Paper Dolls at the Tricycle Theatre Extends through April 28, 2013

By popular demand, the world premiere of Paper Dolls, currently playing at the Tricycle Theatre in London, has been extended through April 28, 2013. Paper Dolls began previews on February 28, 2013 and opened on March 6. Indhu Rubasingham helms The Paper Dolls cast featuring Ron Domingo (Chiqui), Francis Jue (Sally), Jon Norman Schneider (Jiorgio), Tom Berish (Yossi), Jane Bertish (Noa), Noa Bodner (Shoshana/Ensemble), Ilan Goodman (Shirazi/ Ensemble), Shimi Goodman (Ensemble), Harry Dickman (Chaim), Tom Oakley (Ensemble), Angelo Paragoso (Zhan), Caroline Wildi (Adina) and Benjamin Wong (Cheska).

Photo by Alastair Muir

Photo by Alastair Muir

Paper Dolls, written by Philip Himberg, Artistic Director of Sundance Theatre, is adapted from the documentary film by Tomer Heymann, which has won multiple awards including three at the 2006 Berlin International Film Festival. Click here for the full performance schedule and to purchase tickets.

“You know, Yossi, we couldn’t dress like this in the Philippines… wear earrings, dye my hair, put on make up, lipstick. It’s forbidden.”

In Tel Aviv, Israel, a group of Filipino immigrants work as live-in carers for elderly Orthodox Jewish men. Six days a week, they provide dedicated support to their employers. But on the seventh day, they transform into a homespun, sassy musical drag act. Meet the Paper Dolls!

An extraordinary true story exploring an unlikely collision of cultures and the universal desire to find ‘home’.

The Tricycle Theatre
269 Kilburn High Road, London NW6 7JR
Nearest tube: Kilburn (Jubilee Line)
Nearest overground: Brondesbury
Box office: 020 7328 1000
tel: 020 7372 6611
fax: 020 7328 0795
email: info@tricycle.co.uk

Lia Chang

Lia Chang


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

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Ron Domingo, Francis Jue and Jon Norman Schneider Join the Cast of the World Premiere of Paper Dolls at the Tricycle Theatre, February 28 – April 13, 2013
Mel Sagrado Maghuyop, Tamara Jenkins, Christine Toy Johnson and Ron Domingo Lead the Cast of Harbor Lights Theater Company’s Production of The King and I, directed by Alan Muraoka, November 2-18, 2012
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Francis Jue, At Home on the Stage
Jon Norman Schneider in 13P’s World Premiere of Erin Courtney’s A Map of Virtue at 4th Street Theatre through February 25, 2012
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
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
Dian Kobayashi, Emily Kuroda, Sharon Omi, and Jeanne Sakata Set for East West Players’ Reading of A Cage of Fireflies by Daniel Akiyama at Tateuchi Democracy Forum on March 21, 2013
Photos: David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Opening Night
Hold These Truths Opening Night at Honolulu Theatre for Youth’s Tenney Theatre with Daniel Dae Kim, Joel de la Fuente and Jeanne Sakata
Ron Domingo, Francis Jue and Jon Norman Schneider Join the Cast of the World Premiere of Paper Dolls at the Tricycle Theatre, February 28 – April 13, 2013
David Henry Hwang and FOX Entertainment Japan’s Dan Smith Among Judges for 2013 72-Hour Shootout; Pre-Shootout Events
Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross
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.

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

Ron Domingo, Francis Jue and Jon Norman Schneider Join the Cast of the World Premiere of Paper Dolls at the Tricycle Theatre, February 28 – April 13, 2013

New York based actors Ron Domingo (Chiqui), Francis Jue (Sally) and Jon Norman Schneider (Jiorgio) are currently in London rehearsing for The Tricycle Theatre’s World Premiere of Paper Dolls, with their UK castmates Tom Berish (Yossi), Jane Bertish (Noa), Noa Bodner (Shoshana/Ensemble), Ilan Goodman (Shirazi/ Ensemble), Shimi Goodman (Ensemble), Harry Dickman (Chaim), Tom Oakley (Ensemble), Angelo Paragoso (Zhan), Caroline Wildi (Adina) and Benjamin Wong (Cheska).

Ron Domingo

Ron Domingo

Paper Dolls is the second production directed by Indhu Rubasingham as Artistic Director of the Tricycle Theatre located at 269 Kilburn High Road in London. Rubasingham’s debut production, the critically acclaimed Red Velvet, recently won two Critics Circle Awards for Adrian Lester as Best Actor and Lolita Chakrabarti as Most Promising Playwright. Chakrabarti also received the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright at the Evening Standard Awards in 2012.

Paper Dolls, written by Philip Himberg, Artistic Director of Sundance Theatre, is adapted from the documentary film by Tomer Heymann, which has won multiple awards including three at the 2006 Berlin International Film Festival.

