TELEMONGOL from Lodestone, OPM, Cold Tofu, 18MMW

LOS ANGELES, CA – Lodestone Theatre Ensemble joins forces with three of the nation’s most prominent Asian American comedy troupes—Cold Tofu, 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors and OPM—to present the world premiere of TeleMongol, running November 11-December 17, 2006 at the GTC Burbank (1111-B West Olive Ave., Burbank, CA 91506) located inside George Izay Park. The award winning theatre company kicks off its eighth season with this unique collaboration.

“Our last season was one of our most successful, but all three plays we presented were dramas tackling serious subject matter,” says Lodestone Co-Artistic Director Philip W. Chung. “We thought it was time to try a comedy. And when I think of Asian Americans and comedy, three groups immediately come to mind—Cold Tofu, 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors and OPM. I thought it might be interesting to create and present a show with them and, luckily, they all agreed to the idea.”

TeleMongol uses the sketch comedy format to tell the story of AHOLE-TV (Asia Home of Language Entertainment), a fictional cable network with a mission to create programming by and for the Asian Pacific American community. The show takes a satirical look at both the behind-the-scenes politicking at the station and the programs chosen to air. Skewering everything from the issues faced by ethnic media to well-known icons like American Idol reject William Hung and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il, TeleMongol promises to be an irreverent look at contemporary Asian American pop culture. To create the show, writers from each of the four groups met regularly over the course of several months to collaboratively pen the pieces that will make up the production. Veteran TV director Henry Chan was then tapped to direct. For six years, Chan was the principal director for the UPN sitcom Moesha (starring Brandy) and his other directing credits include helming episodes of The King of Queens, Scrubs and Lloyd Suh’s play Masha No Home for East West Players.

“When I was approached with this opportunity to do something funny, in your face and potentially offensive, I jumped at the chance,” says Chan. “I think there may be a perception that Asians aren’t outrageous or hilarious but this show will prove otherwise. And I’m sure our audience is ready for some no holds barred comedy.”

Founded in 1981, COLD TOFU, the nation's premier Asian American comedy improvisation troupe is dedicated to promoting diverse images of Asian Pacific Americans through comedy and to developing multiethnic talent through education and performance. www.coldtofu.com

THE 18 MIGHTY MOUNTAIN WARRIORS have been together since 1994 and have created 15 all-new material shows, and 3 original collaborations with Culture Clash, Campo Santo and Latina Theatre Lab. They have performed throughout the United States and Asia. www.18mmw.com

OPM ("Opening People's Minds") started in 1996 with an aim to bring Asian Pacific American voices alive through sketch comedy. The group has won numerous awards including the Best of the San Francisco Fringe Fest and the SketchOff competition in Vancouver and has been a staple in the Hollywood sketch comedy circuit. www.opmcomedy.com

Performances are Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m., November 11-December 17 (no performance on Thanksgiving, Nov. 23), with special low-priced previews on November 9 and 10 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $13 for students and seniors. Group rates of $11 each are available for reservations of ten or more. Tickets for the November 11 Opening Night Gala with a post-show reception are $25. All Sunday matinees (except December 17 closing night) will be specially discounted pay-what-you-can performances.

For more information, call the Lodestone Theatre Ensemble hotline at (323) 993-7245 or visit www.lodestonetheatre.org.

Founded in 1999 by Philip W. Chung, Alexandra Chun, Chil Kong and Tim Lounibos, Lodestone is committed to providing a forum for Asian American artists in all aspects of the theatre arts. The Ensemble seeks to challenge limited perceptions of Asian Americans through the creation of original theatrical productions as well as a fresh retelling of established works.

