Lia Chang Photos: Working Theater’s World Premiere of Ed Cardona, Jr.’s La Ruta through May 12, 2013

Ed Cardona, Jr.’s La Ruta is being performed in a truck. Photo by Lia Chang

Working Theater, the 28-year-old Off-Broadway company, in collaboration with Magnum Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving the Magnum Photos legacy and supporting photography around social justice issues, have joined forces to present Ed Cardona, Jr.’s LA RUTA, a world premiere immigration-themed play that is being staged inside the trailer and cab of an actual 48’ truck.

Brian D Coats and Sheila Tapia in La Ruta. Photo by Lia Chang

An accompanying photographic installation about the immigrant experience will also be presented. This unique collaboration will shed a deeper light on one of today’s hot-button issues – immigration reform. La Ruta, which began previews on April 10, 2013, will continue through May 12, 2013. Helmed by Tamilla Woodard, the play is being performed in various communities throughout New York City in order to directly realize Working Theater’s mission to bring theater to working people.

The Magnum Foundation exhibition. Photo by Lia Chang

LA RUTA, an immersive theatrical experience, follows the crossing of several undocumented immigrants into the U.S. to make a better life for themselves and their family. Audiences experience the journey alongside the characters, surrounded by the harsh reality of their environment and the poignant narrative unfolding within.

Annie Henk, Zoë Sophia Garcia, Gerardo Rodriguez and Bobby Plasencia. Photo by Lia Chang

Magnum Foundation has organized a photo-based installation–featuring both award-winning Magnum photographers and emerging documentary photographers–outside of the truck that will focus audiences on the experiences of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. Images from the renowned Magnum Photos archive will also be projected within the performance to illuminate the interior worlds of the characters.

Gerardo Rodriguez and Zoë Sophia Garcia. Photo by Lia Chang

“Through LA RUTA, we, at Working Theater, in partnership with Magnum Foundation, hope to raise awareness about the plight of undocumented immigrants,” said Working Theater’s Producing Artistic Director Mark Plesent. “Our goal is to challenge our diverse communities to consider the experience of this large, yet too often misrepresented immigrant constituency.” The cast features Brian D. Coats (MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, Public Theater), Zoë Sophia Garcia (THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY, Actors Theatre of Louisville), Annie Henk (THE PLAY ABOUT DAD, 59E59), Sheila Tapia (CQ/CX, Atlantic Theater Company), Bobby Plasencia (VESUVIUS, South Coast Repertory), Gerardo Rodriguez and Jacob Alden Roa.

Annie Henk, Bobby Plasencia, Gerardo Rodriguez and Zoë Sophia Garcia. Photo by Lia Chang

The production team includes Raul Abrego (scenic design), Emily DeAngelis (costume design), Lucrecia Briceño (lighting design), Dave Tennent, IMA & Kate Freer, IMA (projection design), Sam Kusnetz (sound design), and Production Core (Production Supervision)The production stage manager is Michael Aaron Jones and the assistant stage manager is Sarah Levine.

Zoë Sophia Garcia. Photo by Lia Chang

Community partner venues include, the Bronx United Federation of Teachers (Bronx), St. John the Divine (Manhattan), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (Queens) and the Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden (Staten Island).

Annie Henk, Zoë Sophia Garcia, Shelia Tapia, Gerardo Rodriguez and Bobby Plasencia. Photo by Lia Chang

The performance schedule is April 10th through May 12th, Wednesday through Saturday at 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm and Sunday at 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm. Additional performances in Manhattan on Tuesdays at 6:30 and 8:30.

Annie Henk, Zoë Sophia Garcia and Gerardo Rodriguez. Photo by Lia Chang

Tickets are $25 (General Admission) and $23 (Students/Seniors/Union Members) and may be purchased in advance at www.brownpapertickets.com or by calling 800-838-3006. For group rates, contact info@theworkingtheater.org. Due to mature content, patrons under the age of 13 will not be admitted. Latecomers will not be admitted. The running time is 70 minutes without intermission.

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WORKING THEATER (Producer). Now in its 28th season, Working Theater is New York’s only professional Off-Broadway theatre company dedicated to producing plays for and about the working men and women of New York. Past productions include Lisa Ramirez’s play about nannies, EXIT CUCKOO directed by Colman Domingo; Roberto Aguirre Sacasa’s KING OF SHADOWS; PORT AUTHORITY THROW DOWN; HOLD PLEASE; ABUNDANCE; RECONSTRUCTION; Israel Horovitz’s HENRY LUMPER, Rob Ackerman’s TABLE TOP; Stefanie Zadravec’s HONEY BROWN EYES and many others. For more information, visit www.theworkingtheater.org.

MAGNUM FOUNDATION (Collaborator) The Magnum Foundation champions in-depth, independent documentary photography that fosters empathy, engagement, and positive social change. The Magnum Foundation supports, trains, and mentors the next generation of photographers and seeks to increase the exposure of both historical and contemporary documentary photography in the digital age. An independent public charity, the Magnum Foundation carries forward the core values held dear by Magnum photographers and sustains the practice of high-quality documentary photography. For more information, visit http://magnumfoundation.org/.

Ed Cardona, Jr. Photo by Lia Chang

ED CARDONA, JR. (Playwright). Ed’s play AMERICAN JORNALERO received its world premiere at INTAR Theatre in the spring of 2012; the play was also selected as a finalist by the 2011 Metlife Nuestras Voces National Playwriting Competition. Ed is also currently a member of Theater 167’s theatrical ensemble which is developing its next project JH3am, a collaborative work based on Jackson Heights, Queens, N.Y.C. after 3:00 am. An Artistic Associate for the Working Theater’s 25th Anniversary Season, he adapted PABLO’S CHRISTMAS (commissioned and published by Dramatic Publishing, 2009) from the children’s book by Hugo C. Martin. Ed has also been a resident playwright with the Hispanic Playwrights-in-Residence Lab at INTAR Theatre, The Professional Playwrights Unit at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre and the Hall Farm Center for the Arts & Education in Townsend, VT. He is a founding member of NY Madness. Ed received his M.F.A. in playwriting from Columbia University where he received the John Golden Award for his thesis play, PICK UP POTS! Multimedia: Photos of Ed Cardona, Jr.’s American Jornalero at the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre

