Orville Mendoza is currently appearing as Sergeant Lombardi in Classic Stage Company’s Passion through April 19, 2013

Orville Mendoza is currently appearing as Sergeant Lombardi in Classic Stage Company’s critically-acclaimed new production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Tony Award-winning musical Passion, directed by John Doyle (director of the acclaimed Broadway revivals of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd and Company), which will extend once again by popular demand for four additional performances through Friday, April 19 at CSC (136 East 13th Street).

Orville Mendoza, Jason Evans, Jeffry Denman, Ken Krugman and Will Reynolds in rehearsal for Passion. (Photo courtesy of Orville Mendoza)

Passion stars Melissa Errico (Clara), Judy Kuhn (Fosca) and Ryan Silverman (Giorgio). The production also features Stephen Bogardus (Colonel Ricci), Jeffry Denman (Lieutenant Barri), Jason Michael Evans (Private Augenti), Ken Krugman (Lieutenant Torasso), Tom Nelis (Doctor Tambourri), Will Reynolds (Major Rizzoli/Ludovic), John Antony (understudy) and Amy Justman (understudy).

Orville Mendoza. Photo by U-Shin Kim

Orville Mendoza last appeared on Broadway in Peter and the Starcatchers and in the Roundabout’s production of Pacific Overtures, directed by Amon Miyamoto. His Off-Broadway credits include Timon Of Athens (Barry Edelstein, dir.), the original company of Sondheim/Weidman’s Road Show (John Doyle, dir.), Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare in the Park, Michael Greif, dir.) all at The Public Theater/NYSF; the original cast of Durang/Melnik’s Adrift In Macao (Drama Desk nomination and Barrymore Award winner, Primary Stages & Philadelphia Theatre Co., Sheryl Kaller, dir./Christopher Gattelli, choreo.), and productions with NAATCO, The Pearl, Ma-Yi, Pan Asian Rep. and The Mint. Regionally, he has appeared in The Wiz (La Jolla Playhouse, Des McAnuff, dir.), A Christmas Story – The Musical! (5th Avenue Theatre & Kansas City Rep., Eric Rosen, dir.), Annie Get Your Gun (Goodspeed, Rob Ruggiero, dir.), Unsinkable Molly Brown (Denver Center Theatre, Kathleen Marshall, dir.),The Romance Of Magno Rubio (Long Wharf, Laguna Playhouse, and Romania productions, Loy Arcenas, dir.), and productions at Barrington Stage, Pittsburgh CLO, The Muny, Theatre by the Sea, Carousel, St. Michael’s Playhouse; and toured the U.S. & Canada with Miss Saigon for 5 1/2 years. He has appeared on “Law & Order: CI”.

CSC also announced that twenty $10 tickets for each of the final four performances – Tuesday, April 16 at 7pm, Wednesday, April 17 at 7pm, Thursday, April 18 at 8pm and Friday, April 19 at 8pm. These special $10 tickets will go on sale to the public Tuesday, April 2 at noon, available in person at the CSC Box Office only.

During the final extension week, CSC will also host post-show talkbacks following the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday performances with cast and additional guests, and will giveaway exclusive prizes on the company’s Facebook page.

Passion is directed and designed by John Doyle, with music direction by Rob Berman, orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, costumes by Ann Hould-Ward, lighting by Jane Cox and sound by Dan Moses Schreier. Passion is the inaugural production of CSC’s Musical Theatre Initiative with generous support from The Ted and Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund and The Angelson Family Foundation.

Tickets for Passion are available at http://www.classicstage.org or by calling 212-352-3101 or 866-811-4111. Passion plays Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7pm; Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm; and Sundays at 3pm. Passion will also have Wednesday matinees at 3pm on March 27 and April 3. Regular ticket prices range from $65 to $90.

Now in its 45th Anniversary Season, CSC is the award-winning Off-Broadway theatre committed to re-imaging the classical repertory for a contemporary American audience. Founded in 1967, CSC uses works of the past as a way to engage in the issues of today. Highly respected and widely regarded as a major force in American theatre, it has become the home to New York’s finest established and emerging artists, the place where they gather to grapple with the great works of the world’s repertory from Sophocles to Sondheim. CSC has been cited repeatedly by all the major Off-Broadway theater awards: Obies, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League and the 1999 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work.