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	LODESTONE THEATRE ENSEMBLE COLLABORATES WITH THE TOP ASIAN AMERICAN COMEDY GROUPS TO PRESENT THE WORLD PREMIERE OF *TeleMongol* A new comedy set at a fictional Asian American cable network opens on Nov. 11 LOS ANGELES, CA – Lodestone Theatre Ensemble joins forces with three of the nation’s most prominent Asian American comedy troupes—Cold Tofu, 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors and OPM—to present the world premiere of *TeleMongol, running November 11-December 17, 2006 at the GTC Burbank (1111-B West Olive Ave., Burbank, CA 91506) located inside George Izay Park. The award winning theatre company kicks off its eighth season with this unique collaboration. “Our last season was one of our most successful, but all three plays we presented were dramas tackling serious subject matter,” says Lodestone Co-Artistic Director Philip W. Chung. “We thought it was time to try a comedy. And when I think of Asian Americans and comedy, three groups immediately come to mind—Cold Tofu, 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors and OPM. I thought it might be interesting to create and present a show with them and, luckily, they all agreed to the idea.” TeleMongol* uses the sketch comedy format to tell the story of AHOLE-TV (Asia Home of Language Entertainment), a fictional cable network with a mission to create programming by and for the Asian Pacific American community. The show takes a satirical look at both the behind-the-scenes politicking at the station and the programs chosen to air. Skewering everything from the issues faced by ethnic media to well-known icons like American Idol reject William Hung and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il, *TeleMongol* promises to be an irreverent look at contemporary Asian American pop culture. To create the show, writers from each of the four groups met regularly over the course of several months to collaboratively pen the pieces that will make up the production. Veteran TV director Henry Chan was then tapped to direct. For six years, Chan was the principal director for the UPN sitcom Moesha (starring Brandy) and his other directing credits include helming episodes of The King of Queens, Scrubs and Lloyd Suh’s play Masha No Home for East West Players. “When I was approached with this opportunity to do something funny, in your face and potentially offensive, I jumped at the chance,” says Chan. “I think there may be a perception that Asians aren’t outrageous or hilarious but this show will prove otherwise. And I’m sure our audience is ready for some no holds barred comedy.” Founded in 1981, *COLD TOFU, the nation's premier Asian American comedy improvisation troupe is dedicated to promoting diverse images of Asian Pacific Americans through comedy and to developing multiethnic talent through education and performance. www.coldtofu.com THE 18 MIGHTY MOUNTAIN WARRIORS* have been together since 1994 and have created 15 all-new material shows, and 3 original collaborations with Culture Clash, Campo Santo and Latina Theatre Lab. They have performed throughout the United States and Asia. www.18mmw.com *OPM* ("Opening People's Minds") started in 1996 with an aim to bring Asian Pacific American voices alive through sketch comedy. The group has won numerous awards including the Best of the San Francisco Fringe Fest and the SketchOff competition in Vancouver and has been a staple in the Hollywood sketch comedy circuit. www.opmcomedy.com Performances are Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m., November 11-December 17 (no performance on Thanksgiving, Nov. 23), with special low-priced previews on November 9 and 10 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $13 for students and seniors. Group rates of $11 each are available for reservations of ten or more. Tickets for the November 11 Opening Night Gala with a post-show reception are $25. All Sunday matinees (except December 17 closing night) will be specially discounted pay-what-you-can performances. For more information, call the Lodestone Theatre Ensemble hotline at (323) 993-7245 or visit www.lodestonetheatre.org. Founded in 1999 by Philip W. Chung, Alexandra Chun, Chil Kong and Tim Lounibos, Lodestone is committed to providing a forum for Asian American artists in all aspects of the theatre arts. The Ensemble seeks to challenge limited perceptions of Asian Americans through the creation of original theatrical productions as well as a fresh retelling of established works. Lodestone Theatre Ensemble is a Company-in-Residence at GTC Burbank. Home \| News \| Calendar \| Directory \| Library \| Plays Copyright 2006, Roger W. Tang Questions? Email

LODESTONE THEATRE ENSEMBLE COLLABORATES WITH THE TOP ASIAN AMERICAN COMEDY GROUPS TO PRESENT THE WORLD PREMIERE OF TeleMongol A new comedy set at a fictional Asian American cable network opens on Nov. 11

LODESTONE THEATRE ENSEMBLE COLLABORATES WITH THE TOP ASIAN AMERICAN COMEDY GROUPS TO PRESENT THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
TeleMongol
A new comedy set at a fictional Asian American cable network opens on Nov. 11