| Out of the Box Theatrics announces all-AAPI cast and creative team for revival of See What I Wanna See | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 08:37 pm EDT 07/30/24 | |
|
|
|
| OUT OF THE BOX THEATRICS ANNOUNCES CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR REVIVAL OF MICHAEL JOHN LACHIUSA'S SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE DIRECTED BY EMILIO RAMOS MUSIC DIRECTION BY ADAM ROTHENBERG FEATURING AN ENTIRELY AAPI CAST PRODUCTION WILL PLAY SEPTEMBER 3-29 AT 154 CHRISTOPHER STREET OPENING NIGHT IS SEPTEMBER 18 Out of the Box Theatrics (Liz Flemming , Founding Artistic Director) is pleased to announce the cast and creative team for the company's revival of Michael John LaChiusa's See What I Wanna See, directed by Emilio Ramos (Broadway: Parade, Maybe Happy Ending (associate director); Encores!: The Light in the Piazza (associate director)), with musical direction by Adam Rothenberg (Broadway: Sweeney Todd, Off-Broadway: Watch Night). Opening night is September 18 at 154 Christopher Street (formerly The New Ohio theater). Tickets are now available at OvationTix. Based on three short stories by Japanese author Ryunosuke Akutagawa (Rashomon), OOTB's production of See What I Wanna See features an all-AAPI cast of actors and elements inspired by traditional Asian theater practices, bringing LaChiusa's Americanized adaptation into conversation with the Asian-American experience. The production will star Marina Kondo (Broadway: KPOP, TV: "Succession") as Kesa/The Wife/An Actress, Kelvin Moon Loh (Broadway: Beetlejuice, SpongeBob SquarePants) as The Husband/A CPA, Zachary Noah Piser (Broadway: Dear Evan Hansen, Wicked, KPOP) as The Janitor/A Priest, Ann Sanders (Broadway: Dear Evan Hansen, Avenue Q, The Music Man ) as The Medium/Aunt Monica, and Sam Simahk (Broadway: Carousel, Into The Woods) as Morito/The Thief/A Reporter. Aaron Albano (Broadway: Aladdin, Here Lies Love) and Bebe Browning (TV: "Succession," KPOP workshop) will serve as covers. Puppeteering is by Nikki Calonge (Broadway: Life of Pi) and Takemi Kitamura (Phantom Limb Company). Justin Otaki Perkins (The Metropolitan Opera's Madama Butterfly) will serve as Puppetry Captain. The creative team of See What I Wanna See includes associate direction and choreography by Paul McGill (Broadway: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Off-Broadway: Steve), associate music direction by Ian Chan (Broadway: The Heart of Rock and Roll, 1776), scenic design by Emmie Finckel (Off-Broadway: In the Amazon Warehouse Parking Lot, The Watering Hole; Associate: KPOP), costume design by Siena Zoë Allen (OOTB: The Last Five Years), puppet design by Tom Lee (Broadway: War Horse; Metropolitan Opera: Florencia en el Amazonas), fabrication by Chicago Puppet Studio, lighting design by Kat C. Zhou (Broadway: associate designer for Water for Elephants, The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window), sound design by Germán Martínez (Broadway: associate designer for Ohio State Murders, Into the Woods), and props design by Samantha Shoffner (Broadway: Trouble in Mind, Slave Play). Stage management is by Kyra Bowie (Just Tell No One), assistant stage management is by Abi Rowe (Off-Broadway: Islander, Sleep No More), and Japanese translations are by Marina Kondo. BIOGRAPHIES MARINA KONDO (Kesa/The Wife/An Actress; Japanese translations) is a Netherlands-born first-generation Japanese American. She began singing in jazz bars in Tokyo and continues to perform internationally in concerts, festivals, TV programs, and recordings in the US, Japan, & Brazil. Broadway: KPOP (OBC). Off-Broadway: Road Show (NYCC), KPOP (Ars Nova). National Tours: Company revival (OTC; Susan, U/S Bobbie), Disney's Frozen (OTC; U/S Anna), Lincoln Center's The King and I. Regional: The Muny. TV: "Succession" (HBO). BFA: The University of Michigan. In the world of translation, Marina has been involved in translating JPop songs since 2014, but more notably, helped translate and record Faber's Piano Adventure series, "My First Piano Adventure" (A, B, C), and translated her own lines on HBO's "Succession." Most recently, she changed lyrics to "Have I Got A Guy For You" in Sondheim's Company tour in 2023. Always striving to dig deeper into her own hybrid identities and culture, receiving Michael John LaChiusa's blessing and getting to work on this ravishing material based on Ryunosuke Akutagawa's short stories has been an incredible honor. So much gratitude to Mr. LaChiusa, Emilio, Adam, OOTB, her team at BRS/Gage, and her loving family and mentors. ??????