Pasadena Playhouse’s critically-acclaimed revival of Jeanne Sakata’s HOLD THESE TRUTHS starring Ryun Yu and directed by Jessica Kubzansky, ends run tonight. The play began preview performances on May 30 and opened on June 4. HOLD THESE TRUTHS, produced in association with East West Players, is a cautionary tale of the injustices perpetrated when nationalism, fear and hysteria collide. The Pasadena Playhouse is located at 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101.
Tickets for the 2:00PM and 7:00PM shows are available online at PasadenaPlayhouse.org, by phone at 626-356-7529 or at The Pasadena Playhouse Box Office (39 South El Molino Avenue).
Ryun Yu as Gordon Hirabayashi in “Hold These Truths”. Photo credit: Patrick Weishampel/Courtesy Portland Center Stage
75 years ago, Executive Order 9066 called for American citizens to be ripped from their homes and forced into internment camps, detained solely based on their heritage and ancestry. Amid the chaos, one young student stands up for what he passionately believes is right in the face of a country deeply divided between national security and freedom for all. Based on a true story which follows the life of civil rights hero Gordon Hirabayashi, HOLD THESE TRUTHS is a shockingly relevant cautionary tale of the injustices perpetrated when nationalism, fear and hysteria collide.
Ryun Yu as Gordon Hirabayashi in “Hold These Truths”. Photo credit: Patrick Weishampel/Courtesy Portland Center Stage
Gordon Kiyoshi Hirabayashi (1918-2012) was an American sociologist best known for his resistance to the Japanese-American internment during World War II. He was one of the only three to openly defy it. After being convicted for curfew violation he was sentenced to 90 days in prison. The verdict was appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Hirabayashi v. United States (1943). They unanimously ruled against him. He later spent a year in federal prison for refusing induction into the armed forces after they had sent out a racially discriminatory survey to Japanese-Americans demanding renunciation of allegiance to the emperor of Japan. In 1987, the U.S. Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit overturned his conviction from 1943. In 2012, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Hirabayashi for his principled stand against Japanese-American internment.
Ryun Yu as Gordon Hirabayashi in “Hold These Truths”. Photo credit: Patrick Weishampel/Courtesy Portland Center Stage
“I had the privilege of meeting this play of Jeanne Sakata’s in a very early stage of development, and was blessed to get to develop and direct it from then forward to its world premiere production and beyond. It has been an extraordinary gift, said Director Jessica Kubzansky. She added, “Not only because playwright Jeanne Sakata is herself an extraordinary light and spirit, and Ryun Yu, the actor who created the role, a beautiful man and a hugely gifted actor with enormous passion and integrity, but because, as I worked on this play, which is in some ways a love story between a man and his Constitution, I began to realize that for the first time in my life I was encountering a hero. A true hero. An American hero.”
Ryun Yu as Gordon Hirabayashi in “Hold These Truths”. Photo credit: Patrick Weishampel/Courtesy Portland Center Stage
HOLD THESE TRUTHS premiered at East West Players in 2007 under the title Dawn’s Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi.
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.
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 is also an internationally published and exhibited photographer, a multi-platform journalist, and a publicist. Lia has appeared in the filmsWolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.com, Jade Magazine and Playbill.com.
The cast of Sunday in the Park with George. Photo by T Charles Erickson
The Guthrie Theater is presenting Sunday in the Park with George starring “Queer as Folk” star Randy Harrison (Guthrie: The Glass Menagerie) who will play French pointillist painter George Seurat, a role originated by Mandy Patinkin in the 1984 Broadway production, and Broadway vet Erin Mackey (Guthrie: South Pacific) who will play Seurat’s lover and model, Dot, a role originated by Bernadette Peters.
Randy Harrison, Emily Gunyou Halaas, Christine Toy Johnson and Erin Mackey. Photo by T Charles Erickson.
With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, a book by James Lapine, and directed by Joseph Haj, Sunday in the Park with George will play through August 20, 2017 on the Wurtele Thrust Stage. Tickets are on sale now through the Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at guthrietheater.org.
Randy Harrison, Emily Gunyou Halaas, Christine Toy Johnson, Paul Nakauchi, Ann Michels, Sasha Andreev and Erin Mackey. Photo by T Charles Erickson.
Inspired by Georges Seurat’s 1884 painting, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Sunday in the Park with George merges past and present into a poignant and sophisticated exploration of what it takes, and what it costs, to be an artist. George is an obsessive painter who risks it all, including his relationship with his lover Dot, to complete his latest masterpiece. A century later, George’s great-grandson is working as an artist in New York City. In search of inspiration, he soon discovers that the answer to his future is painted clearly in his past.
The cast of Sunday in the Park with George. Photo by T Charles Erickson
Rounding out the cast are Sasha Andreev (Guthrie: The Two Gentlemen of Verona) as Franz / Alex, Christian Bardin (Guthrie: The Crucible, The Primrose Path) as Celeste #2 / a Photographer, Cat Brindisi (Guthrie: The Parchman Hour, South Pacific) as Celeste #1 / Betty, David Darrow (Guthrie: The Royal Family, The Parchman Hour) as Soldier / Dennis, Emily Gunyou Halaas (Guthrie: Sense and Sensibility, Uncle Vanya) as Nurse / Mrs. / Harriet Pawling, Christine Toy Johnson (Guthrie: South Pacific) as Old Lady / Blair Daniels, Benjamin Lohrberg (Guthrie: South Pacific) as the Soldier’s Companion, Ann Michels (Guthrie: The Cocoanuts, My Fair Lady) as Yvonne / Naomi Eisen, Justin Lee Miller (Guthrie: debut) as Boatman / Lee Randolph, Paul Nakauchi (Guthrie: debut) as Jules / Bob Greenberg, Britta Ollmann (Guthrie: debut) as Frieda / Elaine, T. Mychael Rambo (Guthrie: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Burial at Thebes) as Mr. / Charles Redmond and Max Wojtanowicz (Guthrie: debut) as Louis / Billy Webster. In addition, young actors Maia Hernandez and Natalie Tran will share the role of Louise / Bather.
