| Pan Asian Repertory Theatre Launches 48th Milestone Season with Fall 2024 Reading Series: MY MAN KONO | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 06:28 pm EDT 10/03/24 | |
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| Pan Asian Repertory Theatre Launches 48th Milestone Season with Fall 2024 Reading Series: MY MAN KONO (New York, NY) Thursday, October 3rd, 2024 - Pan Asian Repertory Theatre is excited to announce the launch of its 48th Milestone Season with the Fall 2024 Reading Series titled MY MAN KONO. This significant reading will take place TODAY, Thursday, October 3rd at 5:00 PM in the ART-New York, Bruce Mitchell Room, located at 520 8th Avenue, 3rd Floor. Reading Cast features the below: Carolina Ð? | Isami Kono Brian Lee Huynh | Toraichi Kono Emma Kikue | Paulette Goddard Conlan Ledwith | Charlie Chaplin Robert Meskin | Wayne Collins James Patrick Nelson | FBI Agent R. Horn Cody LeRoy Wilson | Alva Blake Jae Woo | Itaru Tachibana Tisa Chang, Founding Artistic Director says "Pan Asian is proud to honor Toraichi Kono and to find justice for him" MY MAN KONO, written by Philip W. Chung and directed by Jeff Liu, centers around Toraichi Kono, a Japanese émigré who seeks the American Dream during the silent film era. The narrative takes a dramatic turn as Kono, once a loyal confidante of film legend Charlie Chaplin, becomes embroiled in anti-Japanese hysteria at the onset of World War II, facing accusations of espionage. The reading will start at 5:00 PM. Notable actors participating in this reading include Emma Kikue as Paulette Goddard, James Patrick Nelson as FBI Agent R. Horn, and Brian Lee Huynh as Toraichi Kono, among others. The significance of MY MAN KONO extends beyond its engaging storyline; it serves as a reflection of the historical challenges faced by Asian Americans. As the theatre embarks on this milestone season, the reading aims to foster dialogue about the ongoing issues of representation and cultural understanding in the arts. The production seeks to create an inclusive environment where audiences can engage with the narratives that shape their communities. Now celebrating its 48th season, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre was founded in 1977 by Tisa Chang and core artists at La Mama, with the help of the late Ellen Stewart, as a platform to break stereotyped casting and to broaden the theatrical vocabulary of American theatre. The company is a pioneer for artistic excellence and service – with annual Off-Broadway seasons, training, and play development – and praised by press, diverse communities, and the American theatre mainstream. Mel Gussow of the New York Times described it as, “A Stage For All the World of Asian-Americans,” and wrote that, “before Pan Asian Rep, Asian-Americans had severely limited opportunities in the theater.” The company has nurtured thousands of artists and is a veritable “who’s who” of Asian American theatre history. Learn more at www.panasianrep.org . Philip W. Chung (Playwright) Philip W. Chung is a writer and producer based in Los Angeles. He was the co-founder/co-Artistic Director for Lodestone Theatre Ensemble where he wrote/produced/directed almost 100 mainstage productions, workshops, readings, and other theatrical events. His Lodestone world premiere plays include The Golden Hour and Grace Kim & The Spiders From Mars. He was the creative director at YOMYOMF, founded by the Fast & Furious franchise director Justin Lin to tell stories from Asian American and other underrepresented voices. At YOMYOMF, Chung oversaw the hybrid production of David Henry Hwang's Pulitzer Prize-finalist play, Yellow Face, which was adapted by My Man Kono director Jeff Liu (and is available to watch on YouTube). My Man Kono placed second in East West Players’ Pacific Century Playwriting Competition and had previous readings/workshops at East West Players, The Autry Museum of the American West (as part of the L.A. History project), and the Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood. Previously, Chung has developed/produced projects for Comcast/NBCUniversal, Legendary Pictures, eOne, IFC Channel, Gunpowder & Sky, Google/YouTube, HBO Max/WB, Disney, and others. He was the consulting producer on the 2023 KCET/Artbound documentary, East West Players: A Home on Stage (available on YouTube and the PBS app), and recently sold or optioned his screenplays to Netflix and Buzzfeed Studios. He is consulting producer on an upcoming Margaret Cho-narrated documentary about the Asian American hapa cult icon Tura Satana (star of Russ Meyers' Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!) and associate producer of the indie film Late Bloomers, which premiered at SXSW and stars Jumanji's Karen Gillan. His play Unbroken Blossoms, about the two Chinese American consultants who worked on D.W. Griffith’s 1919 film Broken Blossoms, had its world premiere in 2024 at East West Players. He was also commissioned by the Adventure Theatre MTC in Washington DC to write the book and lyrics for POOP! The Musical in collaboration with composer Woody Pak (Making Tracks). Jeff Liu (Director) Jeff Liu is a writer and director for theater, film and web, also an Artistic Producer for the Ojai Playwrights Conference. His productions include the LA premiere of Chinglish by David Henry Hwang (LA Times Critics Choice), as well as the world premieres of Unbroken Blossoms and The Golden Hour by Philip W. Chung, Warrior Sisters of Wu by Damon Chua (2 Drama Desk nominations), Memorial by Livian Yeh (NYT Critics Pick), Paletas de Coco by Franky D. Gonzalez (Ars Nova ANTFest), The Brothers Paranormal by Prince Gomolvilas, Two Mile Hollow by Leah Nanako Winkler, The Chinese Massacre (Annotated) by Tom Jacobson, Terminus Americana (Ovation Award nominee for Best World Premiere) by Matt Pelfrey, and Texas and Solve for X by Judy Soo Hoo. He also adapted the Pulitzer nominated Yellow Face by DHH for the YOMYOMF Network on YouTube, where it is still available to watch for free. |
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