Backstage Pass with Lia Chang

Feb. 13: Chinglish Playwright David Henry Hwang Moderates “RepresentAsian: The Changing Face of New York Theater” at Pope Auditorium at Fordham University

Lia Chang — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:54:21 +0000

The Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC) and Fordham University will hold “RepresentAsian: The Changing Face of New York Theater,” an industry roundtable on February 13, 2012 at 7pm at the Pope Auditorium at Fordham University, 60th St and Columbus Avenue in New York, with prominent producers, artistic directors, directors, playwrights, agents and casting directors to have a dialogue on access and representation of minority actors on NYC stages and how best to overcome obstacles to more inclusive casting. It will be co-presented with Fordham University and will be moderated by Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang (Chinglish, M. Butterfly).

Playwright David Henry Hwang in front of the Longacre Theatre in New York, where his new comedy Chinglish recently completed its Broadway Run. Photo by Lia Chang

AAPAC released preliminary findings on the representation of minority actors on New York City’s most prominent stages during the last five years. The full report, which will be released on February 13th in conjunction with the industry roundtable, tallies the ethnic make-up of casts from all shows which opened on Broadway during this period and productions from sixteen of the largest not-for-profit theatres in New York City: The Atlantic Theatre Company, Classic Stage Company, Lincoln Center Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, MCC, The New Group, New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, Primary Stages, Public Theatre, Roundabout Theatre Company, Second Stage, Signature Theatre, Theatre for a New Audience, Vineyard Theatre and The York Theatre Company. It is the first report on minority casting in New York theatre ever to be released publicly.

Promisingly, the report reveals that the percentage of minority actors in relation to total number of roles has increased, hovering at or near 21 percent for the past four years compared to 14 percent five years ago. In addition, the number of minority actors cast in roles which were not racially specific (what is commonly referred to as non-traditional or inclusive casting) rose year to year, an indicator of creativity within the casting process and, possibly, the breaking down of traditional racial stereotypes.

Still, only 10.6 percent of all roles this past year were cast without regard to race and very few minority actors were seen in leading roles. With very few ethnic and minority stories in mainstream New York theatre during this period, expanding non-traditional casting seems to be the best way to secure more employment opportunities for minority actors.

Most of the gains came from African-American performers who far outpaced their minority counterparts. Percentage of African-American performers in total number of roles doubled to 16 percent in the 08/09 and 09/10 seasons compared to 8 percent five years ago, dipping slightly to 14 percent this past year. African-Americans saw the largest increase in number of roles non-traditionally cast and were far more likely than any other minority group to be cast in a role that did not specify race. Though far behind in total numbers, Latino performers also doubled their visibility, accounting for 4 percent of total roles this past season compared to 2 percent five years ago.

Asian American performers do not seem to be a part of the trend towards more inclusive casting. Asian American performers saw their numbers drop, from 3 percent of all roles five years ago to 1 percent in the 08/09 and 09/10 seasons with a slight up tick to 2 percent this past year. While they were as likely as their Latino colleagues to be non-traditionally cast five and four years ago, in the past three years numbers of non-traditionally cast roles increased for Latinos while they decreased for Asians.
• Asian Americans comprise 12.9 percent of New York City and is the city’s fastest growing major minority group, yet Asian actors accounted for only 1.6 percent of all available roles in new productions on Broadway, 3.3 percent of roles at non-profit companies and 2.3 percent of roles when looking at the industry as a whole.
• There were only 18 Principal Broadway contracts for Asian American actors in the last five years.
• Asian American performers are the least likely among the major minority groups to play roles that are not defined by their race.

AAPAC and Fordham University present
“RepresentAsian: The Changing Face of New York Theater”
Monday, February 13th, at 7:00 pm
The Pope Auditorium at Fordham University
60th St/and Columbus avenue, just inside main entrance

To RSVP, send an email to aapacrsvp@gmail.com Seating is limited.