@marinakondo KELVIN MOON LOH (The Husband/A CPA). Broadway: Otho in Beetlejuice The Musical, SpongeBob SquarePants, The King and I (Lincoln Center 2014), Side Show (2013 revival). Select Theater: Here Lies Love (Public Theater), Pacific Overtures (Classic Stage Co.), American Idiot (1st National). TV: "Only Murders in the Building." Kelvin can be heard as a vocalist in the movies Spirited, Lyle Lyle Crocodile, The Greatest Showman, and the upcoming Kiss of the Spider Woman. He appears as Perch Perkins in the movie version of SpongeBob SquarePants The Musical. NYU Steinhardt. Thank you Mom, Dad, Anthony Fett, Dustin Flores, and Marc Ferre. Follow @kelvinmoonloh ZACHARY NOAH PISER he/him (The Janitor/A Priest). Zach is a Hapa Jewish actor based in New York. Broadway/Off-Broadway credits include: Dear Evan Hansen (Evan), KPOP (OBC, Brad), Wicked (Boq), Barrow Street Theatre's West End transfer of Sweeney Todd (Tobias). Bay Area native, Northwestern grad. Much gratitude to the OOTB team, CTC, A&R, Mom & Dad, Adam, and Scout. @zach_piser ANN SANDERS she/her (The Medium/Aunt Monica) was most recently seen in the world premiere of Jason Robert Brown's The Connector at MCC Theatre. Prior to that, she was in Lincoln Center's revival of Lerner and Loewe's Camelot. She has the honor of being the first Asian American actor to portray Anna Leonowens in The King and I and Belle in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. Her other Broadway credits include The Music Man (Maud Dunlap), Dear Evan Hansen (Cynthia Murphy), Frozen (Queen Iduna), If/Then (Cathy), Leap of Faith, and Avenue Q (Christmas Eve). Off-Broadway: Plenty (Public Theatre), Falsettoland (Vineyard Theatre). International: Miss Saigon. Regional: World premiere of Allegiance (The Old Globe), Shrek (The MUNY), and Hair (ATP). National Tour: South Pacific. TV: "The Good Fight," "Evil," "New Amsterdam," "Madam Secretary," "Instinct," "Elementary," "The Big C," "Unforgettable," "FBI." An advocate for inclusion and representation, she is honored to serve on NYU Tisch's Multi-Racial Student coalition and enjoys volunteering with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. She is inspired by students and has taught various workshops and masterclasses with educational institutions such as USDAN, Rider University, Westminster Choir College, Rowan University, and Manhattan School of Music.@AnnSandersNYC SAM SIMAHK he/him (Morito/The Thief/A Reporter). Out of the Box debut! Sam has just returned to New York after spending the summer as the standby for the title role in Gatsby: An American Myth at A.R.T. in Cambridge, MA. Broadway: Into the Woods, Carousel. National Tours: Into the Woods, My Fair Lady , The King and I. Regional: West Side Story (Tony standby); The King and I (Lun Tha); Lyric Opera of Chicago; Oklahoma! (Curly); Theatre Under the Stars; A Little Night Music (Frid); Huntington Theatre Company; Sweeney Todd (Anthony); Lyric Stage Company of Boston. Concerts: Grant Park Music Festival, Chicago. Education: Musical Theatre B.F.A., Emerson College. Many thanks to Emilio, the team at BRS/Gage, and my endlessly supportive friends and family. Follow my internet persona: @soapboxsam, samsimahk.com AARON J. ALBANO(Cover) is thrilled to be a part of this fantastic company of See What I Wanna See! A veteran of 12 Broadway productions, Aaron's credits include last season's Here Lies Love, the original companies of Newsies and Allegiance, the Broadway revivals of Cats and The King and I, and most recently