Manhattan Theatre Club’s American premiere of Golden Shield, written by Anchuli Felicia King (White Pearl) and directed by May Adrales (Vietgone at MTC), begins performances tonight at New York City Center – Stage I (131 West 55th Street). Opening night is Tuesday, May 17.
Golden Shield‘s ensemble cast features Cindy Cheung, Fang Du, Kristen Hung, Daniel Jenkins, Michael C. Liu, Max Gordon Moore, Ruibo Qian and Gillian Saker.
From international playwright Anchuli Felicia King comes a riveting new play about loyalties, intrigue and the delicate art of translation. When enterprising American lawyer Julie Chen files a class-action lawsuit involving a multinational technology corporation and the Chinese government, she hires her strong-minded sister Eva as her translator. But what compromises will they make in order to win? And can they put aside their past differences to speak the same language? Directing this fast-paced production is May Adrales (Vietgone).
The show’s creative team includes dots (scenic design), Sara Ryung Clement (costume design), Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew (lighting design), Charles Coes & Nathan A. Roberts (original music & sound design), Tom Watson (hair & wig design), Ka-Ling Cheung (vocal coach), and Alyssa K. Howard (production stage manager).
Major support for Golden Shield is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation as part of The Sloan Initiative: Setting the Stage for Science and Technology. Additional support is provided by the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
MTC has also announced two special performances during the run of Golden Shield:
Wednesday, May 4 is Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Night, which will include a talkback following the 7:00pm performance of Golden Shield.
On Wednesday, May 11, following the 7:00pm performance there will be a Sloan panel discussion that will address internet surveillance, the global and legal impacts of internet firewall technology, and other technological themes in the play.
HEALTH AND SAFETY INFORMATION
Proof of vaccination and a Valid ID will be required to enter the theatre. Masks must be worn at all times. For up to date COVID protocols, go to www.manhattantheatreclub.com/protocols/.
MTC SUBSCRIPTIONS AND PATRON MEMBERSHIPS
To join MTC’s season of plays as a Subscriber or a Patron, call the MTC Clubline at 212-399-3050 or go to www.manhattantheatreclub.com.
To sign up for MTC’s “30 Under 35” program, offering $30 tickets for theatregoers age 35 and under, visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com/30under35/.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
·WEEK OF APRIL 25: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday at 7PM; Friday and Saturday at 8PM; Matinee on Sunday at 2PM.
·WEEK OF MAY 2: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 7PM; Friday and Saturday at 8PM; Matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 2PM. The Wednesday, May 4 performance is AAPI Night.
·WEEK OF MAY 9: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 7PM; Friday and Saturday at 8PM; Matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2PM.
·WEEK OF MAY 16: Wednesday and Thursday at 7PM; Friday and Saturday at 8PM; Matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2PM. The opening night performance on Tuesday, May 17 is at 6:30PM.
·WEEK OF MAY 23: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 7PM; Friday and Saturday at 8PM; Matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2PM.
·WEEK OF MAY 30: Tuesday and Wednesday at 7PM; Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8PM; Matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 2PM. The 1PM performance on Wednesday, June 1 is an Education Matinee.
·WEEK OF JUNE 6: Tuesday and Wednesday at 7PM; Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8PM; Matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2PM.
ABOUT MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB
MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB, under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, has become one of the country’s most prominent and prestigious theatre companies. Over more than four decades, MTC productions have earned numerous awards including 7 Pulitzer Prizes, 27 Tony Awards, 40 Drama Desk Awards and 49 Obie Awards. MTC has a Broadway home at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street) and two Off-Broadway theatres at New York City Center (131 West 55th Street). How I Learned to Drive is currently playing at MTC’s Broadway home at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. For more information on MTC, please visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.
Lia Chang is a Chinese-American actor, a multi-media content producer, an award-winning filmmaker, and a photo activist and documentarian, who lifts up and amplifies BIPOC communities and artists and the institutions that support them.
Lia moved to New York from her home in San Francisco when she was 17 years of age and made her stage debut as Liat in a national tour of South Pacific with Barbara Eden and Robert Goulet. She spent many years working extensively Off-Broadway, including Signature Theatre’s revival of Sam Shepard’s Chicago. Her film work includes Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, and The Last Dragon. The decades of being viewed by others through the narrow lens of “Asian actor” in the industry brought Lia to a turning point, and she picked up her camera, determined to create awareness by documenting the work and the lives of her BIPOC colleagues, resulting in the creation of thousands of photographs and pieces of video. Her photo archives are housed in the AAPI collection in the Library of Congress’ Asian Reading Room under “Lia Chang Theater Portfolio collection,1989-2011” and in the “Lia Chang Photography Collection” in The Billy Rose Theatre Division of the New York Public Library.
Lia’s awards include the 2000 OCA Chinese American Journalist Award and the 2001 AAJA National Award for New Media. She is also an AAJA Executive Leadership Graduate, a Western Knight Fellow at USC’s Annenberg College of Communications for Specialized Journalism on Entertainment Journalism in the Digital Age, a National Press Photographers Association Visual Edge/Visual Journalism Fellow at the Poynter Institute for New Media, and a Scripps Howard New Media Fellow at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.
More recently, Lia co-founded Bev’s Girl Films, which makes films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. She executive produced and starred in the indie films Hide and Seek (AA Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Best Actress Nomination), Rom-Com Gone Wrong, and When the World Was Young (2021 DisOrient Film Audience Choice Award for Best Short Narrative).
A retrospective of Lia’s photographs will be on view at the Museum of the City of New York later this year, documenting her BIPOC colleagues and contemporaries in the performing arts, which will include photos of Prospect Theater Company artists at work. www.liachang.com, www.liachangphotography.com
Backstage Pass with Lia Chang 