Paper Dolls, in association with Stanley Buchthal and Bob & Co, Ltd, and adapted from the documentary film by Tomer Heymann, runs at the Tricycle Theatre from 28 February until 13 April with press night on 6 March. Design is by Richard Kent, with lighting by Oliver Fenwick, sound by Ben and Max Ringham, music by Nigel Lilley and Ben and Max Ringham, choreography by Alistair David, video design by Dick Straker, and assistant direction from Sam Pritchard. Paper Dolls was developed, in part, by The Sundance Institute Theatre Program. Click here for the full performance schedule and to purchase tickets.

“You know, Yossi, we couldn’t dress like this in the Philippines… wear earrings, dye my hair, put on make up, lipstick. It’s forbidden.”

In Tel Aviv, Israel, a group of Filipino immigrants work as live-in carers for elderly Orthodox Jewish men. Six days a week, they provide dedicated support to their employers. But on the seventh day, they transform into a homespun, sassy musical drag act. Meet the Paper Dolls!

An extraordinary true story exploring an unlikely collision of cultures and the universal desire to find ‘home’.

Tom Berish’s stage credits include The Taming of the Shrew for the RSC, Of Mice and Men at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury, Family Business at Watford Palace Theatre and Oxford Playhouse, Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, Are We Nearly There Yet? at Wilton’s Music Hall and After the End at Battersea Arts Centre. Berish’s screen credits include “Doctors” “The Last Heroes of D-Day” and “The Village,” all for the BBC.

Jane Bertish’s stage credits include The House of Bernarda Alba at The Almeida Theatre, A Round Heeled Woman at the Riverside Studios/West End, The Syndicate at Chichester Theatre/National Tour, The Duchess of Malfi at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Copenhagan at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury, Conversations With My Father at the Old Vic/Scarborough Theatre, Phaedra at the Old Vic/Aldwych Theatre, and Golgo, Seven Lears, The Last Supper, and No End of Blame all at The Royal Court Theatre. Bertish’s screen credits include “My Dad’s the Prime Minister,” “The Sins,” “Vanity Fair,” “French and Saunders,” and “Casualty” for the BBC, and “Girls on Top” and “Sword of Honour” for Channel 4.

Noa Bodner’s stage credits include Floyd Collins at Southwark Playhouse, Judenfrei: Love and Death in Hitler’s Germany at the New End Theatre, The House of Mirrors and Hearts at the Arcola Theatre and Edinburgh Festival and Latin Fever at the Peacock Theatre/National Tour. Bodner’s screen credits include World War Z, The Crossmaker, Chatroom, and Rome.

Ron Domingo’s stage credits include The Romance of Magno Rubio at the Long Wharf Theatre, New Haven for which he received an OBIE award in recognition of outstanding achievement in an Off Broadway theatre, The King and I at Harbor Lights Theatre, The American Pilot at the Manhattan Theatre Club, and On House at the WPA Theatre. Domingo’s screen credits include “Blue Bloods,” “Person of Interest,” “Law & Order,” “As The World Turns,” “Rescue Me,” Tenderness, Robot Stories, The Motel and Slow Jam King.

Ilan Goodman’s stage credits include Red Light Winter at the Theatre Royal Bath, Tartuffe for the English Touring Theatre, Chicken Soup with Barley at The Royal Court Theatre, Danton’s Death at The National Theatre, Miss Nightingale at The Lowry/Kings Head Theatre, Six Degrees of Separation at the Old Vic and Breaking the Silence and All Quiet on the Western Front at Nottingham Playhouse. Goodman’s screen credits include “A Long Way Down,” “Diana,” “That Woman,” “Yes Prime Minister” and “Lost Cosmonauts.”

Shimi Goodman’s stage credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Ragtime at the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park, Chicago at the Cambridge Theatre, Dirty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre and Bombay Dreams at the Apollo Victoria. Goodman’s screen credits include “Skins” and “Paul O’Grady Live.”

Francis Jue

Francis Jue


Francis Jue’s stage credits include Pacific Overtures at the Promenade Theatre, Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Marquis Theater, M Butterfly at the Eugene O’Neill Theater, Yellow Face, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Hamlet, and A Language of Their Own at The Public Theater. Jue’s screen credits include Joyful Noise, “The Good Wife” and “Law and Order.”

Jeffry Kaplow’s stage credits include The Grapes of Wrath at Finborough Theatre, The Plebians Rehearse the Uprising at the Arcola Theatre and Saraband at Jermyn Street. Kaplow’s screen credits include Mothers and Daughters and A Mighty Heart.

Tom Oakley’s stage credits include West Side Story for the RSC, Jersey Boys at the Prince Edward Theatre, Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre, Once Upon a Time at the Adelphi at Liverpool Playhouse, Our Lady J at the Royal Festival Hall and Peter Pan at the Civic, Chelmsford. Oakley’s screen credits include Missing Christmas.