TAMILLA WOODARD (Director) is a director, actor and adapter residing in New York City. She is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, an alumnus of The Lincoln Center Directors Lab, and a founding member of The Internationalists, a collective of directors from around the world creating an interactive global theatrical community. Most recent work includes co-creator of the site specific performance HOTEL PROJECT, that had its American premiere at Washington Jefferson Hotel and the Summit Grand Hotel in January 2012; VALIANT by Lanna Joffrey (InterAct Theatre); NIGHTLANDS by Sylvan Oswald (New Georges) and the development and direction of Saviana Stanescu’s POLANSKI POLANSKI (starring Grant Neale and produced by Nomad Theatricals at PS122/ SoloNOVA festival in New York City, Teatrul Odeon in Bucharest, The Sibiu International Theatre Festival, TIFF International Festival in Cluj and HERE in NYC). New Dramatists honored her with The Charles Bowden Award and the League of Professional Theatre Women with the Josephine Abady Award. She serves as an adjunct professor teaching solo performance at City College’s Center for Worker Education. More about Tamilla at www.Tamilla.com

REMAINING DATES & LOCATIONS FOR LA RUTA
Tuesday, April 16 thru Sunday, April 28 The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine 1047 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10025 For tickets: http://larutamanhattan.bpt.me
Wednesday, May 1 thru Sunday, May 5 IBEW Local 3 Headquarters 158-11 Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Avenue, Flushing, NY 11365 For tickets: http://larutaqueens.bpt.me
Wednesday, May 8 thru Sunday, May 12 Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301 For tickets: http://larutastatenisland.bpt.me

Articles on La Ruta:
Villagevoice.com: La Ruta: Rough Crossing
Nydailynews.com: ‘Semi’ tough drama: Immigration play staged inside a truck
Nbclatino.com: La Ruta
This Week in NY: la Ruta
Huffington Post: ‘La Ruta’ From Working Theater Immerses Audiences In The Border Crossing Experience

Other articles on Working Theater:
Working Theater in Collaboration with Magnum Foundation Present World Premiere of Ed Cardona, Jr.’s La Ruta, April 10 – May 12, 2013
Working Theater presents The Best of TheaterWorks!: Stories from the 99%, at The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre at the Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex
Working Theater presents The Poetry of Philip Levine with Jeffrey Eugenides, André De Shields, Gene Gillette and Lisa Ramirez on May 7
Photos: Working Theater’s Production of Rob Ackerman’s CALL ME WALDO at Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex
Papermag.com: An Emerson-Loving Electrician Takes the Stage in Call Me Waldo
1199SEIU President George Gresham to receive Labor Leadership Award at 2011 Working Theater Annual Awards Ceremony
André De Shields & Alison Fraser Star in Reading of Michael Aman’s The Unbleached American at Theater Row on 5/9
Working Theater Presents Staged Reading of Chay Yew’s Visible Cities at The Studio Theatre on Theatre Row
Photos:The Working Theater’s Off-Broadway production of HONEY BROWN EYES by Stefanie Zadravec at The Clurman
Lia Chang Photo Slideshows of Productions in the Working Theater’s 25th Anniversary Season
Multimedia: Photos of Ed Cardona, Jr.’s American Jornalero at the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre
Photos of André De Shields in Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory: From Douglass to Deliverance
Achieving the American Dream, Professional Charmer Andre De Shields Sees Theater is a Way to Life
André De Shields Celebrates Black History Month Starring in The Working Theater’s Production of Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory at The Abingdon in February 2010
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.

Working Theater in Collaboration with Magnum Foundation Present World Premiere of Ed Cardona, Jr.’s La Ruta, April 10 – May 12, 2013

Working Theater, the 28-year-old Off-Broadway company, in collaboration with Magnum Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving the Magnum Photos legacy and supporting photography around social justice issues, have joined forces to present Ed Cardona, Jr.’s LA RUTA, a world premiere immigration-themed play that will be staged inside the trailer and cab of an actual 48’ truck. An accompanying photographic installation about the immigrant experience will also be presented. This unique collaboration will shed a deeper light on one of today’s hot-button issues – immigration reform. Previews begin April 10, 2013 with an official press opening on April 18th. Tamilla Woodard, known for her innovative site-specific work (HOTEL PROJECT), will direct the production. The play will be performed in various communities throughout New York City in order to directly realize Working Theater’s mission to bring theater to working people.

LA RUTA, an immersive theatrical experience, follows the crossing of several undocumented immigrants into the U.S. to make a better life for themselves and their family. Audiences experience the journey alongside the characters, surrounded by the harsh reality of their environment and the poignant narrative unfolding within.

Magnum Foundation is organizing a photo-based installation–featuring both award-winning Magnum photographers and emerging documentary photographers–outside of the truck that will focus audiences on the experiences of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. Images from the renowned Magnum Photos archive will also be projected within the performance to illuminate the interior worlds of the characters.

“Through LA RUTA, we, at Working Theater, in partnership with Magnum Foundation, hope to raise awareness about the plight of undocumented immigrants,” said Working Theater’s Producing Artistic Director Mark Plesent. “Our goal is to challenge our diverse communities to consider the experience of this large, yet too often misrepresented immigrant constituency.” The cast includes Brian D. Coats (MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, Public Theater), Zoë Sophia Garcia (THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY, Actors Theatre of Louisville), Annie Henk (THE PLAY ABOUT DAD, 59E59), Sheila Tapia (CQ/CX, Atlantic Theater Company), Bobby Plasencia (VESUVIUS, South Coast Repertory), Gerardo Rodriguez and Jacob Alden Roa.

The production team includes Raul Abrego (scenic design), Emily DeAngelis (costume design), Lucrecia Briceño (lighting design), Dave Tennent, IMA & Kate Freer, IMA (projection design), Sam Kusnetz (sound design), and Production Core (Production Supervision)The production stage manager is Michael Aaron Jones and the assistant stage manager is Sarah Levine.

Community partner venues include, the Bronx United Federation of Teachers (Bronx), St. John the Divine (Manhattan), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (Queens) and the Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden (Staten Island).

