News from first part of 1999




			May 1999 Details on Asian American Theatre Convening In Memoriam Melvyn Escueta, one of the founding playwrights of San Francisco's Asian American Theatre Company, died of an apparent heart attack, May 1. He was attending the Senior Prom at SF's Galileo High School where he was the History and Honors Economics teacher. Among his many credits was Honeybucket, the first show detailing the experience of Asian Americans in Viet Nam. Teada Productions offer internships. Teada Productions is an interdisciplinary/ intergenerational theater project dedicated to serving the Hawai'i Community of Los Angeles. Congratulations! Randall Duk Kim received an Obie this year for his years of sustained excellence Off Broadway acting... National Asian American Theatre Company, for a $5,000 grant connected with the Obies. Eth-Noh-Tec Auditions Eth-Noh-Tec, national storytelling organization, wants Asian American performing artists for touring ensemble. The first ever Asian American Theatre Convening Set for May 22 and 23 in Seattle, WA. Day One is a closed session, for invited guests. Day Two is open for the public ($20 admission). Casting set for David Henry Hwang version of Flower Drum Song Informed sources tell the Revue that the revised version of Flower Drum Song Prince Gomolvilas wins International prize Thai American playwright wins $15,000 first prize... Asian American playwrighting institute opens for Summer/Fall 1999 season Named after and inspired by Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang, the Writers Institute is a nationally recognized force in the creation and development of plays and playwrights... New Asian American work featured at The Public... The Theatre that launched the careers of David Henry Hwang, Chay Yew and many others presents... Audition Notice! Calling non-equity Asian American actresses to audition WHO: Teatro Visión de San José WHAT: Harvest Moon by José Cruz González Directed by: Amy González ROLE: Mrs. Noguchi- a Japanese American woman. A landowner. She also doubles as Jennifer, Cuauhtemoc's teenage girlfriend, and the Female Calavera Doctor. DATES: Callbacks: Monday June 21, 1999 & Tuesday June 22, 1999 7pm (location TBA) Rehearsals begin: Saturday August 21, 1999 11am Rehearsals held 7pm-10:30pm Monday-Thursdays Saturdays 11am-5pm Performance Run: October 7-23, 1999 VENUE: Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater in San José Non AEA stipend offered. Please send head shot and resume to: Teatro Visión ATT: Dianne Vega 476 Park Ave. Suite 228 San José, CA 95110 For additional information call Dianne Vega at: (408) 947-8227 Audition Notice 2! May 15, 1999 10:00 AM Looking for Pacific Islander actors to perform in Kalo Project '99 at the JACCC on June 12, 1999. Asian American and Multi-racial performers are also invited to audition. Performers with experience in improvisation, Boal technique, or other collective creation methods are a plus. Accpeted performers will collectively create a performance piece utilizing the "talk story" (oral history) information collected by Kalo Projects at the 1999 Pacific Islander Festival. Auditions will take the form of a workshop session. Please call to reserve an auditon space: 323/937-7805 Where: Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC) 244 South San Pedro St. Los Angeles, CA 90012 (Between 2nd and 3rd Streets in Little Tokyo) For More Info: TeAda Productions (323)937-7805 or e-mail - teada@aol.com ASIA member receives Goldwater Award WASHINGTON, D.C.'s ASIA member and artistic associate Ron Oshima will be honored with The Mary Goldwater Award by the Theatre Lobby for his outstanding work... NWAAT offers Butoh workshop Joan Laage, Artistic Director of Dappin' Butoh and Antonio Delbenes, sponsored by Northwest Asian American Theatre, will organize workshops taught by Japanes Butoh artist Itto Morita and his assistant Mika Takeuchi... Second generation productions seeks new works... Tidbit! Amiyao and the Magic Gongs Teatro ng Tanan is looking for volunteers needed for a May 8 children's show in Stockton! No prior experience is necessary! Volunteers must be willing to sing, dance, move giant puppets and work with children. The story is loosely based on a Northern Luzon folktale. This is a fun opportunity to start learning about Philippine indigenous culture. Please respond by ASAP to tntanan@hotmail.com . Workshops begin on Sunday, April 25. AATC presents spring classes... Asian American Theater Company is proud to present a special Beginning Acting Class taught by Sean San José... Tidbit! Noted playwright David Henry Hwang has officially joined the creative team as a creative consultant for Disney's troubled Aida musical (which is supposedly Broadway bound). Featuring music by Elton John, this musical adaption has had a checkered history, including changes in directors, playwrights and design team. Gone is the magic, morphing pyramid seen in the Atlanta previews; here, hopefully, is a revised libretto... SDAART presents Performance Anxiety... Tidbit! Diana Son's Stop Kiss is nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for best play Off Broadway. As well, she and Chay Yew (Red) were nominated for the John Gassner Playwrighting Award. AATC Presents Butcher's Burden San Francisco-Asian American Theater Company, in association with