Angelo Paragoso’s stage credits include National Tours of Miss Saigon and The Reporter for The National Theatre, Peter Pan at the Manchester Opera House, Doctor Atomic for the English National Opera, The King & I at the Royal Albert Halland, Aladdin at the Theatre Royal Stratford East.

Jon Norman Schneider

Jon Norman Schneider


Jon Norman Schneider’s stage credits include Durango at The Public Theater, Ching Chong Chinaman at the Pan Asian Rep, A Play on War and Blind Mouth Singing at NAATCO, Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them at The Actors Theatre of Louisville/Humana Festival, Pool Boy at Barrington Stage, American Hwangap at Magic, and Durango at the Long Wharf. Schneider’s screen credits include “Veep,” “30 Rock,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “The Electric Company,” The Normals, The Rebound, and Angel Rodriguez.

Caroline Wildi’s stage credits include Noises Off at the Old Vic, Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet for the RSC, Mansfield Park at Chichester Festival Theatre, The Admirable Crichton at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, and Ting Tang Mine and Fathers and Sons at The National Theatre. Wildi’s screen credits include Hereafter, If I Had You, EastEnders, Brookside, Deux Freres, and “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.”

Benjamin Wong’s stage credits include Thoroughly Modern Millie at The Watermill, Newbury, The Twelve Tenors on European Tour and The Firework Maker’s Daughter for the Birmingham Stage Company.

Philip Himberg is a writer and director and is the Producing Artistic Director of The Sundance Institute Theatre Program: one of the U.S’s foremost theatre development organisations. He directed the World Premiere of Terrence McNally’s Some Men at the Philadelphia Theatre Company, and co-wrote and directed the world premiere of Carry It On, starring Maureen McGovern. His other directing credits include William Finn’s Songs of Innocence and Experience at the Allen Room and for Sundance he directed revivals of Fiddler on the Roof, Funny Girl, and a revised version of Jerry Herman’s musical Dear World.

Indhu Rubasingham became Artistic Director of the Tricycle Theatre in May 2012 and her debut production was the award winning Red Velvet. Previous work at the Tricycle includes Stones In His Pockets, The Great Game: Afghanistan; Women, Power and Politics; Detaining Justice as part of the Not Black and White season; Fabulation; Starstruck; and Darfur: How Long Is Never? Other directing credits include Belong at The Royal Court Theatre, the Pulitzer Prize winning Ruined at The Almeida Theatre, Disconnect, Free Outgoing, Sugar Mummies, Lift Off (which received the George Devine Award) and Clubland (which received the Evening Standard award for most promising play) all at The Royal Court Theatre, The Waiting Room (which received the John Whiting Award) and The Ramayana at The National Theatre, Yellowman (with Liverpool Everyman, which received a TMA nomination for best new play and was shortlisted for the Pulitzer prize), and Anna In The Tropics (which won the Pulitzer prize) at Hampstead Theatre and Romeo and Juliet, The Misanthrope and Secret Rapture at Chichester Festival Theatre. She has also directed at Birmingham Rep, Soho Theatre, the Young Vic, and numerous productions at Theatre Royal, Stratford East.

Rubasingham has won awards including the Arts & Culture Award at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards for astounding achievements in theatre, the Carlton Multi-Cultural Achievement Award for Performing Arts, and in 2010 she jointly received the Liberty Human Rights Arts Award for The Great Game: Afghanistan.

Stanley Buchthal has produced or executively produced the following films: Love, Marilyn (Director: Liz Garbus); Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present (Directors: Matthew Akers & Jeff Dupre); Bobby Fischer Against the World (Director: Liz Garbus); Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child (Director: Tamra Davis); Herb & Dorothy (Director: Megumi Sasaki); Lou Reed’s Berlin (Director: Julian Schnabel); Black White + Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe (Director: James Crump); Lockdown, USA (Directors: Rebecca Chaiklin & Michael Skolnik); The American Ruling Class (Director: John Kirby); Poster Boy (Director: Zak Tucker); Last Party 2000 (Directors: Rebecca Chaiklin, Donovan Leitch); Up at the Villa (Director: Philip Haas); Spanking the Monkey (Director: David O. Russell); Hairspray (Director: John Waters); Paul Bowles: The Cage Door is Always Open (Director: Daniel Young) and Watchers of the Sky (currently in post-production, Director: Edet Belzberg).

Bob & Co are a media advisory firm that provides guidance, fundraising and investment in film, television and Theatre Projects, and whose Executive Directors and principle shareholders are Bob Benton and Simon Flamank. Bob & Co counsel companies on a range of issues such as brand management, corporate strategy and business planning, non-executive directorships, fund-raising and industry introductions. The media investment and development aspect of the business focuses on finding promising content and getting it to production. With the desire and ability to invest in the right people, Bob & Co puts direct investment in emergent media companies, and individual investments in the development of film, theatre and television projects.
Bob and Simon each have over 20 years’ experience in both media advisory roles and the market itself; operating investment and entertainment companies at an executive level both in the UK and overseas. Simon and Bob met through their work together at Handmade Films in 2010, where their efforts led to the necessary restructuring and subsequent sale of the company.