The creative team for Sunday in the Park with George includes Joseph Haj (Director), Mark Hartman (Music Director / Conductor), Christopher Windom(Choreographer), Jan Chambers (Scenic Designer), Toni-Leslie James (Costume Designer), Jane Cox (Lighting Designer), Caite Hevner (Projection Designer), Elisheba Ittoop (Sound Designer), Jill Walmsley Zager (Vocal Coach), Carla Steen (Dramaturg), Victor Zupanc (Musical Contractor), Greg Theisen (Orchestrations), Chris A. Code (Stage Manager), Justin Hossle (Assistant Stage Manager), Jane Heer (Assistant Stage Manager) and Addie A. Gorlin (Assistant Director).
RELATED EVENTS: All events will be held at the Guthrie Theater (818 South 2nd Street, Minneapolis) unless otherwise noted.
Post-Play Discussions
The best conversations happen after hours. Stay late on these dates for a discussion with the artists who bring the show to life.
Sunday, June 25 at 1 p.m.
Tuesday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 2 at 1 p.m.
Saturday, July 15 at 1 p.m.
Saturday, July 22 at 1 p.m.
How’d They Do That? Workshop
Learn from Guthrie artists and staff how a production is created – from literary background to set and costume design to the staging of the play.
Saturday, July 8 at 9 a.m.
ACCESS DATES:
ASL Performances
Saturday, July 15 at 1 p.m.
Friday, July 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Audio Described Performances
Friday, July 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 15 at 1 p.m.
Open Captioned Performances
Saturday, July 8 at 1 p.m.
Wednesday, July 12 at 1 p.m.
Friday, July 14 at 7:30 p.m.
If you have specific program questions or need an accommodation, contact the Accessibility Office by phone at 612.225.6390(voice) or 612.225.6391 (TTY) or email at accessibility@guthrietheater.org.
THE GUTHRIE THEATER (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) was founded by Sir Tyrone Guthrie in 1963 and is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training, dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature and to cultivating the next generation of theater artists. Under the leadership of Haj, the Guthrie produces a mix of classic and contemporary plays on three stages, and continues to set a national standard for excellence in theatrical production and performance. In 2006, the Guthrie opened its new home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the Guthrie Theater houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms, full-service restaurants and dramatic public lobbies.
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.
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 is also an internationally published and exhibited photographer, a multi-platform journalist, and a publicist. Lia has appeared in the filmsWolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.com, Jade Magazine and Playbill.com.
Disney’s Aladdin, the hit Broadway musical, recently welcomed new Broadway cast members Telly Leung (Aladdin) and Major Attaway (Genie) to the New Amsterdam Theatre, 214 West 42nd St. in New York. Click here for tickets.
Telly Leung as Aladdin. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy
Aladdin opened to critical acclaim on March 20th, 2014 and quickly established itself as one of the biggest new blockbusters in recent years; last year only the smash musicalWicked was seen by more people on Broadway. Since its opening, Aladdin has set 12 New Amsterdam Theatre house records and welcomed over 4 million people worldwide. Its global footprint has expanded to include productions in Tokyo, Hamburg, London and Melbourne, along with a North American tour.
Major Attaway as Genie. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy
Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, the show features music by Tony Award and eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken(Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Sister Act), lyrics by two-time Oscar winner Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid), three-time Tony Award and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice (Evita, Aida) and four-time Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer), with a book by Beguelin, and is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon).
Telly Leung as Aladdin and Major Attaway as Genie in Broadway’s ALADDIN. Photo by Matthew Murphy
Aladdin stars Broadway veteran Telly Leung (Allegiance, Rent, TV’s “Glee”) in the title role, Courtney Reed (In the Heights, Mamma Mia) as Jasmine, Major Attaway in his Broadway debut as Genie, and, as Jafar, Tony Award nominee Jonathan Freeman (Mary Poppins, The Producers, She Loves Me) brings to the stage the role he indelibly created in the animated film. The show also features Steel Burkhardt, Brian Gonzales and Brad Weinstock as Aladdin’s sidekicks Kassim, Babkak and Omar, Clifton Davis as Sultan and Don Darryl Rivera as Iago. Juwan Crawley, James Moye and Deonté L. Warren stand by for several principals.
Telly Leung as Aladdin and Courtney Reed as Jamine. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy
In a cast of 38, Aladdin also features Tia Altinay, Netanel Bellaishe, Mike Cannon, Andrew Cao, Damian Chambers, Alicia Charles, Lauryn Ciardullo, Joshua Dela Cruz, Josh Drake, Tiffany Evariste, Gaby Gamache, Adrianna Hicks, Adam Hyndman, Ethan Le Phong, Nathan Lucrezio, Stanley Martin, Michael Mindlin, Amber Owens, Jamie Kasey Patterson, Bobby Pestka, Aleks Pevec, Ariel Reid, Trent Saunders, Angelo Soriano, Dennis Stowe and Kathryn Terza.
Aladdin, adapted from the Disney film and centuries-old folktales including “One Thousand and One Nights,” is brought to fresh theatrical life in this bold new musical. Aladdin’s journey sweeps audiences into an exotic world of daring adventure, classic comedy and timeless romance. This new production features a full score, including the five cherished songs from the Academy Award-winning soundtrack and more written especially for the stage.
Winner of two 2017 Tony Awards, Paula Vogel’s haunting and stunning new drama Indecent, set to play its final performance on Broadway on June 25th at the Cort Theatre, has been granted a reprieve and will continue through Sunday, August 6, 2017. Tickets to Indecent are on sale through Telecharge at 212-239-6200 or online at www.telecharge.com.
The show has seen overwhelming support following the initial closing was announcement last week. After receiving positive word-of-mouth and playing to standing-room-only crowds, the producers of Paula Vogel’s drama, directed by Tony Award winner Rebecca Taichman, have decided to keep the production open an additional 6 weeks.
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 03: (L-R) Daryl Roth, Paula Vogel, Rebecca Taichman and Cody Lassen attend the 2017 Tony Awards Meet The Nominees Press Junket at the Sofitel Hotel on May 3, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
“There are shows that remind you of the reason we all fell in love with theatre in the first place, and Indecent has been one of those shows for all of us involved with it. We have been thrilled that this show has affected audiences so profoundly during our Broadway run,” commented Daryl Roth, on behalf of the show’s producers. “But since we announced our closing, the electricity of what is happening at the Cort has been profound. So it gives me great pleasure to extend the life of Indecent for just a few more weeks on Broadway, to give theatregoers a little more time to see it before we pack up our suitcases for the final time on August 6.”