Roundtable participants are currently being confirmed. To check the latest updates and to submit questions for roundtable participants, go to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aapac-Asian-American-Performers-Action-Committee/274685732556028
DAVID HENRY HWANG is the author of M. Butterfly (1988 Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Awards, Pulitzer finalist), Golden Child (1998 Tony nomination, 1997 OBIE Award), FOB (1981 OBIE Award), The Dance and the Railroad (Drama Desk nomination), Family Devotions (Drama Desk Nomination), Sound and Beauty, Bondage and Yellow Face (2008 OBIE Award, Finalist for the 2008 Pulitzer Prize). His latest play, Chinglish, was named Time Magazine’s “Best American Play of the Year” and completed its Broadway run at the LongAcre Theatre on January 29, 2012. He wrote the scripts for the Broadway musicals Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida (co-author), Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song (2002 revival, 2003 Tony nomination), and Disney’s Tarzan. His opera libretti include three works for composer Philip Glass, 1000 Airplanes on the Roof, The Voyage (Metropolitan Opera), and The Sound of a Voice; as well as Bright Sheng’s The Silver River, Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar (two 2007 Grammy Awards) and Unsuk Chin’s Alice In Wonderland (Opernwelt’s 2007 “World Premiere of the Year”). Hwang penned the feature films M. Butterfly, Golden Gate, and Possession (co-writer), and also co-wrote the song “Solo” with Prince. A native of Los Angeles, Hwang serves on the Council of the Dramatists Guild. He attended Stanford University and Yale Drama School, and was appointed by President Clinton to the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

ASIAN AMERICAN PERFORMER’S ACTION COALITION (AAPAC) AAPAC’S mission is to expand the perception of Asian American performers in order to increase their access to and representation on New York City’s stages. AAPAC hosted two symposia for the New York theatre community in 2011 to begin a discussion on why the worlds presented on New York City stages do not reflect the racial diversity of the real world we live in. AAPAC will release their report of minority representation in New York theatre in 2012 — the first and only publicly available report of its kind. This report will hopefully be used to track casting trends and to raise awareness where any inequities exist.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Ma-Yi Theatre Company Presents Qui Nguyen’s THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G at Theatre Row’s Beckett Theatre, 2/7 – 3/4
Photos: Eiko Ishioka
Fred Korematsu Becomes First Asian American in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery Civil Rights Exhibition
Aaron Lazar, Kate Baldwin, P.J. Griffith, Raul Aranas Set for the Dallas Theater Center/Public Theater Co-Production of Giant at the Wyly Theatre, January 18 – February 19, 2012
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Photos & Video: Celebrate Chinese New Year with David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish through January 29, 2012
Cindy Cheung’s solo show SPEAK UP CONNIE, directed by BD Wong at Stage Left Studio has been extended, February 5-15, 2012
broadwayworld.com: Photo Flash: SPEAK UP CONNIE In Rehearsal
Mu Daiko 15th Anniversary Concert and Minnesota Tour, February 9-19, 2012
Photos: “How To Succeed” stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rose Hemingway and John Larroquette at Lord & Taylor for Windows Unveiling
Multimedia: Promises, Promises’ Stars Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet, Tracee Chimo at Opening Night Party of Neil LaBute’s Break of Noon
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: © 2000-2011 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.

Ma-Yi Theatre Company Presents Qui Nguyen’s THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G at Theatre Row’s Beckett Theatre, 2/7 – 3/4

Lia Chang — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:04:14 +0000

The Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Ma-Yi Theater Company – one of the country’s leading Asian-American theater companies – in association with the Obie Award winning Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company present the Off-Broadway debut of Qui Nguyen’s critically acclaimed comedy THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G. Preview performances begin February 7 prior to an official press opening of February 14 at Theatre Row’s Beckett Theatre (410 West 42nd Street) in New York, with performances continuing through March 4.

Directed by Robert Ross Parker, the cast of THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G includes Jon Hoche (SOUL SAMURAI, PULLMAN CAR HIAWATHA) and Bonnie Sherman (SOUL SAMURAI) from the play’s original Off-Off-Broadway production in April 2011, joined by newcomers Neimah Djourabchi (ACTION PHILOSOPHERS), Brooke Ishibashi (KUNG FU SUNSHINE FLOWER),and Temar Underwood (ODYSSEUS DOA, FIGHT GIRL BATTLE WORLD).

THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G is described as follows: It’s been 10 years since Agent G was last in Vietnam where his family and friends were all viciously slain. He’s now come back looking for answers and a good bit of revenge; however forces are at hand trying to stop him as well as the playwright from finishing this brutal task.