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:
Orville Mendoza Joins the Broadway Cast of Peter and the Starcatcher, Previews Begin March 28 at the Brooks Atkinson
NAATCO’s All-Asian American cast for The Seagull features Marcus Ho, Mia Katigbak and Orville Mendoza
NAATCO’s LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION with special guest Terrence McNally
David Henry Hwang and FOX Entertainment Japan’s Dan Smith Among Judges for 2013 72-Hour Shootout; Pre-Shootout Events
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
Harlem Nights with Lorey Hayes, Actress, Director and Award-Winning Playwright of Power Play and Massinissa
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

Broadway Stars Pay Tribute to Alan Muraoka at National Asian American Theatre Co. Gala on September 10, 2012

Alan Muraoka Photo by Lia Chang

John Tartaglia, Stephanie D’Abruzzo and Carey Anderson (all from Broadway’s AVENUE Q) along with Gwen Hollander (LITTLE WOMEN), Christine Toy Johnson (FALSETTOLAND),Francis Jue (THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, PACIFIC OVERTURES), singer/songwriter Phoebe Kreutz, Raymond J. Lee (ANYTHING GOES), Adam Levinskas, Jose Llana (THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, RENT), Orville Mendoza (PETER AND THE STARCATCHER), Olivia Oguma (MAMMA MIA) and actress Lexi Windsor will all be on hand to perform and pay tribute to director and actor Alan Muraoka (“Sesame Street”, Broadway’s MISS SAIGON, THE KING AND I) at an evening to benefit National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO) on Monday, September 10 at 416 W. 42 St. in New York.

The event will be hosted by Ann Harada (AVENUE Q), with a special guest appearance by Terrence McNally. The evening will be directed by Thom Sesma, with musical direction by Michael Lavine.

The event begins at 6 p.m. with cocktails, followed by the performance at 7 and dessert at 8:30. Tickets range in price from $125-$250-$500-$1000 and can be purchased by going online at www.naatco.org.

As a director, Alan Muraoka received critical acclaim for his all-Asian American production of the William Finn musical FALSETTOLAND for the National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO), which enjoyed a sold-out run at the Vineyard Theatre in NYC. The production was revived in June 2007 for the First National Asian American Theatre Festival held in New York City. Alan’s other NAATCO credits include having staged benefit readings of INTO THE WOODS and LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION! He directed the Tony-nominated actor John Tartaglia (AVENUE Q) in his one-man show, “John Tartaglia AD-LIBerty,” which ran at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theatre, and won numerous cabaret awards. Other New York directing credits include KARAOKE STORIES (Imua Theater Company); “Christmas Eve With Christmas Eve 1-3” and “The Leading Men 1-4″ all benefit concerts for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, which starred many of Broadway’s current male talent; “Empty Handed,” a benefit concert starring the puppeteers of Broadway’s AVENUE Q; and cabarets for Tony-nominated actress Stephanie D’Abruzzo and Ann Harada. On television, Alan has directed for “Sesame Street” and for the “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” on NBC.

As an actor, Alan is most recognizable for his role in the Emmy Award winning series, “Sesame Street,” where he plays “Alan,” the proprietor of Hooper’s Store. He has appeared in six Broadway shows; the recent revival of PACIFIC OVERTURES, MAIL, SHOGUN: THE MUSICAL, MY FAVORITE YEAR, THE KING AND I (with Lou Diamond Phillips and Donna Murphy), and most notably MISS SAIGON, where he played the lead role of the Engineer.

NAATCO (National Asian American Theatre Company) puts into service its total commitment to Asian American theatre artists to more accurately represent onstage the multi- and intercultural dynamics of our society. NAATCO’s mission is to assert the presence and significance of Asian American theatre in the United States, demonstrating its vital contributions to the fabric of American culture, by presenting the following repertory: European and American classics as written with all Asian American casts; adaptations of these classics by Asian American Playwrights; and new plays – preferably world premieres – written by non-Asian Americans, not for or about Asian Americans, but realized by an all Asian American cast. NAATCO’s work has been acknowledged by an OBIE Award (for their productions of William Finn’s FALSETTOLAND and Brecht’s HE WHO SAYS YES/HE WHO SAYS NO), the Village Voice (for THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA), Off-Off-Broadway Review (for SCHOOL FOR WIVES) and the Rosetta LeNoire Award from Actors’ Equity Association in recognition of its contributions toward increasing diversity and non-traditional casting in American theatre.