The performance schedule is April 10th through May 12th, Wednesday through Saturday at 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm and Sunday at 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm. Additional performances in Manhattan on Tuesdays at 6:30 and 8:30.

Tickets are $25 (General Admission) and $23 (Students/Seniors/Union Members) and may be purchased in advance at www.brownpapertickets.com or by calling 800-838-3006. For group rates, contact info@theworkingtheater.org. Due to mature content, patrons under the age of 13 will not be admitted. Latecomers will not be admitted. The running time is 70 minutes without intermission.

WORKING THEATER (Producer). Now in its 28th season, Working Theater is New York’s only professional Off-Broadway theatre company dedicated to producing plays for and about the working men and women of New York. Past productions include Lisa Ramirez’s play about nannies, EXIT CUCKOO directed by Colman Domingo; Roberto Aguirre Sacasa’s KING OF SHADOWS; PORT AUTHORITY THROW DOWN; HOLD PLEASE; ABUNDANCE; RECONSTRUCTION; Israel Horovitz’s HENRY LUMPER, Rob Ackerman’s TABLE TOP; Stefanie Zadravec’s HONEY BROWN EYES and many others. For more information, visit www.theworkingtheater.org.

MAGNUM FOUNDATION (Collaborator) The Magnum Foundation champions in-depth, independent documentary photography that fosters empathy, engagement, and positive social change. The Magnum Foundation supports, trains, and mentors the next generation of photographers and seeks to increase the exposure of both historical and contemporary documentary photography in the digital age. An independent public charity, the Magnum Foundation carries forward the core values held dear by Magnum photographers and sustains the practice of high-quality documentary photography. For more information, visit http://magnumfoundation.org/.

Ed Cardona, Jr. Photo by Lia Chang

ED CARDONA, JR. (Playwright). Ed’s play AMERICAN JORNALERO received its world premiere at INTAR Theatre in the spring of 2012; the play was also selected as a finalist by the 2011 Metlife Nuestras Voces National Playwriting Competition. Ed is also currently a member of Theater 167’s theatrical ensemble which is developing its next project JH3am, a collaborative work based on Jackson Heights, Queens, N.Y.C. after 3:00 am. An Artistic Associate for the Working Theater’s 25th Anniversary Season, he adapted PABLO’S CHRISTMAS (commissioned and published by Dramatic Publishing, 2009) from the children’s book by Hugo C. Martin. Ed has also been a resident playwright with the Hispanic Playwrights-in-Residence Lab at INTAR Theatre, The Professional Playwrights Unit at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre and the Hall Farm Center for the Arts & Education in Townsend, VT. He is a founding member of NY Madness. Ed received his M.F.A. in playwriting from Columbia University where he received the John Golden Award for his thesis play, PICK UP POTS! Multimedia: Photos of Ed Cardona, Jr.’s American Jornalero at the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre

TAMILLA WOODARD (Director) is a director, actor and adapter residing in New York City. She is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, an alumnus of The Lincoln Center Directors Lab, and a founding member of The Internationalists, a collective of directors from around the world creating an interactive global theatrical community. Most recent work includes co-creator of the site specific performance HOTEL PROJECT, that had its American premiere at Washington Jefferson Hotel and the Summit Grand Hotel in January 2012; VALIANT by Lanna Joffrey (InterAct Theatre); NIGHTLANDS by Sylvan Oswald (New Georges) and the development and direction of Saviana Stanescu’s POLANSKI POLANSKI (starring Grant Neale and produced by Nomad Theatricals at PS122/ SoloNOVA festival in New York City, Teatrul Odeon in Bucharest, The Sibiu International Theatre Festival, TIFF International Festival in Cluj and HERE in NYC). New Dramatists honored her with The Charles Bowden Award and the League of Professional Theatre Women with the Josephine Abady Award. She serves as an adjunct professor teaching solo performance at City College’s Center for Worker Education. More about Tamilla at www.Tamilla.com

DATES & LOCATIONS FOR LA RUTA
Wednesday, April 10 thru Sunday, April 14 UFT Bronx Borough Office 2500 Halsey Street, Bronx, NY 10461 For tickets: http://larutabronx.bpt.me
Tuesday, April 16 thru Sunday, April 28 The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine 1047 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10025 For tickets: http://larutamanhattan.bpt.me
Wednesday, May 1 thru Sunday, May 5 IBEW Local 3 Headquarters 158-11 Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Avenue, Flushing, NY 11365 For tickets: http://larutaqueens.bpt.me
Wednesday, May 8 thru Sunday, May 12 Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301 For tickets: http://larutastatenisland.bpt.me

Other articles on Working Theater:
Working Theater presents The Best of TheaterWorks!: Stories from the 99%, at The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre at the Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex
Working Theater presents The Poetry of Philip Levine with Jeffrey Eugenides, André De Shields, Gene Gillette and Lisa Ramirez on May 7
Photos: Working Theater’s Production of Rob Ackerman’s CALL ME WALDO at Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex
Papermag.com: An Emerson-Loving Electrician Takes the Stage in Call Me Waldo
1199SEIU President George Gresham to receive Labor Leadership Award at 2011 Working Theater Annual Awards Ceremony
André De Shields & Alison Fraser Star in Reading of Michael Aman’s The Unbleached American at Theater Row on 5/9
Working Theater Presents Staged Reading of Chay Yew’s Visible Cities at The Studio Theatre on Theatre Row
Photos:The Working Theater’s Off-Broadway production of HONEY BROWN EYES by Stefanie Zadravec at The Clurman
Lia Chang Photo Slideshows of Productions in the Working Theater’s 25th Anniversary Season
Multimedia: Photos of Ed Cardona, Jr.’s American Jornalero at the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre
Photos of André De Shields in Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory: From Douglass to Deliverance
Achieving the American Dream, Professional Charmer Andre De Shields Sees Theater is a Way to Life
André De Shields Celebrates Black History Month Starring in The Working Theater’s Production of Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory at The Abingdon in February 2010
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.

Chay Yew Directs A.C.T.’s World Premiere of Stuck Elevator, April 4-28, 2013

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) is presenting the world premiere of Stuck Elevator at A.C.T.’s Geary Theater (415 Geary Street, San Francisco), April 4–28, 2013. Press night is Tuesday, April 16, 2013. Tickets (starting at $20) are on sale now and may be purchased online at act-sf.org or by calling 415.749.2228.

