Lia Chang Photos: Christine Toy Johnson, Angela Lin, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Susan Hyon, Jake Manabat, David Shih in Jen Silverman’s Crane Story at The Cherry Lane

Christine Toy Johnson and David Shih Photo by Lia Chang

Last week, I documented the first night of tech for the world premiere of Jen Silverman’s Crane Story, helmed by Katherine Kovner and presented by The Playwrights Realm, at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York.

David Shih, Jake Manabat and Angela Lin Photo by Lia Chang

Inspired by the Japanese legend of the Crane Wife, Jen Silverman’s odyssey unfolds in the space between two worlds as Cassis, a Japanese American girl played by Angela Lin, embarks on a quest to save her brother’s soul from the Land of the Dead.

Stage manager Joanne E. McInerney helps Louis Ozawa Changchien with his costume. Photo by Lia Chang

Crane Story interweaves Japanese Bunraku-inspired puppetry, music, and folklore to weave a universal story of love, loss and life. The title of the play is derived from the ancient Japanese Myth of The Crane, a mystical creature that can live a thousand years and, to anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes, can grant a wish.

Angela Lin and Louis Ozawa Changchien Photo by Lia Chang

Louis Ozawa Changchien, Susan Hyon, Christine Toy Johnson, Angela Lin, Jake Manabat, Barret O’Brien and David Shih are featured in the Crane Story at the Cherry Lane Theatre, 38 Commerce Street in New York, from September 6 – October 1, 2011. Crane Story previews begin Tuesday, September 6, at 8:00pm for an opening Thursday, September 15, at 8:00pm. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:00pm with an additional performance on Monday, September 12, at 8:00pm.

Susan Hyon and Angela Lin Photo by Lia Chang

Creating the Bunraku-inspired puppets is Puppet Kitchen.

Susan Hyon, David Shih and Jake Manabat navigate their puppets. Photo by Lia Chang

“The play has been such a personal journey for me,” said Ms. Silverman, who grew up in a number different countries including Japan and was influenced by a cultural grab-bag of stories like Hansel & Gretel, Norse mythology and The Crane Wife. “I’m also still asking myself questions about all of the different worlds in the play-the underworld, the rainy spirit world, Tokyo- and how these worlds build on each other and where they connect.”

Louis Ozawa Changchien and Angela Lin Photo by Lia Chang

The Playwrights Realm, under the leadership of Artistic Director Katherine Kovner and Producing Director Stephanie Ybarra, is New York’s largest theater dedicated solely to supporting early-career playwrights through Off-Broadway productions, new plays and the professional development of playwrights.

Concentrating on emerging young playwrights, The Playwrights Realm produces only a single full Off Broadway play each year. This year that one full production of this five-year-old developmental theatre company is Crane Story, developed over four years with a series of workshops and readings.

Christine Toy Johnson Photo by Lia Chang

Previous Playwrights Realm full productions include last season’s Gonzalo Rodriguez Risco’s Dramatis Personae (2010), Christopher Wall’s Dreams of the Washer King (2010), Anna Ziegler’s Dov and Ali (2009) and Anton Dudley’s Substitution (2008).

Christine Toy Johnson Photo by Lia Chang

Scenery is by Michael Locher, lights by Ji-Youn Chang and costumes by Moria Clinton. Music and sound is by Nathan Roberts. The production stage manager is Joanne E. McInerney.

Jen Silverman, American born, was raised in America, Europe and Asia. Her plays have been developed with New Georges, where she is an Affiliated Artist, New York Stage & Film, Powerhouse Theatre Company at Vassar College, the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, the hotINK International Festival, The Lark Playwrights Week and Seven Devils Playwrights Conference. Her work has been produced in the NYC International Fringe Festival, in New Mexico, Seattle, D.C. and L.A., and her short play The Education of Macoloco won the 2009 Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Play Festival and was published by Samuel French. Ms. Silverman just received a commission for a new play from InterAct Theatre and the NNPN.

