2016-2017 Season
Our 2016-2017 season included three mainstage productions by contemporary Asian American playwrights: DURANGO by Julia Cho, CAUGHT by Christopher Chen, and PURPLE CLOUD by Jessica Huang. All three of our shows this season examine societal pressures placed upon Asian Americans by the west—by family, by the workplace, and by themselves.
FALL: DURANGO
BY JULIA CHO | DIRECTED BY VINEET GUPTA '18
CAST
Boo-Seng Lee........................... Hank Tian '20 Isaac Lee.................................... Alex Doan '20 Jimmy Lee.................................. Edric Zeng '19 The Red Angel/Bob................... AJ Dennis '20 Jimmy/Ned................................ Nate Randall '18 |
To the outside world, the Lee boys look perfect: Isaac is on track to be a doctor, and his younger brother, Jimmy, is a champion swimmer. But when their widowed father, Boo-Seng, decides to take them on a road trip to Durango, Colorado, the carefully constructed facades of all three begin to crack. As they near their destination, tempers flare, old wounds reopen and secrets are revealed. DURANGO is the story of a man who sacrificed everything—a home, a country—for the American Dream, and whose sons must now grapple with the consequences of that choice.
PRODUCTION STAFF
Director: Vineet Gupta '18 Producer: Newton Cheng '18 Stage Manager: CJ Paige '19 Assistant Director: Olivia Popp '20 Assistant Stage Manager: Eric Wang '20 Technical Director/Props Master: Daniel Cai '19 Set Designer: Melissa Chen '19 Costume Designer: Mirae Lee '17 Sound Designer: Anna Zeng '18 Lighting Designer: Jarku Tang Virtanen '18 Graphic Designer: Connor Asercion '18 |
WINTER: CAUGHT
By Christopher Chen | Directed by Daniel Cai '19
An art gallery hosts a retrospective of the work of a legendary Chinese dissident artist who was imprisoned in a Chinese detention center for a single work of art. Recently profiled in The New Yorker, the artist himself is present, and shares with patrons the details of an ordeal that defies belief. A puzzling, labyrinthine exploration of truth, art, social justice and cultural appropriation, where nothing is as it first appears.
CAST
Lin Bo............................ Eric Wang '20 Joyce/Curator............... Bella Wilcox '19 Bob................................ Reilly Clark '19 Wang Min...................... Ruru Hoong '17 PRODUCTION STAFF Director: Daniel Cai '19 Producer: Leah Slang '18 Art Installation Manager: Melissa Chen '19 Stage Manager: Ewea Tseumah '19 Assistant Stage Manager: Preston Lim '17 Assistant Stage Manager: Cindy Wang '18 Set Designer: Charlie Yang '17 Costume Designer: Roma Dziembaj '18 Assistant Costume Designer: Amanda Yuan '20 Sound Designer: Dan Holland '19 Lighting Designer: Caroline Zha '20 Assistant Lighting Designer: Ariana Johnson '17 |
SPRING: BROADWAYSIANS - ASIAN AMERICANS ONSTAGE
A Revue | AATP Intern Project 2017
AATP's 2016-2017 Intern Project was a cabaret consisting of scenes written by Asian American playwrights interspersed with songs from the classic Broadway canon. Fast-paced and funny, Broadwaysians was a celebration of Asian American strength in all its forms: physical strength, emotional strength, and the strength we draw from our communities and histories.
|
PRODUCTION STAFF
Co-produced by Olivia Popp '20, Amanda Yuan '20, & Caroline Zha '20 FEATURED PERFORMERS Leena Yin '17, Hank Tian '20, Janel Lee '19, Daniel Cai '19, Jessica Fry '19, Muse Lee '19, and Samantha Loui '20 |
SPRING: PURPLE CLOUD
By Jessica Huang | Directed by Sam Sagan '18
CAST
Hapa Girl.......... Lili Lim '17 Orville.............. Hank Tian '20 Lee................... Matt Shimura '19 Dragon............. Olivia Popp '20 Bird.................. Catherine Xie '19 Tiger................. Max Drach '17 Tortoise............ Natty Jumreornvong '17 |
In Purple Cloud, three generations of Huangs deal with the many facets of their multiracial identities as – accompanied by four Jade Pieces – they embark on a mythical journey from China to America and back again. Through three intertwining stories, we see the Huang family through the messy and beautiful business of acculturation: Grandpa Lee immigrates from Shanghai to America during World War II; his son Orville deals with his confusion as a first generation Asian American, taught to pass as white and unsure of his own blood; and his granddaughter fights for her Chinese-ness through a tattoo of a deer and the search for her true name.
AATP was thrilled to bring this vibrant play to a Stanford audience, and honored to hold a post-show discussion featuring the playwright Jessica Huang herself in conversation with director Sam Sagan '18, moderated by Stanford professor Michelle Elam. PRODUCTION STAFF
Director: Sam Sagan '18 Producer: Leena Yin '17 Stage Manager: Connor Asercion '18 Assistant Producer: Janel Lee '19 Assistant Stage Manager: Grace Wang '20 Props Manager: Michela Rodriguez '18 Set Designer: Eleni Alexandraki '19 Assistant Set Designer: Jessica Luo '19 Technical Director: Tess Picknell '16 Costume Designer: Roma Dziembaj '18 Assistant Costume Designer: Jessica Seng '20 Sound Designer: Anna Zeng '18 Assistant Sound Designer: Alice Yang '20 Lighting Designer: Jarku Tang Virtanen '18 Assistant Lighting Designer: Caroline Zha '20 Graphic Designer: Garrick Fernandez '19 |