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 11: Rebecca Taichman accepts the award for Best Direction of a Play for Indecent onstage during the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
The production received Tony Awards for Rebecca Taichman, Best Director of a Play; and Christopher Akerlind, Best Lighting Design of a Play; along with the Outer Critics Circle Award and Obie Award for Outstanding Director of a Play (Rebecca Taichman) and the Lortel Award for Outstanding Choreography (David Dorfman). Paula Vogel was honored with a Special Citation as playwright and mentor from the New York Drama Critics Circle, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Obie Awards. Indecent has also been selected as Best Play by the Off-Broadway Alliance.
A new play by Pulitzer Prize-winner Paula Vogel (How I Learned to Drive), created by Ms. Vogel and Rebecca Taichman, and directed by Ms. Taichman, Indecent is about the love and passion to create theatre, even in the most difficult of circumstances. The play follows a troupe of actors, the cast of Sholem Asch’s God of Vengeance, who risked their lives and careers against enormous challenges to perform a work in which they deeply believed, at a time when art, freedom and truth were on trial. It is a story told with compassion, honesty, but also with great theatricality, and joyous songs and dances.
The ensemble of Indecent features Matt Darriau, Lisa Gutkin, Aaron Halva, Katrina Lenk, Mimi Lieber, Max Gordon Moore, Tom Nelis, Steven Rattazzi, Richard Topol and Adina Verson. The cast has – not unlike the theater troupe depicted in the play itself – been performing the play together for more than two years: during its development with the Sundance Theater Institute and Oregon Shakespeare Festival, followed by productions at Yale Rep, La Jolla Playhouse and the Vineyard Theatre, where Indecent had its New York debut last summer.
The production also features Zoë Aqua, Ben Cherry, Andrea Goss, Eleanor Reissa, Uri Sharlin and Doug Wieselman.
Indecent features music composed by Lisa Gutkin and Aaron Halva, who play onstage along with cast members throughout the show.
The production is choreographed by David Dorfman. Scenic design is by Riccardo Hernandez; costume design is by Emily Rebholz; lighting design is by Christopher Akerlind; sound design is by Matt Hubbs and projection design is by Tal Yarden.
Indecent is produced on Broadway by Daryl Roth, Elizabeth Ireland McCann, Cody Lassen, Jerry Meyer, Jay Alix & Una Jackman, Elizabeth Armstrong, Julie Boardman, CoGro Partners, Nicole Eisenberg, Four Star Productions, GLS Productions, The John Gore Organization, Kathleen K. Johnson, Dana M. Lerner, Jenn Maley, Mano-Horn Productions, Marc Platt and Storyboard Entertainment, in association with Vineyard Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse and Yale Repertory Theatre.
The Broadway production of the critically acclaimed musical The Band’s Visit begins previews Saturday, October 7, 2017 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street). Opening night is set for Thursday, November 9, 2017. Click here for tickets.
Tony Shalhoub and Katrina Lenk in THE BAND’s VISIT (Photo: Ahron R. Foster)
The Band’s Visit will feature Katrina Lenk (Indecent) as “Dina,” Tony Shalhoub (The Price) as “Tewfiq,” John Cariani (Something Rotten!) as “Itzik,” Ari’el Stachel (We Live in Cairo) as “Haled,” George Abud (The Visit) as “Camal,” Andrew Polk (Burning) as “Avrum,” Bill Army (Act One) as “Zelger,” Rachel Prather (Once) as “Julia,” Jonathan Raviv (Martyrs Street) as “Sammy,” Sharone Sayegh (Mamma Mia!) as “Anna,” Kristen Sieh (The Fortress of Solitude) as “Iris,” Alok Tewari (Awake and Sing!) as “Simon.”
Musicians will include Andrea Grody (Music Director/Piano), George Abud (Violin, Oud, Darbuka), Alexandra Eckhardt (Bass), Philip Mayer (Drums, Arabic Percussion), Sam Sadigursky (Clarinet, Saxophones, Flute), Jeff Theiss (Associate Conductor/Keyboard), Harvey Valdes (Guitar) and Garo Yellin (Cello).
Featuring music & lyrics by three-time Tony Award nominee & Drama Desk Award winner David Yazbek and a book by NY Drama Critics Circle, Lortel and Outer Critics award winner and Drama Desk nominee Itamar Moses, based on the screenplay by Eran Kolirin, The Band’s Visit will be directed by Drama Desk, Lortel & Obie Award winner and Outer Critic & Drama League Award nominee David Cromer.
The Band’s Visit world premiere opened to critical acclaim at the Atlantic Theater Company on December 8, 2016, where the sold-out, limited engagement extended twice, playing its final performance on Sunday, January 8, 2017.
The musical was named BEST OF THE YEAR by The New York Times, Deadline, Newsday, New York Post, The Hollywood Reporter, Huffington Post, The Record, The Wall Street Journal, The Wrap, Time Out New York and BuzzFeed.
The Band’s Visit won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical; two Lucille Lortel Awards, for Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical (Katrina Lenk); two Outer Critics Circle Awards, for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical and Outstanding Score (David Yazbek); two Obie Awards, for Musical Theater (David Yazbek & Itamar Moses), and Directing (David Cromer); three Drama Desk Awards, for Outstanding Director of a Musical (David Cromer), Outstanding Music (David Yazbek) and Outstanding Lyrics (David Yazbek); Theatre World Award’s Dorothy Louden Award for Theatre Excellence and the 2017 Clarence Derwent Award (Katrina Lenk).
An Egyptian Police Band arrives in Israel to play a concert. After a mix-up at the border, they are sent to a remote village in the middle of the desert. With no bus until morning and no hotel in sight, these unlikely travelers are taken in by the locals. Under the spell of the desert sky, their lives become intertwined in the most unexpected ways. The Band’s Visit celebrates the deeply human ways music and laughter connect us all.
The creative team includes Patrick McCollum (Choreography), Scott Pask (Set Design), Sarah Laux (Costume Design), Tyler Micoleau (Lighting Design), Kai Harada (Sound Design), Maya Ciarrocchi (Projection Design), Charles LaPointe (Hair Designer), Jamshied Sharifi (Orchestrations), Andrea Grody (Co-Music Supervisor, Musical Director), Dean Sharenow (Co-Music Supervisor), casting by Tara Rubin Casting.
Two-time Tony Nominee and Emmy winner André De Shields’ solo show FREDERICK DOUGLASS: Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory explores the life and achievements of the great emancipator Frederick Douglass.
