CCC, Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus, 1990 Institute, Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach, East Wind Books and other community partners are co-presenting the Book Launch Party for Helen Zia’s new nonfiction book, Last Boat out of Shanghai, at Chinese Culture Center Auditorium, 750 Kearny St, 3rd Fl., SF, CA, on Thursday, January 24, 2019 at 5:45pm. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Zia is a local writer, reporter and activist whose writings focus on LGBTQ, Women’s and Human Rights. Last Boat out of Shanghai is based on the “dramatic, real-life stories of a generation caught up in the mass rush out of Shanghai in the wake of China’s 1949 Communist Revolution” that parallel the struggles faced by emigrants today. Zia weaves together the stories of four young Shanghai residents who wrestled with the decision to abandon everything for an uncertain life as refugees in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the U.S.
The release party features a talk with Helen Zia, followed by a Q&A, book signing, and opportunity to purchase your copy of Last Boat out of Shanghai. The first kickoff event for CCC’s theme of the year, Present Tense 2019: Task of Remembrance will bring together projects that reflect on the complexities, gravity, and responsibility of remembering.
Schedule
4:30-5:30pm Pre-reception with author Helen Zia for Reader tickets
5:30pm Doors Open
5:45pm Program begins, followed by Q&A and book signing
Tickets
There are two tickets available: Reader tickets ($60) and General Public tickets ($5 or Pay What You Can).
Reader tickets include a pre-event reception that begins at 4:30, reserved seating and a signed copy of Last Boat out of Shanghai.
General Public tickets are $5 or Pay What You Can with an optional donation choice.
In community partnership with Chinese for Affirmative Action, Chinese Historical Society of America, Center for Asian American Media, Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus, 1990 Institute, Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach, and East Wind Books (partial list).
Eva Noblezada. Photo by Gabriel Makake Photography
Kean Stage is presenting Tony nominee Eva Noblezada in concert at Kean University’s Enlow Recital Hall on Friday, February 1, 2019.
Patrick Page, Amber Gray, Eva Noblezada and Reeve Carney. Photo by Lia Chang
Ms. Noblezada is currently starring as Eurydice in Anais Mitchell’s Hadestown at the Royal National Theatre in London through January 26th.
Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada and André De Shields. Photo by Lia ChangEva Noblezada. Photo by Lia Chang
She starred on Broadway in the title role of Cameron Mackintosh’s epic revival of the musical Miss Saigon last season and received a Tony Award nomination at the age of 21 for this role in her Broadway debut. She previously starred in the long-running London revival of the show, for which she received the WhatsOnStage Award for “Best Actress in a Musical.” She also played Eponine in the West End revival of the legendary musical Les Miserables. Noblezada was a high school student in Charlotte, NC, when she was discovered by casting director Tara Rubin at the 2013 Jimmy Awards in New York City. Rubin introduced her to Mackintosh and director Laurence Connor, who chose her to star in their long-awaited hit 2014 West End revival of Miss Saigon.
Eva Noblezada will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, February 1, 2019 at Enlow Recital Hall, 215 North Ave., Hillside, N.J. Tickets can be purchased at the Kean Stage Box Office in Wilkins Theatre at Kean University, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, N.J., by phone at 908-737-7469 or at www.keanstage.com.
Click here for tickets and more information on Hadestown in London, currently in rep at the Royal National Theatre. See remaining performances below:
January 22 @ 7:30pm
January 23 @ 7:30pm
January 24 @ 2 pm & 7:30pm
January 25 @ 7:30pm
January 26 @ 2pm & 7:30pm
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.
Tony And Olivier Award-winning actress Lea Salonga will reprise her role role as Erzulie in the Tony Award-winning Revival of a Musical Once On This Island on December 27, and will perform through the final show on January 6.
Lea Salonga as Erzulie in ONCE ON THIS ISLAND. Photo by Joan Marcus
Earlier this month, Ms. Salonga received her first Grammy nomination when the cast recording of Once on This Island was nominated for Best Musical Theater Album. She also garnered two ALIW Awards including Entertainer of the Year award and Best Major Concert (Female) award for her sold-out, two-night anniversary concert celebrating 40 years of performing. In October 2019, she’ll star as Ms. Lovett opposite Jett Pangan as Sweeney Todd in Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s classic musical Sweeney Todd, helmed by Bobby Garcia. Click here for more information.
Lea Salonga and Director Michael Arden. Photo by Lia Chang
The new production of Once on This Island is directed by Tony nominee Michael Arden, and choreographed by the critically-acclaimed Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Chita Rivera Award nominee Camille A. Brown.