Ron Domingo, Francis Jue and Jon Norman Schneider are appearing with the permission of UK Equity, incorporating the Variety Artistes’ Federation.

The Tricycle Theatre
269 Kilburn High Road, London NW6 7JR
Nearest tube: Kilburn (Jubilee Line)
Nearest overground: Brondesbury
Box office: 020 7328 1000
tel: 020 7372 6611
fax: 020 7328 0795
email: info@tricycle.co.uk

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Mel Sagrado Maghuyop, Tamara Jenkins, Christine Toy Johnson and Ron Domingo Lead the Cast of Harbor Lights Theater Company’s Production of The King and I, directed by Alan Muraoka, November 2-18, 2012
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Jon Norman Schneider in 13P’s World Premiere of Erin Courtney’s A Map of Virtue at 4th Street Theatre through February 25, 2012
Kumu Kahua Theatre Presents World Premiere of Daniel Akiyama’s A Cage of Fireflies, January 24-February 24, 2013
Hold These Truths Video Feature: Playwright Jeanne Sakata, Star Joel de la Fuente and Director Lisa Rothe
Good Night | Good Morning starring Manu Narayan and Seema Rahmani on J. Hurtado’s Top Ten Indian Films of 2012
Ruy Iskandar and Yuekun Wu Set for Signature Theatre’s Production of David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad, February 5 – March 17, 2013
Michelle Krusiec and Alex Moggridge Star in David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish at South Coast Repertory, January 25 – February 24, 2013
Ann Harada Plays Cinderella’s Stepsister Charlotte in Broadway Premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella at the Broadway Theatre
Historic Gathering of Civil Rights Heroes at Fred Korematsu Day Heroes Celebration in San Francisco on January 27, 2013
Manu Narayan, Mark Bennett, Lea Salonga, Michael K. Lee and Stafford Arima Among 2012 Craig Noel Award Nominees
Photos: Partying with the Cast of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child
Harlem Nights with Lorey Hayes, Actress, Director and Award-Winning Playwright of Power Play and Massinissa
Multimedia: Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross
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


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

Shinsai: Theaters for Japan Photos: (3pm) with André Bishop, Mary Beth Hurt, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Richard Thomas, Jay O. Sanders, and more

Richard Thomas. Photo by Lia Chang

Richard Thomas. Photo by Lia Chang

On March 11, 2012, regional theater companies across the country presented Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, a series of benefit performances to raise funds for Japanese theater artists devastated by last year’s great earthquake (Shinsai).

New York City’s leading theatre companies, including Atlantic Theater Company, Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, New York Theatre Workshop, The Play Company, Playwrights Horizons and The Public Theater, joined forces to present performances at 3pm and 8pm at the Great Hall at Cooper Union, Seventh Street at Third Avenue in New York.

Thom Sesma and Paolo Montalban. Photo by Lia Chang

Thom Sesma and Paolo Montalban. Photo by Lia Chang

Director Bartlett Sher. Photo by Lia Chang

Director Barlett Sher. Photo by Lia Chang

Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher (South Pacific, The Light in the Piazza) helmed a stellar lineup of artists. The cast of the 3pm performance featured Michi Barall, Cindy Cheung, Lisa Emery, Mary Beth Hurt, Peter Kim, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Paolo Montalban, Olivia Oguma, Jay O. Sanders, Thom Sesma, Jon Norman Schneider, Sab Shimono, Richard Thomas, Jade Wu, James Yaegashi and Stacey Yen.

The ensemble of actors performed a series of ten minute plays and musical numbers by award-winning American and Japanese writers and composers including The Remaining by Shoki Kokami; A Few Stout Individuals by John Guare; Sayonara II by Oriza Hirata; Wind from the Northwest by Kumiko Shinohara; and Dropping by the House by Yoji Sakate. Playwrights Philip Kan Gotanda (Child is Father to Man), Richard Greenberg (Where Were We) and Suzan-Lori-Parks (The Length of this Play Has the Half Life of Uranium, a “forever play” for Japan on 3.11), contributed original work to the benefit which featured a segment from the 1976 musical Pacific Overtures revised especially for the occasion by its creators librettist John Weidman and composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim.

Playwrights Suzan-Lori Parks, Philip Kan Gotanda, John Weidman and Kumiko Shinohara. Photo by Lia Chang

Playwrights Suzan-Lori Parks, Philip Kan Gotanda, John Weidman and Kumiko Shinohara.
Photo by Lia Chang

With musical direction by Paul Gemignani, scenic design by Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams, lighting design by Donald Holder and sound design by Scott Lehrer.

