San Jose Repertory (San Jose, CA)
Sugar Plum Fairy
by and starring Sandra Tsing Loh
November 27, 2004 to January 2, 2005

Geffen Playhouse (LA, CA)
Paint Your Wagon
a "revisical" of the Lerner & Loew musical
new book by David Rambo
November 23, 2004 to January 9, 2005

The Playwrights Group presents a reading of
Chick Sexors
by Connie Yoshimura
Directed by Mike Hagawari
January 6, 2004

An estranged, hapa woman attends the funeral of her Nisei father, a famous chick sexor from the Midwest. From the small Iowa town where she lived to the Salt River Valley agricultural community in Arizona during the l940's, Monica discovers secrets that have divided her mixed-race family for generations and in the process discovers her father's love for her--if only from a distance.

Thursday, Jan. 6th, 2005, at 7:30 pm.

The address is Women Club of Hollywood, l749 N. La Brea.

Stir-Friday Night! (Chicago, IL)
Chicago Sketchfest 2005
January 8, 2005

Bindlestiff Studios (SF, CA)
Banyan
by Jeannie Barroga
January 8, 2005

VAWAFest (Southern CA)
Miss Saigon with the Wind
PERFORMANCES BY
le thi diem thuy, Mai Piece, Erin O‚Brien, Lan Tran
w/ guest emcee Kristina Wong
January 6 to 8, 2005

special one-night only performance by Uyen Huynh & Tram Le (Sunday, Jan 9)
Me love you long time? Come againˆthese kickass Vietnamese American female performance all-stars from across the U.S. explode stereotypes and expectations through their individual takes on love, war, sexuality, ethnicity, and fish sauce. Not identity politics as usual, and of course˜you‚ll be hungry for more.

Curated by Nguyen Cao Hiep and Viet Le.
WHERE/ WHEN: 2 locations---LA & OC

1. LA: Highways Performance Space Thurs.-Sat., January 6-8, 2005 8:30 pm $15
RESERVATIONS: 310/315.1459 1651 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404

2. OC: Vien Dong Sunday, Jan. 9, 2005 6pm $12
14891 Moran Street, Westminster, CA 92683 questions? vietle@usc.edu

Asian American Theatre Company (SF, CA)
Sleeper
by Samantha Chanse
Just Like Hermanos
by Andres Pablo Saito
January 19, 2005

8:15PM - 8:30PM: Intermission

8:30PM - 9:45PM: "Just Like Hermanos" by Andres Pablo Saito
Reading and Q
Directed by Jeffrey Morris
Featuring Jeff Sanchez, Leon Goertzen, Adena Chung, Michelle Ching, Jennifer Fong and Tina Yang.

Location:
Off-Market Theatre
965 Mission Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA
Street Parking or 5th and Mission Street Garage

Asian Acting: An Evening of One Act Plays
by Aurelio Locsin
January 7 to 23, 2005

A wild assortment of World Premiere plays, dance pieces, videos and puppetry: A woman sits down for a last cup of tea before going to a Japanese internment camp; A man is mixed up about his mixed-race relationship; A timid mom decides to stand up to the bigots in her neighborhood...and in her family; China defuses the Cuban Missile Crisis; A serial killer and his victim have a little conversation before getting down to business; American Express visits the Thai sex industry; A Filipino fable comes magically to life; Crouching Tiger, Pregnant Woman.

See News story.

Playwrights Project (San Diego, CA)
Over the Asian Airwaves
by Lauren D. Yee
(as part of Plays by Young Writers, winning plays from the California Young Playwrights Contest)
January 13 to 23, 2005

Over the Asian Airwaves focuses on an young Asian American woman in 1949 who must handle the chaos of her struggling radio station, dealing with clashing egos, painful dialogue, and her persistent long-time boyfriend. Can assistant station manager Natalie Ng put everything together in time for the biggest broadcast of her life? A one act farce directed by Anne Tran and George Ye.

Playwrights Project returns to The Old Globe in January for its annual production of Plays by Young Writers, winning scripts from the California Young Playwrights Contest. Selected from 193 contest submissions, four scripts will be presented as full productions and three as readings at the Cassius Carter Centre Stage, January 13-23, 2005. Other full productions include Patricia Ash's Welcome to Me and Mine, William Alden's Under the Hood, and Teddy Steinkellner's The Other Side.

For ticket information or sales call Playwrights Project (619) 239-8222 www.playwrightsproject.com/perf.html

Denise Uyehara (Los Angeles, CA)
Maps of City & Body: Shedding Light on the Performances of Denise Uyehara
January 22, 2005

Performance and Book Signing
Japanese American National Museum
369 E. First Street (at Central Ave.), in Little Tokyo
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Saturday, January 22, 2005
2 pm

Admission for Saturday is $8 general admisison, $5 for seniors 62+ and $4 students and youth 6-17. Children 5 and under and members are free.

For more info: www.janm.org, or www.deniseuyehara.com, or call (213) 625-0414

Kumu Kahua Theatre (Honolulu, HI)
The Work #6
January 25, 2005

Northwestern University Presents:
The Best of Stir-Friday Night!
January 26th at 7:00pm
McCormick Auditorium in the Norris University Center
1999 Campus Drive in Evanston, IL

"Quick and Hilarious" - Chicago Tribune
"An important troupe . . . Snappy performers" - Chicago Tribune

"Best Bet" - Chicago Tribune RedEye

"Sharp, intelligent, and wickedly funny . . . with the speed and grace of Second City" - Chicago Reader

"Both motivates laughter and provokes thought" - Chicago Reader

"One of the funniest groups of Asian Americans you'll ever have the pleasure of watching" - Stir TV

Don't miss this opportunity to see Stir-Friday Night!

