Feb. 22-Mar 4.: Suzen Murakoshi’s Breathe Love Repeat: a near-life experience, directed by Ching Valdes-Aran, at 2012 Frigid New York Festival at Under St. Marks

Performances for Suzen Murakoshi’s (A Chorus Line and The King & I) Breathe Love Repeat: a near-life experience, under the direction of longtime collaborator Obie Award-winning Ching Valdes-Aran, kick off on Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at Under St. Marks as a part of the 2012 Frigid New York Festival. The performance schedule for Breathe Love Repeat at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place) is Wednesday, February 22 at 10:30pm, Friday, February 24 at 7:30pm, Monday, February 27 at 7:30pm, Friday, March 2 at 10:30pm and Sunday, March 4 at 7pm. Tickets are $15 ($10 for students/seniors) and are available online at www.smarttix.com

In Breathe Love Repeat: a near-life experience, a “Samurai Super Daughter” struggles with her mother’s love at the crossroads between East and West, struggling to affirm life between this world and the next. Produced by Mustique Projects, Breathe Love Repeat, a near-life experience, written by and starring award-winning playwright and actress Suzen Murakoshi, tells the story of the last days in the life of a mother and daughter. This uplifting and life-affirming show takes audiences from the mountains of Japan to the islands of Hawaii as Murakoshi brings the clarity of life into focus by bringing us closer to the end.

Suzen Murakoshi

Suzen Murakoshi is a veteran of Broadway, off-Broadway and regional theatres. Her favorite roles include “Juliet” in Romeo and Juliet at the Cleveland Playhouse and “Connie” in A Chorus Line on Broadway. Together with Obie award winner, Ching Valdes-Aran, Ms. Murakoshi has performed her own past work at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where she was short-listed for Best Actor for her role as “Helen” in Slippery When Wet (SWW). She has appeared in the films Bill Murray’s Quick Change, Oliver Stone’s Wall Street and Mario Van Peebles’ New Jack City.

Ms. Murakoshi received an MFA from the NYC New School of Drama in Playwriting and Acting. She also attended Oxford University, Balliol College, with the British American Drama Academy. Her work has been produced at the Penumbra Theatre in Minneapolis, MN to critical acclaim.

Suzen Murakoshi and longtime collaborator Ching Valdes-Aran on the set of Slippery When Wet at La MaMa E.T.C. in New York, in 1994. Photo by Lia Chang

Other produced plays include Slippery When Wet at La MaMa Experimental Theatre, Sisters at Circle in the Square Downtown, NYC. Her short play, Dunno, Gotta Go was accepted and given a reading at the Edward Albee Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska, 2004.

Ms. Murakoshi has worked with the 52nd Street Project in New York City for many years as a writer, actor and director. While there, she co-wrote short plays with ‘Genius Award” fellow, Willie Reale as well as having been directed as an actor by Oscar winner Frances McDormand.

In 2007, Ms. Murakoshi was awarded a Mayoral Proclamation from Michael Bloomburg and the City of New York for her work with the Kids Project where she is the Artistic Director. The Kids Project performs free shows for the NYC area with a target audience of 90,000 children and adults annually.

Breathe Love Repeat, a near-life experience will have five performances at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place) on Wednesday, February 22 at 10:30pm, Friday, February 24 at 7:30pm, Monday, February 27 at 7:30pm, Friday, March 2 at 10:30pm and Sunday, March 4 at 7pm. Tickets are $15 ($10 for students/seniors) and are available online at www.smarttix.com.

For more information, visit www.breatheloverepeat.com.

Related Articles
Suzen Murakoshi’s Breathe Love Repeat: a near-life experience, at 2012 Frigid New York Festival at Under St. Marks
Suzen Murakoshi’s Breathe Love Repeat: a Near Life Experience, at 30th Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, 8/11-8/20/11
Snowboarder Suzen Murakoshi to Debut Tale of Unconditional Love at Calgary Fringe Festival, 7/29-8/5/11