AGENT G has scenic and lighting design by Nick Francone, costume design by Jessica Shay, original music and sound design by Shane Rettig, multimedia design by Matthew Tennie and puppet design by David Valentine.

Qui Nguyen is a playwright, screenwriter, and Co-Artistic Director of the OBIE Award-winning Vampire Cowboys. His scripts include the critically acclaimed Vampire Cowboys productions of SOUL SAMURAI, ALICE IN SLASHERLAND, FIGHT GIRL BATTLE WORLD, MEN OF STEEL, LIVING DEAD IN DENMARK, VAMPIRE COWBOY TRILOGY, STAIN GLASS UGLY, and A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO DEICIDE. His play TRIAL BY WATER was presented Off-Broadway by Ma-Yi Theater in conjunction with Queens Theatre in the Park. Other plays by Mr. Nguyen include BIKE WRECK (Youngblood; Metropolitan Playhouse); ALIENS VERSUS CHEERLEADERS (Keen Teens); and the hip-hop musical KRUNK FU BATTLE (East West Players).

Robert Ross Parker is a Brooklyn-based director, writer, and actor. A longtime collaborator with Qui Nguyen, he has directed the playwright’s ALICE IN SLASHERLAND, SOUL SAMURAI, FIGHT GIRL BATTLE WORD (nominated for Best Direction by the 2008 NY Innovative Theatre Awards), MEN OF STEEL, LIVING DEAD IN DENMARK, VAMPIRE COWBOY TRILOGY, A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO DEICIDE and STAINed Glass UGLY. He also directed GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD (Roundtable Ensemble) which he also wrote, HAMLET (SOLO) starring Raoul Bhaneja (Hope and Hell), the national tour of CHILDREN’S LETTERS TO GOD (Lamb’s Theatre/Broadway Overseas Management), the Off-Broadway premiere of MY FAKE ID’S (Lamb’s Theatre), LADY CONVOY (FringeNYC), Justin Reinsilber’s F*CKING LOVE (WEJ Productions), and numerous readings for Ensemble Studio Theatre where he was a young director-in-residence.

Scheduled to run through March 4, performances of THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G will run Tuesdays at 7:00pm, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:00pm, and Sundays at 3:00pm at Theatre Row’s Beckett Theatre (410 West 42nd Street). Tickets are $30 and $35 and can be purchased through Telecharge, by calling 212-239-6200 or online at www.Telecharge.com.

Founded in 1989, MA-YI THEATER COMPANY is a Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning, Off-Broadway not-for-profit organization whose primary mission is to develop new plays and performance works that depict Asian American experiences. Its numerous acclaimed productions include last season’s acclaimed production of Michael Lew’s MICROCRISIS and the revival of Ralph B. Pena’s FLIPZOIDS. Other productions include: THE SUGAR HOUSE AT The Edge OF THE WILDERNESS by Carla Ching, RESCUE ME by Michi Barall, Lloyd Suh’s AMERICAN HWANGAP, SOUL SAMURAI, THE ROMANCE OF MAGNO RUBIO, THE CHILDREN OF VONDERLY and wAve. Through successful programs such as the Writers Lab, Ma-Yi emboldens a new generation of Asian American artists to voice their experiences, while developing a steady stream of quality new works by Asian American Playwrights for its own performing repertory. Ma-Yi Theater Company productions have earned nine Obie Awards, numerous Henry Hewes Award nominations, a Drama Desk nomination and the Special Drama Desk Award for more than two decades of excellence and for nurturing Asian-American voices in stylistically varied and engaging theater.