All proceeds from the performances that day around the country, will be sent from the Dramatists Guild Fund to the Japan Playwrights Association, who will in turn distribute the monies to those members of Japan’s theatre community who were stricken by the earthquake.

James Yaegashi and Sab Shimono in CHILD IS FATHER TO MAN by Philip Kan Gotanda. Photo by Lia Chang

James Yaegashi and Sab Shimono in CHILD IS FATHER TO MAN by Philip Kan Gotanda. Photo by Lia Chang


Shinsai (SHEEN-sigh) means great quake in Japanese. The genesis of the event began shortly after the disaster when actor James Yaegashi, whose family is from a nearby area, called friends in New York theatre to say “We as a theatre community have to do something to help our fellow artists on the other side of the world.” This galvanized the various theatre professionals to whom Yaegashi reached out who in turn joined forces with the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, Cooper Union, Dramatists Guild Fund, Japan Playwrights Association, Japan Society, The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center and Theatre Communications Group to present this nation-wide effort. The Dramatists Guild Fund is the fiscal sponsor for Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, collecting donations on behalf of Japan Playwrights Association (JPA) through June 1, 2012 to help restore the conditions that surround the Japanese theater. Click here to donate now.
Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, playwright Philip Kan Gotanda, James Yaegashi. Photo by Lia Chang

Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, playwright Philip Kan Gotanda, James Yaegashi. Photo by Lia Chang


Olivia Oguma, Jennifer Lim, Cindy Cheung, Sab Shimono, Thom Sesma, Paolo Montalban, Peter Kim, Jon Norman Schneider and Angel Desai. Photo by Lia Chang

Olivia Oguma, Jennifer Lim, Cindy Cheung, Sab Shimono, Thom Sesma, Paolo Montalban, Peter Kim, Jon Norman Schneider and Angel Desai. Photo by Lia Chang

Angela Lin, director Barlett Sher, Lincoln Center Theater Dramaturg Anne Cattaneo, Andre Bishop, Artistic Director of Lincoln Center Theater, Jade Wu and playwright Philip Kan Gotanda. Photo by Lia Chang

Angela Lin, director Barlett Sher, Lincoln Center Theater Dramaturg Anne Cattaneo, Andre Bishop, Artistic Director of Lincoln Center Theater, Jade Wu and playwright Philip Kan Gotanda. Photo by Lia Chang

Richard Thomas, Paolo Montalban, Thom Sesma, Olivia Oguma, Barlett Sher, Angela Lin, Jennifer Lim, Jon Norman Schneider, Peter Kim, Michi Barall and Kumiko Shinohara. Photo by Lia Chang

Richard Thomas, Paolo Montalban, Thom Sesma, Olivia Oguma, Barlett Sher, Angela Lin, Jennifer Lim, Jon Norman Schneider, Peter Kim, Michi Barall and Kumiko Shinohara. Photo by Lia Chang

Jade Wu, Angel Desai, Philip Kan Gotanda, Sab Shimono and Michi Barall. Photo by Lia Chang

Jade Wu, Angel Desai, Philip Kan Gotanda, Sab Shimono and Michi Barall. Photo by Lia Chang

Jay O. Sanders, Jennifer Ikeda, John Guare, Mary Beth Hurt, Barlett Sher, Suzan-Lori Parks and Philip Kan Gotanda. Photo by Lia Chang

Jay O. Sanders, Jennifer Ikeda, John Guare, Mary Beth Hurt, Barlett Sher, Suzan-Lori Parks and Philip Kan Gotanda. Photo by Lia Chang


Click below for a slideshow of the 3pm performance.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.


Photos: Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (8pm) with Oskar Eustis, Patti LuPone, Lisa Emery, Ann Harada, Paolo Montalban, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Henry Stram and more
For additional information: visit www.tcg.org/shinsai. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SHINSAI-Theaters-for-Japan/286171358070366
James Yaegashi, Pacific Overtures' librettist John Weidman, director Bartlett Sher and musical director Paul Gemignani. Photo by Lia Chang

James Yaegashi, Pacific Overtures' librettist John Weidman, director Bartlett Sher and musical director Paul Gemignani. Photo by Lia Chang


Angela Lin, director Bartlett Sher and Lia Chang. Photo by Peter Kim

Angela Lin, director Bartlett Sher and Lia Chang. Photo by Peter Kim


Other articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: In Rehearsal with Director Bartlett Sher and the cast of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan
Thom Sesma, Patti LuPone, Cindy Cheung, Jennifer Lim, Sab Shimono, James Yaegashi and more set for Shinsai: Theaters for Japan Benefit on March 11 at the Great Hall at Cooper Union in New York
Photos: BD Wong in Rehearsal for “Passing It On: An Evening of Mentorship to Benefit Rosie’s Theater Kids”
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

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

Shinsai: Theaters for Japan Photos: (8pm) with Oskar Eustis, Patti LuPone, Lisa Emery, Ann Harada, Paolo Montalban, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Henry Stram, Richard Thomas, John Weidman and more

Patti LuPone and Ann Harada. Photo by Lia Chang

Patti LuPone and Ann Harada. Photo by Lia Chang

On March 11, 2012, regional theater companies across the country presented Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, a series of benefit performances to raise funds for Japanese theater artists devastated by last year’s great earthquake (Shinsai).