The cast of Once On This Island includes Tamyra Gray (Papa Ge), Quentin Earl Darrington (Agwe), and Alex Newell (Asaka), who are joined by newcomer and Tony Nominee, Hailey Kilgore (Ti Moune) with Juliet Benn (Little Girl), Phillip Boykin (Tonton Julian) Courtnee Carter (Storyteller), Cicily Daniels (Storyteller), Tyler Hardwick (Storyteller), David Jennings (Armand), Kenita R. Miller (Mama Euralie), Isaac Powell (Daniel), T. Oliver Reid (Storyteller), Anna Uzele (Storyteller), Allan K. Washington (Storyteller), Aurelia Williams (Storyteller), Mia Williamson (Little Girl), and Daniel Yearwood (Storyteller).
Quentin Earl Darrington, Aurelia Williams, Lea Salonga, Kenita R. Miller. Photo by Lia Chang
Once On This Island is written by the Tony Award-winning team Lynn Ahrens (Book and Lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (Music), and based on the novel “My Love, My Love” by Rosa Guy. This production features new orchestrations by original orchestrator Michael Starobin who is joined by AnnMarie Milazzo.
Clint Ramos and Lea Salonga. Photo by Lia Chang
The creative team also includes Dane Laffrey (Scenic Design), Clint Ramos (Costume Design), Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer (Lighting Designers), Peter Hylenski (Sound Designer), John Bertles/Bash The Trash (Unusual Instruments), Cookie Jordan (Hair/Wig & Makeup Designer), Chris Fenwick (Music Supervisor), Alvin Hough, Jr. (Music Director), David Perlow (Associate Director), Nikki M. James (Assistant Director), Rickey Tripp (Associate Choreographer) and Telsey + Co / Craig Burns, CSA (Casting Agent).
Once On This Island is the tale of Ti Moune, a fearless peasant girl who falls in love with a wealthy boy from the other side of the island. When their divided cultures keep them apart, Ti Moune is guided by the powerful island gods, Erzulie, Asaka, Papa Ge, and Agwe, on a remarkable quest to reunite with the man who has captured her heart.
This production transforms the reality of a tropical village devastated by a storm into a fantastical world alive with hope.
The new Broadway production of Once On This Island won the 2018 Tony Award® for Best Musical Revival and received seven additional nominations. The production was also nominated seven Drama Desk Award nominations, six Outer Critics Circle nominations and three Chita Rivera Award nominations.
Once On This Island premiered at Playwrights Horizons in May of 1990. The Broadway production opened in October of that year and ran for 469 performances garnering eight Tony nominations including Best Featured Actress (LaChanze), Best Original Score, Best Book of a Musical and Best Musical. The 1994 West End production won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
A National Tour of Once On This Island will launch in fall 2019, with cities, dates, and casting to be announced at a later date.
Tickets for Once On This Island are on sale through Telecharge.
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.
Lia Chang
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.
A magical, musical and deeply personal work written, performed and directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson, “Lackawanna Blues” is a reminiscence of his 1950s childhood in a small town on the banks of Lake Erie.
Santiago-Hudson takes on more than 20 colorful characters-from would-be philosophers and petty hustlers to lost souls and abandoned lovers-in a brilliant celebration of the eccentric boardinghouse he grew up in.
Santiago-Hudson returns to his roots in this tour de force performance accompanied throughout by live blues music performed by Obie winning composer Bill Sims Jr.
Ruben Santiago-Hudson is an actor, writer, and stage director who has won national awards for his work in all three categories. His film and television credits include American Gangster, Billions, Castle, Coming to America, Law & Order, Shaft, and many others. Broadway credits include Seven Guitars (Tony Award, Best Featured Performer), Jelly’s Last Jam, and Gem of the Ocean with Phylicia Rashad. He has been awarded the Humanitas Prize in writing for the HBO film adaptation of his play Lackawanna Blues, the Lucille Lortel Award and Obie Award for Outstanding Direction, and the NAACP Lifetime Achievement Theatre Award.
Tickets are available online at CenterTheatreGroup.org, by calling Audience Services at (213) 628-2772 or in person at the Center Theatre Group Box Office (at the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles). Groups: (213) 972-7231. Deaf community: Information and charge, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/ACCESS.
Lia Chang
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.
Legacy Award honorees Lawrence Leritz, Lori Tan Chinn, Virginia Seidel, Larry Ross, Sharon Wendrow. Photo by Lia Chang
Lori Tan Chinn, Lawrence Leritz, Larry Ross, Virginia Seidel and Sharon Wendrow received 2018 DO40 Legacy Awards at the 10th annual Legacy Awards and Dinner at LIPS Restaurant in New York on December 10th. Speakers included Jerry Mitchell, Host Jim Brochu, Joan Cohen and Mimi Turque and Mary Alice, who introduced Ms. Chinn prior to her receiving the award from John Sefakis.