the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center, presents the world premiere of The Butcher's Burden by Harold S. Byun... East West presents Beijing Spring... East West Players, the nation' s first and foremost Asian American theatre, sets the cast and designers for the final production of its 33rd Anniversary Season, the world premiere of BEIJING SPRING, a musical odyssey East West Players celebrates 33rd Anniversary EWP honors APA artists... Stir-Friday Night's Yellow Menace invades West Coast Come celebrate Asian-Pacific Heritage Month with Invasion of the Yellow Menace, the fresh new revue by Stir-Friday Night!, Chicago's premiere Asian-American sketch comedy troupe. AATC Presents Pieces of the Quilt San Francisco-Asian American Theater Company and the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center present Pieces of the Quilt, original short plays on the AIDS epidemic... San Jose Rep presents Sisters Matsumoto... San Jose Repertory Theatre in association with Seattle Repertory Theatre and Asian American Theatre Company of San Francisco, with the generous support of AT&T, present Sisters Matsumoto April 1999 LA New work festival features Vietnamese American play... Tidbit! Thursday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. East West Players' Writers Gallery presents: "The Clouds, the Ocean and Everything in Between", by Michael Premsrirat In a world that tries to put everything into neat little boxes, the only way to survive is to move between the lines. When three racially mixed friends leave the safe world of college to face "the real world," all they have to hold onto is the confusion they share. The Writers Gallery Reading Series is at the Japanese American National Museum at 369 E. 1st Street in Little Tokyo. Admission is free, but please call 213.625.0414 for reservations. Great Leap busy touring A full slate of events in deck for Great Leap.... March 1999 East West Presents Hanako Directed by Tzi Ma, this world premiere is about a war atrocity kept silent for decades, which explodes in an emotional story about the Korean comfort women.... Tidbit! Ma-Yi Theatre Company seeks original plays written by Asian-American playwrights for its 11th Season. Plays chosen will receive a production in New York City under Equity's Tiered Showcase Production Code. All submissions must not have been previously produced. Please send scripts to: Ma-Yi Theatre Company P.O. Box 597 Radio City Station New York, NY 10101 Attn: Artistic Director Tidbit! Asian Stories In America (ASIA) announces open call for original works by Asian and Pacific Islander American playwrights for its upcoming season. ASIA is a newly-formed theatre company based in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. Submissions of new and uproduced pieces are strongly encouraged. Please send scripts to: ASIA Att: Edu. Bernardino, Artistic Director 333 S. Glebe Rd., Ste. 616 Arlington, VA 22204-1626 SDAART presents Cultivated Lives SDAART presents the continental US premiere of Velina Hasu Houston's play. In the midst of her domineering father, a mysterious maid and the ardor of two young doctors, a young heiress embarks upon a journey of renewal and liberation that involves murder, love, and a blurring of the borders between sexualities.... Stir Friday Night offers benefit March Madness comes to Live Bait Theater as Stir-Friday Night!, the Midwest's only Asian American sketch comedy troupe, presents its' first annual benefit. NWAAT offers dance classes Bengie Santos, choreographer for NWAAT's recent smash production of "West Side Story", will be having a dance class.... Tsunami Theatre debuts in Washington, DC Tsunami presents Sound of a Voice and The House of Sleeping Beauties... Tidbit! Legends and Legacies, written/directed/ & performed by David Yee won best production and best technical at the Hart House Festival in January. David, a fourth year Drama student at University of Toronto, wrote and performed in Half Life at last year's Summerworks Festival. Pork Filled Players invade Seattle Fringe Fest March 13, 14, 19, 20, 21 TnT offers writing workshop: Deadline is March 12! ASIA forms in Washington, DC Edu. Bernardino, Artistic Director of the newly-formed ASIA recently introduced to the local theatre community it's new company members... For a recent article, go to http://members.aol.com/asianplays/washtimes.html For pictures from a recent production, go to http://members.aol.com/asianplays/delegation.html TnT offers writing workshop Teatro ng Tanan (TnT) in cooperation with Bindlestiff Studio will be holding a writing workshop, which will culminate into this year's production of "flipsights" February 1999 Tom Chao presents The Negative Energy Field Pork Filled Players present Won Ton of Love The Pork Filled Players (PFP) takes on love in their new sketch comedy show, Won Ton of Love (Love, Relationships and Other Disasters), February 6 through 21, 1999... AATC auditions for 1999 season! Asian American Theater Company is holding an Open Auditions for our upcoming season on February 13th, Saturday, 2-6pm... More auditions! The San Diego Asian American Repertory Theatre is casting for the continental US premiere of Velina Hasu Houston's Cultivated Lives. Directed by Karin Williams, Chad Sakamoto producer. Breakdowns: Misao- Asian Female 20ís-30ís Sadako- Asian