playhouse, South Coast Rep, American Conservatory Theater, Northlight Theatre, Intiman Theatre, Berkeley Rep, A Contemporary Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Syracuse Stage and the Arizona Theatre Company. Screen credits include playing Mom Wanda to Olivia Munn in the recent feature film comedy THE BABYMAKERS, “NCIS LOS ANGELES,” “TYLER PERRY’S MEET THE BROWNS,” “DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES,” “ER,” “THREAT MATRIX,” “LINE OF FIRE,” “PRESIDIO MED,” “AMERICAN FAMILY,” “NUMB3RS,” John Ridley’s “I GOT YOU,” the MOW’s “THE READING ROOM,” “HIROSHIMA,” “CONSENSUAL RELATIONS,” and the feature films XXX2: STATE OF THE UNION and AMERICAN FUSION.

In December 2011, Jeanne was honored with an Outstanding Artist Award for her career achievements by Los Angeles’ Asian Pacific American Friends of the Theatre. (www.jeannesakata.com)

Below are interviews with Hold These Truths‘ playwright Jeanne Sakata, star Joel de la Fuente and director Lisa Rothe.

Hold These Truths‘ playwright Jeanne Sakata talks about her inspiration to write Gordon Hirabayashi’s life story, how she did her research, why she chose the solo show format and what she hopes audiences will take away from de la Fuente’s performance.

Hold These Truths‘ star Joel de la Fuente talks about the challenges of playing 30+ characters and the impact playing Gordon Hirabayashi has had for him.

Director Lisa Rothe discusses how she first became involved with Hold These Truths, her history with Joel de la Fuente, how attending a Quaker meeting influenced her design and concept of the set, her prior knowledge of Gordon Hirabayashi, and her exposure to the internment camps.

For more information and tickets, visit www.terranovacollective.org. Tickets are $30 and may also be purchased in-person at the box office ½ hour in advance of the performances.

Other Hold These Truths Articles:
Photos: The 58th Annual Drama Desk Awards and After Party
Hold These Truths Opening Night at Honolulu Theatre for Youth’s Tenney Theatre with Daniel Dae Kim, Joel de la Fuente and Jeanne Sakata
Brief Reunion Starring Joel de la Fuente, Alexie Gilmore and Scott Shepherd, Opens in NY & L.A. on January 18, 2013
Hold These Truths Video Feature: Playwright Jeanne Sakata, Star Joel de la Fuente and Director Lisa Rothe
Video: Interview with Lisa Rothe, Director of Critically Acclaimed Hold These Truths by Jeanne Sakata, starring Joel de la Fuente
Video: Q & A with Jeanne Sakata, Award Winning Actress Makes Playwrighting Debut Telling Story of Gordon Hirabayashi with Hold These Truths
Photos and Video: Daniel Dae Kim, Ann Harada, Greg Watanabe and More at Jeanne Sakata’s Hold These Truths starring Joel de la Fuente
Photos: Opening Night with Hold These Truths’ Playwright Jeanne Sakata and Star Joel de la Fuente, a Revelation as Gordon Hirabayashi; Performances Extended through November 25, 2012
Epic Theatre Ensemble Presents New York Premiere of Jeanne Sakata’s Hold These Truths Starring Joel de la Fuente at the Theatre at the 14th Street Y, October 12-November 18, 2012
Remembering Civil Rights Leader Gordon Hirabayashi,1918- 2012
President Obama Names Asian American Civil Rights Hero Gordon Hirabayashi Recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom
Reading of Jeanne Sakata’s Dawn’s Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi Starring Joel de la Fuente in New York
Thom Sesma Stars in Jeanne Sakata’s Dawn’s Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Lorey Hayes’ Power Play Set for National Black Theatre Festival 7/29-8/3
Christine Toy Johnson, Thom Sesma, Ali Ewoldt, Jose Llana, Ann Harada, Telly Leung and More Set for The Asian American Composers and Lyricists Project at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre on May 19, 2013
Photos & Video: Frank London’s Klezmer Brass All-Stars, Manu Narayan, Deep Singh and More
Photos: Working Theater’s World Premiere of Ed Cardona, Jr.’s La Ruta through May 12, 2013
Christine Toy Johnson and Raul Aranas Lead the Cast of the National Asian Artists Project’s (NAAP) Benefit Presentation of Hello Dolly!, at The Pershing Square Signature Center on April 29 and May 6
Photos: All-Access Pass to August Wilson’s Two Trains Running with John Earl Jelks, Harvy Blanks, Chuck Cooper, Anthony Chisholm, Owiso Odera, Roslyn Ruff and James A. Williams
Keith David, January LaVoy, John Douglas Thompson, Glynn Turman, Lillias White and More Set for Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the CTG/Mark Taper Forum, April 24 – June 9, 2013
Multimedia: Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross
Albee, Hwang, Enos, Taylor, Wilson, Clarke and Jacobs-Jenkins Set for Signature Theatre’s 2013-14 Season
Photos: David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Opening Night at Signature Theatre
Photos: Partying with the Cast of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2013 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