New York City’s leading theatre companies, including Atlantic Theater Company, Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, New York Theatre Workshop, The Play Company, Playwrights Horizons and The Public Theater, joined forces to present performances at 3pm and 8pm at the Great Hall at Cooper Union, Seventh Street at Third Avenue in New York.

Oskar Eustis, artistic director of The Public Theater and His Excellency and Madame Shigeyuki Hiroki, Ambassador & Consul General of Japan in New York. Photo by Lia Chang

Oskar Eustis, artistic director of The Public Theater and His Excellency and Madame Shigeyuki Hiroki, Ambassador & Consul General of Japan in New York. Photo by Lia Chang

Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher (South Pacific, The Light in the Piazza) helmed a stellar lineup of artists.
Director Bartlett Sher. Photo by Lia Chang

Director Barlett Sher. Photo by Lia Chang


The cast of the 8pm performance featured Michi Barall, Joel de la Fuente, Angel Desai, Lisa Emery, Ann Harada, Jennifer Ikeda, Paul Juhn, Li Jun Li, Patti LuPone, Paolo Montalban, Olivia Oguma, Jeffrey Omura, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Henry Stram, Richard Thomas, Adria Vitlar and Johnny Wu.

The ensemble of actors performed a series of ten minute plays and musical numbers by award-winning American and Japanese writers and composers including Seascape by Edward Albee; Hassaku by Nen Ishihara; The Sonic Life of Giant Tortoises by Toshiki Okada; “Underwater” from Caroline, or Change, Book and Lyrics by Tony Kushner, Music by Jeanine Tesori; Abandon Home by Toshiro Suzue; A Problem of Blood by Yoji Sakate; and “Skin of Our Teeth” from the musical The Skin of Our Teeth, Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb, Book by Joseph Stein. Playwrights Naomi Iizuka (The Isabel Who Disappeared) and Doug Wright (A Guide to Japanese Etiquette), contributed original work to the benefit which featured a segment from the 1976 musical Pacific Overtures revised especially for the occasion by its creators librettist John Weidman and composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim.

Ann Harada, Johnny Wu, Angel Desai, Paul Juhn, Li Jun Li, Olivia Oguma, Jeffery Omura, Thom Sesma, Paolo Montalban, Sab Shimono and Adria Vitlar sing Four Black Dragons/Next. Photo by Lia Chang

Ann Harada, Johnny Wu, Angel Desai, Paul Juhn, Li Jun Li, Olivia Oguma, Jeffery Omura, Thom Sesma, Paolo Montalban, Sab Shimono and Adria Vitlar sing Four Black Dragons/Next. Photo by Lia Chang

With musical direction by Paul Gemignani, scenic design by Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams, lighting design by Donald Holder and sound design by Scott Lehrer.
The cast of Shinsai. Photo by Lia Chang

The cast of Shinsai. Photo by Lia Chang

All proceeds from the performances that day around the country, will be sent from the Dramatists Guild Fund to the Japan Playwrights Association, who will in turn distribute the monies to those members of Japan’s theatre community who were stricken by the earthquake.
James Yaegashi and Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of the Public Theater. Photo by Lia Chang

James Yaegashi and Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of the Public Theater. Photo by Lia Chang


Shinsai (SHEEN-sigh) means great quake in Japanese. The genesis of the event began shortly after the disaster when actor James Yaegashi, whose family is from a nearby area, called friends in New York theatre to say “We as a theatre community have to do something to help our fellow artists on the other side of the world.” This galvanized the various theatre professionals to whom Yaegashi reached out who in turn joined forces with the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, Cooper Union, Dramatists Guild Fund, Japan Playwrights Association, Japan Society, The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center and Theatre Communications Group to present this nation-wide effort. The Dramatists Guild Fund is the fiscal sponsor for Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, collecting donations on behalf of Japan Playwrights Association (JPA) through June 1, 2012 to help restore the conditions that surround the Japanese theater. Click here to donate now.
Ann Harada, Henry Stram, Lia Emery and Richard Thomas. Photo by Lia Chang

Ann Harada, Henry Stram, Lia Emery and Richard Thomas. Photo by Lia Chang


Sab Shimono and Pacific Overtures librettist John Weidman. Photo by Lia Chang

Sab Shimono and Pacific Overtures librettist John Weidman. Photo by Lia Chang


Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, playwright Philip Kan Gotanda, James Yaegashi. Photo by Lia Chang

Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, playwright Philip Kan Gotanda, James Yaegashi. Photo by Lia Chang


Click below for a slideshow of the 8pm performance.