Stuck Elevator is a visionary musical work based on the true story of Guāng (光), a Chinese deliveryman who was trapped in a Bronx elevator for 81 hours. Sounding the alarm will open the doors to freedom, but calling for help also means calling for attention—with dire consequences for this undocumented immigrant. Suspended between the upward mobility of the American dream and the downward plunge into an empty abyss, Guāng delves into memories of his past and into nightmares of present predicament, all within the confines of a 4′ by 6′ by 8′ metal box.

Chay Yew. Photo by Lia Chang

Inventively staged by internationally acclaimed artist Chay Yew—and introducing the prodigious work of composer Byron Au Yong and librettist Aaron Jafferis—Stuck Elevator unleashes an evocative collision of stories, sounds, instruments, and ideas.

Featuring a hybrid of musical theater, opera, and solo performance, Stuck Elevator will feature Julius Ahn (Madame Butterfly at Nashville Opera; Turandot at Seattle Opera) in the tour-de-force role of Guāng. He is joined by an extraordinary ensemble of performers—all of whom play multiple roles—including Raymond J. Lee (Anything Goes and Mamma Mia! on Broadway) as Wáng Yuè (王越), Guāng’s 8-year-old son; Marie-France Arcilla (Working at Off-Broadways’ 59E59 Theaters; Sondheim on Sondheim at the Cleveland Playhouse) as Míng (明), Guāng’s wife; Joel Perez (In the Heights , 1st national tour; Fun Home at the Public Theater) as Marco, the wisecracking Mexican deliveryman; and Joseph Anthony Foronda (Pacific Overtures and Miss Saigon on Broadway) as Zhōng Yi (忠佚), Guāng’s brother-in-law.

Says A.C.T. Artistic Director Carey Perloff: “I discovered this remarkable piece at the Sundance Playwrights Lab, where it leapt to the fore because of its astonishing originality. Who would have thought you could turn the true story of a frightened Chinese deliveryman stuck in an elevator into a hilarious and heartbreaking musical about hunger, immigration, family, dreams, and duck sauce? This richly imagined piece of musical theater is a wonderful tribute to San Francisco’s vibrant Chinese culture and a thrilling example of a commitment to new work that defies the boundaries and uses all the tools of theater to create something entirely new.”

A.C.T. will offer numerous InterACT events—many of which are presented free of charge—in association with Stuck Elevator that will give patrons opportunities to get closer to the action while making a whole night out of their evening at the theater:

Audience Prologue: Tue., April 9, at 5:30 p.m.
Before the curtain goes up, get behind the artistic process at this fascinating preshow discussion with the director and artistic staff.

Theater on the Couch: Fri., April 12, following the 8 p.m. performance
Led by Mason Turner, chief of psychiatry at San Francisco’s Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, this exciting postshow discussion series explores the minds, motives, and behaviors of the characters and addresses audience questions.

Audience Exchanges: Tue., Apr. 16, at 7 p.m. | Sun., Apr. 21, at 2 p.m. | Wed., Apr. 24, at 2 p.m.
After the show, stick around for a lively Q&A session with the actors and artists who create the work onstage.

OUT with A.C.T.: Wed., April 17, following the 8 p.m. performance
The best LGBT night in town! Mingle with the cast and enjoy free drinks and treats at this popular afterparty. Visit www.act-sf.org/out for information about how to subscribe to OUT nights (and other InterACT events) throughout the season.

Wine Series: Tue., April 23, at 7 p.m.
Before the show, raise a glass at this wine tasting event featuring leading sommeliers from the Bay Area’s hottest local wineries.

PlayTime: Saturday, April 27, at 12:30 p.m.
Before this matinee performance, get hands-on with theater with the artists who make it happen at this interactive workshop.

The creative team for Stuck Elevator includes scenic designer Daniel Ostling (Endgame and Play and Once in a Lifetime at A.C.T.; Clybourne Park on Broadway), costume designer Myung Hee Cho (Lackawanna Blues at A.C.T.; Emotional Creature at Berkeley Rep); lighting designer Alexander V. Nichols(Endgame and Play at A.C.T.; Hugh Jackman Back on Broadway and Wishful Drinking on Broadway); video designer Maya Ciarrochi (Sweet Bird of Youth at The Goodman Theatre; Arthur Miller’s All My Sons at the Huntington Theater Company); and sound designer Mikhail Fiksel (Black n Blue Boys at Berkeley Rep; In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play) at St. Louis Repertory).

A.C.T.’s production of Stuck Elevator is sponsored by BNY Mellon Wealth Management. Stuck Elevator is made possible by executive producers Fred M. Levin and Nancy Livingston, The Shenson Foundation; producers Richard Davis and Bill Lowell; Don and Judy McCubbin; David and Carla Riemer and Nola Yee; and associate producer Martha Hertelendy. A.C.T. would like to acknowledge its 2012–13 company sponsors The Bernard Osher Foundation; Ms. Joan Danforth; Ray and Dagmar Dolby; Frannie Fleishhacker; Priscilla and Keith Geeslin;Marcia and John Goldman; James C. Hormel and Michael P. Nguyen; Koret Foundation; Fred M. Levin and Nancy Livingston, The Shenson Foundation; Burt and Deedee McMurtry; Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock;Patti and Rusty Rueff; Ms. Kathleen Scutchfield; Mary and Steven Swig; Doug Tilden and Teresa Keller; and Jeff and Laurie Ubben.

BIOGRAPHIES
BYRON AU YONG (Composer) combines folk and avant-garde music to create theatrical works that the Seattle Post-Intelligencer calls “a beguiling hybrid of cultures.” His works have been performed in theaters, museums, and site-specific locations that include the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, the Tokyo Art Museum, and the Seattle Aquarium. Projects include Farewell: A Fantastical Contemplation on America’s Relationship with China (Spectrum Dance Theatre/Seattle Theatre Group), Yiju 移居: Songs of Dislocation (an audio night-garden developed at the Jack Straw New Media Gallery), and Tzu Lho: Simmering Songs (The Esoterics, Stanford Chorale). International events include Salt Lips Touching (premiered outside a Confucian Temple at the Jeonju Sanjo Festival), and Forbidden Circles (Fukuoka Gendai Hogaku Festival, International House of Japan). Learn more at his website: www.hearbyron.com.

