Midtown International Theatre Festival is presenting the World Premiere of Correction by Jane Beale and Ronnie Cohen at Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, July 30-August 3, 2012

The Midtown International Theatre Festival is presenting the world premiere of Correction, a new play by Jane Beale & Ronnie Cohen that begs the question: Are we really who we say we are? Performances are at the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st fl. in New York, Monday, July 30 at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday, August 1 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, August 3 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $17 and can be purchased online at www.midtownfestival.org or by calling 1-866-811-4111.

Synopsis:
The New York Times announces that — in a lavish ceremony attended by New York’s Who’s Who, Sheldon, a wealthy philanthropist, marries Jennifer, a successful Park Avenue psychiatrist from a well-bred family and the finest schools. There’s only one problem….Jennifer isn’t any of those things. Inspired by actual events, this dark comedy explores the cult of fame and lengths one woman will go for it.

Filmmaker Richard Atkinson collaborated with Ronnie Cohen and Jane Beale to adapt their play Dogs Lie, into the screenplay for the film starring Samrat Chakrabarti, Frank Boyd and Ewa Da Cruz. The film has garnered numerous awards including an Honorable Mention at the Los Angeles Movie Awards; Best Film USA Award at ITN Distribution Film and New Media Festival, NYC; Audience Award for a Feature Film at the ITN Distribution Film Festival NYC.

JANE BEALE (co-playwright) Jane’s interest in the theater started early, back in her hometown in Ohio, but her writing career began over lunch with long-time friend, Ronnie Cohen. They were moved to write their first play ever based on an incredible item in the NY Times: a new bride was “outted” for lying about her credentials in a splashy wedding announcement. That collaboration became Correction, which had a reading way off-Broadway in 2004. The success of Correction led Jane and Ronnie to write the musical The Street, which won some festival awards and was later produced, off-Broadway. The inspiration for Back Bay Nights was a scary, funny, ultimately successful night Jane spent at a New York sleep clinic. She was there to deal with a marriage-bending snoring problem. She left exhausted, with gummy fixative in her hair and funny stories for her writing partner Ronnie. While Jane was still recovering from the experience, Ronnie had gone into plot and character overdrive. This story was too good not to exploit. So the one-act play, Dogs Lie, was conceived. It was a big hit at the Midtown International Theater Festival, won some awards and was granted 6 additional productions. Jane’s husband missed a performance to attend a Leed’s University alumni gathering, and there met Richard Atkinson of Top Movie films. The rest, as they say, was history and Richard executive-produced and directed the film version of Dogs Lie. There are several other projects on the table for Jane and Ronnie, and they look forward to continued collaboration.

RONNIE COHEN (co-playwright) Ronnie and her co-writer Jane Beale have been friends for over two decades. They first met in Boston where they were working for the same crazy ad agency and living around the corner from one another in Back Bay. They started writing together in 2004. Their first comedy, Correction, about a fancy Park Avenue couple who lie about everything, became a Finalist in the Siena College International Playwright’s competition in 2005. The screenplay version of Correction was recently selected as a finalist in the Beverly Hill Film Festival, 2012. Their next comedy, Getting Into Harvard (Country Day), morphed into the musical, The Street, which Ronnie wrote and produced in 2007. The Street is about two women who take on the big guns of Wall Street. It won 6 “best of” nominations including best musical and best lyrics/score, which Ronnie had also written, from the MITF. Following, Ronnie & Jane wrote a short one-act play, Dogs Lie, which had its first showing July 2009 followed by a longer repertory run in November. It was then picked up by Richard Atkinson for Top Movie and Ronnie & Jane found themselves writing the screenplay for Dogs Lie. Dogs Lie made its way through several film festivals including LA Femme, Filmi in Toronto, The Big Apple, ITN and others winning several awards including BEST FILM USA (!) It has been released into distribution by Vanguard and available from Amazon.com. Currently, Ronnie and Jane are working on Witnessed By The World, a thriller about Jack Ruby and a team of screenwriters who get caught up in his story. In their spare time, they write tv comedies, such as, “Back Bay Nights”, which they recently pitched in Los Angeles.

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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 liachangpr@gmail.com

Lia Chang 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

Denise Burse and her husband Peter Jay Fernandez. Photo by Lia Chang

At the Peter Norton Space in New York on Wednesday, February 15, the Atlantic Theater Company presented the world premiere of Gabe McKinley’s play CQ/CX directed by David Leveaux. CQ/CX which features David Pittu as Junior, Larry Bryggman as Frank King, Peter Jay Fernandez as Gerald Haynes,Kobi Libii as Jay Bennett, Tim Hopper as Ben, Arliss Howard as Hal Martin, Steve Rosen as Jacob Sherman and Sheila Tapia as Monica Soria, has been extended through March 11, 2012.

Larry Bryggman, Peter Jay Fernandez and David Pittu. Photo by Lia Chang

After the show, I headed to the West Bank Café for the opening night party with Denise Burse, and reconnected with Neil Pepe, the artistic director of the Atlantic Theater Company and David Pittu. In the 90′s, Pepe, Pittu and I worked together at Naked Angels in Jeff Weiss’ wild and wacky late night theater soap opera Hot Keys.
Below is my photo coverage of the night.

