(Los Angeles, CA) June 20, 2016 – Artists at Play (AAP) will host its annual Summer Salon on Saturday, July 1. The Summer Salon includes a champagne brunch and a special presentation of Seminar by Theresa Rebeck, directed by former East West Players Artistic Director, Tim Dang. All proceeds from the Summer Salon go towards Artists at Play’s world premiere of Two Mile Hollow by Leah Nanako Winkler. To make a reservation, contact AAP.BoxOffice@gmail.com.
The AAP Summer Salon is an opportunity to incorporate diverse casting for a popular play that does not require but is consistently cast with all white actors. This year’s AAP Summer Salon will be hosted at a private residence in Playa del Rey. The cast includes Julia Cho (“This Is Us”), Ewan Chung (EWP’s Chinglish), C.S. Lee (“Dexter”), Tess Paras (“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) and Vincent Rodriguez III (“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”).
“Artists at Play aims to tell stories that showcase a diverse Asian America, one where we are influenced by our culture and ancestral histories, but also where our lives are as varied and complex as anyone else living in the United States,” said Producing Artistic Leader Stefanie Wong Lau. “The opportunity to present mainstream American plays with diverse casting furthers our mission that stories don’t need to be based on the white American experience in order to be universal.”
Julia Cho is currently featured on “This is Us” and is best known for her role as Charlotte on the Emmy Award-winning webseries “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.” Other television and film credits include “Goliath,” “Scandal,” and Sounds We Have No Letters For. She is a founding member of AAP and a Producing Artistic Leader.
Ewan Chung’s theatre credits include East West Players’ Chinglish and Washer/Dryer. Television credits include “Bones,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Invasion,” and “Torchwood.”
C.S. Lee is most recognized for his role as sex-obsessed forensics analyst Vince Masuka on the Showtime drama series “Dexter.” Other television roles include Richard Geldof (“True Detective”), Steven Chen (“Fresh Off the Boat”), Jae Shin (“Power”) and Joseph Lee (“Sneaky Pete”).
Tess Paras currently recurs as Josh Chan’s sister Jayma on “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and is also recognized for her role as Dana Tomas on NBC’s hit drama, “Grimm” (introducing the first Filipino-American storyline on primetime television). Other notable TV credits include “White Collar,” “Mulaney,” “Wilfred,” “Weeds” and “The Good Wife.”
Vincent Rodriguez III is currently starring on “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” as Josh Chan and made a recent appearance on ABC’s “Designated Survivor.” He was in the US tour of Roundabout Theatre’s Anything Goes and the off-Broadway cast of Here Lies Love.
In Seminar, four aspiring young novelists sign up for private writing classes with Leonard, an international literary figure. Under his recklessly brilliant and unorthodox instruction, some thrive and others flounder, alliances are made and broken, sex is used as a weapon and hearts are unmoored. Wordplay is not the only thing that turns vicious as innocence collides with experience in this biting Broadway comedy.
The Summer Salon begins at 11 a.m. with a champagne brunch followed by the special presentation of Seminar at 12 p.m. Reservations are $80 per person and can be made by contacting AAP.BoxOffice@gmail.com.
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About Artists at Play
Founded in 2011 by Julia Cho, Peter J. Kuo, Stefanie Wong Lau and Marie-Reine Velez, Artists at Play is a collective of Asian American creative professionals who have come together to curate quality theatre in Los Angeles. Producing Member Nicholas Pilapil joined Artists at Play in 2013. Artists at Play presents theatrical productions missing from Los Angeles’ local landscape to tell the stories of communities underrepresented in theatre, with a focus on the Asian American experience. Past productions include Lauren Yee’s Ching Chong Chinaman, A. Rey Pamatmat’s Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them, Michael Golamco’s Cowboy Versus Samurai, playwright Julia Cho’s 99 Histories, Madhuri Shekar’s In Love and Warcraft and most recently the world premiere of Carla Ching’s The Two Kids That Blow Shit Up. Dedicated to new play development, Artists at Play has also developed new works by Boni B. Alvarez, Sanaz Toossi, Alice Tuan and Leah Nanako Winkler, among others, as part of their Artists at Play readings.
Calendar Listing Information:
Artists at Play Summer Salon 2017
Seminar by Theresa Rebeck
Directed by Tim Dang
Venue: Private Residence in Playa del Rey
Date: Saturday, July 1; Brunch at 11 a.m. followed at by a special presentation of Seminar at 12 p.m.
Tickets: $80 per person
Purchase online: Contact AAP.BoxOffice@gmail.com to make a reservation.
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