Louis Ozawa Changchien and Angela Lin with director Katherine Kovner. Photo by Lia Chang

Katherine Kovner founded The Playwrights Realm five years ago. For Playwrights Realm she has directed Dov and Ali by Anna Zeigler and Substitution by Anton Dudley. Other directing credits include Roxy Font by Liza Lentini at the New York Fringe Festival (four stars from Time Out magazine) and won the Fringe’s Best Ensemble Award, Elliot: A Soldier’s Fugue by Quiara Allegra Huades at Luna Stage, Iphigenia and Other Daughters by Ellen McLaughlin also at Luna Stage and Lizardskin by Jen Silverman at The New York Fringe Festival. She has developed work with New York Theater Workshop, Soho Rep, New Dramatists, New Georges, EST and Classic Stage Company where she was an Artistic Associate. Ms. Kovner is a member of the Lincoln Center’s Director Lab and an affiliated artist with New Georges.

Louis Ozawa Changchien and Angela Lin Photo by Lia Chang

Crane Story performs Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:00pm with an additional performance Monday, September 12, at 8:00pm.

Tickets for Crane Story are $30 and available through TeleCharge at 212-239-6200 or online at www.playwrightsrealm.org.
September 6 – October 1
Cherry Lane Theatre
Crane Story
Cherry Lane Theatre
38 Commerce Street (Off 7th Avenue, 1 block south of Bleecker)
Buy-One-Get-One discount at broadwayoffers.com, includes $31 for 2 tickets.

Other Articles by Lia Chang
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Photos: Working Theater’s Production of Rob Ackerman’s CALL ME WALDO at Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex through March 11, 2012
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
Linsanity: Sport Illustrated Cover Guy New York Knicks Starting Point Guard Jeremy Lin
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Up Close and Personal with Darren Pettie, Star of The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore
The Playwrights Realm Presents Jen Silverman’s CRANE STORY at the Cherry Lane Theatre, 9/6-10/1
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Celebrating my mom – AN ACTIVE VISION: BEVERLY UMEHARA…LABOR ACTIVIST…1945-1999
Jarlath Conroy Leads Cast of Pinter’s The Homecoming at CENTERSTAGE in Baltimore
Jarlath Conroy in The SEAGULL
Juicy Buns at Ollie’s
The Dish on Susur Lee and Shang
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

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

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@backstagepasswithliachang.com.

Lia Chang: The Playwrights Realm Presents Jen Silverman’s CRANE STORY at the Cherry Lane Theatre, 9/6-10/1

Christine Toy Johnson Photo by Bruce Alan Johnson

Louis Ozawa Changchien, Susan Hyon, Christine Toy Johnson, Angela Lin, Jake Manabat, Barret O’Brien, and David Shih are featured in the world premiere of Jen Silverman’s Crane Story, helmed by Katherine Kovner and presented by The Playwrights Realm, at the Cherry Lane Theatre, 38 Commerce Street in New York, from September 6 – October 1, 2011. Crane Story previews begin Tuesday, September 6, at 8:00pm for an opening Thursday, September 15, at 8:00pm. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:00pm with an additional performance Monday, September 12, at 8:00pm.

Inspired by the Japanese legend of the Crane Wife, Jen Silverman’s odyssey unfolds in the space between two worlds as Cassis, a Japanese American girl played by Angela Lin, embarks on a quest to save her brother’s soul from the Land of the Dead. Crane Story interweaves Japanese Bunraku-inspired puppetry, music, and folklore to weave a universal story of love, loss and life. The title of the play is derived from the ancient Japanese Myth of The Crane, a mystical creature that can live a thousand years and, to anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes, can grant a wish.

Angela Lin

Creating the Bunraku-inspired puppets is Puppet Kitchen.
“The play has been such a personal journey for me,” said Ms. Silverman, who grew up in a number different countries including Japan and was influenced by a cultural grab-bag of stories like Hansel & Gretel, Norse mythology and The Crane Wife. “I’m also still asking myself questions about all of the different worlds in the play¬the underworld, the rainy spirit world, Tokyo¬and how these worlds build on each other and where they connect.”