Atlantic Theater Company Managing Director Jeffory Lawson, actress Mary McCann and Artistic Director Neil Pepe. Photo by Lia Chang

CQ/CX playwright Gabe McKinley. Photo by Lia Chang

Inspired by the Jason Blair Scandal, Gabe McKinley’s provocative new play CQ/CX, follows the story of Jay, an up and coming black reporter at The New York Times who finds his dreams of becoming a famous journalist come crashing down as he becomes the center of a plagiarism scandal. Drawing on his own experience as a newsman, McKinley weaves a revealing and complex story about the collateral damage of unchecked ambition and compounded lies. CQ/CX raises difficult questions about the state of our media culture, and the meaning and price of journalistic integrity.

Gabe McKinley makes his Atlantic debut with the world premiere of CQ/CX. His critically acclaimed play Extinction was produced Off-Broadway last season, and his other plays include The Kitchen Sink Play, Welcome Home Rock Rogers, Funny and Floodplains. He is the recipient of the 2011 Samuel French/New School for Drama Award for Excellence in Playwriting, and his play The Grave was the winner of the Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway Short Play Festival.

CQ/CX director David Leveaux. Photo by Lia Chang

Five-time Tony Award® nominated director David Leveaux returns to Atlantic following staging the U.S. premiere of Through A Glass Darkly at Atlantic last season and the recent acclaimed revival of Tom Stoppard’s play Arcadia on Broadway. He received Tony Award® nominations for the Tony Award® winning revival of The Real Thing, the Tony Award® nominated revival of Jumpers and the Broadway productions of Nine, Anna Christie and A Moon for the Misbegotten. He recently staged Backbeat, the story of the Beatles, in Hamburg and the West End.

Peter Jay Fernandez. Photo by Lia Chang

Atlantic company member Larry Bryggman recently starred in Atlantic’s critically acclaimed production of Harold Pinter’s The Collection & A Kind of Alaska. A two-time Tony Award® nominee (Proof, Picnic), he also starred on Broadway in Twelve Angry Men and Festen.

Peter Jay Fernandez has appeared on Broadway in Cyrano De Bergerac, Julius Caesar and Henry IV and Off Broadway in Macbeth last season.

Tim Hopper returns to Atlantic where he was last seen in Ethan Coen’s Almost an Evening. He received an Obie Award for his performance in More Stately Mansions Off Broadway and appeared on Broadway in Present Laughter.

Arliss Howard and his wife actress Debra Winger. Photo by Lia Chang

Stage and screen star Arliss Howard’s feature film credits include Moneyball, The Time Traveler’s Wife and Full Metal Jacket. He appeared on Broadway in the revival of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Off Broadway in A Number and The Late Henry Moss.

Kobi Libii has appeared Off Broadway in Perfect Harmony and Ohio State Murders and in the Fringe First award-winning European premiere of Rolin Jones’ The Jammer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Atlantic company member David Pittu received Tony Award® nominations for both his recent starring roles in Love Musik and Is He Dead? on Broadway. He returns to Atlantic where he was last seen in the critically acclaimed comedy What’s That Smell: The Music of Jacob Sterling.

Kobi Libii and Peter Jay Fernandez. Photo by Lia Chang

Steve Rosen recently starred in the hit musical Peter and the Starcatcher Off Broadway and has appeared in the original Broadway casts of The Farnsworth Invention and Spamalot and the revival of Guys and Dolls.

Steve Rosen, Sheila Tapia and Tim Hopper. Photo by Lia Chang

Sheila Tapia’s Off Broadway credits include ReEntry and Elliot, A Soldiers Fugue and has appeared in the television series “Rubicon” and “Law & Order.”

The design team for CQ/CX features scenic design by David Rockwell, costume design by Jess Goldstein, lighting design by Ben Stanton, original music and sound design by David Van Tieghem and projection design by Peter Nigrini and C. Andrew Bauer.

All tickets are $65 and available by calling (212) 279-4200 or visiting www.ticketcentral.com, or at the Atlantic Stage 2 box office at 330 West 16th Street.