SFN! has performed nationwide at over 50 schools, festivals and corporate events around the country and were recently featured on Stir TV. For more info, please, read on!

*A 501 (c)(3) non-profit theater company, Stir-Friday Night! is Chicago's premier Asian American sketch comedy improv troupe. Made up of an ensemble of Asian American actors/writers, Stir-Friday Night! creates original works that bring to light the Asian American and the human experience. Using comedy as a tool, Stir-Friday Night! attempts to dispel stereotypes and bridge understanding among the various social, racial and intergenerational groups.

Stir-Friday Night! has been performing together for 9-years, and have since performed from coast to coast on over 40 college campuses, and have been featured on NBC, ABC, the International Channel, PBS, National Public Radio. In addition to the many touring performances, Stir-Friday Night! produces two original shows per year, and inspires the next generation of Asian Americans through interactive improv workshops.

If you would like further information on any of Stir-Friday Night!'s upcoming events please call (847) 663-9257, email stirfridaynight@hotmail.com, or visit www.stirfridaynight.org.

Cuchipinoy Productions (NYC, NY)
The Magnificent Mr. Vincent
By Jonathan Calindas
Directed by: Mario Corrales
January 19 to 30, 2005

With: Dru Lockwood, Anthony Go, Bill Chamberlain, Janet Casamento
Stage Manager: Tami Gebhardt

John Houseman Studio Theatre A
450 West 42nd St.
New York, NY

Performances: January 19 to January 30, 2005
Schedule: Wednesday – Saturday at 8:00 PM
Saturday at 2:00 PM
Sunday at 3:00 PM

Tickets: $15
$13 Students and Seniors
For reservations, call (212) 352-3101 or www.theatermania.com

Running Time: 115 minutes with a 15 minute intermission

Cuchipinoy Productions presents the world premiere of a play by Jonathan Calindas about being twenty-something in America in the beginning of the new century. It follows the story of Sam, the idealistic lead singer-songwriter for the college garage band, The Pedestrians, as he tries to find a place in society that he can live with.

Cuchipinoy Productions is an emerging theatre company in its third season dedicated to presenting plays that reflect the American multi-ethnic landscape and to providing opportunities to actors, writers, and directors of all ethnicities.  As a predominantly young company, we embrace new, innovative, and daring plays as well as groundbreaking interpretations of the classics.  We welcome writers, directors, actors, and designers that push the boundaries of American theatre.  We strive to create productions that will reflect the new, uncharted, frightening, complex and exciting world we live in today.

Roundabout Theatre (Broadway!)
Pacific Overtures
Book by John Weidman
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Directed by Amon Miyamoto
Previews November 12, 2004
Opens December 2, 2004
Closed January 30, 2005

Following this season’s triumphant production of Assassins, Roundabout presents another landmark musical by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman. Tony Award® winner B.D. Wong (M. Butterfly) stars in this brilliant tale of culture clash as sparked by America’s 1853 mission to Westernize Japan. A show of sheer theatrical genius, Pacific Overtures features Sondheim’s most daring music—an adventurous blend of Broadway razzle-dazzle and pure Eastern beauty. Visionary Japanese director Amon Miyamoto brings a fresh perspective to this American musical masterpiece.

Revival Arts Productions (Hayward, CA)
Tatarin
by Nick Joaquin's
Directed by Marking!
January 20 to 29, 2005

Venue: Studio Theatre California State University, Hayward. 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd., Hayward, Ca

Dates:Thursday- Saturday January 20th- 22nd
       Thursday-Saturday January 27th- 29th
Time: 7:00pm - doors open 8:00pm - show starts
Pricing: $3.00 students (with ID)
Seniors/Kids (under 12)
$6.00 general admission

TICKETS CAN BE RESERVED FOR WILL CALL AT CSUH BOX OFFICE (510) 885-3261

For more information on "Tatarin", contact:
Richgail Enriquez, RAP Company Manager-Public Relations,
510.449.7918, rgenriquez@revivalarts.org or log on to: www.revivalarts.org

Tatarin, the critically acclaimed play by the late Nick Joaquin, has always been regarded as one of the most powerful dramatic pieces to portray the sexual, social and political liberation of the Filipina. Set in the American-dominated Philippines during 1920s, clan patriarch Don Paeng finds his rule and power challenged when his wife, the conservative, once subservient Lupe, slowly becomes involved in a secret fertility ritual restricted to women. In "Tatarin," the disenfranchised voiceless women, mostly from the poorer classes, join the annual ritual to cast away their inhibitions and regain the exalted position their gender enjoyed during the pre-Spanish era. Amidst the male dominated society, the lady priestesses or babaylans intentionally set the "Tatarin" during the Precession of St. John the Baptist to throw the suspicious off their traditional practices while announcing to the society, “Women are godesses and men are slaves that obey their every wish."

The play is based on "Summer Solstice," which won the Philippines Free Press citation for Best Short Story in 1945. Recently, it was made into a movie by Tikoy Aguiluz.

Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts (Flushing, NY)
“EXILES ON MAIN STREET”:
THE FIRST-EVER FLUSHING FESTIVAL
OF ASIAN AMERICAN ARTS AND CULTURE
JANUARY 28 to JANUARY 30, 2005

WHERE: FLUSHING TOWN HALL, 137-35 NORTHERN BLVD., FLUSHING, NY 11354

In January 2005, the Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts, the preeminent cultural institution of the most diverse neighborhood in America, will present at Flushing Town Hall its first-ever festival celebrating the unique arts and culture of the Asian American community. In its inaugural year, the festival will focus on the cultural achievements of second-generation Asian Americans-the “next wave” of arts and media innovators, who are increasingly creating works that are inspired by their Asian heritage but shaped by influences and technologies drawn from the American mainstream.

“We are thrilled and honored to present this festival showcasing the important works of today’s cutting-edge Asian American poets, filmmakers, writers and dancers,” says Flushing Council of Culture and the Arts Executive and Artistic Director Harvey Seifter. “We encourage people from throughout the region to come to Flushing Town Hall and experience the vibrant artistic output of the Asian American community.”

The three days of the festival will cover four categories of cultural achievement: Dance, Spoken Word, Film, and Theater. Among the performers are talents representing some of the most challenging and interesting genres of next-generation Asian American art, including “slam” poets like Ishle Yi Park (a featured performer on the Def Poetry Jam circuit and current Poet Laureate of the borough of Queens) and Regie Cabico (winner of the MTV “Free Your Mind” contest); playwrights like David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly and the groundbreaking reworking of Flower Drum Song) and Sung Rno (wAVe); filmmakers like Greg Pak (Robot Stories) and Bertha Pan (FACE); and the celebrated hip-hop movement troupe BiTriP, grand champions of the nationally broadcast “Showtime at the Apollo” talent contest.

“What these artists and performers have in common is an uncompromising commitment to bending rules, breaking cultural boundaries, and fusing the old and the new, the familiar and the unexpected,” says Jeff Yang, consulting curator of the event. “Their work offers a breathtakingly fresh and hopeful look into the Asian American community’s artistic future.”

The festival, which will include performances, interactive panel discussions, and movie screenings, is open to the public for an admission price of $15 general/$10 students per session; members of the Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts are eligible for a discounted admission price of $12 adult members/$8 student members. All programs for the three-day event will take place in Flushing Town Hall’s beautifully restored 340-seat theater.

For further information, or to schedule interviews with event organizers and participants as well as Flushing Council Executive and Artistic Director Harvey Seifter, contact Michelle Becker at 718.463.7700.

Theater Mu (Minneapolis, MN)
Park Square Theatre
Pacific Overtures
January to February 1, 2005

Shunya (Houston, TX)
Queen of the Remote Control
by Sujata Bhatt
January 17 to February 6, 2005

Unexpressions
by Patty Pomplun
February 3 to 6, 2005

unexpressions is an original movement piece based on an experience of being a person who was adopted from Korea. This piece is based on personal perspective and combines theatre, movement and dance in a rich sound and color experience, some drawing on traditional Korean art.

One weekend only. February 3, 4, 5, and 6, 2005. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 8pm. Sunday, 2pm. Suggested donation $10. No reservations, seating is limited. At Freehold Studio, Capitol Hill. 1525 10th Avenue Seattle, WA, 98122. (In Oddfellows Hall, across from KFC at 10th and Pine.) 2nd floor, Rhino Theatre. 'unexpressions' runs about 15 minutes. Total show time is about 2 hours w/intermission.

Kumu Kahua Theatre (Hawaii)
David Carradine Not Chinese
by Darrell H.Y. Lum
January 6 to February 5, 2005
extended to February 13, 2005

Playwright Lum, who has a talent for dealing with serious issues in a lighthearted style, is at his comic best in this tale of convoluted racial stereotypes, local attitudes and pun-ridden dialogue, culminating in a hilarious evening at the Wat-Chu Society annual banquet. This play was commissioned by Kumu Kahua.

See News story.

Asian American Theatre Company (SF, CA)
Shui Jiao (Dumpling)
by Wesley Du
February 16, 2005

Off Market Theater
965 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA
(b/w 5th Street and 6th Street)

7:00PM - 8:15PM Reading and Q&A with actors and playwright.

Lodestone Theatre Ensemble (Los Angeles, CA)
the next installment in the Yellow Box series:
Twelve Angry Men
adapted by Sherman L. Sergel from the teleplay by Reginald Rose
directed by Philip W. Chung
February 16, 2005

featuring Esperanza Catubig, Dennis Dun, Nechelle Fabiana, Michael Krawic, Derek Kadota, Jeff Liu, Camille Mana, Derrick McDaniel, Alex Morris, Vanessa Paul, Yohan Pi, Drew Snyder, Rick Tae & Mike Wilson

The classic exploration of the American jury system, wherein twelve strangers must decide the fate of a young man accused of murder. The basis for the 1957 feature film starring Henry Fonda, and the 1998 Showtime movie starring Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16th, 2005
8:00 PM

GTC BURBANK
1111-B West Olive St.
Burbank, CA 91506
(inside George Izay Park, between S. Victory Blvd. and N. Griffith Park Blvd.)

FREE ADMISSION (but donations gladly accepted and encouraged).

NO RSVPS required, however, please arrive at least ten minutes before curtain for seating (which is limited and on a first-come basis).

THERE WILL BE NO LATE ADMISSION!