mixed Female, 20's-30's Katayama/Nakagawa- Asian Males 20's-30's Itamura- Asian Male- 40ís-50ís Performances at the Sweetooth Theatre in downtown San Diego from April 2 through April 25 with rehearsals through March. There is pay. Prepare 2 copies photo/resume and be ready to read from script. Auditions February 20th & 21st, leave message for appointment (619)544-9079. Tidbit! The big winner at the Sundance Film Festival was Tony Bui's Three Seasons, winning the Grand Prize, the Audience Award and the Cinematography Award. It will now go to the Berlin Film Festival and San Francisco. In March, it will open at a theatre near you. Tidbit! Also encouraging: Sandra Oh was awarded a Genie Award for Lead Actress in a feature film for her performance as "Sandra" in Last Night, written & directed by Don McKellar. This is Sandra's second Genie Award, a Canadian film industry award. Some years ago she won a Genie for her stunning work in Mina Shum's Double Happiness. January 1999 NWAAT presents West Side Story The Northwest Asian American Theatre (NWAAT) , celebrating its 26th season of live performance theatre, is pleased to present West Side Story from January 28 to February 21, 1999 Tidbit! East West Players' Writers Gallery at the Japanese American National Museum presents a free reading of Felix Racelis' DAYS OF REST, a play developed by the David Henry Hwang Writers Institute. The ghosts of World War II are unleashed upon Nene and Poncing's present when their days are disturbed by the expansion of Nene's nursing home and rest takes on another meaning. This Writers Gallery reading takes place on Thursday, February 4, 1999, at 7:30 p.m. in the Japanese American National Museum's Legacy Center at 369 E. 1st Street in Little Tokyo. Admission is free, but please call 213-625-0414 for reservations. AATC (SF) offers 1999 Winter Classes Choose from a variety of different classes, from improv to playwrighting... AATC presents a reading of a new play... Casting Call! INDEPENDENT FEATURE FILM (Casting) Feature film independent filmmaker seeks talent for his upcoming story about "three Vietnamese criminals full of life and energy, but unable to attach themselves to anything, not even to each other." Seeking - 1 ASIAN MALE: Especially Vietnamese, 20s - 30s, an intense and handsome loner. 2 AFRICAN - ASIAN MALE: exberant, 20s. 3 Asian-AMERICAN HOMEBOY TYPE: 15-19. Send pix(can be just a snapshot)& resumes(tape also if you have) to The 33 project c/o painted people productions 411 West End Ave.,#15A NYC, NY 10024 East West presents Carry the Tiger to the Mountain East West presents this story behind the Vincent Chin story... Tidbit! EWP's Writer-in-Residence Alice Tuan is looking for Asian Pacific and Asian American playwrights who have been produced on stage at a small professional theatre or larger. Please send a resume, plus contact information ASAP to her at: EWP 244 S. San Pedro St. Ste. 301 Los Angeles, CA 90012 attn: Alice Tuan or fax materials to: Alice Tuan EWP (213) 625-7111 Seattle Repertory Theatre/AATC premieres new Gotanda play Seattle Repertory Theatre presents the world premiere of Philip Kan Gotanda's "Sisters Matsumoto", at Seattle Repertory Theatre's Leo K Theatre, opening on January 11 at 7:30 P.M... Second Generation Productions presents Making Tracks Old and new worlds collide when Second Generation Productions presents their new musical, Making Tracks, January 30th through February 14th... Suzie Wong is Dead! And AATC in San Francisco killed her! San Francisco's Asian American Theater Company proudly presents three evenings of monologues by two of the Bay Area's premiere API women writers. Suzie Wong is Dead! invites everyone to the wake of Asian Stereotypes. Come celebrate the birth of the New Asian Woman. Great Leap is booking for 1999 and 2000! Chicago plans parody for New Years... C.W. Chan, chair of the 1999 Asian American Coalition of Chicago (AAC), announced today that the 16th Annual Lunar New Year Celebration will feature a special musical parody presentation, Sayonara, Miss Saigon, at its gala on Sunday, February 28... Tidbit! Northwest Asian American Theatre received a Footlight Award from the Seattle Times for its design work in its 1998 production of Momoko Iko's Gold Watch. As well, Greg Watanabe received an acting award for his tour de force performance in ACT's Full Moon. East West Premieres Gotanda's Yohen The world premiere of YOHEN, will star Nobu McCarthy and Danny Glover .... Tidbit A reading of Jason Fong's EWP Writers Institute-developed FENTOR Thursday, January 7 at 8 p.m. This reading is a way of getting word out about an upcoming production of this whimsical comedy and as a way of raising money for Here and Now. Please come on out and pass along the word: FENTOR needs your grassroots support! Thursday, 8 p.m., Jan. 7, 1999 at East LA College Theatre 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park (X-streets are Atlantic and the 60 F-way) For more info, please email: blacklava@earthlink.net Tidbit Informed sources tell the Revue that Robert Longbottom (director of the respected Side Show and the revamped Scarlet Pimpernel) has come on as director of Flower Drum Song, David Henry Hwang’s update and revision of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical from the 1950s. 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