Lori Tan Chinn. Photo by Lia Chang
Lori Tan Chinn was born and raised in Seattle, WA. Broadway (original casts): Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen (Broadway and theatrical debut), G. R. Point, M. Butterfly. Off Broadway: The Primary English Class, G. R. Point, The Ballad of Soapy Smith, Peking Man. Off-Off: La Mama, E.T.C., La Mama Chinatown, 52nd Street Project, Young Playwrights, New Dramatists, Ensemble Studio Theatre, New Federal Theatre, AMAS Repertory Theatre, NY Shakespeare Festival, NY Theatre Workshop, Manhattan Theatre Club, Primary Stages, New Dramatists. Regional: Arena Stage (South Pacific, Bloody Mary—Helen Hayes Award); Goodman Theatre (Peter Sellars’s The Merchant of Venice), Harold Prince Theatre (Hough in Blazes); Walnut Street Theatre (South Pacific); O’Neill Memorial Theater Center (seven seasons as an actor, five seasons as a reader to artistic director Lloyd Richards), Yale Repertory Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Center Stage, Burt Reynolds Jupiter Theatre, Maine State Music Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Studio Arena. Film: Mickey Blue Eyes, What About Bob?, Glengarry Glen Ross, She-Devil, . Television: “Orange Is the New Black,” “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific” (Bloody Mary), “Roseanne”, “Revealing Evidence”, “The Cosby Show”, “It’s Like, You Know…”, “Spin City”, “Law & Order”, “Law & Order: Trial By Jury. Ms. Chinn was interviewed for the Primary Stages Off-Broadway Oral History Project. She is the recipient of the 2018 Dancers Over 40 Legacy Award; 2013, 2014 Screen Actors Guild Award (Outstanding Ensemble, Comedy Series: “Orange is the New Black”); 2013 Helen Hayes Award (Outstanding Performance in a Musical, Supporting Role, “South Pacific”); 1998 Charles Bowden Actor Award at New Dramatists; and the 1984 American Theatre Wing/O’Neill Theater Center/Clarence Ross Fellowship.
Sydni Beaudoin, Lori Tan Chinn (Mae) and Garrett Turner; Photo by Jerry Dalia
Ms. Chinn recently appeared as Mae in HALFTIME, directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, at Paper Mill Playhouse.
Lori Tan Chinn. Photo by Lia Chang
Mary Alice, speaker For Lori Tan Chinn. Photo by Lia Chang
Lori Tan Chinn. Photo by Lia Chang
Lori Tan Chinn and John Sefakis. Photo by Lia Chang
Lori Tan Chinn and John Sefakis. Photo by Lia Chang
Lori Tan Chinn and John Sefakis. Photo by Lia Chang
Lori Tan Chinn. Photo by Lia Chang
Lori Tan Chinn. Photo by Lia Chang
Lori Tan Chinn. Photo by Lia Chang
Lori Tan Chinn. Photo by Lia Chang
Lawrence Leritz and Lori Tan Chinn. Photo by Lia Chang
Lori Tan Chinn and Laura Castro. Photo by Lia Chang
Marni Mueller, Lori Tan Chinn and Amy Chin. Photo by Lia Chang
Dale Soules, Lori Tan Chinn and Tamara Torres. Photo by Lia Chang
Dale Soules and Lori Tan Chinn. Photo by Lia Chang
Baayork Lee, Lori Tan Chinn and Eleanor Yung. Photo by Lia Chang
Baayork Lee, Lori Tan Chinn and Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits
Dana Fleischman Lehrman, Lori Tan Chinn and Danny Lehrman. Photo by Lia Chang
Will Spartalis, Lori Tan Chinn and Ankeen McGuire. Photo by Lia Chang
Marti Gould Cummings II. Photo by Lia Chang
Mary Alice and Lori Tan Chinn. Photo by Lia Chang
MIchael DiGioia, Lori Tan Chinn and Luis Kraus. Photo by Lia Chang
Michael Sean Lee and Lori Tan Chinn. Photo by Lia Chang
Lori Tan Chinn and Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits
Honoree Lori Tan Chinn is flanked by her “Orange is the New Black” cast mates Tamara Torres and Dale Soules. Photo by Lia ChangTamara Torres, Lori Tan Chinn, Marti Gould Cummings II, Dale Soules, John Sefakis. Photo by Lia ChangLia Chang, Amy Chin, Lori Tan Chinn, Richard Young, Mel Young, Michael Sean Lee and Baayork Lee. Photo by Lia ChangHonoree Lawrence Leritz and Jerry Mitchell, who directed Lori Tan Chinn in HALFTIME this summer at Paper Mill Playhouse. Photo by Lia ChangHonorees Larry Ross, Sharon Wendrow, Lori Tan Chinn, Lawrence Leritz and Virginia Seidel. Photo by Lia ChangHost Jim Brochu, Lawrence Leritz, Lori Tan Chinn, Virginia Seidel, Larry Ross, Sharon Wendrow and John Sefakis. Photo by Lia ChangAmy Chin, Baayork Lee, Mary Alice, Luis Kraus, Lori Tan Chinn Eleanor Yung, Mel Young, Richard Young, Greg Everett, Ankeen McGuire, Michael Sean Lee, Michael DiGioia, Dale Soules. Photo by Lia Chang
Dancers Over 40 is an all-volunteer, membership-driven non-profit arts organization dedicated to preserving the History, Legacy and Lives of our mature creative community, while sharing the knowledge with the younger generation just beginning their careers. The event was videotaped and donated to the Jerome Robbins Dance Collection at Lincoln Center’s Library for the Performing Arts.