Disney on Broadway's production of Aladdin, among others. Additionally, Aaron was a producer on the film ensemble, now available on Vimeo OTT, and was the audiobook narrator for All the Right Notes by Dominic Lim, available on Audible & Spotify. Thanks to Emilio and Out of the Box Theatrics for this marvelous opportunity in this innovative production! @aaronjalbano BEBE BROWNING she/her (Cover) is a New York City-based artist. Off-Broadway: Penelope (York Theatre Company), Ola Na Iwi (Roundabout Theater Company). Regional: Larry: The Musical (World Premiere), The Evolution of Henry Mann (American Theater Group), Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (NCL), First Date (Masonstreet Warehouse), and numerous development projects. TV: "Succession" (HBO), "Manifest" (NBC). Proud graduate of the University of Michigan, BFA Musical Theatre. Bebe also has a strong passion for food and has spearheaded fundraisers selling home-cooked lumpia to raise thousands of dollars for different charitable causes including anti-Asian hate organizations and the Maui Strong Fund for victims and families displaced by the Maui fires. Instagram: @bebebrowning JUSTIN OTAKI PERKINS (Puppet Captain) is a puppet artist and performer. Recent work includes Madama Butterfly and Florencia en el Amazonas at Met Opera (cover). He has appeared in the work of Basil Twist (Hansel and Gretel at Michigan Opera Theater, principal puppeteer), Ping Chong+Company (Alaxsxa|Alaska, LaMama, US tour), Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew (And Here We Are, National Sawdust), Tom Lee (Shank's Mare, LaMama/US tour), Kate Brehm, Lake Simons, Patti Bradshaw, Puppet Cinema, Unitards, and more. Justin's most recent full-length work, Unicorn Afterlife, premiered at Dixon Place in 2021, and was supported by grants from the Jim Henson Foundation and Jerome Foundation. Justin is one of the founding curators at Object Movement Puppetry Festival, a year-long development residency program for puppet artists with new works in development, currently in its seventh year. justinaperkins.com. NIKKI CALONGE she/her/siya (Puppeteer) is a theatre maker, performer, puppeteer, and educator. Stage Credits: Life of Pi, Broadway and A.R.T.; The Scarlet Letter, Two River Theater; Psychic Self Defense, HERE Arts Center; Eterniday, La Mama; Esperpento, Sundance Institute; In the Pony Palace/FOOTBALL, Bushwick Starr; Electric Lucifer, The Kitchen. Film: Feast of the Epiphany, The Museum of the Moving Image and BAMcinemaFest; Heads or Tails. Education: Drama B.F.A. NYU/Tisch - Experimental Theater Wing and Playwrights Horizons Theater School, M.S. Dance/Movement Therapy at Pratt Institute. nikkicalonge.com TAKEMI KITAMURA (Puppeteer) is a native of Osaka, Japan and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in Dance Education from Hunter College, where she received the Choreographic Award from the Dance Program. Her performances credits include Blood Moon by Beth Morrison Projects, The Oldest Boy at Lincoln Center Theater, The Indian Queen, directed by Peter Sellars, Demolishing Everything with Amazing Speed by Dan Hurling, Shank's Mare by Tom Lee and Koryu Nishikawa V, Falling Out by Phantom Limbs Company, Sleep by Ripe Time, and Trooper's Brother by Nami Yamamoto. EMILIO RAMOS he/they (Director) is an Anglo-Filipino theatre director originally from Melbourne, Australia and based in New York City. See What I Wanna See marks his Off-Broadway directorial debut. Recently, they served as the associate director for the Tony-winning Broadway revival of Parade, New York City Center's acclaimed Encores! production of The Light in the Piazza, and the regional world premiere of The Preacher's Wife. Developmental credits include Black Swan, The Lost Boys, The Queen of Versailles and the killer new musical Like Father,. Other: Titanique (assistant director). Upcoming: Maybe Happy Ending (associate director, Broadway). @lilporkbunz ADAM ROTHENBERG (Music Director) is a music director, pianist, and conductor based in New York City. He recently