Lauren Yee’s KING OF THE YEE’s Garners Five SFBATCC Excellence in Theatre Awards; Francis Jue Wins for Principal Actor in KING OF THE YEES and Featured Actor in THE LANGUAGE LESSON

The San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle announced the recipients of its 44th Annual “Excellence in Theatre” awards with an online presentation via its website on April 30.

Originally scheduled for March 30 at San Francisco’s Victoria Theatre, the event was postponed as the coronavirus crisis gained a foothold in the US. It was then cancelled altogether as the situation worsened, as was every other scheduled large gathering.

San Francisco Playhouse’s production of Lauren Yee’s King of the Yees won in five categories – for Entire Production in San Francisco and the Bay Area, Principal Actor in a Play for Francis Jue, Featured Actress in a Play for Rinabeth Apostol and Sound Design for Mikhail Fiksel.

The cast of “King of the Yees,” Jomar Tagatac, from left, Krystle Piamonte, Francis Jue, Rinabeth Apostol and Will Dao appears recently at San Francisco Playhouse. courtesy of Jessica Palopoli

Francis Jue garnered his second award of the season for Featured Actor in a Play in Julia Cho’s The Language Archive, produced by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. His castmate Jomar Tagatac won for Principal Actor in a Play.

Francis Jue, Jomar Tagatac, Adrienne Kaori Walters, Emily Kuroda. Photo Credit: Alessandra Mello

For more information about the Circle Awards, visit the SFBATCC web site at www.sfbatcc.org.

The SFBATCC is a private 501(c)(6) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and serving theatres of all types and sizes in the greater region by recognizing excellence and outstanding achievement in the field. Active since 1976, the Circle consists of reviewers covering theatre in all nine Bay Area counties, across various media, who are voted into membership by existing members based on the quality and consistency of their reviews. The Circle hosts an annual awards ceremony each Spring to celebrate superior work in the previous year.

Francis Jue To Star In Lauren Yee’s KING OF THE YEES at San Francisco Playhouse, January 22 – March 2

Francis Jue, Emily Kuroda, Jomar Tagatac, Elena Wright and Adrienne Kaori Walters in TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Production of Julia Cho’s THE LANGUAGE ARCHIVE through August 4 

SigSpace Presents Arts Lunch with Francis Jue, David Henry Hwang and Lauren Yee at Noon on May 1 

Video Teaser: Cast Recording of Signature Theatre Production of Lauren Yee’s CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND, Featuring Francis Jue, Abraham Kim, Jane Lui, Joe Ngo, Courtney Reed and Moses Villarama, To be released on May 8 

David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori’s SOFT POWER Receives Five Lucille Lortel Nominations Including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical for Francis Jue and Conrad Ricamora, Outstanding Choreography for Sam Pinkleton and Outstanding Scenic Design for Clint Ramos; Full List of Nominations 

SOFT POWER Receives Eleven Drama Desk Nominations, HALFWAY BITCHES GO STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN Receives Eight Nods; Full List of Nominees 

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits

Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers,  musicians and corporations. Lia 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, Taxman. She stars in and served as Executive Producer for the short independent films Hide and Seek, Balancing Act, Rom-Com Gone Wrong, Belongingness and When the World was Young. She is also the Executive Producer for The Cactus, The Language Lesson, The Writer and Cream and 2 Shugahs.

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