Julyana Soelistyo
Encyclopedia
Julyana Soelistyo is an American
stage and film actress who, in 1998, was nominated for a Tony Award
for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in Golden Child
.
, Indonesia
. She attended school in Penang, Malaysia, taking lessons in piano
and violin
. Later, she attended Oregon State University
, where she appeared in productions of The Tempest
(as Ariel), Les Liaisons Charmantes, The Misanthrope
and Piaf
. After Soelistyo graduated in 2002, she attended San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre to earn her MFA
. During 1995 - 1997, Soelistyo played the title characters, all of which were children, in the Seattle Children's Theatre plays Naomi's Road, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
, and Still Life with Iris.
at the debut reading of Golden Child in California
, after being recommended by Hwang's friend Judy Nihei. She was tapped to originate the role of Eng Ahn, the title character; in the play, Soelistyo portrayed both the 10-year-old and the 80-year-old Ahn. Golden Child, which premiered at the Off-Broadway
Joseph Papp Public Theater, was reworked and moved to Broadway
's Longacre Theatre
, where Soelistyo continued in her role. She received largely positive reviews. The New York Times
's Vincent Canby described her performance as "magical", and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
deemed her an "outstanding female newcomer". Soelistyo won a Clarence Derwent Award and was nominated for a Tony Award, but lost to Anna Manahan
.
She has also appeared in the Yale Repertory Theatre's performance of Iphigenia at Aulis, as Cordelia and the Fool in the 1998 New Jersey Shakespeare Festival's
performance of King Lear
, Imogen in Cymbeline
at the Intiman Theatre in Seattle, Dorie in the world premiere of On the Jump
, and the Daughter of Antiochus/ Marina in the Brooklyn Academy of Music
's Pericles.
Soelistyo has appeared in the films Earthly Possessions
and Martin Scorsese
's Bringing Out The Dead
. Steven Spielberg
offered her the role of Pumpkin in Memoirs of a Geisha
, and Soelistyo was cast, but the part ultimately went to Youki Kudoh
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stage and film actress who, in 1998, was nominated for a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in Golden Child
Golden Child
Golden Child may refer to:* Golden Child, a 1997 song by DJ Sammy* The Golden Child, 1986 movie starring Eddie Murphy* Golden Child, 1998 play by David Henry Hwang...
.
Early life
Julyana Soelistyo was born to Roman Catholic parents in SumatraSumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. She attended school in Penang, Malaysia, taking lessons in piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
. Later, she attended Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
, where she appeared in productions of The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
(as Ariel), Les Liaisons Charmantes, The Misanthrope
The Misanthrope
The Misanthrope is the first EP from metal band Darkest Hour. It was released in 1996 on the defunct label Death Truck Records. It is much more hardcore orientated metalcore unlike their later releases.- Track listing :# "Vise" - 5:30...
and Piaf
Piaf
Piaf is a French word:* Édith Piaf* Musée Édith Piaf* Sans Fusils, Ni Souliers, à Paris: Martha Wainwright's Piaf Record* Piaf * 3772 Piaf , a main-belt asteroid discovered on 1982 by L. G. Karachkina...
. After Soelistyo graduated in 2002, she attended San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre to earn her MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
. During 1995 - 1997, Soelistyo played the title characters, all of which were children, in the Seattle Children's Theatre plays Naomi's Road, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
, and Still Life with Iris.
Career
Soelistyo met David Henry HwangDavid Henry Hwang
David Henry Hwang is an American playwright who has risen to prominence as the preeminent Asian American dramatist in the U.S.He was born in Los Angeles, California and was educated at the Yale School of Drama and Stanford University...
at the debut reading of Golden Child in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, after being recommended by Hwang's friend Judy Nihei. She was tapped to originate the role of Eng Ahn, the title character; in the play, Soelistyo portrayed both the 10-year-old and the 80-year-old Ahn. Golden Child, which premiered at the Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
Joseph Papp Public Theater, was reworked and moved to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
's Longacre Theatre
Longacre Theatre
The Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 220 West 48th Street in midtown Manhattan.-Theatre History:Designed by architect Henry Beaumont Herts in 1912, it was named for Longacre Square, the original name for Times Square...
, where Soelistyo continued in her role. She received largely positive reviews. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
's Vincent Canby described her performance as "magical", and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
deemed her an "outstanding female newcomer". Soelistyo won a Clarence Derwent Award and was nominated for a Tony Award, but lost to Anna Manahan
Anna Manahan
Anna Maria Manahan was an Irish stage, film and television actress. She interpreted the works of, among others, Sean O'Casey, John B Keane, J. M. Synge, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, Martin McDonagh, Christy Brown, and Brian Friel....
.
She has also appeared in the Yale Repertory Theatre's performance of Iphigenia at Aulis, as Cordelia and the Fool in the 1998 New Jersey Shakespeare Festival's
Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is an independent, professional theatre company located on the Drew University campus. One of the leading Shakespeare theatres in the USA — serving 100,000 adults and children annually — it is New Jersey's only professional theatre company dedicated to the...
performance of King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
, Imogen in Cymbeline
Cymbeline
Cymbeline , also known as Cymbeline, King of Britain or The Tragedy of Cymbeline, is a play by William Shakespeare, based on legends concerning the early Celtic British King Cunobelinus. Although listed as a tragedy in the First Folio, modern critics often classify Cymbeline as a romance...
at the Intiman Theatre in Seattle, Dorie in the world premiere of On the Jump
On the Jump
On the Jump is a 1918 short comedy film featuring Harold Lloyd. A print of the film survives in the film archive of the Museum of Modern Art. -Cast:* Harold Lloyd* Snub Pollard* Bebe Daniels* William Blaisdell* Sammy Brooks...
, and the Daughter of Antiochus/ Marina in the Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music is a major performing arts venue in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, United States, known as a center for progressive and avant garde performance....
's Pericles.
Soelistyo has appeared in the films Earthly Possessions
Earthly Possessions
Earthly Possessions is a 1999 made-for-cable movie starring Susan Sarandon and Stephen Dorff. It is an adaptation of Anne Tyler's novel about a housewife who thinks her life is going nowhere....
and Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
's Bringing Out The Dead
Bringing Out the Dead
Bringing Out the Dead is a 1999 drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, and based on the novel by Joe Connelly with the screenplay by Paul Schrader...
. Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
offered her the role of Pumpkin in Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha is a novel by American author Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the fictional story of a geisha working in Kyoto, Japan, before and after World War II...
, and Soelistyo was cast, but the part ultimately went to Youki Kudoh
Youki Kudoh
is a Japanese actress and singer. She won the award for best newcomer at the 6th Yokohama Film Festival for The Crazy Family. She also won the award for best actress at the 16th Hochi Film Award for War and Youth.-Filmography:-External links:* *...
.