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.
NAATCO Associate Producer Peter Kim and Artistic Director Mia Katigbak. Photo by Lia Chang
Mia Katigbak has received the annual St. Clair Bayfield Award presented by the Actors’ Equity Foundation for her performance as The Duke of Gloucester in NAATCO’s production of Henry VI. The announcement was made by Judy Rice, President of the Foundation, and Joan Glazer, Managing Director.
Paul Juhn, David Huynh, Anna Ishida, Mia Katigbak, Michelangelo Hyeon, Vanessa Kai and John Haggerty. Photo by William P. Steele
The award will be presented at Actors’ Equity Association’s Eastern Regional Membership Meeting at 2 pm on Monday January 28, 2019 at the Equity offices, 165 West 46th Street, New York City.
The cast includes David Shih, Mahira Kakkar, Ron Domingo, Kim Wong, Wai Ching Ho, Sophia Skiles, James Seol, Rajesh Bose, Mia Katigbak, Jon Norman Schneider, Associate Producer Peter Kim, Vanessa Kai, David Huynh, Paul Junh, John D. Haggerty, Anna Ishida, Michelangelo Hyeon. Photo by Lia Chang
Katigbak is co-founder and artistic producing director of the National Asian American Theater Company (NAATCO) where she has made it her mission to send Asian-American actors wherever the theatrical canon may lead, from “Our Town” to “Othello” to “Antigone.”
David Shih, Sophia Skiles, Vanessa Kai, Mia Katigbak, Mahira Kakkar, Wai Ching Ho, Ron Domingo and Michelangelo Hyeon. Photo by Lia Chang
She is the recipient of an Obie Award for performance (2014), the 2012-13 Lucille Lortel and the 2008 Lee Reynolds Awards (League of Professional Theatre Women); the Actors Equity’s Rosetta LeNoire Award, in recognition of her “artistic contribution to the universality of the human experience in the American theater”; New Dramatists’ Charles Bowden Actor Award; Distinguished Award for Artistic Excellence from Ma-Yi Theater.
Katigbak will appear next in THE TRIAL OF THE CATONSVILLE NINE.
Established in 1973 in memory of Equity member St. Clair Bayfield, the award honors the best performance in a supporting role by an Actor in a Shakespearean play in the New York City metropolitan area. The recipient receives a $1,000 check and an engraved crystal plaque.
The Judges for the Bayfield Award are: Joe Dziemianowicz, Adam Feldman, Time Out New York; Susan Haskins, Theater Talk; Harry Haun, The Observer, and David Rosenberg, Hearst Media.
Previous recipients of the St. Clair Bayfield Award include: Carmen DeLavalade, Dana Ivey, Charles Kimbrough, Nathan Lane, Brian Murray, Bradley Whitford, and, in 2017, Peter Friedman.
The Actors Equity Foundation is a philanthropic and humanitarian nonprofit organization created in 1962 to aid and assist members of the acting profession and to promote the theatre arts. It is separate from Actors Equity Association and is funded by estate bequests and individual donations.
André De Shields, who is currently featured as Hermes in the National Theatre’s production of Hadestown in London, has been nominated for three 2018 BroadwayWorld New Jersey Awards including Best Actor (Half Time) for his role as Ron, and Best Director and Choreographer for NJPAC and Crossroads Theatre Company’s Co-production of Ain’t Misbehavin’.
André De Shields (Ron) in HALF TIME. Photo by Jerry Dalia
Ain’t Misbehavin’ racked up 10 2018 BroadwayWorld New Jersey Award nominations including Best Musical and Best Ensemble (Musical).
Rheaume Crenshaw, David Samuel, Zurin Villanueva, Borris York and Johmaalya Adelekan. Photo by Lia Chang
The cast starred Johmaalya Adelekan as Armelia (Ragtime), Zurin Villanueva as Charlaine (Mean Girls and Shuffle Along), Rheaume Crenshaw as Nell (Groundhog Day), David Samuel as Ken (Ruined, Arena Stage), Borris York as Andre (Holiday Inn; Love Never Dies, U.S. tour), with musical direction from David Alan Bunn, in NJPAC’s Victoria Theatre.