Other Articles by Lia Chang
Photos: Working Theater’s Production of Rob Ackerman’s CALL ME WALDO at Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex through March 11, 2012
Photos: Larry Bryggman, Denise Burse, Peter Jay Fernandez, Tim Hopper, Arliss Howard, Kobi Libii, Mary McCann, Neil Pepe, David Pittu, Steve Rosen, Sheila Tapia, Debra Winger at Atlantic Theatre’s Opening Night of Gabe McKinley’s CQ/CX
Linsanity: Sport 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
broadwayworld.com: Photo Flash: SPEAK UP CONNIE In Rehearsal
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Photos & Video: Celebrate Chinese New Year with David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish
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
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
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

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

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

Feb. 22-Mar 4.: Suzen Murakoshi’s Breathe Love Repeat: a near-life experience, at 2012 Frigid New York Festival at Under St. Marks

Breathe Love Repeat: a near-life experience will be presented in February and March at Under St. Marks as a part of the 2012 Frigid New York Festival. In Breathe Love Repeat: a near-life experience, a “Samurai Super Daughter” struggles with her mother’s love at the crossroads between East and West, struggling to affirm life between this world and the next.

Produced by Mustique Projects, the production is written by and will star Broadway’s Suzen Murakoshi (A Chorus Line and The King & I) and will feature direction from Obie-Award Winner Ching Valdes-Aran (who performed in The Wild Party on Broadway).

With warmth and humor, “Breathe Love Repeat, a near-life experience” tells the story of the last days in the life of a mother and daughter. This uplifting and life-affirming show takes audiences from the mountains of Japan to the islands of Hawaii as Murakoshi brings the clarity of life into focus by bringing us closer to the end.

Suzen Murakoshi

Suzen Murakoshi is a veteran of Broadway, off-Broadway and regional theatres. Her favorite roles include “Juliet” in Romeo and Juliet at the Cleveland Playhouse and “Connie” in A Chorus Line on Broadway. Together with Obie award winner, Ching Valdes-Aran, Ms. Murakoshi has performed her own past work at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where she was short-listed for Best Actor for her role as “Helen” in Slippery When Wet (SWW). She has appeared in the films Bill Murray’s Quick Change, Oliver Stone’s Wall Street and Mario Van Peebles’ New Jack City.

Ms. Murakoshi received an MFA from the NYC New School of Drama in Playwriting and Acting. She also attended Oxford University, Balliol College, with the British American Drama Academy. Her work has been produced at the Penumbra Theatre in Minneapolis, MN to critical acclaim.

Other produced plays include Slippery When Wet at La MaMa Experimental Theatre, Sisters at Circle in the Square Downtown, NYC. Her short play, Dunno, Gotta Go was accepted and given a reading at the Edward Albee Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska, 2004.

Ms. Murakoshi has worked with the 52nd Street Project in New York City for many years as a writer, actor and director. While there, she co-wrote short plays with ‘Genius Award” fellow, Willie Reale as well as having been directed as an actor by Oscar winner Frances McDormand.

In 2007, Ms. Murakoshi was awarded a Mayoral Proclamation from Michael Bloomburg and the City of New York for her work with the Kids Project where she is the Artistic Director. The Kids Project performs free shows for the NYC area with a target audience of 90,000 children and adults annually.

Breathe Love Repeat, a near-life experience will have five performances at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place) on Wednesday, February 22 at 10:30pm, Friday, February 24 at 7:30pm, Monday, February 27 at 7:30pm, Friday, March 2 at 10:30pm and Sunday, March 4 at 7pm. Tickets are $15 ($10 for students/seniors) and are available online at www.smarttix.com.

For more information, you can visit www.breatheloverepeat.com.