“Though Douglass began his life as a slave, through heroic effort, he became one of America’s most important and historically influential icons,” said De Shields.
A story about brutality and deliverance—implausible yet historically accurate—that will captivate you with a slave ballet, hand-to-hand combat and impassioned singing. These are but a few of the elements that make up the journey from human bondage to freedom experienced by the young Douglass as performed by De Shields in his self-crafted solo performance depicting the Great Black Emancipator: FREDERICK DOUGLASS: My Eyes Have Seen The Glory. Gripping shackles, De Shields infuses his performance with dance, song and rousing spoken word as he transforms from embittered and illiterate slave to America’s incomparable orator and abolitionist right before the eyes of his audience. As performed by De Shields, Douglass’ ultimate escape from chains to freedom is full of hope and achievement as it is darkness and anger.
André De Shields Photo by Lia Chang
In a career spanning forty-eight years, André De Shields has distinguished himself as an unparalleled actor, director, choreographer and educator. He is the recipient of three Jeff Awards, one as Director for Victory Gardens’ 1987 production of The Colored Museum, and two as Featured Performer in a Musical for the Goodman Theatre productions of Play On! (1998) and Mary Zimmerman’s The Jungle Book (2013). In fact Mr. De Shields’ professional career began at Chicago’s Shubert Theatre, now the Bank of America Theatre, in the 1969 production of Hair. From there he moved on to The Me Nobody Knows at the Civic Opera House, and ultimately became a member of The Organic Theatre Company, where he created the role of Xander the Unconquerable, Ruler of the Sixth Dimension in the cult sensation Warp. A multiple Tony Award nominee, he is best known for his show-stopping performances in four legendary Broadway musicals: The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Play On! and The Full Monty.
His numerous accolades include an Emmy Award for the NBC Special based on Ain’t Misbehavin’, the 2007 Village Voice OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance, the 2009 National Black Theatre Festival’s Living Legend Award, a 2012 Fox Foundation Fellowship in Distinguished Achievement, Florida Atlantic University’s 2014 Making Waves Award, the Theatre School at DePaul University 2015 Award for Excellence in the Arts, the Riant Theatre’s 2016 Pioneer of the Arts Award, the Black Theatre Network’s 2016 Winona Lee Fletcher Award, a 2016 Beinecke Fellowship at Yale School of Drama and nine AUDELCO Awards. and two Doctor of Fine Arts degrees honoris causa one each from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the State University of New York-College at Buffalo.
As an educator, Mr. De Shields has served as Visiting Artist/Lecturer, SUNY-Buffalo State College; Harold ClurmanVisiting Professor, CUNY-Hunter College; Adjunct Professor, Gallatin School of Individualized Study, NYU; Adjunct Professor, School of Education, Health, Nursing and Arts Professions (SEHNAP), NYU; Distinguished Visiting Professor, Meadows School of the Arts, Southern Methodist University (SMU), Dallas, TX; Algur H. Meadows Distinguished Visiting Professor (SMU); DR. Martin Luther King Jr.-Rosa Parks-Cesar Chavez Distinguished Visiting Professor, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; Distinguished Visiting Professor, Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA, among others. He has taught a wide variety of courses ranging from Shakespeare to Masterpieces of Western Literature to Musical Theatre and an interdisciplinary arts workshop in Extreme Performance: From Ancient Africa to Postmodern America.
A triple Capricorn, Mr. De Shields is the ninth of eleven children born and reared in Baltimore, Maryland. www.andredeshields.com.
Producers Nelle Nugent, Steve Traxler, Kenneth Teaton, Benjamin Feldman, and Doug Morris (CEO, Sony Music) are presenting the first Broadway revival of David Henry Hwang’s Tony Award®-winning play, M. Butterfly at the Cort Theatre (138 W 48th Street) this Fall. Directed by Tony Award® winner Julie Taymor and starring Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe Award winner Clive Owen as Rene Gallimard, M. Butterfly will begin previews on October 7, 2017 and open on October 26, 2017.
David Henry Hwang’s modern classic, M. Butterfly charts the scandalous romance between a marriEd French diplomat and a mysterious Chinese opera singer – a remarkable love story of international espionage and personal betrayal. Their 20-year relationship pushed and blurred the boundaries between male and female, east and west – while redefining the nature of love and the devastating cost of deceit.
For the Tony Award®-winning play’s first Broadway return, Hwang will introduce new material inspired by the real-life love affair between French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Chinese opera singer Shi Pei Pu that has come to light since the play’s 1988 premiere.
Additional casting and design team will be announced at a later date. Clive Owen is appearing with the support of Actors’ Equity Association.
The John Dexter helmed production of M. Butterfly starring John Lithgow as Gallimard and BD Wong as Song Liling, opened on Broadway at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre on March 20, 1988. The play garnered three Tony awards including Best Play for David Henry Hwang, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for BD Wong and Best Director for John Dexter. The play was a 1989 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Tickets for M. Butterfly range from $39 – $149. Premium tickets range from $199 – $227. Tickets will go on sale beginning Thursday, July 6 at 10am EST, and will be available at www.MButterflyBroadway.com or www.Telecharge.com (212.239.6200). For group tickets and more information, please visit www.mbutterflybroadway.com.
The revival of Miss Saigon, helmed by Laurence Connor, opened in its original home, The Broadway Theater featuring four of its London stars, Jon Jon Briones as The Engineer, Eva Noblezada as Kim, Alistair Brammer as Chris and Rachelle Ann Go as Gigi on March 23, 2017. The cast also includes Katie Rose Clarke as Ellen, Nicholas Christopher as John, Devin Ilaw as Thuy.
Tony nominee Eva Noblezada at the dress rehearsal for the 2017 Tony Awards on June 11, 2017. Credit: Stephanie Berger
The original production of Miss Saigon starring Jonathan Pryce as The Engineer and Lea Salonga as Kim, opened at the same theater on April 11, 1991 and played there through January 28, 2001. The production garnered three Tony Awards including Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Lea Salonga, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for Jonathan Pryce and Best Performance by a Featured Actor for Hinton Battle.
The revival of Miss Saigon began previews on March 1st, and will play a limited engagement through January 13, 2018 before launching a North American tour later in the year.
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 11: Eva Noblezada attends the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jenny Anderson/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Miss Saigon received two Tony nominations for Best Revival and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Eva Noblezada.