Two-Time Grammy Nominated Hiroshima Kicks off 2013 Spring Tour at The Laguna Playhouse, with Special Guest Taiko Master Kenny Endo on April 15, 2013

Two-time Grammy nominated American jazz fusion band Hiroshima kicks off their 2013 spring tour at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Rd., Laguna Beach, CA, with special guest artist Taiko Master Kenny Endo, on Monday, April 15, 7:30 p.m. This special performance is part of the Jammin’ Concert Series at the Laguna Playhouse and will feature new music from their latest CD Departure, the follow-up to their 2010 Grammy-nominated Legacy CD. Click here to purchase tickets or call (949) 497-2787 ext. 225 for more information on the show.

HIROSHIMA. Photo by Jaimee Itagaki

Since galvanizing the instrumental music world with its unique East meets West approach in the late 70s, Hiroshima has always kept its eye on a distinctive One World philosophy which seamlessly blends Asian and North American culture to reflect both cultural and spiritual connections. This year marks 20 years since the band’s unique combination of distinctively Japanese elements-June Kuramoto’s classical flavored koto, Johnny Mori’s booming taiko drum-with funky pop, urban and jazz sensibilities first hit the instrumental music charts, and 25 years since saxophonist and East L.A. native Dan Kuramoto, along with June, first formed the ensemble. Also featured in the band are Kimo Cornwell, Danny Yamamoto, Dean Cortez and Shoji Kameda.

Dan Kuramoto co-founder and leader of the band stated, “After more than 30 years in the recording industry — and almost 4 million records sold we’ve decided to leave record companies behind and venture on our own. “It is a new beginning for us in many ways. Departure is a journey of nine songs — all originals with just one guest artist, the incredible harmonica player Tetsuya “Tex” Nakamura. The opening track “Have You Ever Wondered,” is a luscious, textured piece featuring Nakamura and June’s shimmering koto.

“Koto Cruise,” is the second song and features a funky groove and a burning koto solo, “Blues for Sendai,” a soulful jazz blues piece, is dedicated to the spirit of the Japanese people who are rebuilding after the tragedies of March, 2011. The rockin’ blues in “Smiling Jack,” recalls the music of the 80’s and features the roaring B3 organ playing of Kimo Cornwell The sensual soul of “See You Again,” is a tribute to our friend and mentor James Moody. If you listen closely you’ll hear “Moody’s Mood for Love.”

After many years of requests, we offer our first live taiko recording, “Yamasong Duet” – - capturing the voice and the thunder of Shoji’s taiko and Danny’s fierce percussion interplay. The power and spirit of “First Nation,” a composition by the Hawaiian Kimo Cornwell, is a song embracing many native cultures – - and some serious jazz.

Departure ends with two new visitations to our most popular songs, “Thousand Cranes,” and a soulful version of “One Wish,” done as an acoustic trio.” Departure is available on the Hiroshima website, iTunes, Amazon.com, facebook and CDbaby. HiroshimaMusic.com

Kenny Endo. Photo by Lia Chang

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Kenny Endo began early training in western drums and percussion. He began his taiko career with the first two kumi-taiko groups established outside of Japan – L.A.’s groundbreaking Kinnara Taiko, and then with the renowned San Francisco Taiko Dojo. In 1980, he embarked on a decade-long odyssey in his ancestral Japan, studying and performing with Osuwa Daiko, Sukeroku Taiko, Oedo Sukeroku Taiko, Hogaku Hayashi with Mochizuki Ryu, and Matsuri Bayashi with Maru Kenjiro He has the honor of being the first foreigner to have received a “natori” in hogaku hayashi.

In the greater musical world in America, “Kenny Endo” has become synonymous with the word “taiko.” He is one of the most versatile musicians in the genre, crossing easily between the traditional and his own globally-inspired style. Endo also has an MA in Ethnomusicology and is highly sought after for educational programs and workshops.

Endo has recorded five CDs of original taiko compositions and his latest CD release is “Convergence”, a collaborative work with Kaoru Watanabe, which is now available on CD Baby. He was a featured artist on the TV special “Spirit of Taiko” in America and as artist-in-residence at New York’s Lincoln Center Institute. A consummate artist, he blends Japanese taiko with rhythms influenced by his jazz background and by collaborations with musicians from around the world. He has performed for musicians Prince and the late Michael Jackson, as well as the late Princess Diana and Prince Charles. He has performed with Japanese musicians Hayashi Eitetsu (taiko), Sato Michihiro (Tsugaru shamisen), Semba Kiyohiko (percussion), Watanabe Kazumi (jazz guitar), Uzaki Ryudo (rock & roll), Koinuma Hiroyuki, Leonard Eto, Hirota Joji, John Kaizan Neptune, Christopher Yohmei Blaisdel, Amanojaku, and many others. He opened for The Who, performed a duet with singer Bobby McFerrin, and is featured on the soundtracks of Kayo Hatta’s “Picture Bride,” and “Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now.” He also recorded in motion capture suit for James Cameron’s “Avatar.” He has also performed as guest soloist with the Honolulu Symphony and the Hong Kong Philharmonic, traveling across Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania, the former Soviet Union, and the Americas in his effort to share taiko with the world. Endo had a day named for him – “Kenny Endo Day” – by the Mayor of Honolulu, and was honored by the National Endowment for the Arts for American Masterpieces. www.kennyendo.com

Other Articles by Lia Chang
Living Colour Vivid 25th Anniversary US Tour – Spring 2013
Kenny Endo and Kaoru Watanabe Celebrate New CD, Convergence with Concerts in Washington D.C. on February 27 and in New York on March 5, 2013
André De Shields Returns to The Laurie Beechman Theatre with I Put A Spell on You, October 5 and 12
Tony Award Winner Tonya Pinkins Celebrates Ethel Waters at 54 Below on August 27, 2012
Faith Prince and Jason Graae: The Prince & the Showboy in Concert at 54 Below, August 21-25, 2012
Two-Time Grammy Nominated Hiroshima Performs at Yoshi’s Oakland, August 17-19, 2012
H I R O S H I M A in Benefit Concert for Japan on 9/21 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in NY
Foremost American Taiko Artist, Kenny Endo, to perform in Tokyo on April 24 and April 30
Marva Hicks and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra light up the Southern Theatre with a “A Night at the Apollo”
Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto Celebrates 50 Years of Koto Music at Lakeside Theater in Oakland
Kenny Endo 35th Anniversary Concert Tour
Koto Oyako don CD Release Concert, w/Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto & Brian Mitsuhiro Wong, Numi Tea Garden, Oakland
Kino alu Sundays with George Kuo, Martin Pahinui and Aaron Mahi at Waikiki Beach Marriott
Multimedia: Living Colour in Concert at the Highline Ballroom Photos
Multimedia: Oumou Sangare, Will Calhoun at Central Park Summerstage
Multimedia: Asian Pacific American Month Celebration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Hanami Daiko at Drom
Richard Bona & Lionel Loueke in SF Jazz Spring Season
Charnett Moffett Trio The Art of Improvisation CD Release Party at Iridium
On Ensemble, Kenny Endo and Kaoru Watanabe in Taiko x2 at Cerritos Center
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. She is a Signature Theatre alumni who was in the cast of Sam Shepard’s Chicago, during his Signature 1996-1997 Playwright-in-Residence Season.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2013 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

David Henry Hwang and FOX Entertainment Japan’s Dan Smith Among Judges for 2013 72-Hour Shootout; Pre-Shootout Events

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

David Henry Hwang. Photo by Lia Chang

New York, NY, March 22, 2013 — The Asian American Film Lab – (“Film Lab”), a non-profit working to increase diversity initiatives in film and television, is pleased to announce that Dan Smith, producer for FOX Entertainment Japan, Nicole Kassell and David Henry Hwang, the American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter who has risen to prominence as the preeminent Asian American dramatist in the U.S., will be among the judges of the 2013 72-Hour Shootout – competition (the “Shootout”). Returning judge, Marci Phillips, Executive Director of Casting for ABC, will also be on the panel, among others!

