Kumu Kahua Theatre (Honolulu, HI)
Who the Fil-Am I?
by Troy Apostol
November 9 to December 10, 2006
In Who the Fil-Am I? written & directed by Troy Apostol, three twenty-something Filipino-Americans from Hawai‘i take a trip to the Philippines. Personalities clash and tempers flare as the priorities of the trip are heatedly debated and the three struggle to come to grips with their ancestry and their multi-ethnic, multicultural identities.
See News story.
Playwrights' Arena at Studio/Stage (Los Angeles, CA)
Conjunto
by Oliver Mayer
November 11 to December 10, 2006
Set against the backdrop of World War II and the threat of internment for Japanese-Americans, Conjunto tells the story of Japanese, Filipino and Mexican-American farm workers who labor together on a California farm. The war and the internment forces them to examine their identities-- some coping with their difficult lives by fantasizing about the popular film icons of the day.
Mu Performing Arts (Minneapolis, MN)
Taiko Dreams: The 10th Anniversary Mu Daiko Concert
With Special Guests Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble (Dec, 8-10 only)
co-presented with The Southern Theater
Dates: Dec 1 to 10, 2006
Mu Performing Arts and the Southern Theater present Taiko Dreams, Mu Daiko 10th Anniversary Concert. Mu Daiko is back with the energy, spirit, and artistry that have rocked its audiences for the past decade. As they celebrate their tenth year, Mu Daiko revisits its classics and explores new territory with the pounding rhythms, elegant choreography, and joyous energy that marks their signature work. This concert features the premiere of a new composition written by Rick Shiomi, Iris Shiraishi, Jennifer Weir and Rachel Gorton, especially composed for the group‚s new odaiko, now the largest taiko drum in the Midwest.Title: Taiko Dreams
What: The 10th Anniversary Mu Daiko Concert
When: December 1 ˆ 10, 2006
Where: The Southern Theater (1420 Washington Ave. S, Minneapolis)
Tickets: $22 Dec. 1-7, $27 Dec. 8-10.
*Special drum blessing ceremony, concert, and reception on opening night
Dec. 1, $50.
Mu Daiko solo performances
Friday, Dec 1 @ 8 pm
Sat, Dec 2 @ 8 pm
Sun, Dec 3 @ 2 pm
Thur, Dec 7 @ 8 pm
Mu Daiko/Tiffany Tamaribuchi/JO Daiko performances
Fri, Dec 8 @ 8 pm
Sat, Dec 9 @ 8 pm
Sun, Dec 10 @ 2 pm
Box office: 612-340-1725
Website: www.muperformingarts.org
Email: info@muperformingarts.org
Kumu Kahua (Honolulu, HI)
Dark Night, Silent Night
by Denny Hironaga and Wayne Takabayashi
December 4 and 5, 2006
Kumu Kahua Theatre as part of its Dark Night Series presents Dark Night, Silent Night, two deviously delicious cautionary tales for Christmas. In the first story, a young lad learns about life and death through an unlikely friendship with a magical snowman. The second is the story of an old man who, in the face of death, realizes that fame and fortune may not be the most important thing in life. But can he change his ways before it’s too late? The shows are Monday, December 4 and Tuesday, December 5. Both shows start at 7:30pm and will play at Kumu Kahua Theatre, on the corner of Merchant and Bethel.
Odd Squad Productions is a collective of freaks, geeks, and mad frustrated geniuses who need a creative outlet for their neurotic and exotic fantasies. They are not affiliated with Kumu Kahua Theatre in any way, shape, or form. (Unless of course you realize that they’re all actors and techs who work on Kumu Kahua shows.)
Dark Night, Silent Night is written and directed by Denny Hironaga and Wayne Takabayashi. The show will be performed by Ron Encarnacion, Janice Terukina, Wil Kahele, Jason Kanda, Jaedee-Kae Vergara, M.J. Gonzalvo, Salli Kealoha Morita, Jason Ellinwood, and Frank Katasse, with special musical guests D.J. Chunky, Nippondamic, and Masanimal.
Tickets are $10 general, $8 kama‘aina, and $5 students. The box office opens 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; and Foundations, Businesses & Patrons.
Diverse City Theatre (NYC, NY)
Mad Honey
by Amy Hartman
directed by Ching Valdes-Aran
December 4, 2006
Pan Asian Repertory Theatre (NYC, NY)
December Staged Reading Series
Innocent When You Dream
by Ken Narasaki
Directed by Ron Nakahara
Thursday December 7, 7pm
A family story of a man who holds onto life and finds grace.