Peter Jay Fernandez, David Leveaux and Arliss Howard. Photo by Lia Chang

ATLANTIC THEATER COMPANY (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) is the award-winning Off-Broadway theater that produces great plays simply and truthfully by utilizing an artistic ensemble. Atlantic believes that the story of a play and the intent of its playwright are at the core of the creative process. The plays in the Atlantic repertory, from both new and established playwrights, are boldly interpreted by today’s finest theater artists and resonate with contemporary audiences. Since its inception over 23 years ago, Atlantic has produced more than 125 plays, including: Tony Award winning productions of Spring Awakening (Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik) and The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Martin McDonagh); world premieres of Almost an Evening and Offices (Academy Award winner Ethan Coen); The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Cripple of Inishmaan (Martin McDonagh); Romance (David Mamet); Through A Glass Darkly (Ingmar Bergman, adapted by Jenny Worton); Bluebird (Simon Stephens); Blue/Orange (Joe Penhall); Port Authority and Dublin Carol (Conor McPherson); Writer’s Block (Woody Allen); revival of Hobson’s Choice (Harold Brighouse); revivals of American Buffalo and Edmond (David Mamet); Dangerous Corner (J.B. Priestley, adapted and directed by David Mamet); Trumpery and The Cider House Rules (adapted by Peter Parnell); Celebration & The Room, The Collection & A Kind of Alaska and The Hothouse (Harold Pinter); Gabriel (Moira Buffini); Oohrah! (Bekah Brunstetter); Mojo and Parlour Song (Jez Butterworth); New York premieres of Boys’ Life and The Lights (Howard Korder) at Lincoln Center Theater; Distant Fires (Kevin Heelan); The Joy of Going Somewhere Definite and Shaker Heights (Quincy Long); Minutes From The Blue Route (Tom Donaghy); Trafficking in Broken Hearts (Edwin Sánchez); Missing Persons (Craig Lucas). During its history, Atlantic has garnered twelve Tony Awards, nine Lucille Lortel Awards, fourteen Obie Awards, five Drama Desk Awards, four Outer Critics Circle Awards, and four Drama League Awards. Atlantic also operates The Atlantic Theater Company Acting School, which has an undergraduate program in conjunction with NYU, as well as a two-year professional acting program and a six-week intensive workshop every summer. Atlantic for Kids and the Educational Outreach Program partners with schools and teachers throughout the greater metropolitan area coordinating in-school visits of teaching artists and post-theater talkbacks. For more information, visit www.atlantictheater.org.

Related Articles:
Larry Bryggman, Peter Jay Fernandez, Arliss Howard and David Pittu Set for Atlantic Theater Company’s CQ/CX, January 25-March 4, 2012
Up Close and Personal with Darren Pettie, Star of The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore
Denise Burse, Michael Early, Phillip James Brannon, Malesha Jessie & Ellen Mandel featured in HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANGSTON HUGHES at Cornelia Street Café
Peter Jay Fernandez in Theatre for a New Audience’s Macbeth at The Duke
Denise Burse & Peter Jay Fernandez Featured in INTAR Reading of Andrew Dolan’s The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King
Multimedia: The 52nd Street Project Benefit Photos: Michael Cerveris, James Monroe Inglehart, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Matthew Morrison, Greg Naughton and Kelli O’Hara
Michael Cerveris, Matthew Morrison & Kelli O’Hara sing for 52nd Street Project’s Benefit
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Peter Jay Fernandez and Laura Heisler Star in Too Much Memory

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Linsanity: Sports Illustrated Cover Guy New York Knicks Starting Point Guard Jeremy Lin
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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
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Photos and Video: Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas- In the Makeup Chair with Thom Sesma
Slideshow – On October 16, 2005, The Virginia Theatre was renamed the August Wilson Theatre
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

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Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. In 2010, the Library of Congress established The Lia Chang APA Theater Portfolio in the Asian Pacific American Performing Arts Collection housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian Pacific American Islander Collection.

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@liachangphotography.com.

Larry Bryggman, Peter Jay Fernandez, Arliss Howard and David Pittu Set for Atlantic Theater Company’s CQ/CX, January 25-March 11, 2012

Peter Jay Fernandez

Atlantic Theater Company will present the world premiere production of Gabe McKinley’s play CQ/CX, directed by Tony Award® nominee David Leveaux and featuring Larry Bryggman, Peter Jay Fernandez, Tim Hopper, Arliss Howard, Kobi Libii, David Pittu, Steve Rosen and Sheila Tapia.

Previews begin Wednesday, January 25 toward an official opening Wednesday, February 15, and has been extended through Sunday, March 11, 2012 Off-Broadway at Signature Theatre Company’s Peter Norton Space (555 West 42nd Street between 10th and 11th Avenue) while Atlantic’s main stage continues its renovation.

All tickets are $65 and available by calling (212) 279-4200 or visiting www.ticketcentral.com, or at the Atlantic Stage 2 box office at 330 West 16th Street.

In the world premiere of Gabe McKinley’s CQ/CX, Jay, an up and coming black reporter at The New York Times, finds his dreams of becoming a famous journalist come crashing down as he becomes the center of a plagiarism scandal. Drawing on his own experience as a newsman, McKinley weaves a revealing and complex story about the collateral damage of unchecked ambition and compounded lies. In this new play inspired by real events, truth becomes slippery and racial tensions reach a boiling point. CQ/CX raises difficult questions about the state of our media culture, and the meaning and price of journalistic integrity.

GABE MCKINLEY makes his Atlantic debut with the world premiere of CQ/CX. His critically acclaimed play Extinction was produced Off-Broadway last season, and his other plays include The Kitchen Sink Play, Welcome Home Rock Rogers, Funny and Floodplains. He is the recipient of the 2011 Samuel French/New School for Drama Award for Excellence in Playwriting, and his play The Grave was the winner of the Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway Short Play Festival.