Other Articles by Lia Chang
Photos: 4 Wedding Planners’ Illeana Douglas, Kimberly-Rose Wolter and Michael Kang at Screen Actors Guild Foundation Conversations Series in NY
André De Shields Returns to The Laurie Beechman Theatre with I Put A Spell on You, October 5 and 12
MTC’s An Enemy of The People Starring Boyd Gaines and Richard Thomas Begin Previews at Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
Tony Award – winning Playwright Terrence McNally to be Honored at Westport Country Playhouse Annual Gala, September 24, 2012
Signature Theatre’s World Premiere of Sam Shepard’s Heartless Starring Lois Smith, Gary Cole, Jenny Bacon, Betty Gilpin, and Julianne Nicholson Extends through September 30, 2012
Photos: Tonya Pinkins, André De Shields, S. Epatha Merkerson, Billy Porter and George C. Wolfe at 54 Below
Sean Dugan Set for West Coast Premiere of George C. Wolfe’s Tony Award-Winning Production of The Normal Heart at A.C.T., September 13 – October 7, 2012
Illeana Douglas, Kimberly-Rose Wolter and Michael Kang Set for 4 Wedding Planners Screening in Screen Actors Guild Foundation Conversations Series in NY on August 21, 2012
Multimedia: Screen Actors Guild Foundation’s Conversations with Derek Ting, Linus Roache and Michael Park of $upercapitalist
10 minutes with Sullivan & Son’s Jodi Long, Award Winning Actor and Filmmaker
Lily Mariye’s Model Minority, Jayshree Janu Kharpade’s Fire in Our Hearts, Eliaichi Kimaro’s A Lot Like You, Vincent Sandoval’s Señorita, and Liang Cheng’s My Spiritual Medicine among AAIFF’12 Award Winners
David Henry Hwang to Receive the 2012 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award at the 5th Annual Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards on October 29, 2012
Faith Prince and Jason Graae: The Prince & the Showboy in Concert at 54 Below, August 21-25, 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
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.

Orville Mendoza Joins the Broadway Cast of Peter and the Starcatcher, Previews Begin March 28 at the Brooks Atkinson

Orville Mendoza joins the Broadway cast of Peter and the Starcatcher, a new play with music by Tony® Award-nominee Rick Elice (Jersey Boys), co-directed by Tony® Award-winner Roger Rees (Nicholas Nickleby) and Tony® Award-nominee Alex Timbers (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, The Pee-wee Herman Show), which begins previews on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street) on Wednesday, March 28, with an official opening night set for Sunday, April 15, 2012.

Orville Mendoza

The cast of the acclaimed Off-Broadway production will reunite for the show’s Broadway Premiere. Christian Borle, a Lucille Lortel winner last year for his performance (and star of NBC’s “Smash”), will return as ‘Black Stache’; Adam Chanler-Berat (Next to Normal), who recently departed the Off Broadway production of Rent, returns as ‘Boy’; and Drama Desk Award-winner Celia Keenan-Bolger (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) will reprise her role as ‘Molly,’ the titular Starcatcher. Returning cast members also include Teddy Bergman (Seven Minutes in Heaven), Arnie Burton (The 39 Steps), Matt D’Amico (Fizz), Kevin Del Aguila (Jacques Brel…), Carson Elrod(Reckless), Greg Hildreth (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson) and David Rossmer (Don’t Quit Your Night Job). Newly announced cast members include Mendoza, Kevin Del Aguila, Rick Holmes, Isaiah Johnson, Betsy Hogg, Jason Ralph, and John Sanders.

In this innovative and imaginative new play, based on The New York Times best selling Disney-Hyperion novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, a company of twelve actors plays more than a hundred unforgettable characters, all on a journey to answer the century-old question: How did Peter Pan become The Boy Who Never Grew Up? This epic origin story of one of popular culture’s most enduring and beloved characters proves that an audience’s imagination can be the most captivating place in the world.

Jon Norman Schneider, Angela Lin, Christine Lin and Orville Mendoza. Photo by Lia Chang

Orville Mendoza last appeared on Broadway in the Roundabout’s production of Pacific Overtures, directed by Amon Miyamoto. His Off-Broadway credits include Timon Of Athens (Barry Edelstein, dir.), the original company of Sondheim/Weidman’s Road Show (John Doyle, dir.), Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare in the Park, Michael Greif, dir.) all at The Public Theater/NYSF; the original cast of Durang/Melnik’s Adrift In Macao (Drama Desk nomination and Barrymore Award winner, Primary Stages & Philadelphia Theatre Co., Sheryl Kaller, dir./Christopher Gattelli, choreo.), and productions with NAATCO, The Pearl, Ma-Yi, Pan Asian Rep. and The Mint. Regionally, he has appeared in The Wiz (La Jolla Playhouse, Des McAnuff, dir.), A Christmas Story – The Musical! (5th Avenue Theatre & Kansas City Rep., Eric Rosen, dir.), Annie Get Your Gun (Goodspeed, Rob Ruggiero, dir.), Unsinkable Molly Brown (Denver Center Theatre, Kathleen Marshall, dir.),The Romance Of Magno Rubio (Long Wharf, Laguna Playhouse, and Romania productions, Loy Arcenas, dir.), and productions at Barrington Stage, Pittsburgh CLO, The Muny, Theatre by the Sea, Carousel, St. Michael’s Playhouse; and toured the U.S. & Canada with Miss Saigon for 5 1/2 years. He has appeared on “Law & Order: CI”.