AARON JAFFERIS (Librettist) is a hip-hop poet and playwright whose works include Kingdom (Old Globe, ReVision Theatre; Richard Rodgers Award; Best Musical and Best Book of 2008–09 (Newark Star-Ledger); Most Promising New Musical (2006 New York Musical Theatre Festival); Shakespeare: The Remix (TheatreWorks/Palo Alto, St. Louis Black Rep, Capital Rep, Zachary Scott Theatre, International Festival of Arts & Ideas); and No Lie (Nuyorican Poets Café, H.E.R.E., Passage Theatre). He has performed his poetry at Madison Square Garden, the Kennedy Center and the National Poetry Slam Championships, where he is a former Open Rap Slam champion. His poetry has been performed by the Urban Bush Women and published in The Nation. For the last decade he has taught playwriting, poetry, and hip-hop theater in urban high schools, middle schools, and detention centers in his hometown of New Haven, CT. Learn more at his website: www.aaronjafferis.com.

CHAY YEW (Director) has directed world premieres by José Rivera, Naomi Iizuka, Kia Corthron, Julia Cho, David Adjmi, Rha Goddess, Universes, Alec Mapa, and Brian Freeman. He is a recipient of the OBIE Award and DramaLogue Award for Direction. Directing credits include Brainpeople (A.C.T.); Durango (Public Theater and Long Wharf); The Architecture of Loss (New York Theatre Workshop); Cool Dip in the Barren Sahara Crick (Playwrights Horizons); Low (Public Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cincinnati Playhouse, Pillsbury Theatre); Citizen 13559: The Diary of Ben Uchida (Kennedy Center); Universes’ Ameriville (Actors Theatre of Louisville, Public Theater, Round House Theatre, Southern Repertory Theatre and Curious Theatre); Our Town (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Boleros for the Disenchanted (Huntington Theatre); and Antebellum (Woolly Mammoth Theatre).

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Party 3.0, Scenes from Version 3.0, A New Anthology of Asian American Plays, Edited by Chay Yew at Zacek McVay Theater
Version 3.0, a major new collection of contemporary Asian American plays edited by Chay Yew
Victory Gardens appoints renowned director and playwright Chay Yew as its new Artistic Director
Chay Yew’s Visible Cities at The Studio Theatre on Theatre Row
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
Paper Dolls at the Tricycle Theatre Extends through April 28, 2013
NAATCO Presents A Dream Play at Here, March 22 – April 13, 2013
Signature Theatre’s 2013-14 Season Features New Works by Albee, Hwang, Enos, Taylor, Wilson, Clarke and Jacobs-Jenkins
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
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

Lia Chang: Working Theater Presents Staged Reading of Chay Yew’s Visible Cities at The Studio Theatre on Theatre Row on March 21

On Monday, March 21, 2011, Working Theater presents a staged reading of Visible Cities by Chay Yew, directed by Mike Donahue, at The Studio Theatre on Theatre Row, 410 W 42nd St. (between 9th & 10th Aves in New York. The cast features Joanna Adler, Josh Barrett, Jackie Chung, Jennifer Ikeda, Natalie Martin, Quentin Maré, Orville Mendoza, Steve Park and Gordana Rashovich.

In Visible Cities, Chay Yew explores the high-stakes realities of international fashion, globalism, immigration, and counterfeit culture. More than 100 people made the shirt you’re wearing right now. Who are those people? This contemporary piece about fashion, greed and the horrendous working conditions of clothing factories in China is a chilling reminder that things have not changed in the 100 years since the fire – they’ve just moved overseas. The play brilliantly weaves narratives taking place in Italy, Singapore, New York and China and shows how we are all connected to and complicit in the giant greedy corporate machine of fashion. It is a wildly inventive exciting piece of theater and a call for global action.

Orville Mendoza

Chay Yew’s plays include Porcelain, A Language of Their Own, RED, Wonderland, Question 27 Question 28, A Distant Shore, 17, America and A Beautiful Country. His other work includes adaptations, A Winter People (based on Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard) and Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba, and a musical Long Season. His plays have been produced at the Public Theatre, Royal Court Theatre (London), Mark Taper Forum, Manhattan Theatre Club, Long Wharf Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Intiman Theatre, Wilma Theatre, Studio Theatre, Portland Center Stage, East West Players, Cornerstone Theatre Company, Perseverance Theatre, Dad’s Garage, La Mama (Melbourne, Australia), Singapore Repertory Theatre and TheatreWorks Singapore, amongst others.

Gordana Rashovich Photo by Lia Chang

He is also the recipient of the London Fringe Award for Best Playwright and Best Play, George and Elisabeth Marton Playwriting Award, GLAAD Media Award, Asian Pacific Gays and Friends’ Community Visibility Award, Made in America Award, AEA/SAG/AFTRA 2004 Diversity Honor, Robert Chesley Award and an OBIE Award for Direction; he has also received grants from the McKnight Foundation, Rockefeller MAP Fund and the TCG/Pew National Residency Program. His plays are published by Grove Press and were nominated for a Lamda Literary Award. He is presently editing a new anthology of Asian American plays “Version 3.0” for TCG Publications. He is under commission from Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Writer’s Theatre. An alumnus of New Dramatists, he serves on the Executive Board of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.

Monday, March 21, 2011
7pm
The Studio Theatre on Theatre Row
410 W 42nd Street (between 9th & 10th Aves)
NYC

$10 suggested donation*
To reserve your tickets click http://www.nycharities.org/events/EventLevels.aspx?ETID=3245

*The Working Theater readings are free-of-charge, to fulfill their mission to develop new work about the lives of working people, and present it at affordable prices to all. However, there is a suggested $10 donation.
www.theworkingtheater.org
About WORKING THEATER
Founded in 1985, the Working Theater’s mission is to produce plays for and about working people. Working Theater believes that theater should not be a privilege or a luxury, but a staple, striving to make play-going a regular part of the cultural activities of working people who may not be able to afford commercial theater or who feel that it does not resonate with their lives and experience. Toward that goal, the company offers stories that reflect a diverse population of the working majority, acknowledging their complexity and often-denied power in an increasingly complex world. By creating theater of interest to working people and by bringing this constituency to its productions, Working Theater aims to change the composition of New York’s theater audience to reflect a full range of socio-economic diversity.. In a nation that is frequently divided by cultural and class distinctions and where economic disparity continues to widen, Working Theater is committed to making theater that can bridge those divisions, expanding the reach of theater’s impact to all people, uniting us in our common humanity. Over the years The Working Theater has commissioned and produced more than 70 world premieres of culturally diverse new plays.