DIRECTIONS FROM 101 N:
exit Barham Bl/Burbank
Right onto Barham which becomes West Olive. Ave. (3.5 miles)

DIRECTIONS FROM 5 N:
exit Olive Bl. East/Burbank
Right onto East Angeleno Ave.
Left onto South 1st St. (0.1 mile)
Left onto East Olive Ave. (0.7 mile)

FREE PARKING: Park on Olive near the jet plane in front of George Izay Park at 1111 W. Olive. St. Walk into the park, past Olive Recreation Center. GTC Burbank is behind the Rec. Center, facing the softball fields. Parking is also available in the lot inside the park. Enter from W. Clark Ave.

Also upcoming this month: Lodestone's 5th Annual Oscar Party fundraiser on Sunday, Feb. 27. More info. to come or check out our website below.

For more info. about Lodestone:
(323) 993-7245
SHPLodestone@aol.com
www.lodestonetheatre.org

Pork Filled Players (Seattle, WA)
In the Mood for Lard:
Bacon' Whoopie & other Participatory Sports
February 4 to 26, 2005

A review is here.

Read the ugly details!

Tickets available from ticketwindowonline.com or 206/325-6500.

Kumu Kahua Theatre (Hawaii)
Eddie Would Go and Queen of Makaha (Rell Sunn)
by Brian Hiroshi Wake
February 2005

These two one-act plays bring the lives of two of Hawai'i's most famous surfers onto the stage. Queen of Makaha dramatizes a time in the life of Rell Sunn when she was in Texas receiving chemotherapy for cancer. Eddie Would Go, first produced by Honolulu Theatre for Youth in its 1997-98 season, features four young surfers who recount key episodes in the life of Eddie Aikau in an interactive stage show which includes the audience playing the ocean. Another co-production with Honolulu Theatre for Youth.

Mixed Blood Theatre (Minneapolis, MN)
Queen of the Remote Control
by Sujata G. Bhatt
February 9 to 27, 2005

Thursdays - Sundays
Th/Fr at 8pm
Sa/Sun at 7pm
Sun at 3pm
[Fri, Feb 18, 8 pm is ASL interpreted, audio described & captioned]

at Alan Page Auditorium of Mixed Blood’s historic firehouse theatre 1501 S. Fourth Street on the West Bank in Minneapolis

Directed by Aditi Kapil
Featuring: Sebastian Kunnappilly*, Zaraawar Mistry, Gita Reddy,
Taj Jansz Ruler and Aamera Siddiqui
* appears courtesy of Actors Equity Association

Tickets: (612) 338-6131 or http://www.mixedblood.com

A 17-year-old is caught between the San Fernando and Silicon Valleys while her parents are stuck between yesteryear’s Indian poverty and today’s American affluence. In the play, two India-born physicians leading an affluent California life find themselves at the edge of a brave new NASDAQ world in which wealth and success are redefined, while their adolescent daughter, hooked on television, tunes in and out her family—-and its secrets—-as quickly as she changes channels.

East West Players
David Henry Hwang Playwrighting Institute
Staged Reading Series
February 13 to 22, 2005

See News story (with revised schedule).

San Diego Asian American Repertory Theatre
Staged Reading Series
Private Jokes, Public Places
by Oren Safdie
February 22, 2005

A young Korean-American student presents her thesis for a public swimming pool to an all-male jury of famous architects.  This comic play asks compelling questions about the state of the male-female power struggle, fears of disrupting the status quo and ultimately the importance of challenging tradition.  Directed by Anne Tran.
7:00 p.m. at the Playhouse on Plaza, 500 E. Plaza Blvd., National City.

Kinding Sindaw (NYC, NY)
SINTA
(Of Love, Courtship and Wedding Rituals)
February 25 to 26, 2005
7:30 PM to 8:30 PM

At the PUFFIN ROOM
345 Broome St

(Bet Broadway & Crosby, #6 to Spring St.; N, R, W to Prince St.)

Admission: $10.00
For Reservations, call 212-343-2881

Experience Valentine's Day again with Kinding Sindaw by traveling to the Southern Philippines where the Indigenous Peoples celebrate love and marriage in ritual, court and secular dances.

The T'boli of southwestern Mindanao perform "ye'ma" and "saluray hegelong" to celebrate and re-affirm love and marriage, in time to lively percussive beats.

In the sumptuous royal court of the Maranaos, marriage is celebrated with a variety of graceful, swaying and stylized dances, using umbrellas, scarves and fans. The bride and groom are feted with dances that imitate butterflies, fish and the "magic mushroom."

The Tausug maidens hope to become brides by dancing the meditative and enchanting Pangalay wearing long, golden nails that evoke the legend of the Sarimanok bird.

Magmalam is part of the ancient, pre-Islamic wedding ritual of the Yakan people where the mother of the groom selects the bride among the marriageable maidens of the community.

Kinding Sindaw (Dance of Light) is a resident repertory company at La MaMa E.T.C. Apart from The Puffin Room, Kinding Sindaw's recent performance venues include Lincoln Center, Wave Hill, museums, festivals, colleges/universities and community events.

Kinding Sindaw's repertory is built upon the dances, music, and orature of the Maranao, T‚boli, Maguindanao, Yakan, Jama Mapun, Higaonon, Tausug and Bagobo peoples of the Southern Philippines. The company was founded in 1992 by Potri Ranka Manis, daughter of a Sultan of the Maranao people, a modern-day princess and tradition-bearer.