served as the associate music director of the Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd and was the music director of Watch Night, the inaugural production at PAC NYC directed by Bill T. Jones. Other Broadway playing/conducting credits include Illinoise, Spamalot, Company, Miss Saigon, and Chicago. A classically trained pianist, he has performed at Lincoln Center Theater (as music director for Patti LuPone), David Geffen Hall (with the New York Philharmonic), the Metropolitan Opera House (with the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra), Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center Opera House, and Tanglewood Music Center. He can be heard on the cast albums of Sweeney Todd and Baby (produced by Out of the Box Theatrics), as well as the soundtrack of Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building." Proud graduate of The Juilliard School and Northwestern University. @adam_rothenberg PAUL McGILL he/they (Associate Director/Choreographer). Theater: Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Broadway and Tour), The Legend of Georgia McBride (Off-Broadway and Geffen Playhouse), Which Way to the Stage (Off-Broadway), tick...tick...BOOM! (Kennedy Center, dir. Neil Patrick Harris), Spring Awakening (Round House Theatre, dir. Alan Paul), Carnival of the Animals (New York City Ballet). Film and television: Catharsissy (starring Mason Alexander Park), "Annie Live!" Awards: NAACP Award, LA Ovation Award, Fred Astaire Award. paul-mcgill.com @paul_mcgill_ IAN CHAN he/him (Associate Music Director) is a Hong Kong-born, Toronto-raised music director, arranger, composer, and pianist. Most recently, Ian was a pianist and music associate on CATS: The Jellicle Ball at PAC NYC. On Broadway, Ian has been part of the music teams of The Heart of Rock and Roll and 1776 — other favorite credits include the American Repertory Theater's Jack and the Beanstalk: A Musical Adventure and Thumbelina: A Little Musical , MCC Theater's Walk On Through, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies on Paramount+, and the upcoming Broadway stage adaptation of NBC's SMASH. As a composer, Ian's musical theater work has been heard across North America at 54 Below, Playdate Theatre, and the Musical Stage Company; his concert work has been premiered by the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra, Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra, and Sneak Peek Orchestra. His original musical, OUT, (with co-writers Kalos Chu and JuHye Mun) is currently being developed by Theatre Aquarius. Ian holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Harvard University, where he studied Linguistics. @imianchan_ EMMIE FINCKEL they/them (Scenic Design) is a queer, Asian-American scenic designer. Recent credits include In the Amazon Warehouse Parking Lot (Playwrights Horizons), Becoming A Man (A.R.T.), Problems Between Sisters (Studio Theater), The Hot Wing King (Hartford Stage), Sanctuary City (TheaterWorks Hartford), Comedy of Errors (Public Theater: Mobile Unit), the ripple, the wave, that carried me home (Yale Repertory Theater), As You Like It (La Jolla Playhouse), 53% Of (2nd Stage), The Watering Hole (Signature Theatre), In the Penal Colony (NYTW Next Door). Associate design credits include many productions with Gabriel Evansohn (KPOP, Empire Travel Agency) as a member of Woodshed Collective. Emmie holds a BA from Wesleyan University and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama, and teaches at the Playwrights Horizons Theater School at NYU. www.efinckel.com. SIENA ZOË ALLEN (Costume Design) is a New York-based costume designer for theatre, opera, and film. Her work has been seen at Carnegie Hall, Boston Pops, La Mama, the cell, Irish Repertory Theater, 59e59, and more. Film and streaming credits include The Last 5 Years (Out of the Box Theatrics) and the upcoming release Long Pork (Madhouse Films, 2025). She is a Princess Grace Award Winner and has an MFA from NYU Tisch. More at sienazoeallen.com. TOM LEE (Puppet Designer) is a