Other Articles by Lia Chang
Suzen Murakoshi’s Breathe Love Repeat: a Near Life Experience, at 30th Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, 8/11-8/20/11
Snowboarder Suzen Murakoshi to Debut Tale of Unconditional Love at Calgary Fringe Festival, 7/29-8/5/11
Cindy Cheung’s solo show SPEAK UP CONNIE, directed by BD Wong at Stage Left Studio has been extended, February 5-15, 2012
Linsanity: Sport 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
broadwayworld.com: Photo Flash: SPEAK UP CONNIE In Rehearsal
Feb. 13: Chinglish Playwright David Henry Hwang Moderates “RepresentAsian: The Changing Face of New York Theater” at Pope Auditorium at Fordham University
Larry Bryggman, Peter Jay Fernandez, Arliss Howard and David Pittu Set for Atlantic Theater Company’s CQ/CX, January 25-March 4, 2012
Ma-Yi Theatre Company Presents Qui Nguyen’s THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G at Theatre Row’s Beckett Theatre, 2/7 – 3/4
Photos: Eiko Ishioka
Mu Daiko 15th Anniversary Concert and Minnesota Tour, February 9-19, 2012
Aaron Lazar, Kate Baldwin, P.J. Griffith, Raul Aranas Set for the Dallas Theater Center/Public Theater Co-Production of Giant at the Wyly Theatre, January 18 – February 19, 2012
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Photos & Video: Celebrate Chinese New Year with David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish through January 29, 2012
Photos: “How To Succeed” stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rose Hemingway and John Larroquette at Lord & Taylor for Windows Unveiling
Multimedia: Promises, Promises’ Stars Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
broadwayworld.com: Chinglish in Rehearsal
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
Photo Call: BD Wong and the Cast of Heading East at the Asia Society
Celebrating my mom – AN ACTIVE VISION: BEVERLY UMEHARA…LABOR ACTIVIST…1945-1999
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang 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.

Lia Chang: Suzen Murakoshi’s Breathe Love Repeat: a Near Life Experience, at 30th Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, 8/11-20, 2011

Snowboarder Suzen Murakoshi

Suzen Murakoshi kicks it up a notch with her solo show, Breathe Love Repeat: a Near Life Experience. Photo by Anya Garrett.

After a well received run at the Calgary Fringe Festival, New York based actor, playwright, and snowboarder Suzen Murakoshi continues to take Canada by storm with her solo show Breathe Love Repeat: a Near Life Experience, a true story written and performed by Ms. Murakoshi, and directed by Obie (Off-Broadway) award winner Ching Valdes-Aran, at the 30th Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival.

Performances for Breathe Love Repeat: a Near Life Experience, are from Thursday, August 11 – Saturday, August 20, 2011. Tickets are available at the Central Fringe Theatre Box Office in the TransAlta Arts Barns (10330 84 Avenue), online at https://tickets.fringetheatre.ca/DateSelection.aspx?item=1044 or (780) 409-1910. Tickets purchased by phone or online can be picked up at the Central Fringe Box Office Pick-Up Window (TransAlta Arts Barns).

A “Samurai Super Daughter” struggles with her mother at the crossroads between East and West to affirm life between this world and the next. With warmth and humour, Breathe Love Repeat: a Near Life Experience tells the story of the last days in the life of a mother and daughter. This uplifting and life affirming show travels from the mountains of Japan to the islands of Hawaii. Delightful in its simplicity, and memorable in its expression, Ms. Murakoshi brings the clarity of life into focus by bringing us closer to the end.

Suzen Murakoshi is a veteran of Broadway, off-Broadway and regional theatres. Her favorite roles include “Juliet” in Romeo and Juliet at the Cleveland Playhouse and “Connie” in A Chorus Line on Broadway. Together with Obie award winner, Ching Valdes-Aran, Ms. Murakoshi has performed her own past work at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where she was short-listed for Best Actor for her role as “Helen” in Slippery When Wet (SWW). She has appeared in the films Bill Murray’s Quick Change, Oliver Stone’s Wall Street and Mario Van Peebles’ New Jack City.

Ms. Murakoshi received an MFA from the NYC New School of Drama in Playwriting and Acting. She also attended Oxford University, Balliol College, with the British American Drama Academy. Her work has been produced at the Penumbra Theatre in Minneapolis, MN to critical acclaim.

Other produced plays include Slippery When Wet at La MaMa Experimental Theatre, Sisters at Circle in the Square Downtown, NYC. Her short play, Dunno, Gotta Go was accepted and given a reading at the Edward Albee Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska, 2004.

Ms. Murakoshi has worked with the 52nd Street Project in New York City for many years as a writer, actor and director. While there, she co-wrote short plays with ‘Genius Award” fellow, Willie Reale as well as having been directed as an actor by Oscar winner Frances McDormand.