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 liachang@hotmail.com.

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

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

As a photographer and videographer, Lia collaborates with artists, organizations and companies in establishing their documentary photo archive and social media presence. She has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden.

Selections of Lia’s archive of Asian Pacific Americans in the arts, fashion, journalism, politics and space are now in the newly created LIA CHANG THEATER PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO in the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection.

Lia’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, Gourmet, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Broadwayworld.com, Life & Style, OUT, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, thelmagazine.com, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She writes about culture, style and Asian American issues for a variety of publications and this Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Alan Ariano, Rona Figueroa, Jose Llana, & Orville Mendoza in Long Season Ayala Foundation USA Gala in SF
A night out with Gordana Rashovich, Flora Goforth in The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore
André De Shields Set for World Premiere of Charles Smith’s The Gospel According to James at Indiana Rep, 3/22-4/10
Photos:The Working Theater’s Off-Broadway production of HONEY BROWN EYES by Stefanie Zadravec at The Clurman
Lia Chang Photo Slideshows of Productions in the Working Theater’s 25th Anniversary Season
Multimedia: Photos of Ed Cardona, Jr.’s American Jornalero at the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre
Multimedia: Photos of André De Shields in Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory: From Douglass to Deliverance
Photos: A.B. Cruz III and Lillian Kimura Receive 2011 AALDEF Justice in Action Awards
Andy Warhol, Romare Bearden, Alexander Calder, Lia Chang in Art & Healing Exhibit at Snug Harbor on SI
Juicy Buns at Ollie’s
The Dish on Susur Lee and Shang
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive.

Lia Chang: STORIES FROM CHINESE AMERICA: The Arthur Dong Collection, Vol. 2 as 4 disc DVD Box Set

Prolific filmmaker Arthur Dong is hosting screening parties of the world premiere of the newly restored and scored THE CURSE OF QUON GWON in Los Angeles (November 6) and San Francisco (November 13), to celebrate the release of his new 4-disc DVD box set, STORIES FROM CHINESE AMERICA: THE ARTHUR DONG COLLECTION, VOL. 2., and you are invited.

With over 100 international film excellence awards to his name, the full scope of Dong’s storytelling mastery is brought to light in STORIES FROM CHINESE AMERICA: THE ARTHUR DONG COLLECTION, VOL. 2.. This consummate anthology of films spanning over 25 years showcases Dong’s historically acute focus on Chinese Americans at crossroads with Hollywood, pop culture, tradition, and immigration.

On November 6, DeepFocus Productions, Inc. is releasing the Box Set, which includes the collector’s edition of Dong’s two feature documentaries: HOLLYWOOD CHINESE, a landmark examination of the Chinese in American feature films, with over 3.5 hours of bonus material on two discs, and FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A., a ground-breaking account of the Chinese American nightclub scene during World War II. Three earlier short films comprise THE TOISAN TRILOGY, and includes , SEWING WOMANthe Oscar®-nominated documentary based on the filmmaker’s mother; LOTUS, a fictionalized film exploring the conflicts over footbinding; and LIVING MUSIC FOR GOLDEN MOUNTAINS, Dong’s 1981 documentary directorial debut profiling his Chinese music teacher.

In addition to the full-length versions of each film, the collection also premieres the newly scored and restored 1916 film, THE CURSE OF QUON GWON, the earliest known Chinese American feature film that Dong helped rescue during his work on Hollywood Chinese. One of a few films from the era that was directed by a woman, San Francisco native Marion Wong, THE CURSE OF QUON GWON was preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2005, and in 2006, it was recognized as a culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant film by the Library of Congress and placed on the National Film Registry. Dong commissioned a new score from silent film composer and pianist, Judy Rosenberg, in 2010.

STORIES FROM CHINESE AMERICA: THE ARTHUR DONG COLLECTION, VOL. 2 features 4-discs, 6 films, and over 8 hours of material, and is the follow-up to the critically-acclaimed DVD boxed-set, Stories from the War on Homosexuality: The Arthur Dong Collection, Vol. 1. That 2003 release included Dong’s trilogy of films investigating the culture wars over gay and lesbian issues: Coming Out Under Fire, Licensed to Kill, and Family Fundamentals.

STORIES FROM CHINESE AMERICA: THE ARTHUR DONG COLLECTION, VOL. 2 is available exclusively from the DeepFocus Film Library at www.deepfocusproductions.com or by phone, 800/343-5540. www.deepfocusproductions.com/stories_from_chinese_america.php

Saturday, November 6 in Los Angeles
In Los Angeles, on Saturday, November 6, the Asian American arts organization, Visual Communications, will present the world premiere of STORIES FROM CHINESE AMERICA: THE ARTHUR DONG COLLECTION, VOL. 2, headlined by the world premiere of the newly restored and scored THE CURSE OF QUON GWON. Dong will be on hand to host the screening and give a visual tour of the many hours of additional archival and interview footage that comes with his new DVD anthology. The celebration will take place at 3pm, at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, 111 N. Central Ave., Little Tokyo. A reception, sponsored by the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, will follow the screening.

Co-presenters of the event are the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, API Equality-LA, the Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles, the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, and the Organization of Chinese Americans-Greater Los Angeles. Tickets are $12 general admission; $10 for members of Visual Communications, the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, and the Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles, students, and seniors. To purchase tickets, please call (213) 680-4462, ext. 32, or visit www.vconline.org/alpha/cms/index.cfm/programs/presentation/the-vc-screen/STORIES-FROMCHINESE-AMERICA.