Borris York, Zurin Villanueva, Rheaume Crenshaw, David Samuel, Johmaalya Adelekan, André De Shields. Photo by Lia Chang
Two-time Tony Award nominee and Emmy-winning actor André De Shields was an original cast member of Ain’t Misbehavin‘ when it opened on Broadway in 1978 and swept up a few Tonys, including best musical. De Shields returned to direct and choreograph this acclaimed production of the Fats Waller award-winning musical, which premiered during Crossroads Theatre Company’s 2011-2012 season. The show was conceived by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Murray Horwitz.
Murray Horwitz and André De Shields. Photo by Lia Chang
The creative team includes costume design by Deborah Caney, sound design by Joshua D. Reid, scenic and lighting design by Burke Wilmore, assistant choreographer Camille Moten and Production Stage Manager Brian Westmoreland.
Crossroads Board President Anthony P. Carter, Producing Artistic Director Marshall Jones, III, Borris York, Zurin Villanueva, Rheaume Crenshaw, David Samuel, Johmaalya Adelekan, Director/Choreographer André De Shields, Co-creator Murray Horwitz and Musical Director David Alan Bunn. Photo by Lia Chang
The band includes Kenneth Crutchfield (drums), George Grier (bass), Irwin Hall (clarinet/tenor sax), Robert Stringer (trombone) and Donald Malloy (trumpet).
Borris York, Zurin Villanueva, Johmaalya Adelekan, Rheaume Crenshaw. Photo by Lia Chang
The production has also been nominated in the categories Best Actress (Musical) for Johmaalya Adelekan, Rheaume Crenshaw and Zurin Villanueva; Best Costume Design for Deborah Caney; and Best Lighting Design and Set Design for Burke Wilmore.
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Crossroads Theatre Company continues to lead the nation with its commitment to literary works that examine the African American experience so that it may be understood and appreciated by all people. When co-founders Ricardo Khan and L. Kenneth Richardson envisioned a space where, as actors, the two young men could work on substantive, non-stereotypical roles, little did they realize that their vision would grow into the major institution that it is today. Crossroads has filled an otherwise empty space on the cultural canvas of the country and the world, with a collective body of work that remains unparalleled by any other of culturally-specific theater in the nation by presenting over 50 world premieres. Crossroads forged its vision into reality through the development, production and touring of new works from throughout the African Diaspora where positive images of African American life, history and culture is celebrated. These honest theatrical portrayals helped move the consciousness of the nation forward. Crossroads continues to lead twenty-first century story-telling by building bridges of understanding and veracity between people of all backgrounds in this society and the world. Find out more at CrossroadsTheatreCompany.org.
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.
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.
East West Players (EWP) and Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC)’s Los Angeles premiere of the Broadway musical Allegiance has been nominated for 4 LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards including Lead Actress in a Musical for Elena Wang, Featured Actor in a Musical for Eymard Cabling, Sound Design (Large Theater) for Cricket Myers and Video/Project Design (Large Theater) for Adam Flemming.
The Cast of ALLEGIANCE. Photo by Michael Lamont
The Ovation Awards are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles, created to recognize excellence in theatrical performance, production, and design in the Greater Los Angeles area.
Eymard Cabling, Elena Wang, and George Takei. Photo by Michael Lamont
This year, the ceremony will be held at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on Monday, January 28th. Tickets go on sale Monday, November 26th, and full information can be found on OvationAwards.com.
George Takei. Photo by Michael Lamont
Broadway cast members included George Takei, Elena Wang as Kei Kimura, Greg Watanabe as Mike Masaoka, Scott Watanabe as Tatsuo Kimura, and Janelle Dote as Hanako.
Elena Wang. Photo by Michael Lamont
The cast also featured Ethan Le Phong as Sammy Kimura, Eymard Cabling as Frankie Suzuki, and Natalie Holt MacDonald as Hannah Campbell. The ensemble includes Cesar Cipriano, Jordan Goodsell, Sharline Liu, Miyuki Miyagi, Glenn Shiroma, Chad Takeda, and Grace Yoo.
Elena Wang and Ethan Le Phong. Photo by Michael Lamont
With music and lyrics by Jay Kuo and a book by Marc Acito, Jay Kuo, and Lorenzo Thione, Allegiance tells the story of the Kimura family, whose lives are upended when they and 120,000 other Japanese-Americans are forced to leave their homes following the events of Pearl Harbor. Sam Kimura seeks to prove his patriotism by fighting for his country in the war, but his sister, Kei, fiercely protests the government’s treatment of her people. An uplifting testament to the power of the human spirit, Allegiance follows the Kimuras as they fight between duty and defiance, custom and change, family bonds and forbidden loves. Allegiance had its 2012 world premiere in a record-breaking engagement at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego and played on Broadway from 2015-16 at The Shubert Organization’s Longacre Theatre.
