The Fall For the Book Festival has kindly invited me to join the unparalleled Chiwan Choi in a couple readings–huzzah!
helpful information here:
http://www.nvcc.edu/news/press-releases/2015/fall-for-book-festival.html
The Kilroys List 2015
The Kilroys is a Los Angeles-based group of playwrights and producers focused on gender parity in theater. Last week, The Kilroys released The List 2015, the second annual industry survey of excellent new plays by female and trans playwrights. In their own words, The List “is a tool for producers committed to ending the systemic underrepresentation of female and trans playwrights in the American theater.”
I’m grateful for what The Kilroys is doing, and honored to have a play recognized in this year’s list. Gratitude also to the folks who participated in the survey.
Macdowell 2015
A mishmash imagey thank you to Macdowell, for a glorious spring 2015 (those trees, aiya…and one fine day a few of us got to scramble up a mountain).
Ma-Yi LabFest – 5/11 (DELIVERY, directed by Cat Miller)
coming up this week, along with |the Claque|’s QuaDs presentation of FRUITING BODIES, directed by Kareem Fahmy:
Monday, May 11th, @ 7pm
Delivery
by Sam Chanse
directed by Cat Miller
a reading presented as part of Ma-Yi’s Spring Labfest
with Farah Bala*, Vandit Bhatt*, Kimberly Chatterjee, Meethu Chilana*, Layla Khoshnoudi, Sunita Mukhi, Kelley Rae O’Donnell*, Lori Parquet*, and Tiffany Villarin*
Ma-Yi Studio, 260 W. 35th Street, Suite 203 (2nd Fl), between 7th and 8th aves, NYC
Reservations: Free; please rsvp: info@ma-yitheatre.org
gilgamesh & the mosquito selected for 2015 Yale Institute for Music Theatre
Composer/collaborator-friend Bob Kelly and I found out recently that our musical, gilgamesh & the mosquito, was selected for this year’s Yale Institute for Music Theatre.
(Bob and I are excited about this.)
From the YIMT website:
Established in 2009, the YALE INSTITUTE FOR MUSIC THEATRE is a program of Yale’s Binger Center for New Theatre that bridges the gap between training and the professional world for emerging composers, book writers, and lyricists. The Institute seeks distinctive and original music theatre works to be developed in an intensive two-week summer lab at Yale School of Drama. The Institute matches the authors of the selected works with collaborators, including professional directors and music directors, as well as a company of actors and singers that includes professionals and current Yale students.
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mark Brokaw, two original music theatre works have been selected for the 2015 Institute, which will take place June 13–28 in New Haven: gilgamesh & the mosquito, music by Bob Kelly and book and lyrics by Sam Chanse; and Horizons, music by Ben Wexler and book and lyrics by Mark Sonnenblick.
The lab culminates with open rehearsal readings of each project, presented as a part of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, on June 26 and 27.
Some information about YIMT:
http://drama.yale.edu/YIMT/about-institute
Some information about YIMT:
http://drama.yale.edu/2015-institute
Four Plays at the Claque’s QuaDs
4/1: Self/Split: Performance and Poetry at USC’s Ground Zero
I have the privilege of joining awesome humans & artists D’Lo, Chiwan Choi, Nicolas Wang, with Kaya Press, in this upcoming (free) event at USC:
Self/Split: Performance and Poetry from Asian Diasporas
Visions and VoicesApril 1, 2015
7:00 pm
University Park Campus
Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Admission is free. Reservations required.
“Self/Split” brings together four renowned Asian diasporic artists—Sam Chanse, Chiwan Choi, D’Lo and Nicolas Wang—for an evening of live performances and discussion that will movingly confront queerness, displacement, immigrant identity, the creative process and more.
[Fun note! The event should also be the first chance to share advance copies of Lydia’s Funeral Video, from Kaya Press.]
Organized by Nayan Shah (American Studies and Ethnicity) and Sunyoung Lee (Kaya Press). Co-sponsored by American Studies and Ethnicity, Asian Pacific American Student Services, the Center for Transpacific Studies, Kaya Students for Independent Publishing, the Master of Professional Writing Program and the USC School of Dramatic Arts.
more info here: https://www.usc.edu/calendar/event/909961
Kaya Press & Lydia’s Funeral Video
[updated 5/8/2015: Lydia’s Funeral Video is now available on Kaya’s website, here: http://kaya.com/books/lydias-funeral-video/ ]
It’s been (many) years in the making, but Kaya Press has received the galleys and digital proof from the printer, and Lydia’s Funeral Video, the book, is on its way toward physical being.
The books should be ready by April 1st, but the official publication/release date is May 2015.
So for now, I just wanted to share this image of the cover, designed by the Very Amazing graphic design studio that is Spoon + Fork.
the 2015 Quick and Dirties [the claque]
I’m honored to be joining playwrights Anna Moench, Seth Moore, and Tommy Smith in this year’s QuaDs, courtesy of [the claque].
here’s how they [the claque] put it in their announcement:
——here begins quoted announcement—–
FRIDAY NEWS Y’ALL:
We are overjoyed to announce the plays of the 2015 Quick and Dirties coming this May to the Sheen Center. Hold on to your seats, ’cause it’s all happening. The plays are:
Fruiting Bodies by Sam Chanse
Wildrose by Anna Moench
Ghost in the Tapestry by Seth Moore
Boyfriend by Tommy Smith
Be sure to follow along with how the plays are developing right here. We’ll see you in May.
——here ends quoted announcement—–
very cool, [claque]; looking forward.
Sundance & Ucross (feb 2015)
a Joyful & Glorious time in Clearmont, Wyoming.
I so rarely show off my Amazing* Landscape iPhotography Skillz (this is the only time I’ve ever done it here, in fact–it’s usually just promotional image this, rehearsal photo that), but Wyoming and Ucross are Very Worthy of being shown off (even if inadequately, thanks to the limits of said awesome Landscape iPhotography Skills).
*not actually amazing.
The following photos aren’t nearly fully representative of the multifaceted thingness that is the Sundance/Ucross retreat, but here they are, anyway; in spite of the poor image curation, what I’m trying to say, between the lines/photos, is: i am grateful.
(view from the plane, en route from Denver, CO, to Sheridan, WY.)
(view from and of the inside of the plane, from Denver to Sheridan.)
(self explanatory.)
(view of the sunrise. holy sh*t.)
(more sunrise. that thing comes up every day.)
(retreat companions.)
(we weren’t that close, though; a lot of social awkwardness in the air on a writing retreat.)
(there were human companions, too; they just didn’t fit into Landscape iPhotography category.)
self-explanatory.
And here concludes the brief display of Amazing* Landscape iPhotography Skillz.
*not actually amazing.
gilgamesh & the mosquito at TNNY’s Sound Bites
Rehearsals have begun for a presentation of a segment of gilgamesh & the mosquito at TNNY’s Sound Bites Festival on Monday, 12/8/2014.
Bob Kelly and I have the privilege & pleasure of working with director Kel Haney, and performers Cindy Cheung, Jonathan Raviv, Brandon Nase, Sarah Smithton, Kimberley Chatterjee, Tara Halpern, Molly Fried, Cheeyoung Kim, Ryan Korell, Benny Gammerman, and Hali Alspach.
More privilege & pleasure: the choreographer Joya Powell joined the team, as well as percussionist Allen Branch.
So much privilege & pleasure; much looking forward:
http://www.soundbites.tnny.org/
Sundance Institute 2015 Playwrights & Composers Retreat at Ucross
incredibly grateful for the chance to join some amazing writers and composers in Wyoming next February:
http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Sundance-Institute-Sets-Seven-Artists-for-2015-Playwrights-Composers-Retreat-20141119ghost stories rehearsal
First week of rehearsals for Leviathan Lab’s GHOST STORIES project; Bob and I are grateful and thrilled to be working with actors Cindy Cheung and Brooke Ishibashi, music director Andrew Wheeler, and director BD Wong. Looking forward to more on Monday.
(Brooke Ishibashi, Cindy Cheung, and Andrew Wheeler.)
11/21 & 11/22: Leviathan Lab’s Ghost Stories at University Settlement
Composer-collaborator friend Bob Kelly and I are working on a new short piece, LOBSTERS LIVE FOREVER, loosely adapted from an Inuit folk tale, to be presented as a staged reading at Leviathan Lab’s GHOST STORIES on November 21st and 22nd. The piece was commissioned and developed as part of Leviathan Lab’s New Musicals Initiative.
November 21-22, 2014
Leviathan Lab & the Performance Project at University Settlement presents
Ghost Stories
Award-winning lyricist/librettist Robert Lee (Heading East, Takeaway) curates an evening of staged readings of new musicals inspired by traditional Asian ghost stories and created by Asian American composers and lyricists. Each performance will be followed by a talk-back and reception.
- Friday, November 21st @ 7.30pm
- Saturday, November 22nd @ 5pm
tickets $10, general admission: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/874163
More info: http://www.leviathanlab.com/#/ghost-stories/
December 8, 2014
And the next month, an excerpt of GILGAMESH & THE MOSQUITO, directed by Kel Haney, will be presented at Theatre Now New York‘s Sound Bites Festival (December 8th), along with nine other 10-minute musicals and/or excerpts of musicals. Tickets and more information: http://tnny.org/index.php/shows-events/sound-bites-festival#.VF5hYvTF868
This/That at the Brick: 10/17
plugging next friday’s This/That at the Brick:
THIS/THAT is The Brick Theater’s unexpected bi-monthly performance event.
House band: Myrtle J and Jane B of FANTASY GRANDMA
Featuring Ken Greller (theatre), Marcina Zaccaria (performance), Jake Bazel (puppetry/comedy), Quincy Scott Jones (poetry), and more TBA!
Curated by Eliza Bent, Sam Chanse, Georgina Escobar and Amina Henry.
Produced by Adam R. Burnett and Kate Schroeder.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1516849295220729/
this/that at the Brick Theater
Sunday, August 24th, brings the Inaugural Event of a new performance series, This/That, at Brooklyn’s Brick Theater.
Amina Henry, Georgina Escobar, Eliza Bent, and i are curating the series, produced by Kate Schroeder and Adam Burnett.
here is a link to the series: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ThisThat/312123442298007
and a link to the first This/That event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1444270699187868/
join us! wonderful people will be there.
hooray.
fruiting bodies at labyrinth theater summer intensive
We’re entering the second and last day of a workshop, directed by Shelley Butler, as part of Labyrinth Theater‘s annual summer intensive; there will be a reading tonight, following another rehearsal (and, supposedly, a pretty fantastic meal…I eagerly anticipate).
We’ve had a few re-casting/scheduling scrambles due to the in-high-demand nature of the super talented folks in the rom, but glad to have had the chance to work with all of them, in various configurations: Alfredo Narciso, James Saito, Kate Marley, Kelley O’Donnell, Sue Jean Kim, and Carlo Alban.
Grateful to the Labyrinth for welcoming us into the process.
yay, cast.
much looking forward to working with director Shelley Butler and the cast for this Lark studio retreat workshop of FRUITING BODIES, featuring:
Workshop: David Charles, Cindy Cheung, Brooke Ishibashi, Kimber Lee,Jason Liebman, and Alfredo Narciso.
Public readings: David Charles, Cindy Cheung, Brooke Ishibashi, Francis Jue, Jason Liebman and Alfredo Narciso.
about the play:
A mushroom hunt goes awry, and two sisters set off into the Marin headlands to retrieve their quasi-estranged dad; fog, thought experiments, social media apps, strange encounters, absent children, and more fog ensue. A play about relevance and belonging in a clamorous and alienating world.
More information:
http://
Also, brilliant playwright & fellow ma-yi labbie Susan Stanton led an email Q&A about the play, here:
http://tinyurl.com/p2tqawm
lark studio retreat for FRUITING BODIES
this week i’ll be going into my june studio retreat at the Lark for FRUITING BODIES, a new play i’ve been working on.
the amazing Shelley Butler will be directing, and there will be two readings open to the public on tuesday, 6/17, and wednesday, 6/18, where we’ll be sharing some of what we’ve been developing over the week.
brilliant playwright and fellow ma-yi labbie Susan Soon He Stanton did me the honor of interviewing me about the play; a link to the interview is here.
and more information about the studio retreat and public readings can be found here.
5/27 & 5/29
in addition to the 5/27 AEA show, there’s a cabaret on Thursday, May 29th, at 54 Below.
23 at 54 is in celebration of NYU’s GMTWP Cycle 23*, the members of which will have just received shiny new graduate degrees.
here is an informative link with more information and graphics than i am supplying here.
* (of which i am humbly a member.)
