31 Asian American Plays –
Chickencoop Chinaman, 1972
American Place Theater
Written by Frank Chin
Directed by Jack Gerber
Cast: Randall Duk Kim, Joanna Pang, Sab Shimono, Sally Kirkland, Anthony Marciona, Calvin Jung, Merwin Goldsmith, Leonard Jackson
Gold Watch, 1972,
Inner City Cultural Center, Los Angeles,
Written by Momoko Iko
Directed by C. Bernard Jackson,
Cast: Shizuko Hoshi, Mimosa Iwamatsu, Richard Kato, Joanne Lee, Serena McCarthy, Irvin Paid, Bill Shinkai, Momo Yashima
And the Soul Shall Dance, 1977
East West Players
Shizuko Hoshi, Keone Young, Josie Maseras Pepito, Jim Ishida, Susan Inouye, and Mimosa Iwamatsu. Mako and Alberto Isaac.
Song for a Nisei Fisherman, 1980
Stanford Asian American Theatre Project
Written by Phillip Kan Gotanda
Directed by David Henry Hwang
Cast: David Pating, Lisa Pan, Henry Loren Fong, Stacy Azama, Angela Goldstein
Paper Angels, ATtheUW, 1984, Production
Paper Angels, 1980
Asian American Theater Company,
Written by Genny Lim
Directed by Amy Hill,
Cast: Bernadette Cha, Lynette Chun, Dennis Dun, Art Lai, Damon Lee, Wood Moy, Kitty Tsui and Victor Wong
Yellow Fever, 1982
Guthrie Theater presentation of Mu Performing Arts production of Yellow Fever, Cast:
Kurt Kwan (Sam Shikaze), Sara Ochs (Nancy Wing), Eric Sharp (Captain Kadota), Alex Galick (Chuck Chan), Brandon Ewald (Sergeant Mackenzie), Wade A. Vaughn (Superintendent Jameson/Goldberg), Jeannie Lander (Rosie)
Asian American Theater Company
Written by Rick Shiomi
Directed by Lane Nishikawa
Cast: Art Lai, June Messina, Dennis Dun, John Nishio, Suzie Okazaki
The Wash, 1985
Mark Taper Forum.
Written by Phillip Kan Gotanda
Directed by Barbara Damashek.
Cast: Mako, Shizuko Hoshi, Kim Miyori, Rosalind Chao, June Kim, Sab Shimono, Momo Yashima and Daniel Kuramoto.
Tea, 1987
Manhattan Theatre Club,
Written by Velina Hasu Houston
Directed by Juliane Boyd,
Cast: Takayo Fisher, Lily Mariye, Jeanne More, Natsuko Ohama and Patti Yasutake
Chicago’s Court Theatre production of M. BUTTERFLY
M. Butterfly, 1988
National Theatre, Washington, D.C., on February 10, 1988.
Written by David Henry Hwang
Directed by John Dexter
Cast: John Lithgow as Gallimard and BD Wong as Song Liling. Also featuring Alec Mapa, Chris Odo and H. J. Guan. John Getz Renee, Rose Gregorio. Lindsay Frost. Lori Tan Chinn. George N. Martin
Yankee Dawg, You Die, 1988
Berkeley Repertory Theatre,
Written by Phillip Kan Gotanda
Directed by Sharon Ott
Cast: Sab Shimono and Kelvin Han Yee
Tokyo Bound, 1990
Japan American Cultural Center in 1990 and then at East West Players in 1991
Written by Amy Hill
Directed by Anne Etue
Letters to a Student Revolutionary, 1991
Pan Asian Rep
Written by Elizabeth Wong
Directed by Ernest Abuba,
Cast: Caryn Ann Chow, Karen Tsan Lee, Andrew Ingkaver, Mary Lum, Christen Villamor and Keena Shimizu
Bondage 1992
Humana Festival
Written by David Henry Hwang
Directed by Oskar Eustis
Cast: B. D. Wong, Kathryn Lang
Aloha Las Vegas, 1992
Kumu Kahua Theatre
Written by Ed Sakamoto,
Directed by James A. Nakamoto
Cast: Gracie: Nan Asuncion, Wally Fukuda: Larry Fukumoto, Harry: Dennis Ihara, June Fukuda: Karen Yamamoto Hackler, Alvin Kawabata: Dann Seki, Butch Fukuda: Byron J. Ono, Deedee Fukuda: Meredith Rose Hill
Exquisite Bad Asses’ Menage A Trois Festival, Phillipines
R.A.W. ‘Cause I’m a Woman, 1993
Ohio Theatre,
Written by Diana Son
Directed by Lenora Champagne,
Cast: Kim Ima, Lisa Ann Li, Liana Pai and Elaine Tse
A Language of Their Own, 1994
Celebration Theatre
Written by Chay Yew
Directed by Tim Dang
Cast: Dennis Dun, Chris Tashima, Noel Alumit and Anthony David
S.A.M. I Am , 1995
East West Players
Written by Garrett Omata
Directed by Heidi Helen Davis,
Cast: Doug Yasuda, Eddie Mui, Joanne Takahashi, Cindy Cheung, Jeff Dente, Shay Phillips, Daniel Getzoff.
