ASIA announces 2001-02 season

The Asian Stories In America (ASIA) 2001-02 theatre season will offer a world premiere, two area premieres, and monthly dramatic readings. ASIA will launch its third season with Prince Gomolvilas’ award-winning The Theory of Everything; followed by Han Ong’s acclaimed Middle Finger; and finishing withthe eagerly-awaited world premiere of Karaoke Stories by Euijoon Kim. Theexciting season will also offer monthly dramatic readings of new plays by young, up-and-coming Asian American playwrights.

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
Written by Prince Gomolvilas
Directed by Stan Kang
At the Theatre on the Run in Arlington, VA
November 29 - December 21, 2001

The Theory of Everything is a vibrant new comedy about seven Asian Americans (Thai, Filipino, Chinese, Japanese) who gather atop a Las Vegas wedding chapel every week for a UFO watch with one particular weekend bringing about profound changes in all their lives. The Theory of Everything is winner of the International Herald Tribune Playwriting Competition, the Julie Harris Playwright Award Competition, and more recently, the PEN Center USA West 2001 Literary Award for Drama.

ASIA’s production of Mr. Gomolvilas’ Big Hunk O’ Burnin’ Love, also directed by ASIA Managing Director Stan Kang two seasons ago, was a huge hit and garnered unprecedented press coverage for the young theatre company. “Big Hunk was great fun to do and the process was made even more pleasurable since Prince was in town to help us celebrate our inaugural production,” says ASIA Artistic Director Edu. Bernardino. Gomolvilas was also on hand last May when ASIA mounted one of his earlier plays, Donut Holes in Orbit, as the opening event for the Smithsonian Institution’s celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. He is slated to be back in Washington for the area premiere of The Theory of Everything.

Gomolvilas is the author of Cause and Effect on Clement Street, Bee, Seat Belts and Big Fat Buddhas, Model Citizens, and Debunking Love. He is also currently working on a newly-commissioned play exclusively for ASIA which is expected to make its world premiere the in Fall 2002.

Kang is a is a founding member and president of the Educational Theater Company (ETC), an educational outreach program dedicated to promoting arts education and mentorship of students in professional arts activities, as well as a founding member of Bard on Wheels (BOW), Washington Shakespeare Company’s (WSC) outreach company. With WSC, he is also a current member of the acting company. Aside from ASIA’s Big Hunk O’ Burnin’ Love, other directing credits include: Richard III (Assistant Director/WSC), The Tempest (BOW), and As You Like It (BOW).

The Theory of Everything, recently staged as a reading by ASIA at The Smithsonian Institution Freer Gallery, will feature the talents of ASIA Company Members Anne J. Dacanay (Flipzoids), John D. Guzman (Flipzoids and Sisters Matsumoto) , Al Twanmo (Big Hunk O’ Burnin’ Love), Yan Xi (Donut Holes in Orbit), and Ruth Yamamoto (Sisters Matsumoto).

Middle Finger
Written by Han Ong
Directed by Michelle T. Hall
at The Rosslyn Spectrum in Arlington, VA
January 10 - February 2, 2002

Middle Finger tells the story of two young men who fight their way through the repressive bureaucracy of a Catholic boys’ school.

Middle Finger, which had its world premiere last year in an Off-Broadway production with The Ma-Yi Theatre in New York City, is penned by the prolific Han Ong. Author of three dozen plays, Ong has also recently made his debut as a novelist with the highly-acclaimed Fixer Chao. In 1997, at the age of 29, Ong became the first Filipino American to be awarded a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” worth $200,000.

ASIA Company Member and Development Director Michelle T. Hall will directed the Washington area premiere of Middle Finger. “I was really captivated by [Middle Finger], which I found to be daring, beautiful, and deeply profound,” exclaimed Ms. Hall.

Local directing credits for Hall include, among others, The Shakespeare Theatre Southeast Project, Tsunami Theatre, The Kennedy Center Millenium Stage, and at The Studio Theatre Secondstage, Nighthawks and two one-acts in Love’s Fire. Ms. Hall is the current literary director at the renowned Arena Stage.

Karaoke Stories
Written by Euijoon Kim
Directed by Edu. Bernardino
At The Rosslyn Spectrum in Arlington, VA
May 23 - June 8, 2002

Karaoke Stories spoofs, parodies, and satirizes everything from romantic comedies, directors Quentin Tarantino and John Woo, samurais, and the screenwriting process itself. The stories come to life on stage as Eric, a twisted but idealistic Korean American writer, and his wannabe filmmaker friend Jeff spend an evening at a coffee house unveiling their dark opus, Karaoke Stories, “a film consisting of six or seven fucked-up stories of love, taking place in a shithole karaoke bar (rehab for the emotionally retarded).” They narrate, improvise, rewrite, and meditate on the extremes people will go to in search of love in this wonderfully outrageous play.

“Definitely not for the faint-of-heart,” laughs Bernardino, who is directing the world premiere production. “Its language is often shocking compared to D.C. sensibilities, but ultimately funny, this daring and imaginative play is incredibly original in its voice, it says what it says without any apologies. There’s just nothing else like it in Asian American drama. We staged a reading last year and the audience response was tremendous! We are still constantly being asked about its inclusion in our season.”

Kim, a West Coast resident, has also penned My Tired Broke Ass Pontificating Slapstick Fun which premiered at the famed East West Players.

Bernardino has previously directed ASIA’s acclaimed productions of Ralph Peña’s Flipzoids and Sisters Matsumoto by Philip Kan Gotanda. Aside from directing and acting, he is also a noted costume designer having worked on the stages of The Studio Theatre Secondstage, Woolly Mammoth, The Source Theatre, The Keegan Theatre, The American Century Theater, and The Washington Shakespeare Company, where he serves as an artistic associate and acting company member. Bernardino has been profiled as an artist in publications such as aMagazine: Inside Asian America and the Washington Review.

Karaoke Stories will feature the talents of ASIA Company Members Peggy K. Chang, Franklin Dam, John D. Guzman, Virginia Lung, Michael Miyazaki, Russ Riggins, Yasmin Tuazon, Al Twanmo, Josef Villanasco, and Yan Xi.

MONTHLY DRAMATIC READINGS
Various Playwrights
At The NRECA Building in Arlington, VA
July 2001 - June 2002 (7pm, second Tuesday of every month)

Continuing its success in staging a series of free, dramatic readings of new plays by young, up-and-coming Asian American playwrights for the past two seasons in the Spring, ASIA is extremely excited to announce that it will now be offering the readings as a monthly event.

“We found the same faces of our audiences coming back week after week, regardless of what play we were presenting,” Bernardino explains. “They really enjoyed what we did and showed their support for ASIA and its actors by returning time and time again, so we decided to return the favor by offering more of these events throughout the year.”

“The greater number of readings will also create more opportunities for our company of actors, as well as the ever-growing number of newcomers in the area. Plus, in addition to our core group of directors in the ASIA company, we hope to offer the actors the unequaled experience of working with some of the best directors in town.”

Plays being considered for the reading series include new works by Prince Gomolvilas and Michael Golamco (Achievers), among others. Joining Flipzoids, The Theory of Everything, and Karaoke Stories, past play readings have included The Superfriends of Flushing Queen by Ji Hyun Lee, The Poet of Columbus Avenue by Dennis Escobedo, and Gomolvilas’ Debunking Love.

For more information about ASIA surf to www.asianstoriesinamerica.com.