Randy Reyes is at the helm of Theater Mu production of The Korean Addict’s Guide to Losing Your Virginity, written by local playwright May Lee-Yang. The production began previews on July 27 and will continue through August 19 are at Park Square Theatre’s Andy Boss Thrust Stage! This production is the final play in Mu’s season dedicated to the celebration of female playwrights and protagonists. Opening night is set for August 3.
Synopsis: She’s a Hmong personality coach addicted to Korean Dramas (Korean soap operas). He’s the heir to a Korean manufacturing giant banished to the new Midwest office. Will she find a man before the magic hour of her 30th birthday? Will he buck tradition and embrace his musical dreams? Fantasy collides with reality in this romantic comedy about fate, cultural clashes, and the art of losing one’s virginity.
The Korean Drama Addict’s Guide to Losing Your Virginity is commissioned and produced with generous support from the Jerome Foundation.
The cast includes Dexieng Yang (Gao), Brian Kim* (Benedict), Clay Man Soo (Secretary Kim), Khadija Siddiqui (Z), Katie Bradley* (Madame Song), Phasoua Vang (Mom), Joann Oudekerk (Park Mirae), Gregory Yang (Tou Mong), as well as Yeej Moua and Mai See Lee.
The production team is comprised of Randy Reyes (Director), Lyndsey RHarter* (Stage Manager), Sarah Brandner (Set Designer), Alex Olsen (Technical Director), Karin Olson (Lighting Designer), Abbee Warmboe (Props Designer), Samantha Fromm Haddow (Costume Designer), and Matthew Vichlach (Sound Designer).
This season also premiers Theater Mu’s experimental Pay As You Are pricing. Mu strives to voice the stories of the Asian American community, and in order to bring performances to those communities whose stories they tell, Mu is committed to make them as accessible as possible. Pay As You Are pricing asks those who routinely pay $35-$40 for theater tickets to choose to pay that amount; it is the actual fair market value of the ticket. If an audience member needs to pay less, they can choose to pay less – as little as $5 per ticket.
Online Tickets
Box Office Tickets: 651-789-1012
Remaining performances:
• August 3 – 7:30 (opening)
• August 4 – 7:30
• August 5 – 2:00
• August 9 – 7:30
• August 10 – 7:30
• August 11 – 2:00
• August 11 – 7:30
• August 12 – 2:00
• August 16 – 7:30
• August 17 – 7:30
• August 18 – 7:30
• August 19 – 2:00 (Close)
Theater Mu is the largest Asian American performing arts organization in the Midwest. Founded in 1992, Mu tells untold stories from the heart of the Asian American experience, presenting a fusion of traditional and contemporary artistic influences, which range from classics to up-and-coming voices in our community. Mu’s continuing goal to give voice to the Asian American experience through theater is achieved through mainstage productions, emerging artist support, and educational outreach programs. Theater Mu is a proud member of the Twin Cities Theatres of Color Coalition along with New Native Theatre, Pangea World Theater, Penumbra Theatre, Teatro Del Pueblo, and the Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists.
May Lee-Yang is a playwright, poet, prose writer, and performance artist. Born in Ban Vinai, a refugee camp in Thailand following the Secret War in Laos, May moved with her family to Saint Paul, MN where she lives to this day. Her work often explores the lives of Hmong women and living in a bicultural world, and she has been hailed by Twin Cities Metro Magazine as “on her way to becoming one of the most powerful and colorful voices in local theater.” Her theater-based works have been presented at Theater Mu, the Center for Hmong Arts and Talent (CHAT), Out North Theater, the 2011 National Asian American Theater Festival, the MN Fringe Festival and others. Her works include Confessions of a Lazy Hmong Woman and Ten Reasons Why I’d Be a Bad Porn Star. She has received grants from the Bush Leadership Fellowship, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the National Performance Network, the Midwestern Voices and Visions Residency Award, the Playwrights’ Center, and the Loft Literary Center.
Backstage Pass with Lia Chang 