Kinding Sindaw exists to assert, preserve, reclaim, and re-create the traditions of dance, music, martial arts, storytelling, and orature of the indigenous peoples of the Philippines. By asserting their arts and traditions, the historical and contemporary stories of these peoples are brought to life.

El Portal Forum (N. Hollywood, CA)
Ten Thousand Years
by John Ridley
February 5 to 27, 2005
extended to March 3

The cast and designers have been selected for the world premiere of John Ridley's Ten Thousand Years. Directed by Alberto Isaac, Ten Thousand Years opens February 5, 2005, and continues through February 27, 2005, at the El Portal Forum Theatre (5269 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood).

The cast for Ten Thousand Years includes (in alphabetical order) Jennifer Aquino, Francois Chau, Archie Kao, Matthew Yang King, Blake Kushi, Reggie Lee, Kipp Shiotani, Ken Takemoto, and Greg Watanabe. Understudy cast includes Henry Hayashi, Molly Mickelson, Thomas Isao Morinaka, and Don Tai.

The set design is by Alan E. Muraoka, costume design by Ann Closs-Farley and Miguel Montalvo, lighting design by Craig Housenick, and music and sound design by Dennis Yen.

Ten Thousand Years follows a group of young pilots that voluntarily train to fly specially designed airplane bombs on suicide missions for the Japanese government near the closing of World War II. As their training progresses and defeat becomes more imminent, the physical and psychological stress begins to make them question action, art and ritual death.

San Diego Asian American Repertory Theatre
Staged Reading Series
Innocent While You Dream
by Ken Narasaki
March 1, 2005

at 7p.m. for the Asian American Repertory Theatre's 2005 Explorations Series.   The reading will be at the Playhouse on the Plaza in National City (500 E. Plaza Blvd. National City).   Directed by Alberto Isaac; cast will include Jim Ishida, Sharon Omi, Emily Kuroda, Mike Hagiwara and David Johann.

East West Players (LA, CA)
Proof
by David Auburn
February 2 to 27, 2005
extended to March 6

Winner of the 2001 Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize, PROOF centers around Catherine, who spent years caring for her brilliant but unstable father, a famous mathematician. Following his death, she must deal with her own volatile emotions; the arrival of her estranged sister; and the attentions of her father‚s former student. A burgeoning romance and the discovery of a mysterious notebook create the most difficult problem of all: How much of her father's madness or genius will Catherine inherit?

"Proof is a universal story where race isn't a factor. The characters in the play and the issues that they deal with can apply to any family situation," said East West Players Producing Artistic Director Tim Dang.

See News story.

San Diego Asian American Repetory Theatre
The Clouds, The Ocean and Everything In Between
by Michael P. Premsrirat
Directed by Rhys Greene
February 11 to March 5, 2005

Lea Salonga on tour
February 12 to March 5, 2005

See News story for more details.

Bindlestiff Studios (SF, CA)
The Women Monologues
March 3, 4 and 5, 2005 (Thursday-Saturday)

A domestic helper revisits her life as a mother, wife and friend moments after her execution; a young woman gives a new meaning to a familiar Filipino love song as she recounts a dark chapter in her childhood past; a loving daughter longs for the warmth of a father in a far away homeland; a caregiver is torn between dealing with money problems back home and taking care of a sick elderly man; a mother breaks into hysteria over her daughter’s `coming out’; a young pinay gushes over her “All American crush” while selling chickens in a flea market  – these are some of the stories featured in Bindlestiff Studio’s collection of women monologues.

As the epicenter of Filipino American performing arts, Bindlestiff Studio celebrates Women’s Month through a montage of stories about women both gripping, funny and poignant. The complex layers of women’s individuality and persona are given sharp focus through the lens of several writers with their own brand of humor and dramatic intensity.

Featured Writers
JB Capino, Lani Montreal, Siwaraya Rochanahusdin, Gayle Romasanta and Lorely Trinidad.

Breathing life to the monologues is a talented Bindlestiff ensemble that includes Maria Clara Adamos, Anna Lisa Alberto, Bingo Marasigan, Jamie Nallas, Siwaraya Rochanahusdin, Gayle Romasanta and Lorna Velasco. LA-based writer-actress Lorely Trinidad makes her debut performance to Bindlestiff with two powerful monologues. 

Directed by Louie Pascasio and Ryan Morales,

March 3, 4 and 5, 2005 (Thursday-Saturday),
8pm at the Bindlestiff Alley
505 Natoma by 6th Street (between Mission and Howard) in San Francico.
For ticket reservations, call (415) 255-0440 or email us at info@bindlestiffstudio.org or visit www.bindlestiffstudio.org. Tickets are $8-$15 (sliding scale) no one turned away for lack of funds.

Fluid Motion (NYC, NY)
FLUID MOTION
MOVIEOKE PARTY
March 4, 2005

"Movieoke" is your chance to act out your favorite film scenes - it's karaoke for movie lovers (and for people who can't sing), and almost any movie out on DVD is available! It's a one of a kind experience only offered at the Den of Cin.$20 admission includes free pizza and soda and helps to support Fluid Motion's upcoming theater & film productions (beer & wine will be available at the cash bar)RSVP to info@fluidmotiontheaterfilm.org to reserve your spot in a starring role for the evening!