The Playwrights Realm, under the leadership of Artistic Director Katherine Kovner and Producing Director Stephanie Ybarra, is New York’s largest theater dedicated solely to supporting early-career playwrights through Off-Broadway productions, new plays and the professional development of playwrights.

Concentrating on emerging young playwrights, The Playwrights Realm produces only a single full Off Broadway play each year. This year that one full production of this five-year-old developmental theatre company is Crane Story, developed over four years with a series of workshops and readings.

Previous Playwrights Realm full productions include last season’s Gonzalo Rodriguez Risco’s Dramatis Personae (2010), Christopher Wall’s Dreams of the Washer King (2010), Anna Ziegler’s Dov and Ali (2009) and Anton Dudley’s Substitution (2008).

Scenery is by Michael Locher, lights by Ji-Youn Chang and costumes by Moria Clinton. Music and sound is by Nathan Roberts. The production stage manager is Joanne E. McInerney.

Jen Silverman, American born, was raised in America, Europe and Asia. Her plays have been developed with New Georges, where she is an Affiliated Artist, New York Stage & Film, Powerhouse Theatre Company at Vassar College, the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, the hotINK International Festival, The Lark Playwrights Week and Seven Devils Playwrights Conference. Her work has been produced in the NYC International Fringe Festival, in New Mexico, Seattle, D.C. and L.A., and her short play The Education of Macoloco won the 2009 Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Play Festival and was published by Samuel French. Ms. Silverman just received a commission for a new play from InterAct Theatre and the NNPN.

Katherine Kovner founded The Playwrights Realm five years ago. For Playwrights Realm she has directed Dov and Ali by Anna Zeigler and Substitution by Anton Dudley. Other directing credits include Roxy Font by Liza Lentini at the New York Fringe Festival (four stars from Time Out magazine) and won the Fringe’s Best Ensemble Award, Elliot: A Soldier’s Fugue by Quiara Allegra Huades at Luna Stage, Iphigenia and Other Daughters by Ellen McLaughlin also at Luna Stage and Lizardskin by Jen Silverman at The New York Fringe Festival. She has developed work with New York Theater Workshop, Soho Rep, New Dramatists, New Georges, EST and Classic Stage Company where she was an Artistic Associate. Ms. Kovner is a member of the Lincoln Center’s Director Lab and an affiliated artist with New Georges.

Crane Story performs Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:00pm with an additional performance Monday, September 12, at 8:00pm.

Tickets for Crane Story are $30 and available through TeleCharge at 212-239-6200 or online at www.playwrightsrealm.org.
September 6 – October 1
Cherry Lane Theatre
Crane Story
Cherry Lane Theatre
38 Commerce Street (Off 7th Avenue, 1 block south of Bleecker)
Buy-One-Get-One discount at broadwayoffers.com, includes $31 for 2 tickets.