In 2007, Ms. Murakoshi was awarded a Mayoral Proclamation from Michael Bloomburg and the City of New York for her work with the Kids Project where she is the Artistic Director. The Kids Project performs free shows for the NYC area with a target audience of 90,000 children and adults annually.

Where:
30th Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival
Fringeopolis runs August 11 – 21, 2011, in venues throughout Old Strathcona and beyond. For more information about Fringeopolis visit www.fringetheatre.ca.

When:
Thursday, August 11 @ 8pm
Saturday, August 13 @ 12:15pm
Sunday, August 14 @ 11:45pm
Monday, August 15 @ 11:45pm
Tuesday, August 16 @ 4:30pm
Thursday, August 18 @ 10:15pm
Friday, August 19 @ 6pm
Saturday, August 20 @ 2:30pm

The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival is the largest and longest-running Festival of its kind in North America. The Edmonton Fringe doesn’t jury or censor artists’ work in any way and selects performances using an unbiased lottery system. Participating artists receive 100 per cent of ticket revenue from their performances; the Fringe relies on donations from Festival patrons, public funders and business sponsors to operate.

Other Articles by Lia Chang
Snowboarder Suzen Murakoshi to Debut Tale of Unconditional Love at Calgary Fringe Festival, 7/29-8/5
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Photos: On the town with Rick Shiomi, Co-Editor of “Asian American Plays for a New Generation”, in D.C. & NY
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 Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
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
broadwayworld.com: Chinglish in Rehearsal
Photos: Christmas in June w/ Samrat Chakrabarti and Sanjiv Jhaveri’s “Bakwas Bumbug” at The Wild Project in NY
My portrait of “Thom Sesma’s Makeup Transformation into Scar in The Lion King” on view in HHC’s New York City: IN FOCUS, Vol. 2
Multimedia: Exclusive photos and video of Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas -In the Makeup Chair with Thom Sesma
Photo Call: BD Wong and the Cast of Heading East at the Asia Society
Celebrating my mom – AN ACTIVE VISION: BEVERLY UMEHARA…LABOR ACTIVIST…1945-1999
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang 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. Off Broadway credits include: Jeff Weiss’ Obie Award winning Hot Keys (Naked Angels), Raunchy Asian Women (Ohio Theatre), The Confirmation (The Vineyard), Behind Closed Doors (MCC), Power Play (Billie Holiday Theatre), Two Gentlemen of Verona, Underground Soap, and Famine Plays (Cucaracha Theatre). 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. She is a National Tropical Botanical Garden Environmental Journalism Fellow, a Scripps Howard New Media Fellow at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, a Visual Journalism Fellow at the Poynter Institute for New Media and a Western Knight Fellow at USC’s Annenberg College of Communications for Specialized Journalism on Entertainment Journalism in the Digital Age. She is the recipient of the Asian American Journalists Association 2001 National Award for New Media and the Organization of Chinese Americans 2000 Chinese American Journalist Award. Avenue Magazine named her one of the “One Hundred Most Influential Asian Americans” in 1997. She is featured in Joann Faung Jean Lee’s book “Asian American actors: oral histories from stage, screen, and television”.

Lia Chang: Snowboarder Suzen Murakoshi to Debut Tale of Unconditional Love at Calgary Fringe Festival, 7/29-8/5

Snowboarder Suzen Murakoshi

Suzen Murakoshi kicks it up a notch with her solo show, Breathe Love Repeat: a Near Life Experience. Photo by Anya Garrett.

New York based actor, playwright, and snowboarder Suzen Murakoshi kicks it up a notch with her solo show Breathe Love Repeat: a Near Life Experience, a true story written and performed by Ms. Murakoshi, and directed by Obie (Off-Broadway) award winner Ching Valdes-Aran, which is part of the exciting lineup at the 2011 Calgary Fringe Festival. Performances for Breathe Love Repeat: a Near Life Experience, are at Venue 1008, 1008 14th Street, SE. in Calgary from July 29-August 5, 2011. Tickets are $10-$14, and are available as of July 1st at www.calgaryfringe.ca//

A “Samurai Super Daughter” struggles with her mother at the crossroads between East and West to affirm life between this world and the next. With warmth and humour, Breathe Love Repeat: a Near Life Experience tells the story of the last days in the life of a mother and daughter. This uplifting and life affirming show travels from the mountains of Japan to the islands of Hawaii. Delightful in its simplicity, and memorable in its expression, Ms. Murakoshi brings the clarity of life into focus by bringing us closer to the end.