puppet artist, designer and director based in Chicago. He began his career at La MaMa Experimental Theater in New York. His work often explores the synthesis of manipulated objects, miniatures and figures with the language of film and animation. Mr. Lee grew up in Hawai'i and studied traditional puppetry in Japan. He is a student of Japanese master puppeteer Koryu Nishikawa V with whom he created Shank's Mare (2015) and Akutagawa (2023) . His original work has toured the U.S., Japan, France, Bulgaria and Indonesia. Mr. Lee's puppetry performances include War Horse (Broadway), Florencia en el Amazonas & Madama Butterfly (Metropolitan Opera) and The Queen of Spades (Lyric Opera Chicago). He is the recipient of multiple Jim Henson Foundation grant awards for his original puppetry work and is co-director of the Chicago Puppet Studio and Chicago Puppet Lab. Tom teaches puppetry design and performance nationally and internationally. www.tomleeprojects.com KAT C. ZHOU (Lighting Design) is an NYC-based lighting designer for live events. Off-Broadway: The Butcher Boy (Irish Repertory Theater). Regional: Waitress (Cape Playhouse), The Heart Sellers (Huntington Theater Company), Sweeney Todd (Moonbox Productions), Little Women (Perseverance Theatre); and The Chinese Lady (Central Square Theatre), for which they received an Elliot Norton prize. Opera: The Monkey King (White Snake Projects), X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (Odyssey Opera). Dance: Cinderella (Ballet Rhode Island), With Care (AMOC). She received an MFA from Boston University and an AB in mathematics from Harvard College. More info: katzhoudesign.com GERMÁN MARTÍNEZ (Sound Design). A proud son of immigrant parents, Germán Martínez is a Honduran-American, award-winning freelance theatrical sound designer based in NYC/NJ. He received his degree in Sound Design from Montclair State University in May 2018. As a designer, he seeks original and enticing plays to help develop, and bring forward the stories of bold playwrights. His work has been featured at Lincoln Center Theater, Perelman PAC NYC, Atlantic Theatre Company, Northern Stages, Ogunquit Playhouse, American Stages, Northern Stages, Intar Theatre, 59e59, TheaterWorks Hartford, Women's Project, Williamstown Theatre Festival, MCC, American Repertory Theatre, Repertorio Español, GALA Hispanic, George Street Playhouse, Two River Theater, and Trinity Rep. Associate Broadway credits include: Into The Woods (St. James Theatre); The Piano Lesson (Barrymore Theatre); and Ohio State Murders (James Earl Jones Theatre). Keep up with his work on Instagram: @GermanTheSoundDesigner SAMANTHA SHOFFNER she/her (Prop Designer). Broadway: Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang, Trouble in Mind, Slave Play (2019 and 2021 Remount), August Wilson Lobby redesign for Slave Play, along with prop assisting and artisan work for 20 other Broadway productions. Samantha has prop supervised/designed over 80 Off-Broadway shows including: Titanique, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Classical Theatre of Harlem), White Rose, Between Two Knees (PAC), The Refuge Plays, Merrily We Roll Along (Roundabout), Rock & Roll Man, Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors (Props & Puppets, New World Stages), My Broken Language, Confederates, A Case for the Existence of God (Signature), A Strange Loop, If Pretty Hurts, Familiar (Playwrights Horizons), Only Gold, Nollywood Dreams, Ride the Cyclone, The End of Longing written by and starring Matthew Perry (MCC), To My Girls, Toros, Underlying Chris (Second Stage). Regional: Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas (Jim Henson Studios, Studebaker Theatre Chicago), Nutcracker (Ballet Memphis), May We All (TPAC). Select Film work: The Dancing Monkey (Production Design), As They Made Us (Assistant Props; AppleTV+), Junction (Scenic Artist). Summer of Soul Promos (Hulu, Art Director), The Heart, written & directed by Malia Ann Obama (Set Decorator & Specialty Props; Sundance 2024), Danny's, All Good, Signing