Other Articles by Lia Chang
Portraits of New York Chinatown After 9/11 Featured in “Post 9/11”: Commemorative Display at Library of Congress Asian Reading Room, 8/30-9/15
Henry Chang, Paula Bomer, Juliann Garey & Alex Shakar during Lit Crawl at Scratcher on 9/10
Extended through 8/23- “In Rehearsal” Lia Chang Theater Portfolio at Library of Congress Featuring Robert Lee and Leon Ko’s Heading East Starring BD Wong, Thom Sesma as Scar in The Lion King Las Vegas
Lia Chang Theater Portfolio at Library of Congress Features Photos of Thom Sesma’s Makeup Transformation as Scar in Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas, Robert Lee and Leon Ko’s Heading East Starring BD Wong, David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish, and Samrat Chakrabarti and Sanjiv Jhaveri’s Bakwas Bumbug! on View Through August 2
Desipina & Co. Presents Pooja Kumar, Sunkrish Bala, Joe Petrilla, Eileen Rivera, Jon Norman Schneider & Rajeev Varma in Rehana Lew Mirza’s Barriers at HERE, 9/7-18
Mu Performing Arts 2011-2012 20th Anniversary Season: Four Destinies, Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them, Into the Woods, & Mu Daiko 15th Anniversary Concert
OCA Awards Gala Photos: David Henry Hwang, Tamlyn Tomita, BD Wong, Dr. Bobby Fong & Tammy Duckworth
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Photos: Rick Shiomi Checks out Performing Arts Playwrights Series in the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection of Library of Congress; Attends “Asian American Plays for a New Generation” Book Signing in NY on 7/29
broadwayworld.com: Chinglish in Rehearsal
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Celebrating my mom – AN ACTIVE VISION: BEVERLY UMEHARA…LABOR ACTIVIST…1945-1999
Photos:Meredith Anthony, David Levien, Lyndsay Faye, Henry Chang & Dr. Julie Salzano Discuss the Mind of Sexual Predators
H I R O S H I M A in Benefit Concert for Japan on 9/21 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in NY
Photo Preview of BD Wong and the Cast of Heading East at the Asia Society, May 24-26, 2010
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multimedia journalist.
As a photographer and videographer, Chang 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. Chang was featured as Joy in the Signature Theater Company’s revival of Sam Shepard’s 1965 Obie award winning play, Chicago directed by Joseph Chaikin at the Public Theater. She has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. Chang currently plays Nurse Lia on “One Life to Live”.

Chang’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, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post.
Selections of Chang’s archive of Asian Pacific Americans in the arts, fashion, journalism, politics and space are now in the newly created LIA CHANG THEATER PORTFOLIO in the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection. Photographs by Lia Chang are in the permanent collections of the Angel Island Immigration Station, Asian American Federation of New York (AAFNY), the Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) in San Francisco, Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA), the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation Art Collection and the New York Historical Society.
A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Chang 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.

Lia Chang: Wo Ai Ni Mommy, Mochi, Miss Kicki, The Prodigy and 9500 Park are among the 2010 Asian American International Film Festival Award Winners

As the 33rd Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF’10) came to a close on Wednesday, July 21 at the Chelsea’s Clearview Cinemas in New York City, actors Louis Ozawa Changchien and Karin Anna Cheung presented awards to five lucky filmmakers before the festival’s Closing Night screening of Quentin Lee’s The People I’ve Slept With.

The Prodigy by Adam Lee

Adam Lee, director of the short film The Prodigy, received The One To Watch Award, which recognizes filmmakers under the age of 21 who demonstrate promise and talent in the discipline of filmmaking. Lee’s short film follows the painstaking process of a piano prodigy as she strives to further perfect her art.

Mochi by Chung Lee

Taiwanese director Chung Lee won the Excellence in Short Filmmaking Award, which was accepted on his behalf by his wife Annie Hsu. Lee’s short film Mochi explores the tangled and complex relationship between Yulia, a live-in caretaker, and her antagonizing employer, a bitter old man whose offensive behavior alienates himself from his only son.

Faith and Donna in a Chinese store in Stephanie Wang-Breal's Wo Ai Ni Mommy

The award for Best Emerging Director in Documentary Feature went to Stephanie Wang-Breal for Wo Ai Ni Mommy, a documentary that follows a young Chinese girl’s transition from China to her adoptive home in Long Island, New York.

Miss Kicki by Hakon Liu

Swedish-Taiwanese filmmaker Hakon Liu received the award for Best Emerging Director in Narrative Feature for Miss Kicki, a story that follows a middle-aged Swedish woman and her estranged teenage son through their misadventures in Taipei.

9500 Liberty by Eric Byler and Annabel Park

Eric Byler and Annabel Park’s 9500 Liberty won the Audience Choice Award. Byler and Park’s film focuses on debates of immigration law through the policy debates in a West Virginian town.