Flipzoids, 1996
Ma-Yi Theatre, 1996
Written by Ralph Pena
Directed by Loy Arcenas
Cast: Ching Valdes-Aran, Mia Katigbak and Ken Leun
Carry the Tiger to the Mountain, 1998
Contemporary American Theater Festival
by Cherylene Lee
Cast included Beulah Quo
Making Tracks, 1999
2g Productions/Tapei Theater
book by Welly Yang and Brian Yorkey, Music by Woody Pak
Directed by Lenny Leibowitz
Cast: Cindy Cheung, Mel Duane Gionson, Timothy Huang, Thomas Kouo, Mimosa, Michael Minn, Kiki Moritsugu, Aiko Nakasone, Rodney To, Virginia Wing and Welly Yang.
Substantially revised version at Village Theater, 2002, included Thomas C. Kouo, Chil Kong, Dee Dee Lynn Magno, Herman Sebek, Michael K. Lee, Hazel Anne Raymundo, Leilani Berinobis, Kari Cartwright, Ben Gonio, Joseph Steven Yang, Jennifer Paz,Brandon Michael Kuwada, Seema Sueko, Ming Lee
The Theory of Everything, 2000
East West Players
Written by Prince Gomolvilas
Directed by Tim Dang
Cast: Melody Butiu, Michelle Chon, Brandon Marc Fernandez, Kennedy Kabasares, Emily Kuroda, Ken Narasaki, and Marilyn Tokuda.
Sex in Seattle, Episode 12, with Chloe Ahn, Leilani Berinobis, Kathy Hsieh and Ray Tagavilla.
Sex in Seattle, 2000-2012
SIS Productions
Created by Kathy Hsieh, Moi, Serin Ngai and Amy Villarama,
Writers: Serin Ngai, Kathy Hsieh
Queen of the Remote Control 2002
East West Players
Written by Sujata G. Bhatt
Directed by Sujata G. Bhatt and Tim Dang
Cast: Poorna Jagannathan, Meera Simhan, Bernard White, Kal Penn, Sulekha Naidu
Cowboy v. Samurai. 2005
NAATCO
Written by Michael Golamco
Directed by Lloyd Suh,
Cast: Joel de la Fuente, C. S. Lee, Hana Moon, Timothy Davis.
Durango, 2006,
The Public/Long Wharf,
Written by Julia Cho
Directed by Chay Yew.
Cast: James Saito, Jon Norman Schneider, and James Yaegashi, Ross Bickell, Jay Sullivan
Yellowface, 2007
From the Seattle ReACT/Pork Filled Production of YELLOWFACE (Agastya Kohli, Lee Osorio, Julia Beers, Moses Yim, Jeremy Behrens, Stephanie Kim-Bryan, Henry Vu)
Los Angeles Theatre Group/Mark Taper
In Association with East West Players
Written by David Henry Hwang
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Cast: DHH – Hoon Lee HYH/others – Tzi Ma Marcus Gee – Peter Scanavino Leah/others – Julienne Hanzelka Kim Jane/Miles/others – Kathryn A. Layng Stuart/Rocco/others – Lucas Caleb Rooney The Announcer – Tony Torn
Hold These Truths, 2007ish
Written by Jeanne Sakata
Ryan Yu
Merchant on Venice, 2008
Silk Road Rising
Written by Shishir Kurup
Directed by Stuart Carden
Cast: Anjali Asokan, Cesar Conde, Dipika Cherala, Kamal Hans, Anil Hurkadli, Anish Jethmalani, Shishir Kurup, Julian Martinez, Marvin Quijada, Sadieh Rifai, Marc J. Rita, Prinadhi Varshney, and Tariq Vasudeva
Ching Chong Chinaman 2008,
Impact Theatre,
Written by Lauren Yee
Directed by Desdemona Chiang,
Cast: Dennis Yen, Arthur Keng, Aidan Park, Cindy Im, and Lisa Kang
Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them, 2011
Humana Festival of New American Plays, Actors Theatre of Louisville,
Written by A. Rey Pamatmat
Directed by May Adrales
Cast Edith, a girl- Teresa Avia Lim, Kenny, her brother- Jon Norman Schneider, Benji, their friend- Cory Michael Smith
VIETGONE, Minneapolis’ Mixed Blood Production (with David Huynh)
Vietgone, 2015
South Coast Repertory Theatre
Written by Qui Nguyen
Directed by May Adrales
Cast: Raymond Lee, Maureen Sebastian, Jon Hoche, Samantha Quan, Paco Tolson
See also What is Canon for Asian American theatre?
And Prince’s list of six essential Asian American plays.
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