The “priority pre-sale” ticket pricing structure for Peter and the Starcatcher performances through April 29th are $99 (orchestra and front mezzanine) and $59 (rear mezzanine), when purchased by the first preview on March 28th. Tickets are currently available via Ticketmaster.com and at The Brooks Atkinson Theatre box office.

The creative team includes Wayne Barker (Music), Steven Hoggett (Movement), Marco Paguia (Music Direction), Donyale Werle (Scenic Design), Paloma Young (Costume Design), Jeff Croiter (Lighting Design) and Darron L. West (Sound Design).

Peter and the Starcatcher will be produced on Broadway by Nancy Nagel Gibbs, Greg Schaffert, Eva Price, Tom Smedes and Disney Theatrical Productions.

www.orvillemendoza.com

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) Media Advisory on Jeremy Lin News Coverage
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
Gary Wilmes and Scott Shepherd Set for Elevator Repair Service’s GATZ at The Public, March 14-May 6
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: 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
David Henry Hwang to Receive 2012 William Inge Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre Award
Tony award-winning actor BD Wong stars in NBC’s Awake; video preview and interview
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
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
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
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
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet, Tracee Chimo at Opening Night Party of Neil LaBute’s Break of Noon
Multimedia: Exclusive photos and video of Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas -In the Makeup Chair with Thom Sesma
Celebrating my mom – AN ACTIVE VISION: BEVERLY UMEHARA…LABOR ACTIVIST…1945-1999
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
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: © 2000-2012 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.

Tony Award Winner Lea Salonga Leads Stellar Cast in First All-Filipino Concert for Philippine Development Foundation, “PhilDev Celebrates Broadway: Suites by Sondheim” at Alice Tully Hall

Lea Salonga

Tony Award Winner Lea Salonga leads stellar cast in first All-Filipino concert to benefit the Philippine Development Foundation (“PhilDev”), PhilDev Celebrates Broadway: Suites by Sondheim,” directed by Victor Lirio, on Monday, November 7th, 2011 at 7:30PM,at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center in New York. Tom Myron will serve as conductor and music director.

PhilDev, a US-based non-profit organization, develops much-needed programs and supports initiatives that accelerate the sustainable social and economic growth in the Philippines through science and technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship. In addition, it is the major conduit for Filipino Americans to support education and training, arts and culture, enterprise and livelihood, the environment, healthcare, rural development, governance, persons with special needs, and women’s and children’s issues in the Philippines.

Orville Mendoza

The concert—conceived and co-produced by actor, director, and producer Victor Lirio, artistic director of Diverse City Theater Co. (DCT), and PhilDev Trustee Ronna Reyes Sieh—will be the first New York gala for PhilDev. It also marks the first all-Filipino concert at Lincoln Center presenting top Filipino-American talents who have all made marks on Broadway in leading roles.

Rona Figueroa

The evening’s repertoire will be devoted to the works of internationally celebrated American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim and will include songs from some of Sondheim’s iconic musicals such as Anyone Can Whistle, Company, A Little Night Music, Merrily We Roll Along, Saturday Night, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, West Side Story, among others.

Ariel Estrada

In a letter Sondheim wrote to Lirio, he expressed: “I am delighted that you want to devote an evening to my work. Thank you so much for the compliment.”

Tony® Award winner Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Flower Drum Song, Disney’s Mulan and Aladdin) leads an impressive cast of Filipino-American Broadway stars. Joining her are Joan Almedilla (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables); Alan Ariano (Miss Saigon, The Encounter); Emy Baysic (Miss Saigon, Mamma Mia); T.V. Carpio (Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, Across the Universe); Angel Desai (Company, The Tempest); Ali Ewoldt (Les Miserables, West Side Story); Rona Figueroa (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Lennon, Nine); Lydia Gaston (The King & I, Miss Saigon); Adam Jacobs (Les Miserables, The Lion King); Jose Llana (The King & I, Spelling Bee, The Flower Drum Song opposite Lea Salonga, Wonderland); Orville Mendoza (Pacific Overtures, Miss Saigon); Paolo Montalban (Pacific Overtures, The King & I, ABC/Disney’s Cinderella as Prince Charming opposite Brandy); Emily Morales (Lincoln Center’s South Pacific); Jennifer Paz (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Joseph … Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar); Diane Phelan (South Pacific, West Side Story) and company members Aaron Albano, Marie France Arcilla, Ester Barroso, Billy Bustamante, Liz Casasola, Karl Josef Co, Marc dela Cruz, Ariel Estrada, Albert Guerzon, Joanne Javien, Brian Jose, Jaygee Macapugay, Mel Maghuyop, Jake Manabat, Adam Marcelo, JP Moraga, Lora Nicolas, Catherine Ricafort, Enrico Rodriguez, Chris-Ian Sanchez, and Melissa Singson.