Suzen Murakoshi is a veteran of Broadway, off-Broadway and regional theatres. Her favorite roles include “Juliet” in Romeo and Juliet at the Cleveland Playhouse and “Connie” in A Chorus Line on Broadway. Together with Obie award winner, Ching Valdes-Aran, Ms. Murakoshi has performed her own past work at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where she was short-listed for Best Actor for her role as “Helen” in Slippery When Wet (SWW). She has appeared in the films Bill Murray’s Quick Change, Oliver Stone’s Wall Street and Mario Van Peebles’ New Jack City.

Ms. Murakoshi received an MFA from the NYC New School of Drama in Playwriting and Acting. She also attended Oxford University, Balliol College, with the British American Drama Academy. Her work has been produced at the Penumbra Theatre in Minneapolis, MN to critical acclaim.

Other produced plays include Slippery When Wet at La MaMa Experimental Theatre, Sisters at Circle in the Square Downtown, NYC. Her short play, Dunno, Gotta Go was accepted and given a reading at the Edward Albee Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska, 2004.

Ms. Murakoshi has worked with the 52nd Street Project in New York City for many years as a writer, actor and director. While there, she co-wrote short plays with ‘Genius Award” fellow, Willie Reale as well as having been directed as an actor by Oscar winner Frances McDormand.

In 2007, Ms. Murakoshi was awarded a Mayoral Proclamation from Michael Bloomburg and the City of New York for her work with the Kids Project where she is the Artistic Director. The Kids Project performs free shows for the NYC area with a target audience of 90,000 children and adults annually.

Where:
Venue 1008
1008 14th Street, SE.
Calgary, AB T2G 3K3.
Canada

When:
Friday, 7/29: 10pm
Sat., 7/30: 8pm
Sun., 7/31: 6pm
Mon., 8/1: 10pm
Thurs., 8/4: 6pm
Fri., 8/5: 4pm

Other articles by Lia Chang
HHC Art Collection’s “New York City: In FOCUS, Vol.2” Photo Exhibit on view 6/23-/7/14, Opening Reception 6/23
Playwright Camille Darby
Lord & Taylor CEO Brendan Hoffman to receive 2011 “Father of the Year” & Milton Margolis Humanitarian Award in NY
Photos:Alexander McQueen:Savage Beauty Extends at Met through 8/7, Met Mondays w/ McQueen begin 6/6
Photos: Willie Reale, Frances McDormand, Lewis Black, Bela Fleck, Renee Goldsberry, Duncan Sheik, Lisa Benavides, Abigail Washburn, Tim Blake Nelson at The 52nd Street Project Benefit
Meshach Taylor talks Wigger on Wendy Williams Show
Artwork by Asia Flores on display in Mercy High School Annual Art & Soul Art Exhibition in SF
Photos of AEA’s Asian Heritage Celebration, featuring the Leviathan Lab Asian American Women Writers Workshop
Photos: Samrat Chakrabarti, Soham Mehta and Shiva Shankar Bajpai at the New York Indian Film Festival
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet, Tracee Chimo opening night of Neil LaBute’s The Break of Noon
Multimedia: Exclusive photos and video of Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas -In the Makeup Chair with Thom Sesma
NY Yankee Fans Show Love for Brett Gardner at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Multimedia: Promises, Promises’ Stars Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
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, 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 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.

Lia Chang Photos: Willie Reale, Frances McDormand, Lewis Black, Bela Fleck, Renee Goldsberry, Duncan Sheik, Lisa Benavides, Abigail Washburn, Tim Blake Nelson at The 52nd Street Project Benefit

Willie Reale and Denise Burse at The 52nd Street Project Benefit on May 9, 2011 at Espace. Photo by Lia Chang

Last Monday, I joined “House of Payne”‘s Denise Burse at The 52nd Street Project’s He Started It! 30th Anniversary Benefit celebrating Willie Reale, the founder of The Project, at Espace in New York. Burse who plays Claretha on Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne,” is featured in the latest episode “Talented Paynes.”