Saturday, November 13 in San Francisco
In San Francisco, on Saturday, November 13, San Francisco State University and its Asian American Studies Department will present the Bay Area premiere of STORIES FROM CHINESE AMERICA: THE ARTHUR DONG COLLECTION, VOL. 2, headlined by the Bay Area premiere of the newly restored and scored THE CURSE OF QUON GWON. Dong will be on hand to host the screening and give a visual tour of the many hours of additional archival and interview footage that comes with his new DVD anthology. Guest performance by the Grant Avenue Follies (www.grantavenuefollies.com), with a reception and doorprizes to follow.
The celebration will take place Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010, 12:00 pm, at the Four Star Theatre, 2200 Clement Street. This is an Asian American Studies Fundraising Event and proceeds will support AAS programs and students at SF State. Tickets are a $25 minimum donation, available online at Brown Paper Tickets, www.brownpapertickets.com/event/133419. Tickets are also available at the Four Star Box Office and at the Asian American Studies Department, SF State University, 415.338-2273, aas@sfsu.edu. For more information, please visit www.sfsu.edu/~aas.

ABOUT THE FILMS
HOLLYWOOD CHINESE: COLLECTOR’S EDITION (2007), 89 minutes, plus over 3.5 hours of bonus features:
www.deepfocusproductions.com/hollywood_chinese_collectors.php

HOLLYWOOD CHINESE brings together a captivating portrait of film artists and iconic images for a highspirited look at the ways the Chinese have been imagined in the movies, from silent classics to contemporary blockbusters. Winner of the 2007 Golden Horse for Best Documentary, Asia’s Oscar® equivalent, HOLLYWOOD CHINESE stars a virtual who’s who of top Chinese and Chinese American talent, including Ang Lee, Nancy Kwan, Amy Tan, James Hong, B.D. Wong, Joan Chen, Wayne Wang,and David Henry Hwang; with special appearances by veteran character actor Christopher Lee (Fu
Manchu) and surviving stars from Hollywood’s Golden age, double Oscar® winner Luise Rainer (The Good Earth) and matinee idol Turhan Bey (Dragon Seed).

The two-disc HOLLYWOOD CHINESE: COLLECTOR’S EDITION features a treasure trove of over 3.5 hours of bonus material, including these highlights:
*The world premiere of the newly scored 1916 film, THE CURSE OF QUON GWON, the earliest known Chinese American feature film that Dong helped rescue during his work on Hollywood Chinese. Silent film pianist, Judy Rosenberg, composed and recorded an original score for the film in 2010 for this DVD release. Restoration of the found 35mm nitrate film was done by the Academy Film Archive in 2005, and in the following year, the Library of Congress selected The Curse of Quon Gwon for the National Film Registry.

*A trio of Soundies including 1940s renditions of Chinatown, My Chinatown and Where’s the Chicken in the Chicken Chow Mein, performed by white entertainers in faux Chinese settings. Soundies are short musical films produced in 1940-1947. A precursor to music videos, they were projected on coin-operated film jukeboxes in bars and restaurants.

*A selection of 1900s paper prints from the Library of Congress collection, including That Chink at Golden Gulch, an early attempt by Broken Blossoms (1919) director, D.W. Griffith, to portray a somewhat sensitive story about the Chinese in America.

*A gallery of movie memorabilia from pre-1950s Hollywood films with Chinatown settings. This selection of lobby cards, posters, and stills are from Dong’s personal archive of over 1,200 pieces that were the basis for the landmark exhibition, “Hollywood Chinese: the Arthur Dong Collection,” at the Los Angeles-based Chinese American Museum.

Interview outtakes featuring the stars of Hollywood Chinese who offer extended dialogues on topics such as Charlie Chan, Flower Drum Song, Fu Manchu, Suzie Wong, yellowface, stereotyping, and the Chinatown mystique.

FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. COLLECTOR’S EDITION (1989), 56 minutes, plus bonus features:
www.deepfocusproductions.com/forbidden_city_usa.php

FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. is a delightful documentary about the little-known stories of Chinese American nightclub performers in World War II San Francisco. Compared to the Cotton Club of Harlem, which featured America’s finest black entertainers, the famed Forbidden City Nightclub in San Francisco gained an international reputation with its unique showcase of Chinese American entertainers.

FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A. introduces crooners and tap dancers with monikers like the “Chinese Fred Astaire,” the “Chinese Sophie Tucker,” and the “Chinese Sally Rand” – just some of the swinging performers that take you back in time when Chinese were known only for chop suey joints. The film combines remarkable archival film and photographs with interviews to show a generation of Asian American pioneers who fought cultural barriers and racism to pursue their love for American song and dance. The special collector’s DVD includes previously unseen vintage and original footage along with galleries showing over 200 pieces of fascinating memorabilia and nostalgic photos from the “Chop Suey Circuit.” Winner of over 15 international film excellence awards, including the Decade’s Best Documentary at the Hawaii International Film Festival (shared award).

NOTE: STORIES FROM CHINESE AMERICA: THE ARTHUR DONG COLLECTION, VOL. 2 is the only way to acquire the last remaining personal home use DVDs of FORBIDDEN CITY, U.S.A.; this DVD is not available as an individual title for home use sales.
A TOISAN TRILOGY:
THREE EARLY SHORT FILMS WITHIN THE COLLECTION
www.deepfocusproductions.com/toisan_trilogy.php

In the 1870s, the first major wave of Chinese came to America primarily from southern China, with a heavy concentration from the Toisan (Taishan) region of Guangdong Province.

A TOISAN TRILOGY presents three award-winning short films directed by Arthur Dong that draw upon this early period of Chinese migration to America. The stories follow the plight of three Toisan natives set against a backdrop of U.S. immigration laws that pushed men to leave their wives in order to go to America. This separation created the so-called “bachelor society” in American Chinatowns consisting of men withouttheir wives, and in China, a parallel “widow society” that was formed by the women left behind. For the first time together, A TOISAN TRILOGY presents Dong’s first films that forecasted his penchant for emotionally rich stories about the personal lives of individuals confronting adverse social conditions.