For more info, visit www.ma-yitheatre.org

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Feb. 13: Chinglish Playwright David Henry Hwang Moderates “RepresentAsian: The Changing Face of New York Theater” at Pope Auditorium at Fordham University
Photos: Eiko Ishioka
Fred Korematsu Becomes First Asian American in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery Civil Rights Exhibition
Aaron Lazar, Kate Baldwin, P.J. Griffith, Raul Aranas Set for the Dallas Theater Center/Public Theater Co-Production of Giant at the Wyly Theatre, January 18 – February 19, 2012
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Photos & Video: Celebrate Chinese New Year with David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish through January 29, 2012
Cindy Cheung’s solo show SPEAK UP CONNIE, directed by BD Wong at Stage Left Studio has been extended, February 5-15, 2012
broadwayworld.com: Photo Flash: SPEAK UP CONNIE In Rehearsal
Mu Daiko 15th Anniversary Concert and Minnesota Tour, February 9-19, 2012
Photos: Maya Lin, BD Wong, David Henry Hwang, Yeohlee, Christopher Yahng, Oscar L. Tang and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at MOCA Legacy Awards Gala
DOGS LIE, Starring Samrat Chakrabarti, Frank Boyd and Ewa Da Cruz, Nabs ”Best Film (USA)” and ”Feature Film Audience Award” at 2011 ITN Distribution Film and New Media Festival
Photos: “How To Succeed” stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rose Hemingway and John Larroquette at Lord & Taylor for Windows Unveiling
Multimedia: Promises, Promises’ Stars Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet, Tracee Chimo at Opening Night Party of Neil LaBute’s Break of Noon
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: © 2000-2011 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.

Lia Chang Photos: Eiko Ishioka

Lia Chang — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:13:23 +0000

Eiko Ishioka at New York University’s Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Film Center in New York, on December 8, 2008. Photo by Lia Chang

Nytimes.com: Eiko Ishioka, Multifaceted Designer and Oscar Winner, Dies at 73
Hitflix.com: Remember Eiko Ishioka

Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Asian American Writers’ Workshop at the Eleventh Annual Asian American Literary Awards Ceremony from M. Butterfly costume and stage designer Eiko Ishioka, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his groundbreaking play M. Butterfly at New York University’s Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Film Center in New York, on December 8, 2008. Photo by Lia Chang
Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Asian American Writers’ Workshop at the Eleventh Annual Asian American Literary Awards Ceremony from M. Butterfly costume and stage designer Eiko Ishioka, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his groundbreaking play M. Butterfly at New York University’s Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Film Center in New York, on December 8, 2008. Photo by Lia Chang

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: David Henry Hwang, Eiko Ishioka, Kathryn Layng and BD Wong at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop Literary Awards
Fred Korematsu Becomes First Asian American in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery Civil Rights Exhibition
Aaron Lazar, Kate Baldwin, P.J. Griffith, Raul Aranas Set for the Dallas Theater Center/Public Theater Co-Production of Giant at the Wyly Theatre, January 18 – February 19, 2012
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Photos & Video: Celebrate Chinese New Year with David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish through January 29, 2012
Cindy Cheung’s solo show SPEAK UP CONNIE, directed by BD Wong at Stage Left Studio has been extended, February 5-15, 2012
broadwayworld.com: Photo Flash: SPEAK UP CONNIE In Rehearsal
Mu Daiko 15th Anniversary Concert and Minnesota Tour, February 9-19, 2012
Photos: Maya Lin, BD Wong, David Henry Hwang, Yeohlee, Christopher Yahng, Oscar L. Tang and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at MOCA Legacy Awards Gala
DOGS LIE, Starring Samrat Chakrabarti, Frank Boyd and Ewa Da Cruz, Nabs ”Best Film (USA)” and ”Feature Film Audience Award” at 2011 ITN Distribution Film and New Media Festival
Photos: “How To Succeed” stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rose Hemingway and John Larroquette at Lord & Taylor for Windows Unveiling
Multimedia: Promises, Promises’ Stars Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet, Tracee Chimo at Opening Night Party of Neil LaBute’s Break of Noon
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: © 2000-2011 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.

Fred Korematsu Becomes First Asian American in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery Civil Rights Exhibition

Lia Chang — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:58:03 +0000

On February 2, civil rights icon Fred T. Korematsu will become the first Asian American featured in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery permanent exhibition, “The Struggle for Justice.” Two 1940s-era original photographs of Korematsu will be presented on February 2 at 9:30 a.m. at the Portrait Gallery, Eighth and G Streets, NW in Washington, D.C.,in a private event featuring speakers including the Honorable Norman Y. Mineta. The photographs will be available for public view when the museum opens at 11:30 a.m.

Justice in Action honoree Fred Korematsu at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund Lunar New Year benefit at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York, on February 22, 2002. Photo by Lia Chang

The event takes place just three days after the second annual Fred Korematsu Day, an official day of special significance passed in the state of California in 2010. Celebrated every January 30, on Korematsu’s birthday, Fred Korematsu Day is the first day in U.S. history named after an Asian American.

