Ma-Yi presents new Play 9/17/05

NO FOREIGNERS BEYOND THIS POINT by Warren Leight -- whose play SIDE MAN won the 1999 Tony Award for Best Play, and was also a finalist that year for the Pulitzer Prize -- will debut this fall Off-Broadway in a production presented by Ma-Yi Theater Company at the Culture Project (45 Bleecker Street) in New York. Previews begin September 17, prior to an official press opening September 25. Loy Arcenas, directed Ma-Yi's Obie Award-winning production of THE ROMANCE OF MAGNO RUBIO by Lonnie Carter, directs.

NO FOREIGNERS BEYOND THIS POINT is inspired by the playwright's experiences teaching English in Guangdong (Canton), China in 1980, just after the horrors of the Cultural Revolution. The play follows two young, idealistic Americans who become the first foreign instructors at a small, isolated trade school. Their students crave access to everything Western, but the school's bureaucrats are desperate to control that access. The Americans soon find themselves living under virtual house arrest. In a world where betrayal is necessary for survival, students and teachers struggle to overcome cultural, political, and personal barriers to identity and intimacy.

The ensemble includes Laura Kai Chen, Ron Domingo, Wai Ching Ho, Francis Jue, Karen Tsen Lee, Abby Royle, Ean Sheehy, and Henry Yuk.

The production has scenic design by Loy Arcenas with lighting design by Japhy Weideman, costume design by Carol Bailey, and sound design by Fabian Obispo.

NO FOREIGNERS BEYOND THIS POINT begins the 17th season for Ma-Yi
Theater, one of the leading companies in the U.S. devoted to presenting work about the Asian experience.

Warren Leight wrote SIDE MAN, which won multiple awards including the 1999 Tony Award for Best Play and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. His play, GLIMMER, GLIMMER AND SHINE, received an American Theatre Critics Association Nomination for Best New Play Award. Other notable plays include MAYOR, THE MUSICAL (Drama Desk nomination, Book) and THE FINAL INVESTIGATION OF CEAUCESCU'S DOG (EST Marathon; Chicago Humanities Festival).

Principally known as a top-notch designer, Loy Arcenas designed and directed Ma-Yi Theater Company's Obie Award-winning production of THE ROMANCE OF MAGNO RUBIO, which enjoyed a long run Off-Broadway in 2002, followed by a national tour and a recent production in the Philippines, where the play is set. Before emerging as a director, Mr. Arcenas designed throughout the country, receiving honors including the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk nominations, and an OBIE for sustained excellence of set design. Born in the Philippines and trained in London, he has designed Off-Broadway and on, with credits that include American premieres of Paula Vogel's THE LONG CHRISTMAS RIDE HOME at Trinity Repertory in Providence, LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION!, CORPUS CHRISTI, PRELUDE TO A KISS, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, SPUNK, BLUE WINDOW, INDIAN INK, and SIMPATICO.

Ma-Yi Theater Company, celebrating its 17th season, won 8 Obie Awards for its production of THE ROMANCE OF MAGNO RUBIO, called "One of the best plays of the New York theater season" by The New York Times, Theatermania.com and other press. Of last season's WAVE, Margo Jefferson wrote "A first-rate company and a generously inventive play." The company was founded to develop new plays and performances about the Asian-American experience -- challenging the perceptions of what culturally specific theater should be by producing forward-thinking plays by today's emerging playwrights. In 2004, SAVAGE ACTS was the centerpiece of PERFORMING ETHNICITY INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AND ARTS FESTIVAL, an exploration of perceptions of ethnicity by Ma-Yi and other theater companies. Recent productions include THE SQUARE, Han Ong's MIDDLE FINGER, WATCHER, Alice Tuan's LAST OF THE SUNS and Mr. Miyagi's Theatre Company's SIDES: THE FEAR IS REAL, which is currently on an extended Off-Broadway run at the Culture Project.

Ma-Yi Theater Company is under the guidance of Ralph B. Pena, Artistic Director, and Jorge Z. Ortoll, Executive Director.

Performances of NO FOREIGNERS BEYOND THIS POINT run September 17 October 16, 2005 at The Culture Project (45 Bleecker Street), Tuesdays-Saturdays at 8pm; Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm, with the following exceptions: Sunday, September 18 at 7pm; and Sunday, September 25 at 5pm. Tickets are $38 during previews; $45 after September 25; students/seniors, $30. Group discounts are available. For tickets, call 212-352-3101 or online at www.theatermania.com. For more information, call 212-971-4862 or visit www.ma-yitheatre.org.