George Takei, Lorenzo Thione, Jay Kuo and Marc Acito celebrate the release of the ALLEGIANCE Original Cast recording at the Barnes and Noble CD Signing event in New York on Feb. 5, 2016. Photo by Lia ChangEthan Le Phong, George Takei, and Elena Wang. Photo by Michael Lamont
With a career spanning six decades, George Takei is known around the world for his founding role in the acclaimed television series “Star Trek,” in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the Starship Enterprise. But Takei’s story goes where few stories have gone before. From a childhood spent with his family wrongfully imprisoned in a Japanese American internment camp during World War II to becoming one of the country’s leading figures in the fight for social justice, LGBTQ rights, and marriage equality-Takei remains a powerful voice on issues ranging from politics to pop culture. Takei made his Broadway debut in the musical Allegiance, which ran in New York in 2015 and 2016. The musical is inspired by Takei’s true-life experience as a Japanese American who-from age 5 to 9-was unjustly imprisoned in two US internment camps during World War II. In 2017, Takei returned to the New York stage, starring in a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures, directed by John Doyle at Classic Stage Company. Mashable.com named Takei the #1 most-influential person on Facebook, currently with nearly 10.3 million likes and 2.3 million followers on Twitter. Takei lives in Los Angeles with his husband Brad Takei.
Scott Watanabe, George Takei, Jordan Goodsell, Elena Wang, and Ethan Le Phong. Photo by Michael LamontThe Los Angeles premiere of ALLEGIANCE at the Aratani Theatre. Photo by Michael Lamont
East West Players (EWP), the nation’s longest-running professional theatre of color and the largest producing organization of Asian American artistic work, was founded in 1965, at a time when Asian Pacific Islanders (APIs) faced limited or no opportunities to see their experiences reflected outside of stereotypical and demeaning caricatures in the American landscape. EWP not only ensures that API stories are told, but works to increase access, inclusion, and representation in the economy.
Founded in 1971, Japanese American Cultural & Community Center is one of the largest ethnic arts and cultural centers of its kind in the United States. A hub for Japanese and Japanese American arts and culture and a community gathering place for the diverse voices it inspires-JACCC connects traditional and contemporary; community participants and creative professionals; Southern California and the world beyond. JACCC also provides office space in its five-story complex to a wide variety of nonprofit cultural, educational, and community-based organizations in Los Angeles.
The original Broadway production of Allegiance opened on November 8, 2015 at the Longacre Theater in New York City and was produced by Sing Out, Louise! Productions and ATA with Mark Mugiishi/Hawaii HUI, Hunter Arnold, Ken Davenport, Elliott Masie, Sandi Moran, Mabuhay Productions, Barbara Freitag; Marsi Gardiner, Valiant Ventures, Wendy Gillespie, David Hiatt Kraft, Diane Blumenthal, M. Bradley Calobrace, Karen Tanz, Gregory Rae, Mike Karns, in association with Jas Grewal, Peter Landin, and Ron Polson.
Center Theatre Group’s world premiere production of “Soft Power” by David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori has been nominated for 11 LA Ovation Awards including Best Production of a Musical (Large Theater) and Acting Ensemble of a Musical.
Sam Pinkleton, Jeanine Tesori, David Henry Hwang and Leigh Silverman. Photo by Lia Chang
The Ovation Awards are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles, created to recognize excellence in theatrical performance, production, and design in the Greater Los Angeles area.
This year, the ceremony will be held at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on Monday, January 28th. Tickets go on sale Monday, November 26th, and full information can be found on OvationAwards.com.
Seated: Jeanine Tesori, Francis Jue, Kendyl Ito, Daniel May. Standing: Trevor Salter, Sam Pinkleton, Emily Stillings, Billy Bustamante, Kristen Faith Oei, Jon Hoche, Leigh Silverman, Austin Ku, Paul HeeSang Miller, Jaygee Macapugay, Geena Quintos, Conrad Ricamora, Alyse Alan Louis, Raymond J. Lee, Maria-Christina Oliveras, David Henry Hwang. Photo by Lia Chang
The cast includes, in alphabetical order, Billy Bustamante, Kara Guy, Jon Hoche, Kendyl Ito, Francis Jue, Austin Ku, Raymond J. Lee, Alyse Alan Louis, Jaygee Macapugay, Daniel May, Paul HeeSang Miller, Kristen Faith Oei, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Geena Quintos, Conrad Ricamora, Trevor Salter and Emily Stillings.