Five-time Tony Award® nominated director David Leveaux returns to Atlantic following staging the U.S. premiere of Through A Glass Darkly at Atlantic last season and the recent acclaimed revival of Tom Stoppard’s play Arcadia on Broadway. He received Tony Award® nominations for the Tony Award® winning revival of The Real Thing, the Tony Award® nominated revival of Jumpers and the Broadway productions of Nine, Anna Christie and A Moon for the Misbegotten. He recently staged Backbeat, the story of the Beatles, in Hamburg and the West End.

Atlantic company member Larry Bryggman recently starred in Atlantic’s critically acclaimed production of Harold Pinter’s The Collection & A Kind of Alaska. A two-time Tony Award® nominee (Proof, Picnic), he also starred on Broadway in Twelve Angry Men and Festen.

Peter Jay Fernandez has appeared on Broadway in Cyrano De Bergerac, Julius Caesar and Henry IV and Off Broadway in Macbeth last season.

Tim Hopper returns to Atlantic where he was last seen in Ethan Coen’s Almost an Evening. He received an Obie Award for his performance in More Stately Mansions Off Broadway and appeared on Broadway in Present Laughter.

Stage and screen star Arliss Howard’s feature film credits include Moneyball, The Time Traveler’s Wife and Full Metal Jacket. He appeared on Broadway in the revival of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Off Broadway in A Number and The Late Henry Moss.

Kobi Libii has appeared Off Broadway in Perfect Harmony and Ohio State Murders and in the Fringe First award-winning European premiere of Rolin Jones’ The Jammer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Atlantic company member David Pittu received Tony Award® nominations for both his recent starring roles in Love Musik and Is He Dead? on Broadway. He returns to Atlantic where he was last seen in the critically acclaimed comedy What’s That Smell: The Music of Jacob Sterling.

Steve Rosen recently starred in the hit musical Peter and the Starcatcher Off Broadway and has appeared in the original Broadway casts of The Farnsworth Invention and Spamalot and the revival of Guys and Dolls.

Sheila Tapia’s Off Broadway credits include ReEntry and Elliot, A Soldiers Fugue and has appeared in the television series “Rubicon” and “Law & Order.”

The design team for CQ/CX will feature scenic design by David Rockwell, costume design by Jess Goldstein, lighting design by Ben Stanton, original music and sound design by David Van Tieghem and projection design by Peter Nigrini and C. Andrew Bauer.

——
GABE McKINLEY (Playwright). McKinley’s plays have been produced and developed by companies including Naked Angels, Premiere Stages, The Old Vic and Red Dog Squadron. His plays include The Kitchen Sink Play, Welcome Home Rock Rogers, Funny, Floodplains and the critically acclaimed Extinction (Off Broadway). His short play, The Grave, was the winner of the Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway Short Play Festival. Gabe is a member of the Old Vic New Voices program hosted by London’s Old Vic Theater and is the recipient of the 2011 Samuel French/New School for Drama Award for Excellence in Playwriting. He is published by Samuel French. BFA: NYU. MFA: The New School for Drama.

DAVID LEVEAUX (Director) returns to Atlantic following directing the U.S. premiere of Through A Glass Darkly and recently staged Backbeat, the story of the Beatles, in Hamburg and the West End as well as the critically acclaimed production of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia on Broadway. Previous Broadway productions include Cyrano de Bergerac, Tom Stoppard’s Jumpers (Tony Award® nominations Outstanding Direction and Best Revival) and The Real Thing (Tony Award® nomination Outstanding Direction and Tony Award® Best Revival), Fiddler on the Roof (Tony nomination® Best Revival), Nine (Tony Award® nomination Outstanding Direction and Tony Award® Best Revival), The Glass Menagerie, Betrayal (Tony Award® nomination Best Revival), Electra (Tony Award® nomination Best Revival), Anna Christie (Tony Award® nomination Outstanding Direction and Tony Award® Best Revival) and A Moon for the Misbegotten (Tony Award® nominations Outstanding Direction and Best Revival). London theatre includes Arcadia, Jumpers, The Real Thing, The Late Middle Classes, Nine, Sinatra Live at the London Palladium, Electra, The Father, No Man’s Land, Moonlight, Betrayal, The Distance From Here, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore, Romeo and Juliet, and A Moon for the Misbegotten. Also, Rudolph (Vienna); Tales of Ballycumber and The Three Sisters (Abbey, Dublin), The Turn of the Screw (Scottish Opera), The Marriage of Figaro and Salome (English National Opera).