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Photo Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (3pm) with André Bishop, Mary Beth Hurt, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Philip Kan Gotanda, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Richard Thomas, Jay O. Sanders, and more

For additional information: visit www.tcg.org/shinsai. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SHINSAI-Theaters-for-Japan/286171358070366

James Yaegashi, Pacific Overtures' librettist John Weidman, director Bartlett Sher and musical director Paul Gemignani. Photo by Lia Chang

James Yaegashi, Pacific Overtures' librettist John Weidman, director Bartlett Sher and musical director Paul Gemignani. Photo by Lia Chang


Other articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: In Rehearsal with Director Bartlett Sher and the cast of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan
Thom Sesma, Patti LuPone, Cindy Cheung, Jennifer Lim, Sab Shimono, James Yaegashi and more set for Shinsai: Theaters for Japan Benefit on March 11 at the Great Hall at Cooper Union in New York
Photos: BD Wong in Rehearsal for “Passing It On: An Evening of Mentorship to Benefit Rosie’s Theater Kids”
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.
Angela Lin, director Bartlett Sher and Lia Chang. Photo by Peter Kim

Angela Lin, director Bartlett Sher and Lia Chang. Photo by Peter Kim


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

Lia Chang Photos: In Rehearsal with Director Bartlett Sher and the cast of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan

Paolo Montalban and Thom Sesma. Photo by Lia Chang

Paolo Montalban and Thom Sesma. Photo by Lia Chang

On Sunday, March 11, 2012, Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, will be performed at 3pm and 8pm at the Great Hall at Cooper Union, Seventh Street at Third Avenue in New York.
Director Bartlett Sher (far right) and the cast of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan in the Lincoln Center rehearsal hall on Friday, March 9, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Director Bartlett Sher (far right) and the cast of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan in the Lincoln Center rehearsal hall on Friday, March 9, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang


Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, a two performance benefit to raise funds that will go directly to Japanese theater artists devastated by last year’s great earthquake (Shinsai), will feature Michi Barall, Cindy Cheung, Lisa Emery, Joel de la Fuente, Angel Desai, Ann Harada, Mary Beth Hurt, Jennifer Ikeda, Paul Juhn, Peter Kim, Li Jun Li, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Patti LuPone, Paolo Montalban, Olivia Oguma, Jeffrey Omura, Jay O. Sanders, Jon Norman Schneider, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Henry Stram, Richard Thomas, Adria Vitlar, Jade Wu, Johnny Wu, James Yaegashi and Stacey Yen, under the direction of Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher.
Sab Shimono, Jade Wu, Jon Norman Schneider, Thom Sesma, Michi Barall and Angela Lin in Wind from Northwest by Kumiko Shinohara. Photo by Lia Chang

Sab Shimono, Jade Wu, Jon Norman Schneider, Thom Sesma, Michi Barall and Angela Lin in Wind from Northwest by Kumiko Shinohara. Photo by Lia Chang


Patti LuPone and Henry Stram will appear in the 8pm performance only. Jay O. Sanders and Mary Beth Hurt will appear in the 3pm performance only. Richard Thomas will appear in both the 3pm and 8pm performances.
Jay O. Sanders, Mary Beth Hurt and Richard Thomas A Few Stout Individuals by John Guare. Photo by Lia Chang

Jay O. Sanders, Mary Beth Hurt and Richard Thomas in A Few Stout Individuals by John Guare. Photo by Lia Chang


Edward Albee. Photo by Lia Chang

Edward Albee. Photo by Lia Chang


This stellar lineup will perform a series of ten minute plays and musical numbers by an eclectic group of award-winning American and Japanese writers and composers including Edward Albee, Shoki Kokami, Oriza Hirata, Richard Greenberg, John Guare, Kumiko Shinohara, John Kander, Fred Ebb & Joseph Stein, Tony Kushner & Jeanine Tesori, Nen Ishihara, Toshiki Okada, Toshiro Suzue and Yoji Sakate. Playwrights Philip Kan Gotanda, Richard Greenberg, Suzan-Lori-Parks, Naomi Iizuka and Doug Wright will contribute original work to the benefit which will also feature a segment from the 1976 musical Pacific Overtures revised especially for the occasion by its creators librettist John Weidman and composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim.
John Weidman and Stephen Sondheim's Four Black Dragons/Next, a revised segment from Pacific Overtures. Photo by Lia Chang

John Weidman and Stephen Sondheim's Four Black Dragons/Next, a revised segment from Pacific Overtures. Photo by Lia Chang