(L-R) Lyricists Edelys Tiana Guerrero, Haley Zoe Martinez Nicolas Carrero, Genesis Hires and Malik Velazquez (not pictured). Photos by Lia Chang

Willie Reale, is an actor, playwright and 1994 MacArthur Fellow, who recently received his third Daytime Emmy nomination as part of the producing team of “The Electric Company.” He is an Academy Award nominee for Best Original Song (with Henry Krieger) for “Patience” from Dreamgirls, a two-time Tony nominee for A Year with Frog and Toad (Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score with brother Robert Reale), a two-time Writers Guild of America nominee for “Damages” and “Out There” (with Mark Palmer). He won a 2010 Daytime Emmy as part of the producing team for “The Electric Company,” and was also nominated for Outstanding Writing in a Children’s Series for “The Electric Company,” that same year.

In 1981, Reale, started the project in response to a deepening need to improve the quality of life for New York’s inner-city children. As a company member of the Ensemble Studio Theater (EST), Reale used his company privileges to reach out to the children of the neighborhood by creating theatrical endeavors specifically for them.

Lewis Black Photo by Lia Chang

For almost two decades, Burse and her husband actor Peter Jay Fernandez have been among the countless professional theater artists who have volunteered their time and talent, being matched up with kids in a series of unique mentoring programs for The 52nd Street Project. The Project’s mission is dedicated to the creation and production of new plays for and by kids between the ages of nine and eighteen that reside in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood in New York City. This was done with the cooperation and support of EST and its across-the-street-neighbor, the Police Athletic League’s Duncan Center. The Project is now an independent not-for-profit organization that creates over eighty new plays and serves over 115 children every year.

Frances McDormand Photo by Lia Chang

The evening was hosted by Lewis Black, with special remarks by Frances McDormand and Jose Soto. The entertainment featured songs with lyrics written by Project kids Nicolas Carrero, Edelys Tiana Guerrero, Genesis Hires, Haley Zoe Martinez and Malik Velazquez, set to music and performed by Lisa Benavides, Bela Fleck, Christopher Fitzgerald,Tim Blake Nelson, Duncan Sheik and Abigail Washburn. Adult composers included J. Michael Friedman, Henry Krieger, Rob Reale, Duncan Sheik and Abigail Washburn and Bela Fleck.

Lisa Benavides and Tim Blake Nelson Photo by Lia Chang

Duncan Sheik Photo by Lia Chang

Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn Photo by Lia Chang

Renee Goldsberry Photo by Lia Chang

Check back for a slideshow of the night.



Related articles:
Rene Goldsberry, Frances McDormand, Tim Blake Nelson, Duncan Sheik lend vocal talents for The 52nd Street Project 30th Anniversary Gala Celebrating Willie Reale
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
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 in House of Payne Episode “Payneful Visit”
Wikipedia List of Tyler Perry’s House of Payne Episodes

Other Articles by this Author:
Christine Toy Johnson, Jaygee Macapugay, Jon Norman Schneider to perform in National Asian Artists Project: Discover: New Musicals at 47th Street Theatre on 5/23
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
Meshach Taylor talks Wigger on Wendy Williams Show
Artwork by Asia Flores on display in Mercy High School Annual Art & Soul Art Exhibition in SF
Photos of AEA’s Asian Heritage Celebration, featuring the Leviathan Lab Asian American Women Writers Workshop
Photos: Samrat Chakrabarti, Soham Mehta and Shiva Shankar Bajpai at the New York Indian Film Festival
Sixth Annual Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival – Ajay Naidu’s Ashes Screens on May 11 & May 15 in Edgewood, PA
Victory Gardens appoints renowned director and playwright Chay Yew as its new Artistic Director
André De Shields stars in Chicago Premiere of Charles Smith’s The Gospel According to James at Victory Gardens 5/14-6/12
Up Close and Personal with Darren Pettie, Star of The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore
Marva Hicks and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra light up the Southern Theatre with a “A Night at the Apollo”
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet,Tracee Chimo opening night of Neil LaBute’s The Break of Noon
Multimedia: Exclusive photos and video of Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas -In the Makeup Chair with Thom Sesma
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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.