Kristen Faith Oei, Raymond J. Lee (obscured), Austin Ku, Daniel May, Geena Quintos, Jon Hoche, Paul HeeSang Miller, Jaygee Macapugay, Billy Bustamante (obscured), Maria-Christina Oliveras and Kendyl Ito. Photo Credit: Craig Schwartz
A contemporary comedy explodes into a musical fantasia in the first collaboration between two of America’s great theatre artists: Tony Award winners David Henry Hwang (“M. Butterfly”) and Jeanine Tesori (“Fun Home”). “Soft Power” rewinds our recent political history and plays it back, a century later, through the Chinese lens of a future, beloved East-meets-West musical. In the musical, a Chinese executive who is visiting America finds himself falling in love with a good-hearted U.S. leader – Hillary Clinton – as the power balance between their two countries shifts following the 2016 election.
Choreography
Sam Pinkleton
Jon Hoche; Daniel May (facing away); Kendyl Ito; Kristen Faith Oei; Maria-Christina Oliveras (obscured); Raymond J. Lee; Jaygee Macapugay and Geena Quintos. Photo Credit: Craig Schwartz
Music Direction
David O
Book for an Original Musical
David Henry Hwang
David Henry Hwang. Photo by Lia Chang
Lyrics/Composition for an Original Musical
David Henry Hwang, Jeanine Tesori
Jeanine Tesori and David Henry Hwang. Photo by Lia Chang
Direction of a Musical
Leigh Silverman
Director Leigh Silverman. Photo by Lia Chang
Lead Actor in a Musical
Conrad Ricamora
Conrad Ricamora. Photo Credit: Craig Schwartz
Lead Actress in a Musical
Alyse Louis
Francis Jue, Conrad Ricamora, Austin Ku, Raymond J. Lee, Jaygee Macapugay, Billy Bustamante, Alyse Alan Louis (center), Maria-Christina Oliveras, Geena Quintos, Paul HeeSang Miller, Jon Hoche, Kristen Faith Oei, Daniel May and Kendyl Ito. Photo Credit: Craig Schwartz
Sound Design (Large Theater)
Kai Harada
Costume Design (Large Theater)
Anita Yavich
Conrad Ricamora, Austin Ku, Francis Jue, Geena Quintos, Billy Bustamante and Raymond J. Lee. Photo Credit: Craig Schwartz
The creative team includes scenic design by David Zinn, costume design by Anita Yavich, lighting design by Mark Barton, sound design by Kai Harada, orchestrations by Danny Troob, dance arrangements by John Clancy, music supervision by Chris Fenwick, music direction by David O, hair and wig design by Tom Watson, make-up design by Angelina Avallone and casting by Heidi Griffiths, CSA and Kate Murray, CSA. The dramaturg is Oskar Eustis. The production stage manager is David Lurie-Perret.
Maria-Christina Oliveras (obscured), Geena Quintos, Billy Bustamante, Conrad Ricamora, Jaygee Macapugay, Jon Hoche and Daniel May. Photo Credit: Craig Schwartz
As original as it is topical, “Soft Power” overflows with the romance, laughter and cultural confusions of the golden age of Broadway. “Soft Power” is inspired by the legacy of classic American musicals such as “The King and I” as well as China’s current quest for international cultural influence, also known as “Soft Power.”
Conrad Ricamora and Alyse Alan Louis. Photo Credit: Craig Schwartz
“Soft Power” is a Center Theatre Group co-commission with The Public Theater. “Soft Power” is produced in association with East West Players.
Conrad Ricamora and Francis Jue. Photo Credit: Craig Schwartz
This voting season, there were 255 total productions registered for the Ovation Awards from 110 different producing bodies, resulting in 203 total nominations for 71 distinct productions presented by 46 organizations. These productions were voted on by 277 Ovation Awards voters — vetted individuals from the Greater Los Angeles area who are working theatre professionals.
Conrad Ricamora and Kendyl Ito. Photo Credit: Craig SchwartzConrad Ricamora and Kendyl Ito. Photo Credit: Craig SchwartzFrancis Jue. Photo Credit: Craig SchwartzRaymond J. Lee, Jaygee Macapugay, Austin Ku, Kendyl Ito and Jon Hoche. Photo Credit: Craig SchwartzThe cast. Photo Credit: Craig Schwartz
AUDELCO in association with TRIBECA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER presented the 46th Annual Vivian Robinson AUDELCO Recognition Awards for Excellence in Black Theatre at Tribeca Performing Arts Center in New York on November 19. Pauletta Pearson Washington, Roscoe Orman and Kimberly Orman served as honorary co-chairs of the event.
City College Center For the Arts’ production of On Kentucky Avenue, a new original musical created by Jeree Wade and written by Adam Wade and Ty Stephens, was nominated for 10 AUDELCO Awards, taking home a total of six, the highest number of wins for the evening, including for “Best Musical.”
The cast of ON KENTUCKY AVENUE. Photo by Mojo Visuals
Classic Stage’s revival of Carmen Jones also took 5 awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, and a lead actress award for the play’s star, Anika Noni Rose.