Q&A w/ refreshments follows the reading
Readings will be held in
The Bruce Mitchell Room
520 Eighth Avenue
Third Floor
Between 36th & 37th Streets
There is a suggested donation of $10, payable at the door.
Call Pan Asian Rep for more information or to RSVP 212-868-4030
Pan Asian Repertory Theatre
520 Eighth Ave., Ste 314
New York, NY 10018
212-868-4030 (Office)
212-868-4033 (Fax)
CIRCA (Chicago, IL)
The FOB Diaries
December 8 and 9, 2006
See News story.
Disha Theatre
In collaboration with The Fountain Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
MOTHER IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE
by Taniya Hossain
Directed by Naila Azad
December 11, 2006
5060 Fountain Ave., Los Angeles CA 90029
A culture clash comedy about a Bengali/American couple whose engagement is complicated when they move their two, very different mothers into the basement apartment of their brownstone.
Pan Asian Repertory Theatre
Fist of Roses
by Philip Kan Gotanda
Directed by Randy Gener
December 11, 2006 7pm
An explosive investigation of masculinity in our culture and its relationship to violence, told with spoken word, music and beatboxing.
Q&A w/ refreshments follows the reading
Readings will be held in
The Bruce Mitchell Room
520 Eighth Avenue
Third Floor
Between 36th & 37th Streets
There is a suggested donation of $10, payable at the door.
Call Pan Asian Rep for more information or to RSVP 212-868-4030
Pan Asian Repertory Theatre
520 Eighth Ave., Ste 314
New York, NY 10018
212-868-4030 (Office)
212-868-4033 (Fax)
Lodestone theatre Project (Los Angeles, CA)
A reading of a new play
THE MIKADO PROJECT
written by Doris Baizley & Ken Narasaki
directed by Chil Kong
December 13, 2006
A struggling Asian American acting troupe tries to create their own deconstructed politicized version of THE MIKADO, while dealing with grant deadlines, interpersonal problems, sexual/political issues and an ex-lead actor-turned-TV star
WEDNESDAY, DEC 13th, 2006
8:00 PM
GTC BURBANK
(home of TELEMONGOL--see address/directions above)
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). No late admission.
Asian American Arts Initiative (Philadelphia, PA)
A Night of Scenes
Thursday, December 14, 2006
6 p.m. Reception, 7 p.m. Presentation
Free, donations gladly accepted
Presented at the Asian Arts Initiative
1315 Cherry Street, 2nd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Join us for a holiday reception to celebrate visual artwork that shows off some of the essential painting and drawing skills developed through our partnership with the City of Philadelphia Big Picture Mural Arts Program. And stay for a presentation by participants in our GenerAsian Next theater workshop, who spent the season reading and interpreting Asian American plays that interrogate media roles, racial stereotypes, interracial relationships, and family relationships-and turning these dynamics on their head!
Fall Youth Arts Workshop participants include Leon Bartholomew, Laura Cuevas, Khalia Gradey, Chon Phoeuk, Kavi Prom, Kevin Prom, Micha-EL Ringler, Annie Seng, Barney Seng, Simone Waller, Sylvia Wright, and lead artists Isaac Lin, Gary San Angel, and Suny Uy.
Pan Asian Repertory Theatre (NYC, NY)
Stroke
by Woon Ping Chin
Directed by Ernest Abuba
December 15, 2006
Humorous and poignant, a first person account of life after a stroke, accompanied with choreography and music.
Q&A w/ refreshments follows the reading
Readings will be held in
The Bruce Mitchell Room
520 Eighth Avenue
Third Floor
Between 36th & 37th Streets
There is a suggested donation of $10, payable at the door.
Call Pan Asian Rep for more information or to RSVP 212-868-4030
Pan Asian Repertory Theatre
520 Eighth Ave., Ste 314
New York, NY 10018
212-868-4030 (Office)
212-868-4033 (Fax)
Lodestone Theatre
OPM
Cold Tofu
18 Mighty Mountain Warriors
TeleMongol
November 11 to December 17, 2006
This will be Lodestone's first ever sketch comedy production and we'll be collaborating on this show with the best Asian American comedy groups around--Cold Tofu, 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors and OPM. If that weren't exciting enough, the show will be directed by veteran TV director Henry Chan (MOESHA, SCRUBS, KING OF QUEENS). TELEMONGOL will run from Nov. 11-Dec. 17 at GTC Burbank.
