Artists at Play and the Chinese American Museum present excerpts from

The Chinese Massacre (Annotated)

By Tom Jacobson
Directed by Jeff Liu

Sound Designed & Video Edited by
Howard Ho

Produced by
Stefanie Lau

Featuring
Richard Azurdia, Paul Byrne, Jully Lee, West Liang,
Nancy Ma, Gary Patent, Lisa Tharps and Ryun Yu

The Chinese Massacre (Annotated) explores the history and trauma experienced by the Los Angeles Chinese community in 1871. The play contains strong language and racial slurs. There are verbal shouts for violence, a depiction of a lynching and a description of sexual assault. The play contains gun violence and multiple gun shots. Viewer discretion is always advised.

Tom Jacobson (Playwright) Off Broadway: The Twentieth-Century Way, Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre and Boston Court Pasadena. Los Angeles: Plunge at Son of Semele Ensemble, Tar at Playwrights Arena, Mexican Day at Rogue Machine Theatre Company, The Orange Grove at Playwrights Arena, Bunbury, Tainted Blood, Ouroboros and The Friendly Hour at The Road, Cyberqueer at Celebration, Making Paradise at Cornerstone, Sperm and The Chinese Massacre (Annotated) at Circle X Theatre Company, House of the Rising Son at Ensemble Studio Theatre-LA, Diet of Worms at Chalk Rep, The Devil’s Wife at Skylight, Walking to Buchenwald at Open Fist. Film: Prairie Sonata. Opera: Hopscotch.

Jeff Liu (Director) is a director for theater, film, and web. He adapted David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face for the YOMYOMF Network on YouTube. His Los Angeles-premiere of Chinglish became the highest grossing play ever at East West Players. Most recently, he directed Paletas de Coco by Franky D. Gonzalez for Ars Nova and the upcoming RE:Encuentro 2021, a Latina/o/x Theatre Festival. He is currently a Resident Dramaturg for the Ojai Playwrights Conference.

Howard Ho (Sound Designer & Video Editor) is a sound designer, playwright, and YouTuber. Twice nominated for the Ovation Award in sound design, he has designed shows for Artists at Play, Theatreworks Silicon Valley, Center Theatre Group, Deaf West, East West Players, and Playwrights’ Arena among others. He teaches sound design at the California School of the Arts San Gabriel Valley. His playwriting is published by Theatre Now New York. His YouTube channel has earned millions of views and has been recognized by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Richard Azurdia (City Marshall Frank Baker, Mayor Cristobal Aguilar, Sheriff James Burns, Annotator) Theater credits include: Fountain Theatre, Theatricum Botanicum, Denver Center Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, Independent Shakespeare Co., Company of Angels, Rogue Artist Ensemble, Circle X Theatre Company, Sacred Fools Theatre, Echo Theatre, Son of Semele Ensemble, Odyssey Theater and Bootleg Theater. He’s been nominated for the Ovation Awards, Stage Raw Awards, Colorado Theatre Guild’s Henry Awards & Broadway World Awards. His film and TV credits are numerous. He’s a recipient of the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship. www.RichardAzurdia.com.

Paul Byrne (Reverend Crenshaw, Curly) In his vagabond days, Paul performed in half the states in the United States. He has done listing stints in Chicago, Milwaukee, Seattle and Los Angeles. While in Seattle, he performed at Theater Schmeater, A Theater Under the Influence and worked behind the scenes at the NWAAT. In Los Angeles, he’s worked extensively with the Sacred Fools Theatre, in The Magic Bullet Theory, Jack, Dubya 2000 and even in plays that weren’t political in nature. He also co-produced/wrote/acted in the legendary late night show Crime Scene and created Retro Radio and The Ebony Pimpernel. 