ACT (Seattle, WA)
ACT Young Playwrights' Festival
Mona Lisa Santana
by Susana Woo
March 4 to 6, 2005

Cold Tofu (Southern CA)
Room to Improv with a Side of Cold Tofu -
Two Special Benefit Shows
March 4 & 5, 2005

The shows will be at the Two Roads Theatre located at 4348 Tujunga Ave in Studio City. Friday, March 4th the show will begin at 10:30 pm with doors opening at 10:15. Saturday, March 5th the show begins at 8:00 pm with the doors opening at 7:45. Both shows will be $10 at the door.

For more information and reservations, please contact info@roomtoimprov.com, visit www.roomtoimprov.com or call at 818-515-6727.

AATC (San Francisco, CA)
Under the Rainbow
by Philip Kan Gotanda
February 24 to March 12, 2005

DiverseCity Theatre (NYC, NY)
The Female Heart
by Linda Faigao-Hall
February 24 to March 13, 2005

DiverseCity Theater Company announces its inaugural production, Linda Faigao Hall’s The Female Heart. The play is scheduled to open on February 24, 2005, at Theatre Row’s Harold Clurman Theatre (410 West 42nd Street) for a limited three week run until March 13, 2005. The Female Heart is being produced in association with Ensemble Studio Theatre (“EST”), a company known for its artistic leadership in pioneering new plays and nurturing theater artists for over thirty years. Noted Off-Broadway director Jamie Richards will direct the piece. DiverseCity Theater is an independent organization which promotes diversity in the theater by developing and producing original works that explore and examine diversity issues in our national culture.

The Female Heart, formerly entitled A Woman’s Heart, takes place in the late 1980's and tells the story of two siblings – Anghel and Adelfa – living in “Smokey Mountain,” the infamous mountain of garbage outside Manila. When Anghel, the elder sibling, succumbs to a life-threatening disease, Adelfa, his sister, decides to become a mail-order bride to a man from Brooklyn who is willing – at a price – to support her family and pay for Anghel's medical expenses. It is here, in America, where she discovers how poverty corrupts and absolute poverty corrupts absolutely.

National Endowment for the Arts award recipient playwright Linda Faigao-Hall examines the legacy of the Marcos administration, whose decades of plunder and inequality deprived hundreds of men and women like Anghel and Adelfa of the chance to leave the garbage dump.

Faigao-Hall has been praised for her work in Salad Days, God Sex and Blue Water, and Woman from the Other Side of the World. Her most recent work commissioned by The Working Theater, Iron Men, earned a National Endowment for the Arts award as well as the Department of Labor and Department of Cultural Affairs grants.  Her work has been published and produced throughout the country by theater companies including East West Players, The Lark Theater, Ma-Yi Theatre and the Pan Asian Repertory Theater.  The Female Heart was originally commissioned and produced by Starfish Theater Works.  The play has been revised and expanded for DiverseCity Theater during the past year. 

Jamie Richards directed the play during its workshop presentation at EST’s Summer Conference. Among her critically acclaimed directorial works include Light Years at Playwrights Horizons, Stonewall Jackson's House at the American Place Theatre, The Secret Order, District of Columbia, Flight and Hell's Kitchen Sink at EST and several plays for EST's Marathon including Of Two Minds, Reunions, Brown, Night Rules, Light Years, All About Al, The I Word: Interns, Real Real Gone, The Seventeenth of June, Rain, and Ring of Men. In addition, she has developed plays for Williamstown Theatre Festival, New York Stage & Film, Primary Stages, The New Group, New Dramatists, among others.

Tickets for The Female Heart can be purchased through Ticket Central by calling (212) 719-4200 or online at www.ticketcentral.com beginning January 1, 2005.

DiverseCity Theater Co. Inc., is an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on promoting diversity in the theater arts. Its mission is to commission, develop and produce original plays that portray social, cultural, lifestyle and demographic diversity, thereby creating multiculturally fluent theater audiences as well as advocate the non-traditional casting of actors.

Formed in 2003, DiverseCity Theater Co., Inc. is based in New York City.  For more information, visit the organization's website at www.diversecitytheater.org

Kularts (Bay Area, CA)
in association withYerbaBuena Center for the Arts
and Asian Improv aRts Presents
The 7th annual POMO
The Post Modern American Pilipino Performance Project
March 12 and 13, 2005

American Pilipino artists push the boundaries of contemporary performing arts

Featuring

• Hip Hop Urban Dancers
• Soul Sector
• Head Hunters
• Machine Gone Funk
• Comic
• Oliver Saria
• Performance Poets:
  Alison De La Cruz
  irene faye duller
  Krishtine de Leon
  Jason Mateo
  Anthem Salgado
  Jen Soriano
• Percussion, Poetry & Dance
  Jimmy Biala & Search 5

Saturday, March 12, 2005 @ 8pm
Sunday, March 13, 2005 @ 3pm
YerbaBuena Centerfor the Arts Forum
701 Mission & 3rd Streets

Preview: POMO Salon Thursday, March 10, 2005 ~ 6:30 pm Free
                        Moderated by Lucy Burns

Tickets:  (415) 978-2787
$15 advance/$18 door
$13 per ticket Advance group sales of 10+ tickets

Kumu Kahua Theatre (Hawaii)
Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme
by Frank McGuiness
March 14 to 21, 2005

Kumu Kahua Theatre as part of its Dark Night Series presents a Cruel Theatre production of Frank McGuinness’ Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme. The play opens Monday, March 14 at 8pm and plays the following Sunday and Monday March 20 and 21 at 8pm and shows at Kumu Kahua Theatre, corner of Merchant and Bethel.

Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme is the story of eight Protestant Irish soldiers who fight in World War I at the bloody battle of the Somme. The play is written in four parts. The first part, Remembrance, involves an older character trying to come to terms with the past. The other three parts of the play fallows the eight men’s first tour of duty and preparing to face the battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest battles in history. On the first day 6,000 of 7,000 men were slaughtered.

Director Taurie Kinoshita extends the play’s themes to the present day, focusing on their relevance to the current situation in Iraq. The cast of Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme includes Brent Yoshikami, Alvin Chan, Derrick Browne and Nicolas Logue. Tickets are only $5 at the door. The box office opens at 7:30pm, one half hour before the start of each performance. Call 536-4441 for information or reservations.

Kumu Kahua productions are being supported by the State Foundation on Culture & the Arts celebrating more than thirty years of culture & the arts in Hawai‘i; the Mayor’s Office of Culture & the Arts, Mufi Hannemann, Mayor; The Hawai‘i Community Foundation; Hawai‘i Council of the Humanities; Foundations, Businesses & Patrons.

LA Women's Theatre Festival (LA, CA)
Lina's Garden
by Marcella Pabros-Clark
March 17 and 18, 2005

Friday, March 18 through Sunday, March 20th will be in the Marilyn Monroe Theater at the Lee Strasberg Creative Center at 7936 Santa Monica

East West Players (LA, CA)
ASIAN PACIFIC TALES show
March 19, 2005
@ 2 pm

ASIAN PACIFIC TALES blends Eastern and Western theatrical techniques with folk tales to encourage children to discover other people and understand the diversity of Asian Pacific Islander cultures. Interspersed with song and dance, this year‚s 45-minute show includes Korean folk tale Mirror Mirror, Vietnamese folk tale The Size of Kindness and the continuation of last year's Chinese folk tale The Monkey King.

Kumu Kahua Theatre (Hawaii)
Age, Sex, Location
by Dennis Carroll
March 22, 2005

The second Kumu Kahua Playreading of the 2004-2005 Season features Age Sex Location by Dennis Carroll. The play fallows four generations of a local family through the complexities and perils of cyberspace. The reading is on Tuesday, March 22 at 7:30pm at Kumu Kahua Theatre, 46 Merchant Street, downtown. Admission is free, with complimentary refreshments and discussion following the reading. Age Sex Location will be part of Kumu’s 2005-2006 season. For information call 536-4441.

Lodestone Theatre (LA, CA)
A reading of a new play
Look for Water
by Dominic Mah
March 24, 2005

directed by Chil Kong
featuring Wahn Ly, Michael Kuya, Michelle Sekine, Eve Yeung, Jennie Yee, Phil Young and Ryun Yu

Missed connections and consensual kidnappings revolve in this mysterious comedy about losing yourself in the ones you love.

THURSDAY, MARCH 24th, 2005
8:00 PM

GTC BURBANK Theater
1111-B West Olive St.
Burbank, CA 91506
(inside George Izay Park, between S. Victory Blvd. and Griffith Park Bl.)

FREE ADMISSION (but donations gladly accepted and encouraged).

FREE PARKING: Park near the jet plane in front of George Izay Park at 1111 W. Olive. St.  Walk into the park, past Olive Recreation Center.  GTC Burbank is behind the Rec. Center, facing the softball fields.

NO RSVPS required, however, please arrive at least ten minutes before curtain for seating (which is limited and on a first-come basis).

THERE WILL BE NO LATE ADMISSION!

InterACT (Sacramento, CA)
Pacific Overtures
music by Stephen Sondheim
book by John Weidman
February 5 to March 27, 2005

This Emmy award winning musical recounts the arrival of Commodore Perry in Japan and the changes that followed.  The Reciter tells the story, which centers around three characters.  Abe, the Shogun’s 1^st Councilor who must decide how to handle the arrival of the American ships.  Kayama, a low ranking samurai who has been promoted to talk to the Americans.  Manjiro, a fisherman who was shipwrecked and spent several years in America before returning to Japan, and has been condemned to death for both actions.  It combines traditional Kabuki techniques with Western musical theatre.  Other Sondheim musicals include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Into the Woods. 

ReAct (Seattle, WA)
The Shape of Things
by Neil LaBute
March 10 to 26, 2005

Richard Hugo House, March 10 - 26, 2005: ReAct Theatre, Seattle's only Multi-ethnic Philanthropic Theatre Company opens its 12th season with the Seattle professional premiere of The Shape of Things, the recent London, Off-Broadway and cinematic masterpiece by acclaimed writer/director Neil LaBute, who has also written The Distance from Here, Fat Pig, Autobahn, Bash and more.

How far would you go for Art? How far would you go for Love? LaBute examines these questions with this thought-provoking dark comedy, set at a small midwestern college. A radical Art student becomes the catalyst that shakes up the lives of a trio of friends. Don't miss this intriguing exploration of modern love, jealously, manipulation and...the shape of things.

The Shape of Things will play Thursday nights at 7:30pm, Friday nights at 8:00pm and Saturday afternoons and evenings at 2:00pm and at 8:00pm. All performances will be held at The Richard Hugo House, located at 1634 Eleventh Avenue, at the corner of 11th and Olive on Seattle's Capitol Hill. Free parking is available throughout the neighborhood or in the Richard Hugo House Parking Lot located behind the building.