SEWING WOMAN (1982), 14 minutes:
www.deepfocusproductions.com/sewing_woman.php
This beloved classic reveals one woman’s determination to survive: from an arranged marriage in Toisan to working class comforts in modern America. SEWING WOMAN is based on a series of oral histories and the life story of the filmmaker’s mother, Zem Ping Dong, an immigrant who worked in San Francisco garment factories for over fifty years. With a candid monologue spoken by veteran actress, Lisa Lu (The Joy Luck Club), SEWING WOMAN chronicles a story of family and reunification between a “widow” and her “bachelor” husband. Winner of over 20 international film awards, including an Oscar® nomination for Best Short Documentary. Included as an added bonus in STORIES FROM CHINESE AMERICA: THE ARTHUR DONG COLLECTION, VOL. 2 is a Chinese-subtitled version of the film. Written by Lorraine Dong.

LIVING MUSIC FOR GOLDEN MOUNTAINS (1981), 27 minutes; 2010 Director’s Cut, 18 minutes: www.deepfocusproductions.com/living_music_for_golden_mountain.php
LIVING MUSIC FOR GOLDEN MOUNTAINS is a touching portrait of filmmaker Arthur Dong’s Chinese music teacher, Leo Lew, an immigrant who toiled as a laundry worker but kept spiritually alive through his love of music. The film traces Lew’s “bachelor” life in San Francisco Chinatown, planning to one day return to his family in Toisan. Produced in 1981 at San Francisco State University with Elizabeth Meyer, LIVING MUSIC FOR GOLDEN MOUNTAINS marks Dong’s documentary directorial debut and won a Regional Academy Student Film Award for Best Documentary. STORIES FROM CHINESE AMERICA: THE ARTHUR DONG COLLECTION, VOL. 2 is the film’s DVD premiere and includes a new 2010 director’s cut of the film that the filmmaker re-edited and re-subtitled especially for the anthology.

LOTUS (1987), 27 minutes:
www.deepfocusproductions.com/lotus.php
Shot on location in remote villages of Hong Kong, this fictionalized story set in the Kay Lok Village of Toisan follows Lotus, a woman with bound feet in 1914 China who must decide whether to bind her aughter’s feet. For more than thirty centuries, China celebrated a practice known as footbinding and the fight against it triggered one of the biggest, most overlooked women’s struggle in world history. Lotus is a “widow” whose husband is away in America and makes an independent, life-changing decision in the absence of patriarchal figures. The DVD includes galleries of vintage bound feet shoes and historical
photos of women with bound feet. Winner of the CINE Golden Eagle Award. LOTUS was produced by Dong and Rebecca Soladay, with story by Lorraine Dong and Arthur Dong, and screenplay by Soladay.

About ARTHUR DONG:
Arthur Dong’s Oscar®-nominated and multi-Sundance and Peabody award-winning films include the trilogy, STORIES FROM THE WAR ON HOMOSEXUALITY: THE ARTHUR DONG COLLECTION, VOL. 1 (Family Fundamentals, Licensed to Kill, Coming Out Under Fire) and the anthology, STORIES FROM CHINESE AMERICA: THE ARTHUR DONG COLLECTION, VOL. 2. A two-time Rockefeller Fellow in Media as well as a Guggenheim Fellow in Film, Arthur is a former governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and served on the boards of Outfest, Film Independent, and the National Film Preservation Board at the Library of Congress. Arthur recently served as a curator for the exhibitions, “Chop Suey on Wax: the Flower Drum Song Album” at the Chinese Historical Society of America Museum in San Francisco, and “Hollywood Chinese: the Arthur Dong Collection,” currently at the Chinese America Museum in Los Angeles through November 7, 2010. His public service honors include the Pioneer Award from the Organization of Chinese Americans, the History Maker Award from the Chinese American Museum, and the 2007 Alumnus of the Year Award from San Francisco State University for producing films that are “…a reminder of the power art can have to move us – not only emotionally but also to move us to action. His films merge artistry and activism, making him an impressive role model for all of our students who are taught that their talents can and should be used for the greater good of society.” For more information, please visit: www.deepfocusproductions.com.

VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS:
Founded in 1970 by a group of Asian American graphic designers, photographers, and independent filmmakers, Visual Communications was created with the understanding that the media and arts should do more than just present pictures or portraits; they should take an active role in building a more humane, responsible and understanding society. Visual Communications’ mission is to promote intercultural understanding through the creation, presentation, preservation, and support of media works by and about Asian Pacific Americans. For more information, please visit www.vconline.org

ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES DEPARTMENT @ SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY:
Asian American Studies Department, the largest of five units in the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University, was established in March 1969 as a result of the 1968 Third World Student Strike. The Department currently consists of the following Asian American ethnic units: Chinese American, Filipino American, Japanese American, Korean American, South Asian American, Southeast Asian American, and Asian Americans of Mixed Heritage. It offers a comprehensive program of study of the Asian American experience with a commitment to serving the University, its students, and the Asian American communities. For more information, please visit http://www.sfsu.edu/~aas.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2010 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 liachang@hotmail.com.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Hollywood Chinese: The Arthur Dong Collection Exhibition at the Chinese American Museum in Los Angeles, has been extended through November 7, 2010
Multimedia: George Takei, Nancy Kwan, Lisa Lu and Tsai Chin attend Hollywood Chinese: The Arthur Dong Collection Exhibition Opening Night
The Chinese American Museum partners with Academy award nominated filmmaker Arthur Dong on a groundbreaking exhibition about Hollywood’s forgotten past
In Arthur Dong’s Hollywood Chinese, Chinese Tinseltown Tales told by Asian Silver Screen Icons
Multimedia-Photos and Video: Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas- In the Makeup Chair with Thom Sesma
Crafting a Career
Photo Call: BD Wong and the Cast of Heading East at the Asia Society
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive.

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

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

As a photographer and videographer, Lia collaborates with artists, organizations and companies in establishing their documentary photo archive and social media presence. She has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden.

Selections of Lia’s archive of Asian Pacific Americans in the arts, fashion, journalism, politics and space are now in the newly created LIA CHANG THEATER PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO in the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection.

Lia’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, Gourmet, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Broadwayworld.com, Life & Style, OUT, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, thelmagazine.com, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She writes about culture, style and Asian American issues for a variety of publications and this Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog.