who hurt you? Digital Program

Katie Đỗ (Playwright) (she/her) is a Vietnamese American woman with a mouth from New Jersey. She’s a proud alum of the Sống Collective’s Việt Writers Lab and The Public Theater’s Emerging Writers Group. Đỗ is the inaugural recipient of Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s Sokhary Chau Playwriting Fellowship. Her plays have been developed by South Coast Repertory (Pacific Playwrights Festival), Atlantic Theater Company (MixFest), The Sống Collective, The Public Theater, and Orlando Shakes. love you long time (already) is featured on the 2023 Kilroy’s Web. She wrote on the Netflix show Partner Track and is in development with MACRO. 

Katherine Chou (Director) is a writer, filmmaker, and theatre artist. Her work in theatre encompasses directing, producing, and dramaturgy with Artists at Play, South Coast Repertory, Boston Court Pasadena, A Noise Within, EST/LA, and the Denver Center for Performing Arts. As a filmmaker, her work has screened at festivals internationally and received support from CAPE, the Armed With a Camera Fellowship, STARZ, and Women in Film. Previously, she worked in post-production on films at Warner Bros., 20th Century Studios, and HBO. A graduate of L’Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris, she has called many places home, including France, Montreal, and Taipei.

Vivien Ngô (Ellie, Julia) is a Vietnamese American storyteller. She is most known for her recurring role as Trinh Phan on Ava Duvernay’s Queen Sugar. She attended the Guthrie Theater’s BFA Actor Training Program and received additional training at South Coast Repertory and Shakespeare’s Globe (London). TV/Film credits include: The Accidental Getaway Driver, Daughter, NCIS: New Orleans, and Shameless. She is also a solo artist and songwriter. This month, she released the first single (Bittermelon) from her new artist project, VIVI3N.

Jessica Jade Andres (Kira, Vanessa) was born and raised in Minnesota. She is a first-generation American on her father’s side who emigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines when he was 12 years old. Ms. Andres attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with honors, and went on to work Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway. She moved to Los Angeles after being cast in M. Night Shyamalan’s adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. She was part of the Emmy Award–winning series The Lizzy Bennet Diaries and most recently co-starred in the indie drama Chaperone, which took home the Grand Jury Prize at Slamdance. This past winter, Ms. Andres completed her first play upon invitation to join Ensemble Studio Theater’s First Flame writing workshop. She continues her work on the stage and screen from her home in Los Angeles with her husband, two daughters, and cat Comet.

VyVy Nguyen (Alex, Ly, Viet Woman, Operator, Quinn) is a Vietnamese American actress hailing from Anaheim, California. She graduated with a degree in acting from USC’s School of Dramatic Arts. TV credits include Young Sheldon, The Mindy Project, Parenthood, and Chicago P.D. She recently recurred on HBO’s limited series The Sympathizer and starred in the horror comedy Shaky Shivers, directed by Fast & Furious‘ Sung Kang. She is also an audiobook narrator.

D.K. Uzoukwu (Will, Sam, Casting Director, Publicist, Zach) is a first-generation Nigerian American from Bowie, Maryland. As an actor and writer, D.K. had a love for the arts from a very young age. He attended Temple University, graduating with a degree in film and trained in theater before moving to Los Angeles. Prior to participating in the 2021 Hillman Grad Fellowship Program for acting, D.K. appeared on NBC’s The Brave, ABC’s Fresh off the Boat, HBO’s Insecure, and The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl alongside Issa Rae. D.K. can be seen starring on Prime Video’s brand new series Clean Slate opposite Laverne Cox and George Wallace.

Tim Kopacz (Brent, Chase, Producer) is an artist and educator based in Los Angeles. Notable work includes The Bottoming Process at IAMA Theatre, Tambo & Bones at Center Theatre Group, and Little Shop of Horrors at The Pasadena Playhouse. 

Sandy Nguyen (Stage Directions) is a Vietnamese American multidisciplinary artist from Chicago. Previously, she read stage directions in South Coast Repertory’s Pacific Playwrights Festival and performed at East West Players. She graduated from Occidental College with a degree in Critical Theory & Social Justice and Theater and has also been a student of the About Face Youth Theatre, EST/LA, and the Groundlings. Sandy is involved in Los Angeles’ underground ballroom community as a member of the House of Saint Laurent. This summer, you can catch her in Occidental College’s Children’s Theater, performances Thursday–Saturday from July 10–August 23.

Brandon Cheng (Stage Manager) is excited to help present this reading with Artists at Play. He’s a San Francisco native and a graduate of CSULB with a BA in Technical Theatre. Credits include: God Will Do The Rest, The Chinese Lady, Two Mile Hollow, 99 Histories (Artists at Play); frou-frou: a menagerie of sorts (Boston Court Pasadena); Unbroken Blossoms, Kairos, Spring Awakening, The Brothers Paranormal, Interstate, Assassins, Mamma Mia! (East West Players); Fetch Clay, Make Man (Center Theatre Group); Sanctuary City (Pasadena Playhouse); The Great Leap (Pasadena Playhouse & East West Players); and Allegiance (Japanese American Cultural & Community Center and East West Players). Thanks to his family and friends for all their love and support! Enjoy the show!