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	Ma-Yi Theater Company presents NO FOREIGNERS BEYOND THIS POINT NO FOREIGNERS BEYOND THIS POINT by Warren Leight -- whose play SIDE MAN won the 1999 Tony Award for Best Play, and was also a finalist that year for the Pulitzer Prize -- will debut this fall Off-Broadway in a production presented by Ma-Yi Theater Company at the Culture Project (45 Bleecker Street) in New York. Previews begin September 17, prior to an official press opening September 25. Loy Arcenas, directed Ma-Yi's Obie Award-winning production of THE ROMANCE OF MAGNO RUBIO by Lonnie Carter, directs. NO FOREIGNERS BEYOND THIS POINT is inspired by the playwright's experiences teaching English in Guangdong (Canton), China in 1980, just after the horrors of the Cultural Revolution. The play follows two young, idealistic Americans who become the first foreign instructors at a small, isolated trade school. Their students crave access to everything Western, but the school's bureaucrats are desperate to control that access. The Americans soon find themselves living under virtual house arrest. In a world where betrayal is necessary for survival, students and teachers struggle to overcome cultural, political, and personal barriers to identity and intimacy. The ensemble includes Laura Kai Chen, Ron Domingo, Wai Ching Ho, Francis Jue, Karen Tsen Lee, Abby Royle, Ean Sheehy, and Henry Yuk. The production has scenic design by Loy Arcenas with lighting design by Japhy Weideman, costume design by Carol Bailey, and sound design by Fabian Obispo. NO FOREIGNERS BEYOND THIS POINT begins the 17th season for Ma-Yi Theater, one of the leading companies in the U.S. devoted to presenting work about the Asian experience. Warren Leight wrote SIDE MAN, which won multiple awards including the 1999 Tony Award for Best Play and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. His play, GLIMMER, GLIMMER AND SHINE, received an American Theatre Critics Association Nomination for Best New Play Award. Other notable plays include MAYOR, THE MUSICAL (Drama Desk nomination, Book) and THE FINAL INVESTIGATION OF CEAUCESCU'S DOG (EST Marathon; Chicago Humanities Festival). Principally known as a top-notch designer, Loy Arcenas designed and directed Ma-Yi Theater Company's Obie Award-winning production of THE ROMANCE OF MAGNO RUBIO, which enjoyed a long run Off-Broadway in 2002, followed by a national tour and a recent production in the Philippines, where the play is set. Before emerging as a director, Mr. Arcenas designed throughout the country, receiving honors including the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk nominations, and an OBIE for sustained excellence of set design. Born in the Philippines and trained in London, he has designed Off-Broadway and on, with credits that include American premieres of Paula Vogel's THE LONG CHRISTMAS RIDE HOME at Trinity Repertory in Providence, LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION!, CORPUS CHRISTI, PRELUDE TO A KISS, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, SPUNK, BLUE WINDOW, INDIAN INK, and SIMPATICO. Ma-Yi Theater Company, celebrating its 17th season, won 8 Obie Awards for its production of THE ROMANCE OF MAGNO RUBIO, called "One of the best plays of the New York theater season" by The New York Times, Theatermania.com and other press. Of last season's WAVE, Margo Jefferson wrote "A first-rate company and a generously inventive play." The company was founded to develop new plays and performances about the Asian-American experience -- challenging the perceptions of what culturally specific theater should be by producing forward-thinking plays by today's emerging playwrights. In 2004, SAVAGE ACTS was the centerpiece of PERFORMING ETHNICITY INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AND ARTS FESTIVAL, an exploration of perceptions of ethnicity by Ma-Yi and other theater companies. Recent productions include THE SQUARE, Han Ong's MIDDLE FINGER, WATCHER, Alice Tuan's LAST OF THE SUNS and Mr. Miyagi's Theatre Company's SIDES: THE FEAR IS REAL, which is currently on an extended Off-Broadway run at the Culture Project. Ma-Yi Theater Company is under the guidance of Ralph B. Pena, Artistic Director, and Jorge Z. Ortoll, Executive Director. Performances of NO FOREIGNERS BEYOND THIS POINT run September 17 October 16, 2005 at The Culture Project (45 Bleecker Street), Tuesdays-Saturdays at 8pm; Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm, with the following exceptions: Sunday, September 18 at 7pm; and Sunday, September 25 at 5pm. Tickets are $38 during previews; $45 after September 25; students/seniors, $30. Group discounts are available. For tickets, call 212-352-3101 or online at www.theatermania.com. For more information, call 212-971-4862 or visit www.ma-yitheatre.org. Press Representative: Sam Rudy Media Relations, 212-221-8466. Home \| News \| Calendar \| Directory \| Library \| Plays Copyright 2005, Roger W. Tang Questions? Email

Ma-Yi Theater Company presents NO FOREIGNERS BEYOND THIS POINT