Jon Jon Briones and Lea Salonga presenting at the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017. Credit: Theo Wargo
Tony Award winner Lea Salonga and Jon Jon Briones, who appeared in the original London production together, introduced a medley of songs featuring Ms. Noblezada and the cast of Miss Saigon at the 71st Annual Tony Awards ceremony at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017.
The cast of MISS SAIGON on their way to rehearsal for the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017. Photo: Christopher Vo/Facebook
Also featured in the cast of Miss Saigon are Carol Angeli, Emily Bautista, Mike Baerga, Billy Bustamante, Viveca Chow, Julian DeGuzman, Colby Dezelick, Taurean Everett, Paige Faure, Graham Scott Fleming, Casey Garvin, Nkrumah Gatling, Dan Horn, Ericka Hunter, Adam Kaokept, Lina Lee, Paul HeeSang Miller, Robert Pendilla, Catherine Ricafort, Casey Lee Ross, Jason Sermonia, Julius Sermonia, Antoine L. Smith, Sam Strasfeld, Tiffany Toh, Kimberly-Ann Truong, Kei Tsuruharatani, Christopher Vo, Travis Ward-Osborne, Charlie Williams, Anna-Lee Wright, Warren Yang, and Minami Yusui.
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 03: Josh Groban, Laura Linney, and Eva Noblezada attends the 2017 Tony Awards Meet The Nominees Press Junket at the Sofitel Hotel on May 3, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 01: Eva Noblezada and Gavin Creel attend Designed To Celebrate: A Toast To The 2017 Tony Awards Creative Arts Nominees at The Lamb’s Club at the Chatwal NY (Photo by Jenny Anderson/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Mary Beth Peil and Eva Noblezada (l. to r.) attend Designed To Celebrate: A Toast To The 2017 Tony Awards Creative Arts Nominees at The Lamb’s Club at the Chatwal NY on June 1, 2017. Credit: Shevett Studios
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 11: Actress Lea Salonga attends the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
MISS SAIGON’S Devin Ilaw and Eva Noblezada after rehearsal for the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017. Photo: Devin Ilaw/Facebook
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 11: Actor Jon Jon Briones attends the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jenny Anderson/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Leo Roberts, Tony nominee Eva Noblezada, Megan Briones, and Jon Jon Briones at the 2017 Tony Awards Gala on June 11, 2017. Credit: Anita and Steve ShevettOn June 17, 2017, MISS SAIGON celebrated it’s 100th performance on Broadway. Photo: Jon Jon Briones/Instagram
The Muny’s is presenting A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, July 5-11. The Muny is located at 1 Theatre Dr, St. Louis, MO 63112. Click here to purchase tickets.
The cast features Peter Scolari as Pseudolus, John Tartaglia as Hysterium, Ali Ewoldt as Philia, Mark Linn-Baker as Senex, E. Faye Butler as Domina, Jason Kravits as Lycus, MarRick Smith as Hero, Nathaniel Hackmann as Miles Gloriosus, Whit Reichert as Erronius and Marcus Choi, Justin Keyes and Tommy Scrivens as Proteans. Justina Aveyard, Molly Callinan, Emily Hsu, Khori Michelle Petinaud, Katelyn Prominski and Lainie Sakakura round out the comedic ensemble.
Helmed by Gary Griffin, with choreography by Alex Sanchez and music direction by Brad Haak, Forum’s design team includes scenic design by Timothy R. Mackabee, costume design by Mara Blumenfeld, lighting design by Rob Denton, sound design by John Shivers and David Patridge, wig design by John Metzner, with production stage manager Cody Renard Richard.
Considered one of Broadway’s greatest farces, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum follows Pseudolus, a crafty slave, as he aids his master in winning the hand of Philia, a slow-witted, but sweet courtesan, in exchange for his freedom. This musical romp through Rome includes scheming neighbors, secrets behind every toga and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. This is one Muny spectacle guaranteed to make even the Greek gods keel over with laughter.
PETER SCOLARI (Pseudolus)
Broadway/NY: Bronx Bombers, Wicked, Lucky Guy, Hairspray, Sly Fox, Magic Bird, Out of this World, Ziegfeld Follies of 1937 (Encores!), World premieres of A.R. Gurney’s Family Furniture at The Flea, Daniel Sullivan’s Inspecting Carol, Ken Ludwig’s Fox on The Fairway(George Street Playhouse). Winner Best Actor, Berkshire Theater Festival for The Foreigner. Music Man at Ogunquit Playhouse, Forum at Bay Street Theater. TV: Film Critic’s Award nomination, and 2016 Emmy Award Outstanding Guest Actor for Girls (HBO), Gotham, Odd Mom Out, Madoff (ABC Films), Newhart (Three-time Emmy nominee), Bosom Buddies, The West Wing, ER, Family Ties, White Collar, King of Queens, Reba, Ally McBeal, Earth to the Moon (HBO), Stop the World (Showtime). Film: That Thing You Do, Polar Express, Suburban Girl, Camp Nowhere, The Ryan White Story.’
JOHN TARTAGLIA (Hysterium)
Broadway: Avenue Q (Tony nomination), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Shrek the Musical. John created, executive produced and starred in his own preschool series Johnny and the Sprites for Disney Junior (8 Emmy nominations) and performed on Sesame Street(PBS Kids) for 13 seasons. As a director: The Wizard of Oz, Tarzan and Shrek (The Muny), Dinosaur Train Live and Sid the Science Kid Live (national tours), Claudio Quest (NY Musical Festival, Best of the Fest), Lord Tom (York Theatre), Shrek the Halls (DreamWorks Theatricals), Because of Winn Dixie (Arkansas Repertory), amongst others. Current projects include playing Kip on Jim Henson’s Word Party and Hank on Julie’s Greenroom, as well as creator, co-executive producer and star (Splash) of Jim Henson’s Splash and Bubbles (PBS Kids). www.johntartagliaproductions.com
MARK LINN-BAKER (Senex)
Broadway: On the 20th Century, You Can’t Take It With You, Relatively Speaking, Losing Louie, A Year with Frog and Toad (Toad), A Funny Thing Happened… (Hysterium), Laughter On The 23rd Floor, Face Value, Doonesbury. NY City Center Encores!: The Pajama Game. NY Shakespeare Festival: All’s Well That Ends Well, Othello, The Death ofVon Richthofen…, The Laundry Hour, Alice In Concert. OffBroadway: Almost An Evening,Chesapeake (Drama Desk and OCC nominations), A Flea In Her Ear, The Miss Firecracker Contest. Film: Manhattan, My Favorite Year, Noises Off, How Do You Know. TV: Perfect Strangers, Showtime’s Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Bluebloods, The Good Fight, The Good Wife, Law & Order, Law & Order: CI, Miami Vice, Moonlighting and others. Mr. Linn Baker is a co-founder/co-director of New York Stage and Film.
