Pan Asian Repertory Theatre
Encyclopedia
Founded in 1977 and led by Artistic Producing director Tisa Chang, the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre is a New York
based theatre group that explores the Asian American
experience. Pan Asian Rep provides professional opportunities for Asian American artists to collaborate and create unique works where quality and excellence are key criteria. Mel Gussow
of The New York Times
noted that "Before Pan Asian Rep, Asian Americans had severely limited opportunities in the theater…(now) heartened by Ms. Chang's example, similar companies have sprung up around the United States." Pan Asian Rep has opened doors and paved the way for many who have formed their own companies or enjoy careers in film, television and on Broadway
. For 30 years Pan Asian Rep has created opportunities for minority
artists to compete equally and bring to the stage modern classics that give insight into the evolution of Asians in America.
Specializing in intercultural productions of Asian American new plays, Asian masterworks in translation and innovative adaptations of Western classics, its many presentations and contributions to the canon of Asian American plays include:
Stagings of the early works of Asian American pioneers include Momoko Iko, Wakako Yamauchi
, Philip Kan Gotanda
, R. A. Shiomi
, and David Henry Hwang
. Now entering their 35 Anniversary Season Pan Asian will continue Master Piece cycle begun in 2007.
Pan Asian Rep has a regular New York season at the West End Theatre
in the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew where they serve a diverse range of audiences. In 2007, they returned to the Julia Miles Theatre to re-mount their classic large cast productions. Major programs include the Senior Artist Resident Ensemble, the Theatre For Youth program, touring and residencies nationally and internationally, Staged Reading Series directed by Ron Nakahara, and year-round Actor Training Workshops taught by Ernest Abuba.
The company has been invited to several National Theatre Festivals including Edinburgh
(1988), Singapore
(1992), Cairo
and Johannesburg
(1995) and most recently Pan Asian Rep became the first professional theatre from the United States to be invited to The Xi Havana Theatre Festival (2003). From June 11-24, 2007, Pan Asian Rep served along with Ma-Yi Theater
and NAATCO as a Co-Steering Committee member of the first ever National Asian American Theatre Festival. This two-week festival brought work from more than 35 emerging and established artists and groups from across the nation to over 13 venues around New York City.
The Company will celebrate its 35th Anniversary in 2012, and continues a cycle of Masterpiece productions:
The cycle began in 2007 with THE JOY LUCK CLUB a play by Susan Kim, adapted from the novel by Amy Tan, directed and choreographed by Tisa Chang. THE JOY LUCK CLUB is a timeless story with universal relevance of four Mahjong playing mothers from different provinces in China, and their relationships with their American born daughters.
In 2008 Pan Asian presented the first professional theatrical production from Vietnam THE MISSING WOMAN, written and directed by Nguyen thi Minh Ngoc, Performed in Vietnamese and English it enabled diverse audiences to explore themes of social justice and human rights through the lens of traditional Vietnamese art forms. THE MISSING WOMAN is part of Pan Asian’s larger efforts towards international artistic collaboration.
SHOGUN MACBETH kicked off the 2008 season. Adapted by John R. Briggs from the play by William Shakespeare, this epic production infused with medieval history utilized traditional Japanese techniques of Noh, Kyogen and extraordinary Samurai sword fighting while retaining the complexity and challenges of Shakespeare’s language. Ernest Abuba who portrayed the title role 22 years ago directed this new innovative version.
In the fall of 2009 the company will produce IMELDA a tantalizing and powerful new musical based on the political but controversial figure Imelda Marcos. Pan Asian Rep and East West Players
will collaborate to bring this important new work to New York City audiences.The show was directed by Tim Dang, book by Sachi Oyama, lyrics by Aaron Coleman, music by Nathan Wang, and choreographed by Reggie Lee
In spring 2010, Pan Asian produced the east coast premiere of CHING CHONG CHINAMAN, a comedy by Lauren Yee and directed by May Adrales that used the pejorative jinggle to examine commonly held assumptions about identity and culture.
Pan Asian continued their relationship with Vietnamese audiences and artists during 2011's VIETNAM PROJECT II: Past and Present, which presented WE ARE, by Nguyen thi Minh Ngoc, about Vietnamese women who work or marry abroad, and MONSTER by derek Nguyen, about a Vietamese American detective in search of a missing child and his past.