Tuesday, 5/27: Orphans of the Nightingale of the Desert Abridged: A Bollywood Spectacular
coming up on tuesday, 5/27:
an evening of short plays to commemorate Asian Heritage Month:
|
gilgamesh & the mosquito workshop: 5/1-5/6
Bob Kelly and i just wrapped up our NYU thesis workshop of GILGAMESH & THE MOSQUITO. thanks to all the incredibles involved: director Mike Donahue, music director Ben Cohn, faculty advisor Robert Lee, and cast Cindy Cheung, Jonathan Raviv, Lee Harrington, Caesar Samayoa, Q Smith, Ryan Bauer-Walsh, and Brandon Cordeiro. and of course SMs & fellow writers Robert Grashaw, Ariel Dovas, and Mehmet Salih Yildirim.
sadly, a cast&crew photo op was missed, but there will be Digtial Documentation of Paper Program to last for All Eternity:
correctional workshop: 4/3-4/8
Tuesday, 4/8:
just finished a workshop for CORRECTIONAL, an original musical composer Sean Havrilla and i are developing.
we had the privilege of working with faculty advisor Randall Eng, director Ben Klein, music director Milton Granger, and the incredible cast Ali Ewoldt, Diana Huey, Devin Ilaw, Fay Ann Lee, Aloysius Gigl, Q Smith, and Drew Abner. also, wonderful SMs and fellow writers-at-nyu Eunggyu Lee, Orian Israelsohn, and Ross Baum.
Kaya Press in Seattle
looking forward to joining Kaya Press in Seattle this week (I’m currently mid-flight, on my way there; yay [?] for never being free of the Internets).
on Friday, February 28th, as part of the AWP 2014 conference, I’ll be joining Denise Uyehara and Karen Tei Yamashita for performances and discussion presented by Kaya: STAGE TO PAGE: The Challenges and Serendipities of Publishing Performative Texts. I was fortunate enough to have director Kel Haney work with me to shape this performance for the conference.
later in the evening, Kaya and Kundiman are copresenting a reading of new writers celebrating Bruce Lee: “ENTER THE POET: Newly Published Writers Celebrate Bruce Lee” off-site, in Seattle’s International District (I’ll be doing my best to emcee, with my limited Bruce Lee knowledge; it’s a fantastic line up of poets).
more information about both events here: http://kaya.com/2014/02/interact-kaya-press-awp14/
and below:
Friday 2/28: STAGE TO PAGE: The Challenges and Serendipities of Publishing Performative Texts: 1:30 – 2:45
Break yourself out of the rut of boring panels and come see live performance by Kaya Press authors Samantha Chanse (Lydia’s Funeral Video) and Denise Uyehara (Maps of City and Body), and Karen Tei Yamashita (Anime Wong, Coffee House Press). We’ll also be discussing how you capture the intricacies of emotion and gesture in live performance within the two-dimensional constraints of a book. Location: Room 3A, Washington State Convention
Center, Level 2
—–
Friday 2/28: ENTER THE POET: Newly Published Poets Celebrate Bruce Lee: 7:30 – 10 pm
Kaya Press and Kundiman join forces to bring you the most kick-ass party at AWP, with nearly 20 newly published writers paying tribute to Bruce Lee and reading their own work in the historic International District. Location: Nagomi Tea House (519 6th Ave. S. Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98104) [1.1 miles from the Convention Center].
2/17: benefit for fundraising efforts in the Philippines
i’m participating in a benefit presented by Ma-Yi Theater Company & Playwrights Horizons, to raise funds for people affected by Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda;
as the New York Times reported earlier this week, the Philippines still struggles to rebuild three months after Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda.
the benefit features short plays inspired by Filipino proverbs, written by members of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab.
info:
Ma-Yi Theater Company & Playwrights Horizons present
MGA KASABIHAN / WORDS OF WISDOM: a benefit for the PhilippinesMonday, February 17th @ 7pm
Playwrights Horizons, 416 West 42nd Street, NYC
MGA KASABIHAN / WORDS OF WISDOM: a benefit for the PhilippinesMonday, February 17th @ 7pm
Playwrights Horizons, 416 West 42nd Street, NYC
$15 ARTIST RATE TIX (limited availability – first come/first serve) with code BOATS
$35 GENERAL SEATING
$50 PREMIUM SEATING
PURCHASE/DONATE HERE:
https://web.ovationtix.com/
facebook event link:
featuring Rajesh Bose, Joel de la Fuente, Ron Domingo, Ali Ewoldt, Margaret Ivey, Mia Katigbak, Anjili Pal, Eileen Rivera, Jon Norman Schneider, Krystal Seli, Dax Valdes, and Daniel Velasco
directed by Nelson Eusebio, Andy Pang, Colette Robert, and RJ Tolan
written by Sam Chanse, Dustin Chinn, Naveen Bahar Choudhury, Clarence Coo, Mrinalini Kamath, Mike Lew, Edgar Mendoza, Rehana Lew Mirza, Jiehae Park, Sung Rno, Nandita Shenoy, Susan Soon He Stanton, and Lauren Yee
