Christine Toy Johnson and Raul Aranas Lead the Cast of the National Asian Artists Project’s (NAAP) Benefit Presentation of Hello Dolly!, at The Pershing Square Signature Center on April 29 and May 6

The National Asian Artists Project (NAAP) is presenting a Rediscover Series production of Hello Dolly!, by Jerry Herman (music/lyrics) and Michael Stewart (book), starring Christine Toy Johnson as Dolly Gallagher Levi and Raul Aranas as Horace Vandergelder, at The Pershing Square Signature Center on April 29th and May 6th at 7:30pm. Proceeds from the two performances will benefit The National Asian Artists Project (NAAP). Tickets range from $25-$150. click here to purchase tickets.

Christine Toy Johnson as Dolly Levi in NAAP’s production of Hello Dolly! Photo by Bruce Alan Johnson

This fully-staged fully-costumed presentation is directed by Lee Roy Reams, director of Carol Channing’s last Broadway revival in 1995, when it was last seen in New York.

Raul Aranas

Based on Thornton Wilder’s play The Matchmaker, the show takes place at turn of the 20th century New York City, where Dolly Levi (Christine Toy Johnson), professional matchmaker, sets her sights on bringing together numerous people looking for their matches, including herself. The Hello Dolly! cast features Jaygee Macapugay (Irene Malloy), Karl Josef Co (Cornelius Hackl), Alex Chester (Minnie Fay), Sam Tanabe (Barnaby Tucker), Rebecca Lee Lerman (Ermengarde), Austin Ku (Ambrose Kemper), Carla Ogden (Ernestina Money) and David Shih (Rudolphy Reisenweber). Andrew Cristi, Robyn DeGuzman, Daniel J. Edwards, Katie Lee Hill, Aaron Komo, JP Moraga, Gillian Munsayac, Rommel Pierre O’Choa, Anna-Lee Wright and Jessica Wu round out the ensemble.

Special thanks to Michael Cassara Casting.

This evening is a benefit fundraiser for National Asian Artists Project (NAAP), whose mission is to bridge the work of professional theatre artists of Asian descent with the many communities they can serve, from minority communities and primary schools to seasoned arts patrons, as well as providing opportunities for professional theatre artists to grow. Founded by theatre artists Baayork Lee, Steven Eng, and Nina Zoie Lam, NAAP strives to be a leader in this often unheard community. National Asian Artists Project: www.NAAProject.org

If you would like to donate to the NAAP kickstarter fund for Hello Dolly!, click here.

NAAP is a federal 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Your donation may be all or partially tax deductible.

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Playing Lady Thiang in the Harbor Lights’ Production of The King and I is a dream come true for Christine Toy Johnson
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Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. She is a Signature Theatre alumni who was in the cast of Sam Shepard’s Chicago, during his Signature 1996-1997 Playwright-in-Residence Season.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2013 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Lia Chang: Christine Toy Johnson, Jaygee Macapugay, Jon Norman Schneider to perform in National Asian Artists Project: Discover: New Musicals at 47th Street Theatre on May 23

Christine Toy Johnson Photo by Bruce Alan Johnson

The National Asian Artists Project (NAAP) is presenting Discover: New Musicals on Monday, May 23 at the 47th Street Theatre, 304 West 47th Street in New York at 7pm.

The 3 one-act musicals to be presented are BIRTH DAY, written by J. Oconer Navarro and directed by Diana Glazer; CROSSING OVER written by Timothy Huang to be directed by Dev Bondarin; and THE TRAIN TO CHICAGO written by Tom Kenaston and Tom Paitson-Kelly directed by Michael Perreca. The projects were selected through the National Asian Artists Project’s inaugural Discover: New Musicals program, by a panel of industry professionals who chose from 21 projects submitted for consideration. Discover presents a forum for talented performers of Asian ancestry to gain exposure and experience; by having artists of Asian descent performing roles not strictly Asian, with the mission to expand casting.

Jon Norman Schneider

Cast members include Nathan Atkinson, Lori Tan Chinn, Nathaniel P. Claridad, Ryan Cusino, Kimiko Glenn, Christine Toy Johnson, Deborah Lew, Jose Llana, Kelvin Moon Loh, Jaygee Macapugay, Amanda Morton, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Jon Norman Schneider, Herman Sebek, and Hansel Tan. Casting is by Michael Cassara. The evening is produced by NAAP in association with Ellen Rusconi and Nikole Vallins.

Jaygee Macapugay

Reservations can be made by email to Discover@Naaproject.org. There is a suggested donation of $10 per ticket to defray some of the costs of production, payable in cash or by check at the door.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Discover: New Musicals
47th Street Theatre
304 West 47th Street
New York
7pm.

This project is supported by grants from Lower Manhattan Cultural Council through their programs Fund for Creative Communities and Manhattan Community Arts Fund.

About NAAP:
NAAP was founded by Baayork Lee, Steven Eng, and Nina Zoie Lam to be a leader in educating, cultivating, and stimulating audiences and artists—current and future—through showcasing exceptional work by vibrant artists of Asian descent. NAAP supports artistic growth of theatre artists of Asian descent; presents forums for them to gain exposure to industry professionals; expands opportunities for Asian theatre artists; cultivates new audiences to encourage arts patronage and involvement, including Asian communities unaccustomed to participating in the arts dialogue. http://www.naaproject.org/

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Sixth Annual Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival – Ajay Naidu’s Ashes Screens on May 11 & May 15 in Edgewood, PA
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Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive.

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

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. Lia currently plays Nurse Lia on “One Life to Live”. She has appeared in Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and “New York Undercover”.

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.