The National Portrait Gallery’s “The Struggle for Justice” exhibition opened in 2010 and features many images of individuals who have worked on behalf of civil rights, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Eunice Kennedy Shriver and César Chávez. The museum, which drew in one million visitors last year, is the first museum not specifically focused on the Japanese American experience to include Mr. Korematsu’s story. To date, the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, CA, the Manzanar Interpretive Center in Independence, CA, and the Heart Mountain Interpretive Learning Center in Powell, WY all feature Mr. Korematsu in their exhibits.

Kathryn and Fred Korematsu sit in a bench dedicated to JFK Jr. in a courtyard adjacent to the NYU Law School Auditorium in April, 2000. Photo by Lia Chang

“The Struggle for Justice” is a growing exhibition that will continue to evolve,” said Martin Sullivan, director of the National Portrait Gallery. “I am proud to include Fred Korematsu in this exhibition and to continue to tell his story alongside those who have worked on behalf of those who are striving for equality and inclusion.”

In 1942, Korematsu was a 23-year-old welder in Oakland, California who defied military orders to incarcerate 120,000 innocent Japanese Americans. After he was arrested and convicted of defying the order, he appealed his case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in 1944 upheld his conviction on the grounds that the internment was justified due to military necessity. That decision has been widely condemned as one of the darkest chapters in American legal history.

After four decades of living with a disloyalty conviction on his record, Korematsu and a team of pro-bono attorneys re-opened his case, arguing that WWII government lawyers had hidden key documents contradicting their claim of military necessity from the Supreme Court. In 1983, a federal court in San Francisco overturned Korematsu’s conviction. Korematsu went on to champion the cause of civil liberties, not only seeking redress for Japanese Americans who were wrongfully incarcerated, but also traveling the country to advocate for the civil rights of other victims of repressive government action. After 9/11, he co-authored friend-of-the-court briefs on behalf of Muslim Americans being held without trial in U.S. military prisons. He passed away in 2005 at the age of 86.

Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
Eighth and G Streets, NW
Washington, D.C.

Other Fred Korematsu Day events:
There are 16 Fred Korematsu Day public events taking place this year in California, Washington, DC and Hawaii. For more information, visit:
http://korematsuinstitute.org/fredkorematsuday/fred-korematsu-day-events/

The Korematsu Institute ships free teaching kits to classrooms around the country. The Institute can put reporters in touch with teachers in various cities who are planning to teach the Korematsu story to their students on January 30 or the surrounding days.

# # #

The Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education (www.korematsuinstitute.org), a program of the Asian Law Caucus, is dedicated to advancing pan-ethnic civil rights and human rights through education.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Reverend Jesse Jackson & Beau Sia slated for 1st Annual Fred Korematsu Day Celebration at UC Berkeley
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Signs Fred Korematsu Day Bill, Bill Establishes January 30 as Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution
Making the Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution Bill a Reality
Fred Korematsu, American Hero and Civil Rights Activist Dies at 86
Multimedia: AALDEF Celebrates 35 Years of Protecting and Promoting the Civil Rights of Asian Americans
AALDEF Honors Dale Minami, Nicholas D. Kristof, Sheryl Wudunn and Sandra Leung with 2009 Justice in Action Awards
Remembering Civil Rights Leader Gordon Hirabayashi,1918- 2012
Photos & Video: Celebrate Chinese New Year with David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish through January 29, 2012
DTC’s Production Photos of Giant featuring Aaron Lazar, Kate Baldwin,P.J. Griffith, Dee Hoty, Raul Aranas & Katie Thompson
Photos: Maya Lin, BD Wong, David Henry Hwang, Yeohlee, Christopher Yahng, Oscar L. Tang and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at MOCA Legacy Awards Gala
Portraits of New York Chinatown After 9/11 Featured in “Post 9/11”: Commemorative Display at Library of Congress Asian Reading Room, 8/30-9/15
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
OCA Awards Gala Photos: David Henry Hwang, Tamlyn Tomita, BD Wong, Dr. Bobby Fong & Tammy Duckworth
Celebrating my mom – AN ACTIVE VISION: BEVERLY UMEHARA…LABOR ACTIVIST…1945-1999
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: © 2000-2011 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.