Justin Keyes, Soara-Joye Ross, Anika Noni Rose, Erica Dorfler, Lawrence E. Street. Photo by Joan Marcus
New York Theatre Workshop’s production of Marcus Gardley’s The House That Will Not Stand won 3 awards including Best Play for Marcus Gardley (tie with A Small Oak Tree Runs Red by LeKethia Dalcoe), Lead Actress in a Play for Harriett D. Foy and Best Featured Actress in a Play for Joniece Abbott-Pratt.
Michelle Wilson, Nedra McClyde, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Lileana Blain-Cruz, Lynda Gravatt, Marie Thomas, Harriett D. Foy and Juliana Canfield. Photo by Lia Chang
AUDELCO was established and incorporated in 1973 to generate more recognition, understanding and awareness of the arts in African-American communities; to provide better public relations and to build new audiences for non-profit theatre and dance companies.
LIGHTING DESIGN
Adam Honore (Carmen Jones)
SET DESIGN
Chris Cumberbatch (Harriet’s Return)
COSTUME DESIGN
Carolyn Adams (Two Trains Running)
SOUND DESIGN
Luqman Brown (The Peculiar Patriot)
Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Photo by Lia Chang
DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Paradise Blue)
DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
Lee Summers (On Kentucky Avenue)
PLAYWRIGHT
Dominique Morisseau (Paradise Blue)
Dominique Morisseau at The Drama Bookshop in New York on May 7, 2018. Photo by Lia Chang
FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Gil Tucker (A Soldier’s Play)
Gilbert Tucker as Sgt. Vernon C. Waters in A SOLDIER’S PLAY. Photo by Kamoier Williams.
FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Joniece Abbott-Pratt (The House That Will Not Stand)
Joniece Abbott-Pratt. Photo by Joan Marcus
LEAD ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Ty Stephens (On Kentucky Avenue)
Ty Stephens in ON KENTUCKY AVENUE. Photo by Matt Peyton
LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Anika Noni Rose (Carmen Jones)
David Aron Damane, Anika Noni Rose, Clifton Duncan. Photo by Joan Marcus
FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Count Stovall (On Kentucky Avenue)
FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Andricka Hall (On Kentucky Avenue)
OUTSTANDING MUSICAL DIRECTOR (TIE)
Shelton Becton (Carmen Jones)
Richard Cummings, Jr. (On Kentucky Avenue)
CHOREOGRAPHY
Bill T. Jones (Carmen Jones)
Francois Battiste, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Keith Randolph Smith & Kristolyn Lloyd. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE (TIE) Paradise Blue (Signature Theatre Company) Sugar in Our Wounds (Manhattan Theatre Club)
Tiffany Rachelle Stewart as Mattie, Chinaza Uche as Henry (rear), Stephanie Berry as Aunt Mama, and Sheldon Best as James. Photo by Joan Marcus
SOLO PERFORMANCE
Sharon Washington (Feeding the Dragon)
Sharon Washington. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.
LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY
David Roberts (Josh: The Black Babe Ruth)
LEAD ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Harriett D. Foy (The House That Will Not Stand)
Harriett D. Foy and Michelle Wilson. Photo by Joan Marcus
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL Carmen Jones (Classic Stage Company)
BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY (TIE) A Soldier’s Play (Negro Ensemble Company) The Old Settler (Billie Holiday Theatre)
Warner Miller, Denise Burse, Pauletta Pearson Washington and Maechi Aharanwa. Photo by Lia Chang
BEST MUSICAL On Kentucky Avenue (Wade & Wade Productions/City College Center for the Arts)
BEST PLAY (TIE) A Small Oak Tree Runs Red (Billie Holiday Theatre) The House That Will Not Stand (New York Theatre Workshop)
Nedra McClyde, Juliana Canfield, Harriett D. Foy and Joniece Abbott Pratt. Photo by Joan Marcus
GRACE JONES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Arthur French
Melba Moore
SPECIAL PIONEER AWARD
Irene Gandy
Cheryl Wills
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Savion Glover
Timothy D. Stickney
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AWARD
Tad Schnugg
Gertrude Jeannette
Tad Schnugg, André and George Faison backstage at Yale’s Rep’s production of SEVEN GUITARS on December 1, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
RISING STAR AWARD
Chinua Baraka Payne
AUDELCO SPECIAL HONOR CELEBRATING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’
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.
CCC, Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus, 1990 Institute, Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach, East Wind Books and other community partners are co-presenting the Book Launch Party for Helen Zia’s new nonfiction book, Last Boat out of Shanghai, at Chinese Culture Center Auditorium, 750 Kearny St, 3rd Fl., SF, CA, on Thursday, January 24, 2019 at 5:45pm.