Jaygee Macapugay

Victor Lirio, who also produced Salonga’s sold-out and critically-acclaimed Carnegie Hall concert debut in November 2005, commented: “Sondheim’s works are some of the greatest in the musical theater canon and it is a privilege to breathe life into some of his iconic works. I am grateful to him for giving us this tremendous opportunity. We are looking forward to sharing with the New York audiences our expression of his work.”

Alan Ariano

He added: “A vital part of PhilDev’s mandate is to raise the profile of the Filipinos in the global landscape. This is a dream cast. I am grateful to be working with them again in support of PhilDev’s mission. Furthermore, this concert will underscore the contributions Filipino artists have made to America’s rich and diverse theater culture.”

Last year, Lirio produced the first New York Filipino-American theater festival, The Pearl Project, at Theatre Row. He also directed a concert presentation of a musical based on Filipino writer and revolutionary Carlos Bulosan, Long Season, by Chay Yew and Fabian Obispo at PhilDev’s 2010 gala in San Francisco, attended by Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III.

Victor Lirio

Lirio founded Diverse City Theater, a non-profit theater company in New York City, in 2003. He directed the New York Times-acclaimed production of Warren Bodow’s Race Music, award-winning playwright Cassandra Medley’s Noon Day Sun (Time Out New York Critic’s Pick) earning several nominations for the Audelco Awards including Best Dramatic Production of the Year and Best Play. For DCT, he has developed and produced over 18 original plays, in nine critically-acclaimed productions in six seasons, since 2005.

Joan Almedilla

Music director Tom Myron is an American composer, arranger, and conductor who is active in the fields of live concert performance and independent film. Tom’s work is heard regularly at Carnegie Hall and Jazz at Lincoln Center where he has written charts for singers Marilyn Horne, Kate Pierson, Rosanne Cash, Andrea McArdle, Phyllis Newman, Kelli O’Hara, Christiane Noll, among others; composer/pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi; cellist/composer David Darling; and popular ensembles such as the New York Pops, the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, and the band Le Vent du Nord. His film scores include Wilderness & Spirit, A Mountain Called Katahdin, and Henry David Thoreau: Surveyor of the Soul.

Jose Llana

Tickets can be purchased at the Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center box office located at 70 Lincoln Center Plaza in New York City, online at www.lincolncenter.org, or by calling CenterCharge at 212-721-6500. Ticket prices are $100, $150, $250, and $500. Limited patron/VIP subscriber seats of $1,000 are available which includes a pre-concert VIP reception by contacting Rene Encarnacion at rene@phildev.org or 650-288-3937. 100% of net proceeds will benefit Philippine Development Foundation.

Adam Jacobs

ABOUT PHILDEV:
Formerly known as Ayala Foundation USA, PhilDev is a public charity registered with the United States Internal Revenue Service as a 501 (c) 3 tax-exempt organization. It focuses on building an ecosystem of science and technology-based entrepreneurship and innovation for social and economic development in the Philippines. As part of its commitment to diaspora philanthropy, PhilDev also generates resources from U.S.-based donors for non-profit organizations in the Philippines.
For more information about PhilDev, visit www.phildev.org.

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
Up Close and Personal with Rick Shiomi, Award-winning Playwright & Artistic Director of Mu Performing Arts
Goodman Theatre World Premiere of David Henry Hwang’s Broadway Bound “Chinglish” Scores 5 Jeff Award Nods
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
Photos: Christine Toy Johnson, Angela Lin, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Jake Manabat, David Shih in Jen Silverman’s Crane Story at The Cherry Lane
The Playwrights Realm Presents Jen Silverman’s CRANE STORY at the Cherry Lane Theatre, 9/6-10/1
The Play Company Presents the Off-Broadway Run of Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s INVASION! at The Flea featuring Francis Benhamou, Andrew Guilarte, Bobby Moreno, Nick Choksi, 9/6-10/1
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
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
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: 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.