Now Playing:
Atlantic Theatre Company presents
The Great Leap
Directed by Taibi Magar
With Ali Ahn, Ned Eisenberg, Tony Aidan Vo, and BD Wong
Performances run now through June 24, 2018 (EXTENDED)
***
Just Closed:
Seattle Repertory Theatre presents the world premiere of
The Great Leap
Directed by Eric Ting
Dramaturgy by Kristin Leahey
With Bob Ari, Keiko Green, Linden Tailor, and Joseph Steven Yang
“The Great Leap scores with a tale of hoop dreams and hardwood diplomacy. … In a play punctuated with bluster … the final scene of “The Great Leap” asserts a quiet, beautifully unexpected power.” — Denver Post
“With some fascinating reveals toward the end, this simmering plot rolls into a strong finale while taking some poetic license with some historical detail along the way. It’s an intriguing look into the events of the time through the eyes of characters who ultimately resist being merely swept along with the tide.” — Vail Daily
When an American college basketball team travels to Beijing for an exhibition game in 1989, the drama on the court goes deeper than the strain between their countries. For two men with a past and one teen with a future, it’s a chance to stake their moment in history and claim personal victories off the scoreboard. American coach Saul grapples with his relevance to the sport, Chinese coach Wen Chang must decide his role in his changing country and Chinese American player Manford seeks a lost connection. Tensions rise right up to the final buzzer as history collides with the action in the stadium. Inspired by my own father’s early basketball career.
***
Just Closed:
South Coast Rep presents the world premiere of
Cambodian Rock Band
a new play with music by Dengue Fever
Directed by Chay Yew
Music direction by Matt MacNelly
Dramaturgy by Andy Knight
With Brooke Ishibashi, Abraham Kim, Raymond Lee, Jane Lui, Joe Ngo, and Daisuke Tsuji
Part comedy, part mystery, part rock concert, this thrilling story toggles back and forth in time, as father and daughter face the music of the past. Neary, a young Cambodian American has found evidence that could finally put away the Khmer Rouge’s chief henchman. But her work is far from done. When Dad shows up unannounced—his first return to Cambodia since fleeing 30 years ago—it’s clear this isn’t just a pleasure trip.
South Coast Rep (Orange County)
March 4-25, 2018
More info here
PRESS:
LA Times review (Critic’s Choice) | LA Times feature | OC Weekly feature
***
Just Announced:
Cambodian Rock Band will get a second turn at Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago, directed by Marti Lyons. More info here.
And very honored to be a finalist for two big prizes:
My play King of the Yees is a finalist for the Edward M. Kennedy Prize, which awards drama inspired by American history. (More info here.)
And my play The Great Leap is a finalists for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the oldest and largest prize awarded to women playwrights writing in the English language. (More info here.)
***
Just Happened:
I was just named a 2018/2019 Hodder Fellow at Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts. The fellowship provides “artists and humanists in the early stages of their careers an opportunity to undertake significant new work” and includes a $81,000 stipend for the 10-month appointment.
More info here.
***
I was the 2017 recipient of the Kesselring Prize. David Henry Hwang presented the award to me at the National Arts Club on November 5, 2017
More info here and here.