JASON KRAVITS (Lycus)
Jason Kravits is so pleased to be invited back to The Muny, where he played Bert Barry in last season’s 42nd Street. Broadway credits include The Drowsy Chaperone, Sly Fox and Relatively Speaking (an evening of one acts by Ethan Coen, Elaine May and Woody Allen). Recent NY: Hector in The Golden Apple (City Center Encores!). TV: ADA Richard Bay on ABC’s The Practice. Other credits include: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Mick, Major Crimes, Madam Secretary, The Blacklist, Madoff, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Smash, Masters of Sex, Everybody Loves Raymond and the upcoming Disjointed. Creator/performer of “Off the Top!” – a solo, completely improvised cabaret, which heads to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival August. www.offthetop.nyc
E. FAYE BUTLER (Domina)
National and regional credits: St. Louis Repertory Theatre, Court Theatre, Steppenwolf, Goodman Theatre, Martinique Drury Lane, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Northlight Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Congo Square, Paramount Theatre, Fulton Theatre, Maine State Music Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Marriott’s Lincolnshire Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, Arena Stage, Baltimore’s Center Stage, Signature Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Pasadena Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Broadway Playhouse, Harmon Hall. National and regional tours: Mamma Mia!, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Nunsense, Nunsense II, Dinah Was, Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope. Six Joseph Jefferson Awards, two Helen Hayes Awards, four Black Theater Alliance Awards, RAMI Award, John Barrymore Award, Excellence In The Arts Award, After Dark Award, Ovation Award, Kathryn V. Lampkey Award, Sarah Siddons Leading Lady Award, Black Excellence Award, Guy Adkins Award, 2016 Rosetta LeNoire Award, Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship, National Museum of Women in the Arts inductee. E.Faye has a CD entitled A Circle of Firsts and performs across the country in concert, cabaret, club and theatre venues with her orchestra, EFO. Coming Up: The Taming of the Shrew (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre). Proud AEA Member. Follow her @ www.e-fayebutler.com.
ALI EWOLDT (Philia)
Ali Ewoldt played Maria in The Muny’s 2013 production of West Side Story and is thrilled to return to St. Louis! She is currently playing Christine in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. Other credits include: Les Misérables (Cosette, Broadway revival), The King and I (Lincoln Center, Broadway revival), West Side Story (Maria, Broadway revival 1st national tour). Off-Broadway: The Fantasticks (Luisa). Other credits include: Lyric Opera of Chicago’s The King and I (Tuptim), McCarter Theatre’s A Christmas Carol (Fan/Mrs. Bonds) and concerts at Feinstein’s/54 Below, Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall and The Town Hall. TV/Film: The Michael J. Fox Show, Yield and Drama: The Web Series. Ali has a B.A. in psychology from Yale University. www.aliewoldt.com
MARRICK SMITH (Hero)
Marrick Smith is thrilled to be back at The Muny. Broadway: Fun Home (Roy u/s) Off-Broadway: Wild Goose Dreams (Public Theater), Pretty Filthy (Civilians), The Underclassman (The Duke), Revolution (Minetta Lane), Fun Home (Public Theater). Regional: Fiddler on the Roof (The Muny). Film: The Lennon Report, One Stop Away, Uncovering Eden. Workshops: Teeth, Alice by Heart, Love’s Labour’s Lost. Playwright: Behind the Badge (NYC Fringe) Big thanks to The Fam, KMR and Wright Entertainment. @Marricksmith
NATHANIEL HACKMANN (Miles Gloriosus)
Nathaniel Hackmann is thrilled to be coming back to the Gateway City and the historic Muny stage! He most recently played Gaston in Beauty and the Beast at The Muny and Variety Children’s Theatre, as well as on the national tour. Broadway/NY/tours: Les Misérables (Valjean, Javert u/s), Paint Your Wagon (Steve). Regional: Jekyll & Hyde (Jekyll/Hyde) Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Adam), Oliver! (Bill Sykes), Sweeney Todd (Anthony), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Miles), Carousel (Billy), Ragtime (Tateh), Into the Woods (Cinderella’s Prince/Wolf), Camelot (Lancelot), Sanders Family Christmas (Stanley), Bye Bye Birdie (Conrad). Proud member AEA. Twitter: @super_n8. Instagram: N8HACKMANN
WHIT REICHERT (Erronius)
Whit Reichert is delighted to return to The Muny, where he was last seen in Footloose (Cop and Cowboy Bob’s Quartet). Other Muny shows include Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Oscar) and South Pacific(Stewpot). Earlier this year, Whit appeared in To Kill a Mockingbird (Judge Taylor) at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and The Winter’s Tale (Old Shepherd) at The Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis. A familiar face to St. Louis, he has been seen at Stages, The Black Rep, Variety Children’s Theatre, Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis, The Actor’s Studio, Upstream Theater, 27 shows at The Rep and a new show this fall at Insight Theatre Company. Regionally, Whit has appeared in Anything Goes (Moonface Martin, Kansas City Starlight Theatre); Here’s Love (Kris Kringle, Fireside Theatre); Inherit the Wind, The Crucibleand Most Happy Fella for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; The Fantasticks (Hucklebee, Riverside Theatre); world premiere of Monk-y Business (Abbot Costello, Grand 1894 Opera House); The Music Man (Mayor Shinn, Casa Manana); 1776 (Ben Franklin), Sunshine Boys(Al Lewis), Sugar (Osgood Fielding) and Harvey (Dr. Chumley) for Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre.
MARCUS CHOI (Protean)
Original Broadway companies of Allegiance, Wicked, Flower Drum Song and The Times They Are A-Changin’. Also, Christina Applegate’s Broadway production of Sweet Charity and NY City Center Encores! production of Kismet. Regional: Mysterious Skin, Pippin at East West Players, Dangerous Beauty and the US premiere of Waterfall at Pasadena Playhouse. TV: Homeland, Chicago P.D., Blindspot, The OA, The Last Ship, The Fosters, Jessie. Film: Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Sharknado, Enchanted, Adopting Terror, The Novack Murders and Project Drew. Please visit Marcus at marcuschoi.net.