Jully Lee (Tong Yu, Annotator) is the Artistic Director of COLD TOFU, the nation’s first and longest running Asian American improv troupe. She was in the world premiere of The Chinese Massacre (Annotated) in 2011 and also Mexican Day, another Tom Jacobson (playwright) – Jeff Liu (director) collaboration. Jully is thrilled to revisit this important piece of history with this outstanding cast and creative team, and would like to thank Tom, Jeff, Howard, Stefanie, Artists at Play and the Chinese American Museum. jullylee.com

West Liang (Lee Tong, Wong Tuck) is grateful for this chance to revisit Tom Jacobson’s The Chinese Massacre (Annotated), and excited to play with its original cast. TV/Film: Atypical (Netflix), Blue Eye Samurai (Netflix), Queen of the South (USA), Rebel (BET), NCIS: New Orleans (CBS), NCIS (CBS), Magnum P.I. (CBS), Ten Days in the Valley (ABC), Mistresses (ABC), Stitchers (ABC), and more. He also stars in Chris Chan Lee’s new narrative feature, Silent River, currently in the festival circuit. Special thanks to Jeff, Tom, Artists at Play, and Chinese American Museum!

Nancy Ma (Yut Ho) is an actor, writer, and facilitator who grew up in Chinatown New York. Her solo show, Home, produced by The Latino Theater Company, is a raw interrogation of belonging. It has been performed at schools, festivals, and theaters around the country. Recent credits include Barry (HBO), Hacks (HBO), The Joy Luck Club (Sierra Madre Playhouse). BA from Williams College. 

Gary Patent (Justice Trafford, Robert Thompson, George Fall, Ben McLaughlin) is an award-winning actor and screenwriter. Select theatre: Ragtime (3D Theatricals – Ovation nom), The Immigrant (Pico Playhouse – Ovation nom), Plunge (SOSE – Stage Raw nom), Our Class (SOSE – LADCC Award), Awake and Sing! (Odyssey), Soul-Doctor (Lincoln Center). Select film & TV: Modern Family, Law & Order, Burning Dog, Undercovers. Gary is a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre, Actors’ Equity, and SAG-AFTRA. As a screenwriter, he’s developed multiple projects and is a finalist for the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting.

Lisa Tharps (Biddy Mason, Annotator) Regional: Dr. Millicent Jacobs – Reparations, Gloucester Stage; Chelle – Detroit ‘67, VA Stage; Nina – The Royale, Kitchen and Geva Theatres; Titania – Midsummer Night’s Dream – Shakespeare Theater of DC: Medea – Medea, Boston Court Pasadena (Garland, LA Critics, LA Weekly, NAACP nominations for Best Leading Actress); BROADWAY: Nurse – Romeo & Juliet – New Victory Theater; Tonya (u/s) – King Hedley II, Virginia Theatre; Principal Player – Love’s Fire: Fresh Numbers – Public Theater, London’s Barbican Pit, Nat’l Tour; OFF BROADWAY: Olivia – Twelfth Night – Boomerang Theatre; Paulina – The Winter’s Tale – NY Classical; NATIONAL TOURS: Wit – MCC, Union Square, including The Wilbur Theater; Principal Player, The Vagina Monologues. TV: The Good Fight, Jessica Jones, Power, Madam Secretary, Elementary, Law and Order: SVU and others. FILM: Madeline’s Madeline (Gotham’s/Spirit Awards’ nom for Best Feature, Cinematography); Jones (numerous film festival wins) UNC School of the Arts, Graduate. LisaTharps.com. Grateful.

Ryun Yu (Yo Hing, Gene Tong, Sam Yuen) originated the role of Gordon Hirabayashi in Hold These Truths at East West Players, and has since performed it at Arena Stage (Washington, D.C.) and the Pasadena Playhouse. He won the Craig Noel Award for Best Solo Performance when he performed it at San Diego Rep. Other theater credits include How the Light Gets In (Boston Court), @TheSpeedofJake (Playwright’s Arena), and Take Me Out (Geffen Playhouse). In TV, Ryun played the recurring character Pastor Daniel Kwon in the FX show Baskets (starring Zach Galifianakis and Louis Anderson). He also played DHH in David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face, the first adaptation of a major play for YouTube (where it can still be viewed).

Special Thanks: Franky D. Gonzalez, Christopher Komuro, John Lau

World premiere by Circle X Theatre Company at Atwater Village Theatre in Los Angeles
THE CHINESE MASSACRE (ANNOTATED) is produced
by special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing Inc, NYC
www.broadwayplaypub.com