LARRY BRYGGMAN (Frank King). Broadway: Twelve Angry Men, Proof (Tony Award® nomination), Picnic (Tony Award® nomination), Prelude to a Kiss, Richard III, The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel, Festen. Off Broadway includes Edward Albee’s Occupant, Groundswell. Romance (Obie Award), The Collection & A Kind Of Alaska, 10×25 One Acts, Hothouse, Once in a Lifetime (all Atlantic Theater), Proof, New England (MTC), Prelude and Liebestod (MCC), A Bad Friend, Bodies Rest and Motion (LCT), King Lear, Henry VIII, The Tempest, As You Like It, Henry IV Parts l and ll, Rum and Coke, The Ballad of Soapy Smith, Museum, Marco Polo Sings a Solo, Mod Donna (all The Public). Film: Spy Game, Die Hard with a Vengeance, And Justice for All, Looking for Richard, Side By Each, Family Games. Obie Award for Sustained Excellence. Two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Actor. Member of Atlantic Theater Company.

PETER JAY FERNANDEZ (Gerald Haynes). Broadway: Cyrano De Bergerac, Julius Caesar, Henry IV, Jelly’s Last Jam, The Merchant of Venice. Off Broadway: Macbeth (TFANA), Too Much Memory (Fourth St. Theater), Zooman and the Sign (Signature), The Pain and the Itch (Playwrights Horizons), As You Like It, Henry VIII, Coriolanus, Spell # 7, Winter’s Tale and more (Public), Widowers Houses (Epic), Thunder Knocking on the Door (Minetta Lane) and more. Regional: Arena, Longwharf, Goodman, Old Globe, Cincinnatti Playhouse, Hartford Stage, Wilma,Williamstown, Milwaukee Rep and more. Televison/ Film: Deception, Preaching to the Choir, Adjustment Bureau, Funny Valentines, “Fringe,” “The Good Wife,” “Damages,” “Blue Bloods,” “Body of Proof,” “Law & Order”(s) and more. Adjunct Professor (The New School for Drama, Graduate Division).

TIM HOPPER (Ben). Atlantic Theater: Almost An Evening (Bleecker Street Theater). Recent credits include Go Back To Where You Are (Playwrights Horizons), Middletown (Steppenwolf Theatre) and A Doll’s House (Long Wharf). Ensemble member, Steppenwolf Theatre Co., Chicago. TV includes “Blue Bloods,” “Medium” (directed by Arliss Howard), “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Law & Order: SVU,” and an upcoming “Nurse Jackie.” Film includes Tenderness, Gardener of Eden, School of Rock, Personal Velocity and To Die For.

ARLISS HOWARD (Hal Martin). Broadway: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. Off-Broadway: Killer’s Head and The Late Henry Moss (both at Signature Theatre Company), A Number (New York Theatre Workshop) and The Monogamist (Playwrights Horizons). Regional: Keith Reddin’s Life and Limb (South Coast Rep), Marlane Meyer’s Geography of Luck (LATC), Sam Shepard’s A Lie of the Mind (Mark Taper Forum) and Fool for Love (Alley Theatre), Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive, Brecht’s In the Jungle of Cities and Chekhov’s Ivanov (American Repertory Theater). Film: Moneyball, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Full Metal Jacket, Men Don’t Leave, Wilder Napalm and A Map of the World. Mr. Howard co-wrote and directed the film Big Bad Love. Recent television credits include “Rubicon” and “Medium.”

KOBI LIBII (Jay Bennett). New York / Regional theater: The Tempest (Porpentine Theater), Perfect Harmony (45 Bleecker/Theater Row), Ohio State Murders (TFANA), The Cenci (Hotel Savant), The Great Ape Love Song (Target Margin), The Gay Ivy (Dixon Place), Boiling Pot (Cherry Lane / FringeNYC), King Lear, Comedy of Errors (Yale Rep), The Jammer (Edinburg Fringe, Fringe First). Improvisation: Chicago City Limits, Broadway’s Next Hit Musical, One Night Stand-An Improvised Musical, Symposium. Training: Yale (BA, Theater), Second City Chicago.

DAVID PITTU (Junior) received Tony Award® nominations for both his recent starring roles in Love Musik and Is He Dead? on Broadway. He returns to Atlantic, where he is a company member, and was last seen in his own critically acclaimed musical What’s That Smell: The Music of Jacob Sterling. Since then, he has starred in The Public Theater’s Twelfth Night at the Delacorte (2009 St. Clare Bayfield Award), Equivocation at MTC (Lortel and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations) and Bells are Ringing at City Center/Encores! Recent film and television work includes “Damages,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “The Good Wife” and Men in Black 3.

STEVE ROSEN (Jacob Sherman). Broadway: Original casts of Guys and Dolls (2009), The Farnsworth Invention and Spamalot. National Tour: Guys and Dolls (2011). Off-Broadway: Peter and the Starcatcher (NYTW), Franz Kafka’s The Castle (MET), The Golem (MET), The Parrot (Flea). Co-creator/star of the long-running comedy benefit Don’t Quit Your Night Job. Regional: James and the Giant Peach (Goodspeed), The Farnsworth Invention (La Jolla Playhouse), Enter Laughing (Berkshire Theatre Festival), Finks (NY Stage & Film). TV: “The Good Wife,” “Law & Order SVU,” “Kings,” “Law & Order,” “Ed,” “Five Year Plan” (pilot). Film: Arthur; Storytelling; Heavy Petting. Co-composer/lyricist/author/star of the musical The Other Josh Cohen opening Off-Broadway in 2012.