JUSTIN KEYES (Protean)
Broadway: How To Succeed…, The Apple Tree, Mary Poppins; National tour: The 25th Annual Putman County Spelling Bee; Regional:Resident Ensemble Players, The Guthrie, Two River Theater Company, San Francisco Symphony, Dallas Theater Center, Kansas City Starlight, Great Lakes Theater Festival, The Muny, Pittsburgh CLO. TV: Power, I Love You, But I Lied, Gossip Girl. Justin is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
TOMMY SCRIVENS (Protean)
Tommy Scrivens is excited to be back at The Muny. Previous productions were Aladdin and Mary Poppins(Dance Captain). Off Broadway: Where’s Charley? and Fiorello! (NY City Center Encores!) The Little Mermaid (Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Dance Captain) and American Dance Machine for the 21st Century (Dance Captain). Tommy has also been a principal dancer with Parsons Dance, dre.dance, Kristin Sudekis Dance, Nicholas Andre Dance and marInspired. Most recently, he has been archiving the works of the late Bob Fosse with the Verdon Fosse Legacy LLC. He is a Florida native and received a BFA in dance from Ohio State University. Proud AEA member since 2011.
Congratulations to director, actress and choreographer Baayork Lee who received the 2017 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for her outstanding dedication to social service in the global theatre landscape at the American Theatre Wing’s 71st Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 11, 2017.
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 11: Jonathan Groff and Brian d’Arcy James present Baayork Lee with the Isabelle Stevenson Award award onstage during the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
The award was presented to Ms. Lee by Jonathan Groff and Brian d’Arcy James.
Baayork Lee accepts the Isabelle Stevenson Award award onstage during the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017 in New York City. Photo: NAAP/Facebook
Baayork Lee’s speech:
“Thank you everyone. Thank you American Theatre Wing and Broadway League. This is the journey of a five-year-old in the middle of the St. James Theatre and saying to her mother, ‘This is it. This is where I want to be.’ But you can’t do it without mentors or role models and a pupil, I had so many special ones. Ms. Syvilla Fort, my first mentor, Yuriko and Maria Tallchief, my role models. Eleven Broadway shows later, Michael Bennett and Bob Avian, Tommy Tune, Graciela Daniele and Roman Terleckyj. In Japan, Mori Shibuya, in South Africa, Professor Jimmie Earl Perry and Juan Datoy.
Nina Zoie Lam, Baayork Lee and Steven Eng, the founders of NAAP, onstage before the performance of Oliver! at The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre inside The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York on June 7, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang
With their guidance and example, I along with Steven Eng and Nina Zoie Lam started our nonprofit National Asian Artists Project because we saw the need to put the spotlight on the Asian American Artists. NAAP, as we call it, showcases their work through performance, educational programming and community outreach. Our programs include productions of classic musicals, the NAAP Broadway Community Chorus and Senior Sing-a-longs. Thanks to Freddie Gershon- mentor and Alice Hum – role model and principal of P.S. 124 Yung Wing Elementary School, we started an award-winning after school theater club.
The NAAP Broadway Community Chorus presented an evening of Jerry Herman with special guests Cindy Cheung and John D. Haggerty at the Gibney Dance Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center on May 23, 2017. Photo courtesy of Brian Jose/Facebook
National Asian Artists Project will continue our mission to make a difference and I hope you all will join me. Your loving pupil, Princess Ying Yaowalak.”
President of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization Ted Chapin, Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award Honoree Baayork Lee, and Chair of the American Theatre Wing David Henry Hwang at the Tony Nominee Luncheon, held at the Rainbow Room in NYC on May 23, 2017 Credit: Shevett StudiosBaayork Lee. Photo by Lia Chang
The Isabelle Stevenson Award is presented annually to a member of the theatre community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations. Ms. Lee received the Award for her commitment to future generations of artists through her work with the National Asian Artists Project and theatre education programs around the world.
“Baayork works tirelessly to break down cultural walls that often build up around what theatre goers consider ‘traditional’ musicals, and her dedication to fostering the next generation of performers and theatre professionals to do the same is exemplary. We are thrilled to honor her this year,” Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League, and Heather Hitchens, President of the American Theatre Wing, said.
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 01: Baayork Lee attends Designed To Celebrate: A Toast To The 2017 Tony Awards Creative Arts Nominees at The Lamb’s Club at the Chatwal NY (Photo by Jenny Anderson/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Bayork wearing an original Malan Breton with the designer, posing for Vogue on the red carpet at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017 in New York City. Photo: NAAP/Facebook
Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award Recipient Baayork Lee arrives on the Nordstrom Red Carpet at the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Baayork was dressed by designer Malan Breton throughout the Tony Awards season. Below are photos from Baayork’s whirlwind Tony journey from the 1st press junket on May 3rd at the Sofitel Hotel andthe Designed To Celebrate: A Toast To The 2017 Tony Awards Creative Arts Nominees at The Lamb’s Club at the Chatwal NY on June 1st.
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 03: Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award Honoree Baayork Lee attends the 2017 Tony Awards Meet The Nominees Press Junket at the Sofitel Hotel on May 3, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jenny Anderson/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Besties Baayork Lee and Lori Tan Chinn. Photo courtesy of Lori Tan Chinn /Facebook
Baayork Lee and William Ivey Long, Former Chairman of the Board for The American Theatre Wing enjoying the reception on June 1, 2017. Photo: NAAP/Facebook
June 1, 2017: Baayork and Sam Pinkelton nominated for Best Choreography Natasha, Pierre & THE GREAT COMET of 1812, taking a moment during the cocktail reception. Photo courtesy of NAAP/Facebook
June 1, 2017: Baayork Lee and Kate Baldwin, Tony Nominee for best Featured Actress in a Musical: “Hello, Dolly!”. Posing with the BIG TONY. Photo: NAAP/Facebook
June 1, 2017: Baayork and Denis Jones, Nominee for Best Choreography, enjoying the cocktail reception. Photo: NAAP/Facebook
71st Annual Tony Awards rehearsalat Radio City Musical Hall on June 11th.
