HB Resident Artist, Đavid Lee Huỳnh is presenting “X#*! you very much, Mom” at HB Studio, Helen Gallagher Studio, 120 Bank St, New York on Saturday, June 22 and Sunday, June 23 at 8:00 PM. Written and performed by Đavid Lee Huỳnh, with Nana Dakin at the helm. The design and production team includes Sound Designer Hao Bai, Projection Designer Qixin Zhang, Lighting Designer Ben Wolfe, and Stage Manager Clarissa Mota. Click here for tickets.
“X#*! you very much, Mom” is Theatre meets TED Talk meets dark family secrets, Đavid Lee Huỳnh shares how the effects of French colonialism shaped Vietnam, rippled out, and made it so #%@#ing hard for his mom to say “I love you.” This work in development is told with whimsy, sardonic humor, and heart.
Đavid Lee Huỳnh is an actor and writer based in NYC. Off-Broadway: The Merchant of Venice (Theatre for a New Audience), Once Upon A (korean) Time (Ma-Yi Theatre Company), the Drama Desk-nominated Henry VI (NAATCO), Mrs. Warren’s Profession (Gingold Theatrical Group) The Trial of the Catonsville Nine (Transport Group), Warrior Sisters of Wu, No-No Boy, Emperor’s Nightingale (Pan Asian Rep) Regional: Alley Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare, Everyman Theatre, Mixed Blood, and many others. TV/Film: Blue Bloods, FBI, Solitary, Children of the Dust. He stars in the Dungeons & Dragons television show Encounter Party streaming on Freevee and Plex. His writing has been supported by Yangtze Repertory Theatre of America and Ozark Living Newspaper Theatre. MFA: University of Houston | www.davidleehuynh.com | Insta: huynhsome
Nana Dakin (นานา เดกิ้น) (Director) is a queer Thai American director of new work, classics and devised performance based in NYC. Her work pursues social equity by examining the way culture is constructed and unsettling dormant biases. She is the first Thai theatre director to direct at the Royal Court Theatre in London and in NYC her work has been presented and developed at Ars Nova, Atlantic Theater Company, Bedlam, The Civilians, Clubbed Thumb, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Ma-Yi Theater Company, New York Theatre Workshop, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, The Playwrights Realm, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Soho Rep and more. www.nanadakin.com
Hao Bai (Sound Designer), is a multidisciplinary designer in lighting, sound, video projection, and world-building (environment) for live and virtual performances. Recent: Virtual: Final Boarding Call (Ma-Yi Theater+WP Theater); Nocturne in 1200s (Ping Chong). Lighting: Waterboy and the Mighty World (Bushwick Starr & The Public Theatre); Lazarus (Ping Chong); Projection: Electronic City (NYIT Awards); My Home on the Moon (SF Playhouse). Sound: Walden (TheatreWorks–CT Critics Circle Award), True West (People’s Light). Lighting & Sound: 7Mins (HERE). Lighting & Projection: Priestess of Twerk (HERE + Irondale); Lighting/Sound/Projection: Arden (The Flea). Production Design: and the grass grows (Harvard University); Where We Belong (National Tours: The Public, Goodman Theatre, OSF etc.).
Qixin Zhang (Projection Designer) is a media artist and engineer, who seamlessly blends art and technology to create transformative experiences. With a diverse cultural background encompassing both East and West influences, her work reflects a harmonious fusion of creative perspectives. Qixin’s art bridges dimensions, utilizing media in innovative ways to captivate audiences and inspire connections. Guided by empathy and a passion for cultural exchange, she strives to leave an indelible mark on the world through her imaginative and unseen creations. Carnegie Mellon University, 2023, MFA. Website: ultrablack.xyz | IG: @ultrablacki
Ben Wolfe (Lighting Designer) is a lighting designer, assistant, and programmer based in NYC. He is a recent Syracuse University graduate (’23) with a BFA in Theater Design and Technology. Past designs have been seen at HB Studio, RedHouse Theater, The Tank NYC, and Syracuse University’s Department of Drama. benlwolfedesign.com
Clarissa Mota (Stage Manager) is a multi-disciplinary artist, emphasizing new play development and equity in theatrical spaces. She is very thankful to be a part of this Project! Credits: Painting His Wings At Berkshire Fringe, Las Boriquenas (ASM), First Light Festival (SM).
HB Studio is dedicated to training and practice for the theater, and seeks to provide a commerce-free environment for the nurturing and growth of theater artists. In pursuit of this goal, HB offers five one-week Rehearsal Space Residencies each year for the development of creative projects. The HB Rehearsal Space Residency is an opportunity for practicing theater artists to collaborate on experimental projects, develop new work, and share workshop presentations among peers and colleagues, for constructive critical feedback and mutual growth. The Rehearsal Space Residency is an open opportunity; you do not have to be affiliated with HB Studio to apply. However we do ask that our resident artists work with us to engage with our community of students and faculty while in residence at HB. For more information on our HB Residencies. Click here. This project is part of Project YZ, Yangtze Repertory Theatre’s AAPI Artist Residency. This program is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and many generous supporters.
Backstage Pass with Lia Chang 