SHELIA TAPIA (Monica Soria). Off-Broadway: ReEntry (Urban Stages), Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue (Culture Project/P73), Welcome to Arroyos (Lark/NYC Hip Hop Festival/NYTW), Naughty Prep School Stories (NYC Fringe Festival), The Wrath of Aphrodite (GayFest NYC). Regional: ReEntry (Baltimore Center Stage), Private Lives, ReEntry (Two River Theater Company), How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents (Round House Theater), Havana is Waiting, A Christmas Carol, A Flea in Her Ear, and The Wrestling Season (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Big Tush, Little Tush (Secret Rose Theater). Film: Gimme Shelter, The Cycle. Television: “Rubicon,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Days of Our Lives.” BA: University of Florida; MFA: Ohio University at Athens. Member AEA.

ATLANTIC THEATER COMPANY (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) is the award-winning Off-Broadway theater that produces great plays simply and truthfully by utilizing an artistic ensemble. Atlantic believes that the story of a play and the intent of its playwright are at the core of the creative process. The plays in the Atlantic repertory, from both new and established playwrights, are boldly interpreted by today’s finest theater artists and resonate with contemporary audiences. Since its inception over 23 years ago, Atlantic has produced more than 125 plays, including: Tony Award winning productions of Spring Awakening (Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik) and The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Martin McDonagh); world premieres of Almost an Evening and Offices (Academy Award winner Ethan Coen); The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Cripple of Inishmaan (Martin McDonagh); Romance (David Mamet); Through A Glass Darkly (Ingmar Bergman, adapted by Jenny Worton); Bluebird (Simon Stephens); Blue/Orange (Joe Penhall); Port Authority and Dublin Carol (Conor McPherson); Writer’s Block (Woody Allen); revival of Hobson’s Choice (Harold Brighouse); revivals of American Buffalo and Edmond (David Mamet); Dangerous Corner (J.B. Priestley, adapted and directed by David Mamet); Trumpery and The Cider House Rules (adapted by Peter Parnell); Celebration & The Room, The Collection & A Kind of Alaska and The Hothouse (Harold Pinter); Gabriel (Moira Buffini); Oohrah! (Bekah Brunstetter); Mojo and Parlour Song (Jez Butterworth); New York premieres of Boys’ Life and The Lights (Howard Korder) at Lincoln Center Theater; Distant Fires (Kevin Heelan); The Joy of Going Somewhere Definite and Shaker Heights (Quincy Long); Minutes From The Blue Route (Tom Donaghy); Trafficking in Broken Hearts (Edwin Sánchez); Missing Persons (Craig Lucas). During its history, Atlantic has garnered twelve Tony Awards, nine Lucille Lortel Awards, fourteen Obie Awards, five Drama Desk Awards, four Outer Critics Circle Awards, and four Drama League Awards. Atlantic also operates The Atlantic Theater Company Acting School, which has an undergraduate program in conjunction with NYU, as well as a two-year professional acting program and a six-week intensive workshop every summer. Atlantic for Kids and the Educational Outreach Program partners with schools and teachers throughout the greater metropolitan area coordinating in-school visits of teaching artists and post-theater talkbacks.
For more information, visit www.atlantictheater.org.

Other Articles by this Author:
Linsanity: Sports Illustrated Cover Guy New York Knicks Starting Point Guard Jeremy Lin
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
Denise Burse, Michael Early, Phillip James Brannon, Malesha Jessie & Ellen Mandel featured in HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANGSTON HUGHES at Cornelia Street Café
Peter Jay Fernandez in Theatre for a New Audience’s Macbeth at The Duke through April 22
Denise Burse & Peter Jay Fernandez Featured in INTAR Reading of Andrew Dolan’s The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King
Multimedia: The 52nd Street Project Benefit Photos: Michael Cerveris, James Monroe Inglehart, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Matthew Morrison, Greg Naughton and Kelli O’Hara
Michael Cerveris, Matthew Morrison & Kelli O’Hara sing for 52nd Street Project’s Benefit
Multimedia: Zooman and The Sign Opening Night Party
Denise Burse, Rocky Carroll, Anthony Chisholm, John Earl Jelks and James A. Williams in Radio Golf by August Wilson at The Pearlstone Theater in Baltimore
Slideshow – On October 16, 2005, The Virginia Theatre was renamed the August Wilson Theatre
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
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

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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 liachangpr@gmail.com.

Lia Chang Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast

Christmas came early for me this year, in the form of R.A. Shiomi’s award-winning play Yellow Fever, when I played the lead, Japanese-Canadian gumshoe, Sam Shikaze, in an all-female cast reading of the play at the home of Julie Azuma and Tamio Spiegel on December 5, 2011.

Playwright and co-director Rick Shiomi, Cindy Cheung, Susan Dalton Quinn, Amanda Galang, Ako, Katie Lee Hill, Lia Chang, Gyu Jin Lim and co-director Raul Aranas.