Off, Greg Holden "Boys in the Street," Disney's Frozen, "True Love" music video, Cold Cuts with Al Roker (Production Design). Commercial Production Design: BMW, Sony Playstation, Delta, Burlington, Excedrin, Samsung. Other corporate work: NBCUniversal, Grammys, Emmys, Under Armour, H & M, Macy's, Google, X. Samantha has been professor at New York City College of Technology for the past seven years in the Entertainment Technology Department and teaches Props & Paint. She is also a freelance Interior Designer and Artist. www.smartsetsbysam.com. KYRA BOWIE (Production Stage Management) is a New York-based stage manager and co-founder of Transcend Streaming. Select credits: Our Class (PSM | MART Foundation) Basement, IL (PSM | NYSAF) House of Telescopes (PSM | Pipeline Theatre Co), Baby Foot (PSM | Walkerspace), Just Tell No One (SM | Lincoln Center), The Orchard with Jessica Hecht & Mikhail Baryshnikov (PSM | Arlekin Players Theatre) Happy Life (PSM | Walkerspace). NYU Tisch. Love to my incredible support system of family, friends, and partner in all things, Leanna. www.KyraBowie.com ABI ROWE (Assistant Stage Manager). Off-Broadway credits include: Islander, Jersey Boys, Sleep No More, Is There Still Sex in the City, Bathhouse.pptx (The Flea), Wolf Play (MCC Theatre); A Bright New Boise, My Broken Language (Signature Theatre); As You Like It (The Public); Cyrano (The New Group). Regional: Fiddler on the Roof (Paper Mill Playhouse), Candide (Skylight Music Theatre), Cinderella (Geva Theatre), A View From the Bridge, Yasmina's Necklace (Goodman Theater). International: West Side Story (IHI Stage Around Tokyo). OUT OF THE BOX THEATRICS was founded in 2016 by Liz Flemming, a legally blind artist, to create space for artists who have been historically underrepresented and undervalued. The company stages innovative and site-specific productions of new and classic plays and musicals while challenging audiences to experience these works outside of their expectations. By casting without regard to gender, race, creed, ethnicity, or disability, OOTB seeks to create a more inclusive and equitable theatre industry. OOTB has earned recent attention for its critically acclaimed streaming co-production of Jason Robert Brown's The Last 5 Years (New York Times' Critics Pick, 2021 Drama League Nominee for Outstanding Digital Theater, 2022 Antonyo Award winner for Best Digital Theater Production), and its new production of the 1983 Broadway musical Baby (2022 Drama Desk Award nominee, Outstanding Revival of a Musical). OOTB's programming of 154 has been made possible by an arrangement with ChaShaMa. Since 1995, ChaShaMa has partnered with property owners to transform unused real estate for 30,000 artists and over 150 small businesses, hosted 4,000 public art events, provided 1,500 classes in under-served communities, and reached audiences of nearly a million. PRODUCTION INFORMATION Out of the Box Theatrics presents See What I Wanna See Book by Michael John LaChiusa Directed by Emilio Ramos Music direction by Adam Rothenberg Starring Marina Kondo, Kelvin Moon Loh, Zachary Noah Piser, Ann Sanders, Sam Simahk, Aaron Albano, Bebe Browning Puppeteering by Nikki Calonge, Takemi Kitamura, Justin Perkins Associate direction and Choreography by Paul McGill Associate music direction by Ian Chan Scenic design: Emmie Finckel Costume design: Siena Zoë Allen Puppet design and fabrication: Tom Lee and Chicago Puppet Studio Lighting design: Kat C. Zhou Sound design: Germán Martínez Props design: Samantha Shoffner Stage Manager: Kyra Bowie Assistant Stage Manager: Abi Row Japanese translations: Marina Kondo Production Management: Out of the Box Theatrics September 3-September 29, 2024 at 154 Christopher Street Opening Night: September 18, 2024 Tickets at Ovation Tix. |
|
| reply | |
|
|
|
| Previous: | Lineup for TNC's 2024 Dream Up Festival (8/25-9/25) - Official_Press_Release 08:37 pm EDT 07/30/24 |
| Next: | NEXT MONTH at 54 Below - Official_Press_Release 08:35 pm EDT 07/30/24 |
| Thread: | |
Time to render: 0.012099 seconds.