The company's 35th Anniversary season will include SHANGHAI LIL'S by Lilah Kan with music by Louis Stewart, Pan Asian's popular musical about the nightclub circuit in San Francisco's Chinatown shortly before Pearl Harbor; and RANGOON, a world premiere by Mayank Keshaviah about a family of Indian emiges pursuing the "American Dream".
As the company’s repertoire grows and as the global community is more vitally linked Pan Asian will forge the way to reach out to international and multicultural audiences.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
based theatre group that explores the Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
experience. Pan Asian Rep provides professional opportunities for Asian American artists to collaborate and create unique works where quality and excellence are key criteria. Mel Gussow
Mel Gussow
Melvyn H. Gussow was an American theater critic, movie critic, and author who wrote for The New York Times for 35 years.-Biography:...
of 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...
noted that "Before Pan Asian Rep, Asian Americans had severely limited opportunities in the theater…(now) heartened by Ms. Chang's example, similar companies have sprung up around the United States." Pan Asian Rep has opened doors and paved the way for many who have formed their own companies or enjoy careers in film, television and on 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...
. For 30 years Pan Asian Rep has created opportunities for minority
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
artists to compete equally and bring to the stage modern classics that give insight into the evolution of Asians in America.
Specializing in intercultural productions of Asian American new plays, Asian masterworks in translation and innovative adaptations of Western classics, its many presentations and contributions to the canon of Asian American plays include:
- Empress of China, featuring Tina ChenTina ChenTina Chen is a Chinese American actress best known for her appearances in the films Alice's Restaurant, Three Days of the Condor and The Hawaiians....
in the title role of China's last dowager ruler - Yellow FeverYellow Fever (play)Yellow Fever is a play by R. A. Shiomi which takes place on Powell Street in Japantown, Vancouver, a gathering place for the local Japanese-Canadian culture. Set in the 1970s, the Sam Spade-like main character, Sam Shikaze, must work to unravel the mysteries that surround him...
, which went on to enjoy a long Off-BroadwayOff-BroadwayOff-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...
run - Ghashiram KotwalGhashiram KotwalGhashiram Kotwal is a Marathi play written by playwright Vijay Tendulkar in 1972 , as his response to the rise of a local political party, Shiv Sena, in Maharashta . The play is a political satire, written as historical drama. Based on the life of Nana Phadnavis , one of the prominent minister in...
, the MarathiMarathi languageMarathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
play with music - Teahouse by Lao SheLao SheShu Qingchun , better known by his pen name Lao She was a notable Chinese writer. A novelist and dramatist, he was one of the most significant figures of 20th century Chinese literature, and is perhaps best known for his novel Rickshaw Boy and the play Teahouse . He was of Manchu ethnicity...
, spanning fifty years of modern Chinese historyHistory of the Republic of ChinaThe History of the Republic of China begins after the Qing Dynasty in 1912, when the formation of the Republic of China put an end to over two thousand years of Imperial rule. The Qing Dynasty, also known as the Manchu Dynasty, ruled from 1644 to 1912... - Cambodia Agonistes by Ernest Abuba, with music by Louis Stewart
- The Teahouse of the August MoonThe Teahouse of the August Moon (play)The Teahouse of the August Moon is a 1953 play written by John Patrick adapted from the 1951 novel by Vern Sneider. It was later adapted for film in 1956, and the 1970 Broadway musical, Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen.-Plot summary:...
by John Patrick - Forbidden City Blues by Alexander Woo
- The Fan Tan King by C. Y. Leethe, a world premiere
- Yohen, by Philip Kan GotandaPhilip Kan GotandaPhilip Kan Gotanda is an American playwright and filmmaker. Much of his work deals with Asian American issues and experiences.- Biography :...
- Tea, by Velina Hasu Houston, the 20th Anniversary Production
Stagings of the early works of Asian American pioneers include Momoko Iko, Wakako Yamauchi
Wakako yamauchi
Wakako Yamauchi is a Nisei Asian American female writer. Her plays are considered pioneering works in Asian American theatre.- Biography :...
, Philip Kan Gotanda
Philip Kan Gotanda
Philip Kan Gotanda is an American playwright and filmmaker. Much of his work deals with Asian American issues and experiences.- Biography :...
, R. A. Shiomi
Rick Shiomi
Rick Shiomi is a Japanese Canadian playwright, stage director and taiko artist. He is a founder and currently the Artistic Director of the Minneapolis, Minnesota based Asian American theater company, Mu Performing Arts.-Early life:...
, and David Henry Hwang
David 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...
. Now entering their 35 Anniversary Season Pan Asian will continue Master Piece cycle begun in 2007.
Pan Asian Rep has a regular New York season at the West End Theatre
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
in the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew where they serve a diverse range of audiences. In 2007, they returned to the Julia Miles Theatre to re-mount their classic large cast productions. Major programs include the Senior Artist Resident Ensemble, the Theatre For Youth program, touring and residencies nationally and internationally, Staged Reading Series directed by Ron Nakahara, and year-round Actor Training Workshops taught by Ernest Abuba.
The company has been invited to several National Theatre Festivals including Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
(1988), Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
(1992), Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
(1995) and most recently Pan Asian Rep became the first professional theatre from the United States to be invited to The Xi Havana Theatre Festival (2003). From June 11-24, 2007, Pan Asian Rep served along with Ma-Yi Theater
Ma-Yi Theater Company
Ma-Yi Theater Company is a professional, not-for-profit, Obie Award and Drama Desk Award winning theater company based in New York City that was founded in 1989. Ma-Yi Theater is headed by Executive Director Jorge Ortoll and Artistic Director Ralph Peña...
and NAATCO as a Co-Steering Committee member of the first ever National Asian American Theatre Festival. This two-week festival brought work from more than 35 emerging and established artists and groups from across the nation to over 13 venues around New York City.
See also
- Asian American theatreAsian American theatreAsian American theater is theater written, directed or acted by Asian Americans.- Background :Asian American theater emerged in the 1960s and the 1970s with the foundation of four theatre companies: East West Players in Los Angeles, Asian American Theatre Workshop in San Francisco, Theatrical...
The Company will celebrate its 35th Anniversary in 2012, and continues a cycle of Masterpiece productions:
The cycle began in 2007 with THE JOY LUCK CLUB a play by Susan Kim, adapted from the novel by Amy Tan, directed and choreographed by Tisa Chang. THE JOY LUCK CLUB is a timeless story with universal relevance of four Mahjong playing mothers from different provinces in China, and their relationships with their American born daughters.
In 2008 Pan Asian presented the first professional theatrical production from Vietnam THE MISSING WOMAN, written and directed by Nguyen thi Minh Ngoc, Performed in Vietnamese and English it enabled diverse audiences to explore themes of social justice and human rights through the lens of traditional Vietnamese art forms. THE MISSING WOMAN is part of Pan Asian’s larger efforts towards international artistic collaboration.
SHOGUN MACBETH kicked off the 2008 season. Adapted by John R. Briggs from the play by William Shakespeare, this epic production infused with medieval history utilized traditional Japanese techniques of Noh, Kyogen and extraordinary Samurai sword fighting while retaining the complexity and challenges of Shakespeare’s language. Ernest Abuba who portrayed the title role 22 years ago directed this new innovative version.
In the fall of 2009 the company will produce IMELDA a tantalizing and powerful new musical based on the political but controversial figure Imelda Marcos. Pan Asian Rep and East West Players
East West Players
East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As one of the nation's first Asian American theatre organizations, East West Players today continues to produce works and educational programs that give voice to the Asian Pacific American...
will collaborate to bring this important new work to New York City audiences.The show was directed by Tim Dang, book by Sachi Oyama, lyrics by Aaron Coleman, music by Nathan Wang, and choreographed by Reggie Lee
In spring 2010, Pan Asian produced the east coast premiere of CHING CHONG CHINAMAN, a comedy by Lauren Yee and directed by May Adrales that used the pejorative jinggle to examine commonly held assumptions about identity and culture.
Pan Asian continued their relationship with Vietnamese audiences and artists during 2011's VIETNAM PROJECT II: Past and Present, which presented WE ARE, by Nguyen thi Minh Ngoc, about Vietnamese women who work or marry abroad, and MONSTER by derek Nguyen, about a Vietamese American detective in search of a missing child and his past.
The company's 35th Anniversary season will include SHANGHAI LIL'S by Lilah Kan with music by Louis Stewart, Pan Asian's popular musical about the nightclub circuit in San Francisco's Chinatown shortly before Pearl Harbor; and RANGOON, a world premiere by Mayank Keshaviah about a family of Indian emiges pursuing the "American Dream".
As the company’s repertoire grows and as the global community is more vitally linked Pan Asian will forge the way to reach out to international and multicultural audiences.
- Tisa ChangTisa ChangTisa Chang is a Chinese American actress and theatre director from Chongqing. Her father was a diplomat and the family moved to New York City when she was a child. Chang was interested in theatre and and decided to study acting at the High School of Performing Arts and at Barnard College...