The reading was co-directed by playwright Rick Shiomi and actor/director Raul Aranas, who helmed Pan Asian Repertory Theatre’s critically acclaimed Off-Broadway production in 1982. It was an exhilarating and historic evening to be performing in my favorite play with my longtime colleagues Cindy Cheung (Captain Kadota) and Ako (Rosie); in addition to Susan Dalton Quinn (Sergeant Mackenzie), Katie Lee Hill (Nancy Wing), Gyu Jin Lim (Chuck Chan) and Amanda Galang (Superintendent Jameson, Goldberg).

Rick Shiomi, Julie Azuma and Tamio Spiegel Photo by Lia Chang

In the house to support- Reme Grefalda, curator of ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection; actors BD Wong, Gordana Rashovich, Jarlath Conroy and Karen Tsen Lee; Heading East lyricist and librettist Robert Lee, novelist Ed Lin, photographer Brianne Michelle Planko; and Mina Manalac.

Rick Shiomi, Lia Chang, Robert Lee and BD Wong. Photo by Masao

On March 10, 1982, Yellow Fever premiered at the Asian American Theater Company and garnered Shiomi numerous awards including a 1982 Bay Area Theater Circle Critics Award and a 1982 “Bernie” for new play from the San Francisco Chronicle. The play opened in New York on December 1, 1982, and has received productions around the world including Los Angeles, Toronto (1984 Ontario Multicultural Theater Award), Seattle and in Japan.

Raul Aranas, Reme Grefalda and Rick Shiomi Photo by Lia Chang

Yellow Fever‘s Sam Shikaze is a Japanese-Canadian private eye from the Sam Spade School of life who lives and works on Powell Street in Vancouver. In Sam’s words, “Being a private eye doesn’t give you that nine-to-five respectability, but you call your own shots and you don’t have to smile for a living…and that’s the way I like it.” Sam’s life is complicated by the disappearance of the local Cherry Blossom Queen. Hired to find her, he soon falls into a maelstrom of deception, racism, and political intrigue, all of which lead him to the Sons of the Western Guard.

Reme Grefalda, Rick Shiomi and Lia Chang

R.A. Shiomi's award-winning play Yellow Fever. Photo by John To

When Yellow Fever was produced in New York by Pan Asian Repertory Theatre in 1982, Mel Gussow of The New York Times wrote, “As a playwright, Mr. Shiomi is his own crafty private investigator, making his points through indirection and droll humour….Mr. Shiomi’s Yellow Fever is so captivating that it makes one eager for further adventures of the inimitable Sam Shikaze.”

Edith Oliver of the New Yorker wrote, “Yellow Fever is a funny mystery-a real mystery, that is, which parodies private eye movies and also tucks in quite a lot of social comment without ever breaking its own comic mood.”

Lia: Where did you get the idea for an all-female cast?
Rick: This idea for an all-female cast reading of Yellow Fever came from Raul Aranas. And candidly my first reaction was that would be odd, because the play comes from such a deep male perspective and reflects many of those old fashioned male values (think detectives and film noir).

But when I saw Raul at a performance of Twelfth Night produced by Leviathan Theatre Lab in New York in November, he urged me to consider it again and I decided to pursue the idea. And as I thought about it and talked with my peers, the idea became more and more fascinating. We were quickly able to put together the reading with actors we both knew.

Lia: What were you thinking as the evening unfolded?
Rick: It was a mind opening experience to realize how the universal qualities of the characters and story could be embodied by the female actress in a new way, and not simply women trying to be men. The reading became a new way to look at the play and the performers and that was exciting.

I want to thank the cast for their participation and instant willingness to dive into this reading with great skill and enthusiasm.

Gordana Rashovich, Lia Chang and Jarlath Conroy. Photo by Robert Lee

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: Playwright Lonnie Carter Talks TRIM, The Tiger Woods What If Story, The Romance of Magno Rubio and The Lost Boys of Sudan
Up Close and Personal with Rick Shiomi, Award-winning Playwright and Artistic Director of Mu Performing Arts
Photos: Opening Night of Mu Performing Arts’ Katie Hae Leo’s Four Destinies
Photos: Backstage at Mu Performing Arts’ Four Destinies by Katie Hae Leo
Photos: On the town with Rick Shiomi, Co-Editor of “Asian American Plays for a New Generation”, in D.C. & NY
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 “Asian American Plays for a New Generation”, A New Anthology of Asian American Plays Is Subject of Book Talk
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Crafting a Career
Nurse Lia on One Life to Live
Click here for more articles on Rick Shiomi.
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang as Sam Shikaze in Rick Shiomi's Yellow Fever Photo by Lia Chang

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

Lia made her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden, and has since documented her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism as a photographer and videographer, collaborating with other artists, organizations and companies to establish their documentary photo archive and social media presence.

Lia 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.