The New York performances of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan will be just one of many presentations taking place on March 11, the first anniversary of the quake, at regional theatres throughout the United States. All proceeds from the performances that day around the country, will be sent from the Dramatists Guild Fund to the Japan Playwrights Association, who will in turn distribute the monies to those members of Japan’s theatre community who were stricken by the earthquake.
Musical director Paul Gemignani (seated far left) rehearses with the cast of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan in the Lincoln Center rehearsal hall on Friday, March 9, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Musical director Paul Gemignani (seated far left) rehearses with the cast of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan in the Lincoln Center rehearsal hall on Friday, March 9, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang


New York City’s leading theatre companies, including Atlantic Theater Company, Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, New York Theatre Workshop, The Play Company, Playwrights Horizons and The Public Theater, have joined forces to present Shinsai: Theaters for Japan.
Playwright Philip Kan Gotanda contributed Child is Father to Man for the Shinsai: Theaters for Japan Benefit.  Photo by Lia Chang

Playwright Philip Kan Gotanda contributed Child is Father to Man for the Shinsai: Theaters for Japan Benefit. Photo by Lia Chang


Shinsai (SHEEN-sigh) means great quake in Japanese. The genesis of the event began shortly after the disaster when actor James Yaegashi, whose family is from a nearby area, called friends in New York theatre to say “We as a theatre community have to do something to help our fellow artists on the other side of the world.” This galvanized the various theatre professionals to whom Yaegashi reached out who in turn joined forces with the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, Cooper Union, Dramatists Guild Fund, Japan Playwrights Association, Japan Society, The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center and Theatre Communications Group to present this nation-wide effort.
Lisa Emery and James Yaegashi in Where Were We by Richard Greenberg. Photo by Lia Chang

Lisa Emery and James Yaegashi in Where Were We by Richard Greenberg. Photo by Lia Chang


Tickets to Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, priced at $25 for each performance are available at the Public Theater box office (425 Lafayette Street), by phone at (212) 967-7555 or by visiting www.publictheater.org.
Jennifer Lim, Stacey Yen and Mary Beth Hurt in The Length of This Play Has the Half Life of Uranium, a "forever" play for Japan on 3.11 by Suzan-Lori Parks. Photo by Lia Chang

Jennifer Lim, Stacey Yen and Mary Beth Hurt in The Length of This Play Has the Half Life of Uranium, a "forever" play for Japan on 3.11 by Suzan-Lori Parks. Photo by Lia Chang


For additional information: visit www.tcg.org/shinsai. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SHINSAI-Theaters-for-Japan/286171358070366
James Yaegashi, Pacific Overtures' librettist John Weidman, director Bartlett Sher and musical director Paul Gemignani. Photo by Lia Chang

James Yaegashi, Pacific Overtures' librettist John Weidman, director Bartlett Sher and musical director Paul Gemignani. Photo by Lia Chang


Other articles by Lia Chang:
Thom Sesma, Patti LuPone, Cindy Cheung, Jennifer Lim, Sab Shimono, James Yaegashi and more set for Shinsai: Theaters for Japan Benefit on March 11 at the Great Hall at Cooper Union in New York
Multimedia: Exclusive photos and video of Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas -In the Makeup Chair with Thom Sesma
The SFIAAFF30 Kicks Off with World Premiere of White Frog Featuring Booboo Stewart, Harry Shum, Jr., Joan Chen, Kelly Hu and BD Wong, at the Castro Theater on March 8
Tony award-winning actor BD Wong stars in NBC’s Awake; video preview and interview
David Henry Hwang to Receive 2012 William Inge Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre Award
Chinglish Playwright David Henry Hwang Moderates “RepresentAsian: The Changing Face of New York Theater” at Pope Auditorium at Fordham University
Photos & Video: Celebrate Chinese New Year with David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) Media Advisory on Jeremy Lin News Coverage
Gary Wilmes & Scott Shepherd Set for Elevator Repair Service’s GATZ at The Public, March 14-May 6, 2012
Orville Mendoza Joins the Broadway Cast of Peter and the Starcatcher, Previews Begin March 28 at the Brooks Atkinson
Photos: Laila Robins, Sean Dugan, C.J. Wilson, Peter Francis James, Bill Irwin and Tricia Paoluccio at Signature Theatre Company’s revival of Edward Albee’s The Lady From Dubuque
Pan Asian Rep’s 35th Anniversary Gala on March 19 honors Daniel Dae Kim and Dr. Patrica E. Taylor; New Season includes Stella Rising, BAUDELAIRE: La Mort
Photos: Larry Bryggman, Denise Burse, Peter Jay Fernandez, Tim Hopper, Arliss Howard, Kobi Libii, Mary McCann, Neil Pepe, David Pittu, Steve Rosen, Sheila Tapia, Debra Winger at Atlantic Theatre’s Opening Night of Gabe McKinley’s CQ/CX
Athol Fugard’s Blood Knot, starring Colman Domingo & Scott Shepherd in The Alice Griffith Jewel Box at The Pershing Square Signature Center through March 11, 2012
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
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. Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography


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

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