DTC’s Production Photos of Giant featuring Aaron Lazar, Kate Baldwin,P.J. Griffith, Dee Hoty, Raul Aranas & Katie Thompson

Lia Chang — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:29:02 +0000

Dallas Theater Center’s Giant, a co-production with The Public Theater, opens tonight at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, and has performances through February 19, 2012. Tony Award-nominated Michael Greif directs this new musical by Sybille Pearson and Michael John LaChiusa, which began preview performances on January 18, 2012.
Dallas Theater Center's Giant - Cast Jump Photo by Karen Almond

“Edna Ferber’s niece came to me several years ago about writing the musical version of Giant,” says composer and lyricist Michael John LaChiusa. “It wasn’t until I was commissioned to write something for the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia that I moved forward with the project. Now we have this beautiful love story with a universality and a truth that I hope will capture the imaginations of audiences in Texas and all over the country.”

Dallas Theater Center's Giant stars Kate Baldwin as Leslie and Aaron Lazar and Bick. Photo by Karen Almond

Aaron Lazar, who has appeared in seven Broadway productions including A Tale of Two Cities, Impressionism, The Light in the Piazza, and the recent revival of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, stars as Texas cattleman Bick Benedict. Lazar was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his role in the revival of Les Miserables and can now be seen in Clint Eastwood’s film J. Edgar. Kate Baldwin, a Tony Award nominee for Finian’s Rainbow, plays his socialite wife Leslie. Baldwin has appeared on Broadway in The Full Monty, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Wonderful Town, and has performed at theaters across the country.

P.J.Griffith as Jett Rink in Dallas Theater Center's Giant. Photo by Karen Almond

P.J. Griffith, who recently starred in the original Broadway production of American Idiot and is the lead vocalist for the band Blue Movie, portrays young oil tycoon Jett Rink. New York stage veteran Raul Aranas, who has appeared on Broadway in Miss Saigon, The King and I, Loose Ends and Flower Drum Song, plays Polo. Aranas is fresh from starring as The Engineer in the Ogunquit Playhouse production of Miss Saigon, and during his stint as The Engineer in the 1st National Company, he received a Helen Hayes Award, the Carbonell Award and a Jefferson Award Nomination. His turn as The Reciter in the North Shore Theatre production of Pacific Overtures, garnered him an Irne Award.He has appeared in the films Burn After Reading, Afterwards, Buzzkill, JFK, Company Man, and on television on “Law And Order,” “Gideon Oliver,” “One Life To Live,” and “Bluebloods.”

Dee Hoty, Katie Thompson, Kate Baldwin, Mary Bacon and Allison Rogers Photo by Karen Almond

“We have assembled an extraordinarily talented cast for this new production in Dallas,” says director Michael Greif. “And the excitement that we all feel for sharing this great Texas story with Texas audiences is palpable.”

Also featured in the cast of Giant are Mary Bacon as Adarene and Mrs. Lyntonn; Miguel Cervantes as Angel, Jr. and Angel, Sr.; Natalie Cortez as Juana; Rocio Del Mar Valles as Analita; John Dossett as Bawley; Matt Doyle as Jordy, Jr.; Andrea Green as Lil Luz; Jason Hite as Bobby, Jr.; Dee Hoty as Luz; Doreen Montalvo as Lupe; Martin Sola as Dimodeo; Matthew Stocke as Mike; Katie Thompson as Vashti and William Youmans as Pinkie. Ensemble members include: Enrique Acevado, Michael Halling, Allison Rogers and Isabel Santiago.

Aaron Lazar, Andrea Lynn Green, Matt Doyle, Kate Baldwin in Dallas Theater Center's Giant . (Photo by Karen Almond)

Giant is an epic love story set in the Lone Star State that spans generations. Bick Benedict is the heir apparent to the largest ranch in Texas, Reata. When he falls in love with a Virginia girl, Leslie, and brings her home, complications ensue as Leslie learns to cope with a new land and culture, and Bick tries to cope with a changing country and changing times. Jett Rink, represents a new age in Texas – oil. The struggles between the cattle ranger’s way of life and the drilling for oil, hostilities between whites and Mexicans, exploitation of the land and the desire to preserve it, the challenge of adapting to a changing world versus clinging to traditional values—Bick, Leslie, their children, and all those they know and encounter must face these challenges.