Ticket prices are $12 General Admission; $9 Students/Seniors/Military/Disabled; and $6 for Children, although this play is not recommended for kids. Additionally, ReAct's first 2:00pm Saturday Matinee on March 12th is a "Pay-What-You-Can" performance and ReAct is also offering a 2-for-1 ticket special, for patrons wearing green to the St. Patrick's Day 7:30 performance on March 17th. For more information and ticket reservations, please call the ReAct box office at (206) 364-3283 or visit online at www.reacttheatre.org. Advanced tickets are also available though Ticket Window: (206) 325-6500, www.ticketwindowonline.org, fax: (425)450-3839.

Directed by ReAct's Artistic Director, David Hsieh, this contemporary shocker, stars Angela DiMarco, David S. Hogan, Mona Leach and Jeffrey Grimm with the additional talents of Agastya Kohli, Jane Moon, Lionel Sam and more. Stage Management by Rachel Rene, with original music by Stephen Thomas Cavit.

Established in 1993, ReAct strives to provide affordable quality entertainment using primarily non-traditional and multi-ethnic casting. Its purpose is to give artists of all backgrounds the opportunity to work on mainstream projects they might not normally have access to due to ethnicity, gender, or experience. A federally recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit philanthropic company, ReAct also works to service our community by using its productions to raise money, awareness and supplies for other arts and humanitarian organizations.

Performance Space 122 (NYC, NY)
Pullman, WA
by Young Jean Lee
March 10 to 27, 2005

Written and directed by Young Jean Lee, co-created and performed by Tom Bradshaw, Pete Simpson, and Tory Vazquez.

RASA Theater, Inc Presents (NYC, NY)
a FREE staged reading of
Exiled
by Deepa Purohit
directed by Gita Reddy
March 27, 2005

featuring: Deepa Purohit, Sanjit DeSilva, Aly Mawji and Nancy Kim

Sunday, March 27, 4:15-5pm
Queens Museum of Art
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
718-592-9700
http://www.queensmuseum.org

Long Wharf Theatre (New Haven, CT)
The Romance of Magno Rubio
from the Carlos Bulosan story
adapted by Lonnie Carter
March 15 to April 3, 2005

18 Mighty Mountain Warriors and
East West Players
The 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors
Do Los Angeles!
March 25 to April 2, 2005

And this time, they're bringing a MIGHTY DOUBLE-BILL! A People's History of Sukiprata (8pm) & Hatest Grits! (10pm)

A People's History of Sukiprata:
It's back. Culminating from the acclaimed series of workshops, A People's History of Sukiprata offers the definitive and final telling of the mythical Asian nation. From the tragic half-amphibian/half-Asian love children to mail-order husbands to pork/human friendships to colonization by Scotland (actually, a single Scotsman), the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors present a new feature show that tackles the "true" past, present and future of Sukiprata. A place where everything gets turned on its head, nothing is as it seems, and in many ways reflects the state of Asian America.

Hatest Grits:
Our wild and wooly greatest hits sketch show, featuring the sketches you know and love by heart. Including the classic "A John Woo
Family Dinner," "The Chinese Women Swim Team," and "World Cup 2002."

WHAT: 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors present a double-bill: A People's History of Sukiprata and Hatest Grits.

WHEN: March 25 and 26, April 1 and 2, Fridays and Saturdays. Sukiprata plays at 8:00 p.m. Hatest Grits plays at 10pm.

WHERE: EAST WEST PLAYERS 120 N. Judge John Aiso St. (between. 1st and Temple) Los Angeles, CA 90012

PRICES: $20 for Sukiprata, $10 for Hatest Grits, and $28 for both

Reservations/Info: 213-599-4990 or info@18mmw.com or online at http://www.18mmw.com

Bindlestiff Studios (SF, CA)
The FOB Show
March 31 to April 2, 2005

3 more days left for the FOB SHOW! Place your reservations by calling (415) 255-0440. Reservations for Saturday's show are full. Accepting waiting list reservations only for Saturday.

The FOB Show: sketch comedy, scripted drama, movement, shadow puppetry, photography, and animation from somewhere between two shores.

Thursday-Saturday
March 31-April 2, 2005
8pm, $7-$12 sliding scale. Proceeds will benefit the Bindlestiff Capital Campaign to rebuild the theater at its original location on 6th Street

Location: Bindlestiff Alley, 505 Natoma St. (between Howard and Mission), San Francisco.

Mark Taper Forum's New Plays for Now Festival (LA, CA)
Merchant on Venice
by Shishir Kurup
Directed by Tracy Young
April 1, 2005

with:
Purva Bedi, Fidel Gomez, Sanjiv Jhaveri, Ali Khan, Sean Krishnan, Sunil Malhotra, Rizwan Manji, Lina Patel, Shaheen Vaz, Samir Younis andBernard White

Friday April 1st @ 8 PM

Kirk Douglas Theatre
9820 Washington Blvd. (at Duquesne)
Culver City

TICKETS:  $8
or $20 for the whole festival (20 plays!)
213.628.2772 or http://www.taperahmanson.com/show.asp?id=300

An explosive take on Shakespeare's classic Merchant of Venice, Kurup's Merchant on Venice uses a tight-knit Indian community in contemporary Los Angeles for the tale of former Bollywood star who inadvertently endangers his devoted friend in pursuing a wealthy heiress. With incredible modern verse and prose, South Asian and American pop-lingo and cultural references, Kurup's beautiful, often hilarious and moving Merchant mines tensions between Hindus and Muslims for an unforgettable play.