Her Off-Broadway credits include: Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott’s Marie Laveau (Castillo Theatre), Jeff Weiss’ Obie Award winning Hot Keys (Naked Angels), Raunchy Asian Women (Ohio Theatre), The Confirmation (The Vineyard), Behind Closed Doors (MCC), Lonnie Carter’s Gulliver opposite Andre De Shields (La MaMa Etc.), Power Play (Billie Holiday Theatre), Two Gentlemen of Verona, Underground Soap, and Famine Plays (Cucaracha Theatre). Film and TV credits include: Wolf, New Jack City, Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman, “As the World Turns,” “Another World,” and “New York Undercover”. Lia currently plays Nurse Lia on “One Life to Live”.

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.

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: Nan Melville’s Documentary Film ‘Nrityagram: For the Love of Dance’ screens at the Newport Beach Film Festival on May 3

Nrityagram Dance Ensemble in their Amphitheatre in their village in India. Photo by Nan Melville

Nrityagram: For the Love of Dance, a short documentary by dance photojournalist Nan Melville, will screen at the Newport Beach Film Festival at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3, 2011, in Newport Beach, California.

Protima Bedi at Nrityagram, February, 1998. Photo by Nan Melville

Melville, a freelance photographer for several arts institutions including The Julliard School, Carnegie Hall, and The New York Times, specializes in photographing and filming the performing arts, primarily dance.

Melville first met the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble in 1996, when she was assigned by The New York Times to photograph their U.S. debut performance in New York. After visiting the Nrityagram dance village in Bangalore, India, at the invitation of the late Protima Bedi, she began working on her documentary. She returned to India to film life in the dance village, and research archival materials.

Nan Melville

“I’ve become a great friend of the members of Nrityagram, photographing many of their New York performances,” says Melville. “I’ve even put up dancers on my sofa when hotels were overflowed.”

Nrityagram: For the Love of Dance debuted in January 2010 as an official selection of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Dance Films Association, Dance on Camera Festival in New York City. The New York Times’ chief dance critic Alistair Macaulay said, “Many intelligent points are made, and much of the dance footage, not least during the closing credits, is spellbinding. I wanted the film to be twice as long.”

“Alastair echoes my intent to expand the film into a feature length documentary,” says Melville. My mission is to capture the story of the dance village and the dancers and how they promote and develop the Odissi dance form for posterity.” To learn more about the Nrityagram documentary project – and ways to contribute to Nrityagram’s continued success – visit www.nanmelville.com/nrityagram.

About Nan Melville:
Internationally renowned photographer and videographer Nan Melville has been based in New York City since she left South Africa in 1986. Before making Nrityagram: For the Love of Dance, she collaborated on filming a documentary on the Saeko Ichinohe Dance Company. She has won various photographic awards, including 1st Prize in the Flying Springbok International Travel Photographic Competition (Nikon, Nissan, and SA Airways). Her clients include The New York Times, The Julliard School, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center. Her photographs are syndicated worldwide and have appeared in many overseas publications, including books, magazines, and newspapers. As more of her clients began requesting video work, Melville expanded her expertise into videography. She is much in demand to film performances as she has the ability to capture an event in both still and video. Her video experience led to an interest in documentary filmmaking. www.nanmelville.com

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.

Other Articles by Lia Chang
AEA’s celebrates Asian Heritage Month w/ Leviathan Lab’s Asian American Female Playwright’s Short Play Festival in NY, 5/12, 13
Ruby Dee, Alicia Keys, Sidney Poitier among honorees at Woodie King, Jr.’s New Federal Theatre’s 40th Anniversary Gala at Edison Ballroom on May 22
André De Shields stars in Chicago Premiere of Charles Smith’s The Gospel According to James at Victory Gardens 5/14-6/12
32nd Annual Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Festival at Union Square Park in NYC on May 8, 2011
Vikas Khanna’s Holy Kitchens Karma to Nirvana premieres at New York Indian Film Festival on 5/7 at Tribeca Cinemas
11th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), May 4-8, 2011
Video: Aroon Shivdasani interviews Samrat Chakrabarti at Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council (MIAAC) Film Festival
MIAAC Screens Ashes & The Waiting City, two films featuring Samrat Chakrabarti at SVA Theater on 11/12
KPFK 90.7: Inaugural Hero Awards & Tribute Benefit Awards Series Honoring Jazz Musician Billy Higgins on May 1
Will Calhoun to Interview Bernie Worrell at ASCAP’s “I Create Music” Expo on April 30 in L.A.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s 30th Annual Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival: April 30 and May 1, 2011
Duke Ellington Week 2011 Events in NY, April 25-30
Foremost American Taiko Artist, Kenny Endo, to perform in Tokyo on April 24 and April 30
Up Close and Personal with Darren Pettie, Star of The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore
House of Payne’s Denise Burse on the 2011 NAACP Image Awards & Season 7; “Shout Out” Episode airs April 20
Video: Denise Burse as Claretha Jenkins on House of Payne
Marva Hicks and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra light up the Southern Theatre with a “A Night at the Apollo”
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive.

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

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

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

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.