The Film Lab has launched a series of events geared towards preparing registrants for successful participation in the Film Lab’s annual, high-profile, global filmmaking competition (http://www.asianamericanfilmlab.org/72-Hour-Shootout.html). The Shootout, now in its ninth year, has inspired hundreds of diverse filmmakers by helping nascent talent take brave steps towards a filmmaking career.

The Film Lab’s Shootout events will kick off on Thursday, April 11, 2013, when Erik Lu, Asian American Film Lab Board member and the founder of the Philadelphia production company Descendant Films, will be leading a hands-on, interactive workshop for 72-Hour Shootout participants entitled: ” A Live Working 72-Hour Shootout Set Workshop.”

This special, intensive Shootout workshop will include a crew member from each major department (producing, directing, cinematography, etc) conducting a mock 72-Hour Shootout with commentary from each department head. Participants will be “shooting” a scene during the workshop.

Film Lab Board member, Erik Lu, advised, “[E]xpect it to be a live set and every 5 minutes or so, we will give our suggestions, and at the very end, we will field questions. It’s going to move fast, and it’s going to be dense with information. We’ll have a short scene prepared for a couple of actors before you arrive, and guinea pig a random person from the audience, someone who is okay with being picked on, to direct it with our crew members listed below. We are going to make it very difficult for that person, but we are going to do our best to serve the director’s vision and make the scene the best we can with the zero budget resources we’ve got. That’s the focus — How do we work as a crew to tell the best story we can with practically no money? And everyone who attends can observe and participate, and if they’d like, also be on their feet with us.”

Particularly encouraged to attend are actors and writers who have not engaged in the technical aspect of filmmaking before and who wish to participate in the Shootout. In the workshop, Erik and his team will guide attendees through common pitfalls and explain the basic guidelines needed to create a successful Shootout film.

This workshop will take place in New York City. Those registered for the Shootout who do not live in New York City will have the option of obtaining written materials from the workshop. Because of the intimate, hands-on nature of this event, space is limited and RSVPs are required. To RSVP, please email David Dennis at Shootout@film-lab.org.

Pre-Shootout events will also include a Build-Your-Team Networking Party on May 16th at the Official Shootout Party Venue, THE WHITE RABBIT, and various online networking opportunities. For more information, people may contact the 2013 Shootout Coordinator at Shootout@film-lab.org .

Additional upcoming Film Lab events include a staged reading and workshop of Raymond Yeung’s screenplay, “Yellow Fever,” at 6pm on April 4, 2013, in New York City. Raymond Yeung’s short film, RUB, was previously featured in the Asian American Film Lab. He is best known for his first feature film, CUT SLEEVE BOYS, which premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival 2006. The film won Best Feature at the Outfest Fusion Festival in Los Angeles, and earned a Best Actor Award at the Madrid Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. This romantic comedy was sold to twelve territories worldwide and had cinematic releases in Thailand, Taiwan, and in various cities across the United States. The DVD was launched in November 2007 and the film was broadcast on television on both Here! and Logo networks. Time Out, New York reviewed CUT SLEEVE BOYS as a “fun, rare look at Gay Asian life with refreshing insights into various queer subtleties, from the difference between cross-dressing and trans to the details of being a circuit queen.” Most recently, Ray was selected to participate in 2013 Berlin Film Festival Talent Campus Script Station. Actors include Adenike Thomas, Siying Chen, Austin Ku, Graham Powell, Jennifer Betit-Yen, and Perry Tsao. Please email info@film-lab.org for more information and to RSVP.

About Dan Smith
Smith’s entertainment career began while serving in the United States Air Force, where he worked in print media and edited and published many of the Air Force’s newspapers. Following his service, Smith turned to broadcast media, where he contributed news, entertainment and sports features through such diverse agencies as Associated Press Television News and BET Nightly News. His foray into producing started with the creation of ACTV, a community channel that started with local programming for U.S. military bases in Japan and quickly turned into producing original content for broadcast in Japan, the U.S., and Europe. Among his early successes was the self-hosted reality show Black Life In Japan, which became a global cult favorite and earned him an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Smith then developed the entertainment program Access E, which aired in Japan and on several U.S. cable networks.

After producing the acclaimed one-hour documentary Fandemonium — Chasing Michael Jackson (Shirarezaru Nanoka Kan) for Fox Television, Smith went on to create the hit weekly entertainment show Fox Backstage Pass, which recently filmed its 200th episode. Smith currently produces original programming for the Fox Television, Fox Movies Premium, Fox Sports and National Geographic channels in Japan.

About David Henry Hwang
DAVID HENRY HWANG was awarded the 1988 Tony -Drama Desk, Outer Critics, and John Gassner Awards for his Broadway debut, M. Butterfly, which was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His play Golden Child, which premiered at South Coast Repertory, received a 1998 Tony – nomination and a 1997 OBIE Award. His new book for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song earned him his third Tony – nomination in 2003. Yellow Face won a 2008 OBIE Award for Playwriting and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His most recent work, Chinglish, won a 2011 Chicago Jeff Award before moving to Broadway, where it received a 2012 Drama Desk Nomination. Other plays include FOB (1981 OBIE Award), The Dance and the Railroad (1982 Drama Desk Nomination), Family Devotions (1982 Drama Desk Nomination), The Sound of a Voice and Bondage. He co-authored the book for Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida, which ran almost five years on Broadway, and was the bookwriter of Disney’s Tarzan, with songs by Phil Collins. As America’s most-produced living opera librettist, he has written four works with composer Philip Glass, as well as Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar (two 2007 Grammy Awards), Bright Sheng’s The Silver River (1997), and Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland (2007 “World Premiere of the Year” by Opernwelt Magazine). Hwang penned the feature films M. Butterfly, Golden Gate, and Possession (co-writer), and co-wrote the song “Solo” with composer/performer Prince. He won the 2011 PEN/Laura Pels Award for a Master American Dramatist, the 2012 Inge Award for Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre, the 2012 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award, and is a 2013 US Artists Donnelly Fellow. He is currently the Residency One playwright at New York’s Signature Theatre Company, which has recently revived two of his earlier plays, and will premiere his newest work, Kung Fu, in 2013-14.

About Asian American Film Lab and the 72-Hour Shootout
The Asian American Film Lab (Film Lab) began in 1998 as collaborative of New York-based filmmakers whose goals were to hone their craft and to share their knowledge, experience, and resources. The membership has grown to comprise professionals, artists, and other talented individuals who all share the common goal of creating great film and promoting Asian American filmmakers and the visibility of their stories and characters in film and television. The Lab now runs monthly programs to promote gender and ethnic diversity in film and television.

The Film Lab is run under the direction of President Jennifer Betit Yen. Board members include screenwriter and director, Aaron Woolfolk, actor James Kyson Lee, actress and director Bea Soong, producer Erik Lu, attorney Peyton Worley, and advisors cinematographer, Eric Lin, and Director of Asian CineVision, John Woo.

The Film Lab’s programming includes filmmaking workshops with industry professionals, screenwriting contests, and film competitions, including the annual 72-Hour Film Shootout (the “Shootout”). This annual competition, now in its ninth year, has inspired hundreds of filmmakers by helping nascent talent take brave steps towards a filmmaking career.

The Shootout is a high-profile worldwide short film competition where filmmaking teams have 72 hours to write, shoot, edit, and produce short digital films up to five minutes in length and based on a common theme. The Shootout theme will be announced May 31, 2013, at a launch party in New York City and simultaneously on the internet. The Shootout will culminate on July 27, 2013, with a theatrical screening of the top ten finalists, an awards presentation, and a wrap party. 2013 will be the 9th year Asian CineVision will partner with FilmLab to promote the Shootout at the 36th annual Asian American International Film Festival (“AAIFF”). AAIFF is New York’s leading festival for independent Asian and Asian American film and video, and the first and longest-running U.S. festival of its kind.

As an integral part of AAIFF, the Shootout celebrates the creativity and genius of the directors, their casts and crews as they share stories by, about and for Asian Americans and other filmmakers of color with the world. AAIFF has played a vital role in discovering and nurturing such acclaimed talent as Wayne Wang (THE JOY LUCK CLUB), Ang Lee (CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN), Mira Nair (THE NAMESAKE), Zhang Yimou (HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS), Christine Choy (WHO KILLED VINCENT CHIN?), Steven Okazaki (THE MUSHROOM CLUB), Jessica Yu (PING PONG PLAYA), and Justin Lin (FAST FIVE).