Baayork Lee arrives at the 71st Annual Tony Awards ceremony rehearsal on June 11, 2017. Photo: NAAP/Facebook
Baayork Lee at the 71st Annual Tony Awards ceremony rehearsal on June 11, 2017. Photo: NAAP/Facebook
Baayork Lee at the 71st Annual Tony Awards ceremony rehearsal on June 11, 2017. Photo: NAAP/Facebook
Andy Blankenbuehler and Baayork Lee at the 71st Annual Tony Awards ceremony rehearsal on June 11, 2017. Photo: NAAP/Facebook
Baayork Lee and Lea Salonga at the 71st Annual Tony Awards ceremony rehearsal on June 11, 2017. Photo: NAAP/Facebook
Scott Bakula and Baayork Lee at the 71st Annual Tony Awards ceremony rehearsal on June 11, 2017. Photo: NAAP/Facebook
Jonathan Groff and Baayork Lee at the 71st Annual Tony Awards ceremony rehearsal on June 11, 2017. Photo: NAAP/Facebook
Baayork Lee, Tommy Tune and her niece Petula at the 71st Annual Tony Awards ceremony rehearsal on June 11, 2017. Photo: NAAP/Facebook
Baayork Lee leaves the 71st Annual Tony Awards ceremony rehearsal on June 11, 2017. Photo: NAAP/Facebook
71st Annual Tony Awards ceremony at Radio City Musical Hall on June 11th.
Baayork Lee and designer Malan Breton arrive at the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017 in New York City. Photo: NAAP/Facebook
Luis Villabon, Baayork Lee, Malan Breton and Steven Eng (Co-Founder of National Asian Artists Project, Inc.) attend the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017 in New York City. Photo: NAAP/Facebook
Steven Eng and Baayork Lee at the 71st Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017. Photo courtesy of Steven Eng/Facebook
Designer Malan Breton, Lea Salonga and Baayork Lee. Photo: NAAP/Facebook
June 11, 2017: Baayork Lee and Tommy Tune. Photo: NAAP/Facebook
Baayork Lee arrives at the NAAP offices to share her Tony Awards with her crew on June 11, 2017. Photo: Karin Kawamoto/Facebook
Baayork Lee is the co-founder of National Asian Artists Project (NAAP), which is a community of artists, educators, administrators, community leaders, and professionals who work to showcase the work of Asian-American theater artists through performance, educational programming and community outreach.
Karl Josef Co, Jaygee Macapugay, Raul Aranas, Christine Toy Johnson and the company of NAAP’s Hello Dolly! at The Pershing Square Signature Center on April 30, 2013. Photo by Lia Chang
Through NAAP, Lee orchestrates her vision of educating, cultivating, and stimulating audiences and artists of Asian descent. The organization has produced productions of musical theatre staples like Oklahoma!, Carousel, Hello Dolly!, Oliver! and Honor with all Asian-American casts. By turning a spot light onto the high-caliber talent of theatre artists of Asian descent, NAAP asserts, given the opportunity, the theater and its audiences will embrace diverse American voices who strive to claim both new and classic American works as their own.
Bonale Zohn Fambrini, Raul Aranas, Mel Sagrado Maghuyop, Scott Watanabe, Cindy Cheung, Virginia Wing and John Haggerty at the curtain call of NAAP’s Oliver! at The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre inside The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York on June 7, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang
Lee has made it a large part of her mission to educate aspiring artists in musical theatre. She created musical theater schools in Seoul, Korea; Tokyo, Japan; and the Theater Club at the Yung Wing Elementary School (PS124) in Chinatown, NY.
Baayork Lee (playing Miss Wong in this clip from the 1969 Tony Awards) created the role of Connie in A Chorus Line, and in fact has made a career of recreating Bennett’s choreography. Photo credit: Martha Swope on Armchair Actorvist
Lee, an Asian American actor, dancer, singer, choreographer, director and author, was born in New York City’s Chinatown to an Indian mother and Chinese father, made her Broadway debut at the age of five as “Princess Ying Yaowalak” in the 1951 original production of The King and I. Her dream was to become a ballerina and she appeared in George Balanchine’s production of The Nutcracker, but this dream was dashed when she achieved her full height of just four feet, ten inches. In 1958, she returned to Broadway in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song. Other Broadway appearances were in Bravo Giovanni; Mr. President; Here’s Love; Golden Boy; A Joyful Noise; Henry, Sweet Henry; Promises, Promises; Seesaw and Michael Bennett’s 1976 Tony Award-winning Best Musical A Chorus Line, in which she originated the role of “Connie,” and served as his assistant choreographer.
Lee worked with Bennett in several productions and over the years went from being his dance partner, to being his assistant. She would later supervise all major productions of A Chorus Line, choreographing many national and international companies, most recently in Klagenfurt, Austria; Santiago, Chile; the Hollywood Bowl; and Pace University in New York City. She is the co-author of the book, On the Line: The Creation of A Chorus Line, published in 1990.
Baayork Lee, Virginia Wing and Nancy Kwan at the New York Historical Society in New York on October 15, 2014. Photo by Lia ChangChristine Toy Johnson presented Baayork Lee with the 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award presented by the Actors’ Equity Foundation in the council room of the Actors Equity Association on October 10, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang
Her directing and choreography credits also include: The King and I (national tour), Bombay Dreams (national tour), Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (New York City Opera), Barnum (Australia), Carmen Jones (John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts), Porgy and Bess (European tour), Jesus Christ Superstar (European tour), Gypsy and A New Brain. She has also choreographed Miss Saigon (Kansas City Starlight), Mack and Mabel (Shaw Festival), Animal Crackers, South Pacific, Coconuts, Camelot, and Damn Yankees, all at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.
She has been the recipient of numerous awards for her work, including the 2014 Paul Robeson Award from Actors Equity Association, the Asian Woman Warrior Award for Lifetime Achievement from Columbia College, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Association Achievement in Arts Award, and the Dynamic Achiever Award from OCA Westchester.
Baayork Lee, Bob Avian and Christopher Vo at the opening night party at Tavern on the Green for “Miss Saigon” on March 23, 2017. Photo by Lia Chang
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.
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 is also an internationally published and exhibited photographer, a multi-platform journalist, and a publicist. Lia has appeared in the filmsWolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Jade Magazine and Playbill.com.
Jon Jon Briones and Lea Salonga presenting at the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017. Credit: Theo Wargo