The ceremony closed with Gina Chun accepting her reward for the CinemaMe Short Film Competition. The contest, sponsored by Toyota, asked non-professional filmmakers to offer their take on Asian American film in under five minutes. Chun will be awarded a grand prize of $3,000 for her film The Receiver, a video diary that recounts a conversation between an aspiring filmmaker and her disapproving grandmother.

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.

Photo by Lia Chang

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

As a photographer and videographer, Lia is frequently tapped to collaborate with artists, organizations and companies in establishing their documentary photo archive. 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.

Lia’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, Gourmet, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, VIBE, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Life & Style, OUT, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.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. In July, selections of Lia’s archive of Asian Pacific Americans in the arts, fashion, journalism, politics and space will become part of THE LIA CHANG THEATER PORTFOLIO in the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection.

Related Articles:
Fox 5 News NY (WNYW-TV) reporter Ti-Hua Chang Receives AAJA National Journalism Award for story which explores Asian American Poverty in New York
33rd Asian American International Film Festival: Stephanie Wang-Breal’s Wo Ai Ni Mommy screens at Clearview Chelsea Cinema on 7/16 and at Queens Library on 7/23
AALDEF and the 33rd Asian American International Film Festival co-sponsors screenings of 9500 Liberty and Lt Watada at the Quad Cinema on July 17
Raymond Red’s Manila Sky Kicks Off the 33rd Asian American International Film Festival at the Chelsea Clearview Cinema on July 15; Festival continues through July 24
33rd Asian American International Film Festival Shorts Film Program Lineup
Randy Gener Wins 2010 SPJ Deadline Club Award for Best Arts Reporting in New York City
Asian Women Donors Grant $82,000 to NYC Artists and Non-profits Committed to Activism Thru The Arts
JAPAN CUTS: Japan Society’s Fourth Annual Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema, 7/1-16
Christine Toy Johnson Plays Christmas Eve in AVENUE Q at Weston Playhouse Theatre in Vermont, 7/15-31
Lia Chang as Nurse Lia on One Life to Live
Portrait of Secretary Norman Y. Mineta to Be Presented at the National Portrait Gallery
Making the Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution Bill a Reality
Lia Chang Photos at the Shanghai World Expo 2010’s USA Pavilion, Library of Congress and Hollywood Chinese: The Arthur Dong Collection in L.A.
Hollywood Chinese: The Arthur Dong Collection Exhibition at the Chinese American Museum in Los Angeles, has been extended through November 7, 2010
Screening of “Transcending: The Wat Misaka Story”, Kicks Off OCA National Convention and 6th Annual Houston APA Film Festival on June 17; Wat Misaka and Dr. Leroy Chiao to Receive 2010 OCA Pioneer Awards
Photo Call: BD Wong and the Cast of Heading East at the Asia Society
Video Excerpts of Alfred Preisser and Randy Weiner’s CALIGULA MAXIMUS Starring Ryan Knowles as Caligula
Actor Samrat Chakrabarti Receives 2010 TMG Award for Global Achievers
Multimedia: George Takei, Nancy Kwan, Lisa Lu and Tsai Chin attend Hollywood Chinese: The Arthur Dong Collection Exhibition Opening Night
Samrat Chakrabarti is featured in Claire McCarthy’s The Waiting City, which screens at the Toronto International Film Festival
Review: HBO’s China’s Unnatural Disaster the Tears of Sichuan Province
AAIFF 09 Closing Night Awards and H.P. Mendoza’s Fruit Fly
AAIFF Karma Calling, You Don’t Know Jack and Children of Invention
Jeff Adachi’s You Don’t Know Jack and Tzi Chun’s Children of Invention Screen at AAIFF 09
Multimedia: AAIFF 09 Opening Night Screening of Claustrophobia
Schedule at a Glance: Asian American International Film Festival AAIFF 2009
Asian American International Film Festival 09 runs 7/23-7/26
In Arthur Dong’s Hollywood Chinese, Chinese Tinseltown Tales told by Asian Silver Screen Icons
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive.