As part of our annual Artists at Play Readings, we will develop and showcase two new works by emerging AAPI playwrights Noa Gardner and Kathryn de la Rosa. The live-streamed event will be presented on October 2 and 9. Register for free here.
“This year’s program highlights both Asian American and Pacific Islander narratives that encompass and transcend issues of cultural and gender identity, familial obligation, and the histories that shape us and bring us together,” says Producing Artistic Leader Julia Cho.
Nan by Noa Gardner will be presented on October 2 at 1 pm PDT. Nan is the multi-generational family story of three Hawaiian women on the island of Oʻahu: Nan, the strong-willed matriarch; her estranged daughter Alice; and her feisty teenage granddaughter Maddi. Struggling with crippling disease, Nan is on the verge of making a life-altering decision, and gives Alice an impossible task — to assist her in ending her life. The reading is directed by Alison De La Cruz, co-Artistic Director of Outside In Theatre.
The cast of Nan features Sara Malia Hatfield, Christine Jamlig, Lelea’e “Buffy” Kahalepuna-Wong, Kaliko Kauahi and Jorin Young.
NON SO PIÙ COSA SON by Kathryn de la Rosa will be presented on October 9 at 1 pm PDT. NON SO PIÙ COSA SON is a transnational/transtemporal chamber play with music. The play follows the church-basement voice lessons of Maria, a 17-year-old soprano, as music weaves her together with the imagined lives of the Philippines’ first opera singer and a Soviet-Korean poet in exile. NON SO PIÙ COSA SON examines themes of diaspora, dysphoria, and the making of cultural capital. The play is directed by Sarah Shin, co-founder of Asian American Theatre Artists of Boston.
The cast of NON SO PIÙ COSA SON features Victoria Hoffman, Lianah Sta. Ana and Intae Kim.
“We’re thrilled to present these truly emerging writers who are exploring, investigating, and boldly sharing the stories of their Native Hawaiian and Filipino heritages,” says Producer Nicholas Pilapil. “They bring new narratives and modes of storytelling that excite and intrigue us, and we are proud to uplift their work and support them on their playwriting journey.”
Artists at Play — A Los Angeles-Based Theatre Collective 