See News story. Review here. LA Times feature.
La Peña presents Kristina Wong in
Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Sat. Dec. 09, 2006
$12, $10 students w/ID. - 8pm
December 15-16, 2006, 8pm
Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
MACLA, Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana, Inc.
510 South First Street, San Jose, CA
Tickets are $5-10
$12, $10 students w/ID. - 8pm
La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley
510-849-2568 www.lapena.org
Initially an exploration of the sky high incidence of mental illness among Asian American women, incisive writer and performer Kristina Wong mixes sharp humor and shaky psychology in Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a semi-autobiographical, serio-comic quest for a cheap fix to eradicate depression, anxiety and all-out neuroses. What came first? The chicken or the egg? Asian American women offing themselves en masse or the maddening world? Wong's irreverent and provocative work has given her a national cult following for "politically charged art with unapologetic humor." -Bitch Magazine.
East West Players
Heaven, Hell and Everything in Between
New Play readings
December 10 to 18, 2006
East West Players proudly presents new works from the David Henry Hwang Writers Institute. Join EWP for a series of play readings showcasing emerging playwrights brigning voice to the Asian American experience.
Sunday, DEC. 10 at 4:00 pm
Memorial Day by Tim Toyama
During World War II, a woman war correspondent discovers the meaning of friendship, sacrifice and courage from the Japanese American soldiers of the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team.
Comrades by Edward Gunawan
Matt, the pot-smoking, underachieving "white-washed" Asian football jock, shares a dorm room with Ken, the "Fresh off the Plane" Chinese exchange student/golf superstar. Will Matt survive? Will they ever get along? Or will Ken make a comrade out of Matt?
Monday, DEC. 11 at 7:30 pm
All Hail by Lisa Thong
Andy is a Vietnamese-American taxi driver who is at a steadfast standstill while being a principal mover in the daily lives of strangers. Faced with the frustrations of others towards their cyclical lifestyles, Andy is forced to confront his own humdrum existence.
Ixnay by Paul Kikuchi
Raymond Adachi is in the prime of his sansei life when he's accidentally pulled up to Heaven. But when he finds out he's been arranged to be reincarnated as a Japanese American, Raymond flat out refuses. Come watch this comedy about an Underachieving Asian who causes major havoc at the Reincarnation Station when he ixnays his Next Life.
Tuesday, DEC. 12 at 7:30 pm
Throes of Pathos by Jin Yoo-Kim
In a hopeless and bleak post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, Dolores finds herself drowning in a sea of orderly and sedated lives who have lost the power to feel. In her journey to find a missing friend, Dolores is led to a secret world where it is revealed that she is the one who carries the burden of freeing the people from captivity. It is she who must make the decision that will change the destiny of those who deserve the chance to hope for better days.
Paris in April by Natsuko Yamada
When her live-in boyfriend walks out on her, April undergoes a slut makeover and returns as her own twin, the sexy Paris, to win back Mr. Right.
Wednesday, DEC. 13 at 7:30 pm
Gems by Alison M. De La Cruz
What would it take to make you sing again, if you gave up on your dream? How would you keep going if they asked you to stop being who you are? GEMS. Their answers became the musical journey of 4 Filipinas and a dream.
Sunday, DEC. 17 at 4:00 pm
Pinup by Aries Mi Hae Hough
A former 1950's pinup tries to reinvent herself as a preacher's wife in Venice, California, 1959 . But her past comes back to haunt and tempt her, as a commercial photographer, who was also her former lover, tracks her down to offer her a lucrative contract that beckons at the fame and fortune she has forsaken for a life of austerity. Will this pinup-turned-preacher's wife choose the spiritual or sensual path?
Consent by Aurelio Locsin
Can two gay Filipinos: a wimpy assistant manager and a hunky demon, fall in love through their real and imagined histories? This dark comedy propels them from the Hometown Buffet to several afterlives, prompting encounters with a sexy demon boss, a fabulous stylist, hungry homeless people, bewildered tribesmen and talking trees. WARNING: ADULT LANGUAGE ANDSEXUAL SITUATIONS.
Monday, DEC. 18 at 7:30pm
Dry Hours by Lisa Tang
Graduation. 3 women face their future. 2 can't forget their secrets. 1 man haunts them. The past will come full circle.
Rock Opera God by Cynthia Ignacio
Wedding bells signal the start of a war to end all wars. The gods of heaven and hell engage in a battle over the record deal of a lifetime, using the notorious rock duo, Orpheus and Eurydice, as their pawns. The path to true love and rock n' roll fame has never been so hellish!
$5 Suggested Donation
CHAD (NYC, NY)
Days of Wine and Roses
by J. P. Miller
December 14 to 17, 2006
In the roles that Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick made famous in the film by the same name, American Artists of Asian heritage, John Haggerty and Arista, are playing the lead roles of husband and wife in benefit performances of the award-winning stage play, Days of Wine and Roses by JP Miller, breaking still present stereotypes of Asian American artists being cast only in works that deal with Asian roots or martial arts.
See News story.
Seattle Winter Solstice!!!
December 16 and 17, 2006 (Saturday and Sunday)
All activities are FREE!!!
Free Celestial Craft Activities in the Seattle Center House: 1:00 to 4:00 pm
Myths and Legends of the Heavens
in the Seattle Center House: 3:30 pm
On the Seattle Center House stage, Storyteller Nancy Calos-Nakano will take you on a journey around the world. Legend, time and culture are woven together through cultural folktales of the sun, earth and moon. At sunset, a parade leads outdoors to the International Fountain.
Orbis
Directed by Manuel R. Cawaling
Choreography by Frances Kao
Fire Choreography by Donia Love
An outdoor performing art installation invites the audience onto the Center?s festive grounds. Weaving together words, movement, music, fire performance and brightly lit luminaria, the grand International Fountain is transformed into a large celestial wonder. This annual holiday event promises to once again illuminate and warm the ?heart of Seattleî in a most magical and wondrous way. Featuring fire performances by Celeste Soprano and members of Cirque De Flambe, Pure Circus, and Spinnergy. To attend this performance, dress weather appropriate.
Sponsored by Seattle Center Winterfest, in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation
For more information, email seattlewintersolstice@yahoo.com
or visit our website at www.seattleseasons.com
Diverse City Theatre (NYC, NY)
Unnatural History
by Judith Montague
December 18, 2006
SALAAM (NYC, NY)
Middle East Side,
written by Rachel Astarte Piccione
and directed by
Geeta Citygirl.
December 18, 2006
Starring Omar Koury, Rachel Astarte Piccione and others tbd. In this Romantic Serio-comedy play, a Palestinian-American man and a Jewish-American woman reluctantly share the New York City apartment he's been subletting from the woman's recently-deceased grandmother.
Desipina (NYC, NY)
Holiday Party
and
The Radio Diaries of Hank, Yank, & Prank
by Rehana Mirza
December 19, 2006
A semi-serious comedy about a radio show that wakes up New York with frivolous pranks, and the intern who comes along to reform it, one fart joke at a time.
Sacramento Theatre Company
The Peculiar and Sudden Nearness of the Moon
by Velina Hasu Houston
November 8 to December 24, 2006
An Anglo professor about to give birth to her first child... a strange black spirit that speaks to her in an ancient voice... an exquisite moon that was never so large and luminous…
When Sydney Spencer gives birth to a baby who grows darker with each passing day, she is catapulted on a journey to come to grips with the deepest mysteries of life – the questions of identity and belonging in the context of race, culture, and class; the search for the critical and complicated answer to “Who am I?”
Impact Theatre (Berkeley, CA)
Jukebox Stories
stories written and performed by
PRINCE GOMOLVILAS
songs written and performed by
BRANDON PATTON
directed by
Kent Nicholson
November 9 to December 26, 2006
Jukebox Stories is a unique event that mixes the bitingly comic and strange stories of Prince Gomolvilas with the sharply observant and clever songs of Brandon Patton. Prince tells stories and Brandon sings songs ripped from the headlines and from their own unpredictable lives. Covering such diverse subjects as Hooters girls, outlaw family members, beautiful bigots, evil love spells, and real-life ghostly encounters, sacred cows are not only touched—they are violently kicked.
Part storytelling performance, part live music performance, Jukebox Stories is structured around a core set of stories and songs. However, half the evening will be dedicated to a rotating repertory of material that will be hand-selected for that night's audience. It will be a theatrical event like none other—and never the same way twice.
Brandon Patton's album, SHOULD CONFUSION, garnered critical acclaim upon its release, a nomination for "Album of the Year" by the Independent Music Awards, and an invitation to play at the Newport Folk Festival. Brandon was formerly a member of the alternative rock band, three against four, and has also played bass for Matt Nathanson, Solea, and John Vanderslice. He lives in Brooklyn.