Three-time Tony nominee Michael Greif (Rent, Grey Gardens, Next to Normal) helms Giant, the sprawling, epic love story with larger-than-life characters and Texas-size musical numbers, written by Michael John LaChiusa (music and lyrics) and Sybille Pearson, and based on the classic novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edna Ferber.

The design team includes costume designer Jeff Mashie, who also worked with Greif on the Broadway and touring productions of Next to Normal, set designer Allen Moyer (Grey Gardens, Twelve Angry Men), lighting designer Ken Posner (Catch Me if You Can), sound designer Brian Ronan (The Book of Mormon, American Idiot) and choreographer Alex Sanchez.

Tickets for Giant start at $15 (maximum ticket prices vary by performance) and are available online at www.DallasTheaterCenter.org or by phone at 214-880-0202.

All performances of Giant will be held at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center located at 2400 Flora St., where it runs Jan. 18 – Feb. 19. Performance times are Tuesday through Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, Feb. 16 at 2:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.; and select Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m.

DTC thanks the production sponsors for their generous support of Giant. Title Sponsor is Pioneer Natural Resources. Commissioning Sponsors are Lyn and John Muse. Premiere Sponsor is JP Morgan Chase Foundation. Presenting Sponsors are Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty; Embrey Family Foundation; and VARI*LITE®. Executive Producing Partner is Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Assistant Producing Partners are Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP; HYATT house; and PwC. Additional support provided by Kimberley and Scott Sheffield.

ABOUT DALLAS THEATER CENTER:
One of the leading regional theaters in the country, Dallas Theater Center (DTC) performs to an audience of more than 90,000 North Texas residents annually. Founded in 1959, DTC is now a resident company of the AT&T Performing Arts Center and presents its Mainstage season at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, designed by REX/OMA, Joshua Prince-Ramus and Rem Koolhaas. DTC also presents productions at its original home, the Kalita Humphreys Theater, the only freestanding theater designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Kevin Moriarty and Managing Director Heather Kitchen, DTC produces a seven-play subscription series of classics, musicals and new plays and an annual production of A Christmas Carol; extensive education programs, including Project Discovery, Summer Stage and partnerships with Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts and Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts; and community outreach efforts including leading the DFW Foote Festival and recent collaborations with the Dallas Public Library, Dallas Holocaust Museum, North Texas Food Bank, Dallas Opera, and Dallas Black Dance Theater. Throughout its history, DTC has produced many new works, including The Texas Trilogy by Preston Jones in 1978, Adrian Hall’s All the King’s Men in 1986, and recent premieres of The Trinity River Plays by Regina Taylor, the revised It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, Give it Up! (now titled Lysistrata Jones and recently on Broadway) by Douglas Carter Beane and Lewis Flinn, Sarah Plain and Tall by Julia Jordan, Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin and The Good Negro by Tracey Scott Wilson.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Aaron Lazar, Kate Baldwin, P.J. Griffith, Raul Aranas Set for the Dallas Theater Center/Public Theater Co-Production of Giant at the Wyly Theatre, January 18 – February 19, 2012
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Photos & Video: Celebrate Chinese New Year with David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish through January 29, 2012
Cindy Cheung’s solo show SPEAK UP CONNIE, directed by BD Wong at Stage Left Studio has been extended, February 5-15, 2012
broadwayworld.com: Photo Flash: SPEAK UP CONNIE In Rehearsal
Mu Daiko 15th Anniversary Concert and Minnesota Tour, February 9-19, 2012
Photos: Maya Lin, BD Wong, David Henry Hwang, Yeohlee, Christopher Yahng, Oscar L. Tang and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at MOCA Legacy Awards Gala
DOGS LIE, Starring Samrat Chakrabarti, Frank Boyd and Ewa Da Cruz, Nabs ”Best Film (USA)” and ”Feature Film Audience Award” at 2011 ITN Distribution Film and New Media Festival
Photos: “How To Succeed” stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rose Hemingway and John Larroquette at Lord & Taylor for Windows Unveiling
Multimedia: Promises, Promises’ Stars Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet, Tracee Chimo at Opening Night Party of Neil LaBute’s Break of Noon
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

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