The Asian American Film Lab is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Membership and a ll contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

http://www.asianamericanfilmlab.org

info@film-lab.org

David Henry Hwang Articles:
Albee, Hwang, Enos, Taylor, Wilson, Clarke and Jacobs-Jenkins Set for Signature Theatre’s 2013-14 Season
Signature Theatre’s Revival of David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Set for Wuzhen Theatre Festival in Wuzhen, China, May 9-12, 2013
Photos: David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Opening Night at Signature Theatre
Signature Theatre extends David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad starring Ruy Iskandar and Yuekun Wu through March 24, 2013
Ruy Iskandar and Yuekun Wu Set for Signature Theatre’s Production of David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad, February 5 – March 17, 2013
Michelle Krusiec and Alex Moggridge Star in David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish at South Coast Repertory, January 25 – February 24, 2013
Photos: Partying with the Cast of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child; Extended Run Ends December 16, 2012
Signature Theatre’s Production of Golden Child by David Henry Hwang has been extended through December 16, 2012
Greg Watanabe, Julyana Soelistyo and Jennifer Lim Lead the Cast of Signature Theatre’s Production of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child, October 23-December 2, 2012
David Henry Hwang to Receive the 2012 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award at the 5th Annual Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards on October 29, 2012
Berkeley Rep’s Production Photos of David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish, Starring Michelle Krusiec and Alex Moggridge, Extends through October 21, 2012
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 other articles on David Henry Hwang.

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Paper Dolls at the Tricycle Theatre Extends through April 28, 2013
Orville Mendoza is currently appearing as Sergeant Lombardi in Classic Stage Company’s Passion through April 19, 2013
NAATCO Presents A Dream Play at Here, March 22 – April 13, 2013
Phylicia Rashad to Helm August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the CTG/Mark Taper Forum at The Music Center, April 24 – June 9, 2013
Photos: All-Access Pass to August Wilson’s Two Trains Running with John Earl Jelks, Harvy Blanks, Chuck Cooper, Anthony Chisholm, Owiso Odera, Roslyn Ruff and James A. Williams
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. She is a Signature Theatre alumni who was in the cast of Sam Shepard’s Chicago, during his Signature 1996-1997 Playwright-in-Residence Season.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2013 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

Albee, Hwang, Enos, Taylor, Wilson, Clarke and Jacobs-Jenkins Set for Signature Theatre’s 2013-14 Season

Signature Theatre’s 2013-14 season features plays by Edward Albee, David Henry Hwang, Will Eno, Regina Taylor, August Wilson, Martha Clarke and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins at the company’s Frank Gehry-designed Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). All subscriber tickets for the 2013-14 Season are $25 each as part of the Signature Ticket Initiative: A Generation of Access. Subscription packages start at just $125.

David Henry Hwang. Photo by Lia Chang

The Residency One: David Henry Hwang Series continues during the 2013-14 season with the previously announced world premiere of his latest work Kung Fu, directed by Leigh Silverman. Residency One is the continuation of Signature’s core Playwright-in-Residence program that produces a series of plays from the body of work of one accomplished writer.

Signature’s Legacy Program, a homecoming for past Signature Playwrights-in-Residence, will feature the world premiere of Edward Albee’s new play Laying an Egg, directed by David Esbjornson. Signature devoted its 1993-94 Season to Edward Albee, with the world premiere of Fragments, New York premieres of Marriage Play, Counting the Ways and Listening, Sand: Box, The Sandbox, and Finding the Sun. Albee returned to Signature in the 2001-2002 10th Anniversary Season for the presentation of Edward Albee’s Occupant, later also staged in the 2007-2008 Season. His play The Lady from Dubuque was presented at the new Pershing Square Signature Center as part of the Inaugural 2012 season and was extended for three weeks.

Edward Albee. Photo by Lia Chang

The Legacy Program will also include the New York premiere of How I Learned What I Learned by August Wilson. Ruben Santiago-Hudson, who directed Signature’s acclaimed production of Wilson’s The Piano Lesson this fall, will appear in Wilson’s one-man show, with Todd Kreidler directing. Signature’s 2006-07 Season was devoted to the late August Wilson, with productions of his plays Seven Guitars, Two Trains Running and King Hedley II. Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Piano Lesson was presented in the 2012-13 season and was extended for six weeks.

Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Residency Five is Signature’s newest program, a groundbreaking program that provides a group of playwrights with the full range of Signature’s resources for a period of five years to create and produce new work, and guarantees each playwright a minimum of three world premieres at The Pershing Square Signature Center. Residency Five enables a diverse community of playwrights to build bodies of work, and provides them with a significant cash award, full health benefits and a stipend to attend theatre. Annie Baker, Martha Clarke, Will Eno, Katori Hall, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Kenneth Lonergan and Regina Taylor are the program’s current playwrights.

The 2013-14 Season will feature the previously announced World Premiere of Regina Taylor’s —- and potatoes, which will be directed by the playwright, along with the world premiere of Cheri, conceived, directed and choreographed by Martha Clarke, and new plays from Will Eno, whose Title and Deed was extended for two weeks during Signature’s Inaugural Season at The Pershing Square Signature Center, and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.

Mare Winningham, James Houghton and Lois Smith at The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York for the opening night party of Old Hats, starring Bill Irwin, David Shiner and Nellie McKay, on March 4, 2013. Photo by Lia Chang

Bill Irwin, Nellie McKay and David Shiner at The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York for the opening night party of their show Old Hats on March 4, 2013. Photo by Lia Chang

Founding Artistic Director James Houghton says “We are thrilled to announce our 2013-2014 season of all-premiere works. The season offers an exciting cross-section of our three Residency programs as we introduce new artists and collaborators and welcome home Signature veterans. It is a rich and rewarding season, and we look forward to sharing it with our growing community here at The Pershing Square Signature Center.”

Signature’s current season continues with The Dance and the Railroad by David Henry Hwang (extended through March 24), Old Hats created and performed by Bill Irwin and David Shiner (extended through May 9) and The Mound Builders by Lanford Wilson, which has been extended through April 14.

Subscriptions to the 2013-14 Season are on sale now by calling the Box Office at 212-244-7529 or visiting www.signaturetheatre.org.

Playwright David Henry Hwang is flanked by his The Dance and The Railroad stars Ruy Iskandar and Yuekun Wu. Photo by Lia Chang

David Henry Hwang Articles:
Signature Theatre’s Revival of David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Set for Wuzhen Theatre Festival in Wuzhen, China, May 9-12, 2013
Photos: David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Opening Night at Signature Theatre
Signature Theatre extends David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad starring Ruy Iskandar and Yuekun Wu through March 24, 2013
Ruy Iskandar and Yuekun Wu Set for Signature Theatre’s Production of David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad, February 5 – March 17, 2013
Michelle Krusiec and Alex Moggridge Star in David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish at South Coast Repertory, January 25 – February 24, 2013
Photos: Partying with the Cast of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child; Extended Run Ends December 16, 2012
Signature Theatre’s Production of Golden Child by David Henry Hwang has been extended through December 16, 2012
Greg Watanabe, Julyana Soelistyo and Jennifer Lim Lead the Cast of Signature Theatre’s Production of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child, October 23-December 2, 2012
David Henry Hwang to Receive the 2012 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award at the 5th Annual Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards on October 29, 2012
Berkeley Rep’s Production Photos of David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish, Starring Michelle Krusiec and Alex Moggridge, Extends through October 21, 2012
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 other articles on David Henry Hwang.

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: All-Access Pass to August Wilson’s Two Trains Running with John Earl Jelks, Harvy Blanks, Chuck Cooper, Anthony Chisholm, Owiso Odera, Roslyn Ruff and James A. Williams
Hold These Truths Opening Night at Honolulu Theatre for Youth’s Tenney Theatre with Daniel Dae Kim, Joel de la Fuente and Jeanne Sakata
Ron Domingo, Francis Jue and Jon Norman Schneider Join the Cast of the World Premiere of Paper Dolls at the Tricycle Theatre, February 28 – April 13, 2013
Signature Theatre’s World Premiere of Sam Shepard’s Heartless Starring Lois Smith, Gary Cole, Jenny Bacon, Betty Gilpin, and Julianne Nicholson Extends through September 30, 2012
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. She is a Signature Theatre alumni who was in the cast of Sam Shepard’s Chicago, during his Signature 1996-1997 Playwright-in-Residence Season.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2013 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