Displaying items by tag: Wai Yim

Token Theatre, Chicago's Asian American theatre company, announces the company's first full production, ZAC EFRON, written by Artistic Director David Rhee, co-written by Managing Director Wai Yim and directed by two-time Emmy Award winner Alan Muraoka ("Sesame Street"). ZAC EFRON plays at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N Wells St, June 20-July 21, 2024. The press opening is June 23, 2024 at 3PM.

Tickets, $40 (Theatre industry members and seniors: $25; Student/military: $20; Groups: $30), will go on sale May 16 at www.tokentheatre.net.

ZAC EFRON glimpses into a world that is rarely seen on the American stage—two Asian Americans looking for love and the complexities that come with their adventures. It is a poignant opportunity for radical self-acceptance through YouTube, Tarot readings, and of course, one of America's favorite sweethearts, Zac Efron.

"In 2019, Cheryl Hamada, Wai Yim, and I challenged ourselves to name a theater piece that tells the story of two Asian Americans simply falling in love and doing so without extreme circumstances surrounding the narrative, such as the Vietnam War or going through the trials and tribulations of immigrating to another country. We were stumped. So began my newest play, ZAC EFRON," comments David Rhee. "What none of us foresaw was the pandemic and the rise in AAPI hate crimes that manifested across the country, reminding us that we're still seen as foreigners in our own home. ZAC EFRON revolutionizes the narrative by centering on two AAPI characters, humanizing them, and ultimately celebrating their love within this country's fraught context.

Two-time Emmy Award winner Alan Muraoka ("Sesame Street"), directs. The cast includes Hansel Tan ("Madam Secretary", "The Blacklist: Redemption") Gordon Chow (Fish Men, Jade Heart) and Token Theatre artists Wai Yim ("The CHI", The White Snake) and David Rhee (Broadway's Thoroughly Modern Millie, "Law & Order").

More than five hundred people joined Token as it launched the inaugural season with live, online performances of ZAC EFRON in 2020 and 2021 which included actors and directors from coast to coast. This marks Token's first full production as the company presents this humorous and heartfelt quest. David Rhee adds, "Telling our stories is more important than ever with the onslaught of AAPI hate crimes across our country. Token Theatre's goal is to humanize Asian Americans and foster an environment that recognizes us as Americans."

Facts

ZAC EFRON, by David Rhee, co-written by Wai Yim

Directed by Alan Muraoka

Featuring Hansel Tan*, Wai Yim* and Gordon Chow

*denotes member of Actors' Equity Association

Dates:

Previews: June 20-22

Opening: June 23

Run dates: June 27-July 21, 2024

Performance schedule: Thursdays through Saturdays at 7PM; Saturdays and Sundays at 3PM

Special performances include: Wednesday, June 26 at 7PM (LGBTQ+ night, celebrating Gay Pride Chicago); a talkback following the Thursday, June 27 performance; and, Monday, July 1 at 7PM (Industry Night)

There will be no performances on Sunday, June 30 or on Thursday, July 4.

Tickets: WWW.TOKENTHEATRE.NET

$40

Group tickets (10 or more): $30

Theatre industry members and seniors: $25

Student/military: $20

About Token Theatre

Token Theatre aims to change the narrative and shatter the false constructs about Asian Americans by creating new stories, reimagining classic works, and empowering artists to reshape the American identity.

Prepare to be taken on a journey with Timeline Theatre at their production of "Chimerica." Directed by Nick Bowling, "Chimerica" is an epic saga of a play by British playwright Lucy Kirkwood. While a solid three hours of theater may be discouraging for some, this play makes it well worth the time. 

Spoiler alert, "Chimerica" is a story about Chinese-American relations, not Chicago. That said, John Culbert's stage design addresses it pretty head-on. One side of the stage is an ironically vintage New York City apartment, a wide gulf separates it from a shabby Beijing tenement. A Macbook sits on the coffee table of the American apartment, a well-known symbol of strife between these two worlds. 

Lucy Kirkwood's play makes its American debut at Timeline. It is the story of a photo journalist, Joe Schofield, who took the famous picture of a man standing in front of a tank during the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989. We catch up with Schofield (Coburn Goss) in 2012 as he tries to persuade his magazine editor to do a story about the Tank Man 23 years later. Joe's kept a long-time friendship with a professor in Beijing, Zhang (Norman Yap), who is the story's window into Chinese life. Joe falls in love with largely uninvolved marketing expert, Tessa (Eleni Pappageorge) who's on a mission to "figure out" the Chinese for a credit card company. Joe becomes determined to track down the man he accidentally made famous, and in the process, a global chase ensues. 

There are a ton of characters in this play. Some more consequential than others. Nick Bowling has assembled a very talented cast of Asian-American actors on which the moral backbone of this story hinges. In fact, there's not a bad performance in this play. 

One could dissect the themes of this show for hours, but for the sake of brevity, we won't. What is immediately fascinating is that this is a story told from the mindset of someone caught in the middle. It's a story about how America and China are becoming more alike as well as their inherent differences. It’s a story about what is actually dictating "free press" in America. It’s a story about how foreign countries see American politics, particularly Hillary Clinton. It's also a story with great heart. Lucy Kirkwood is not just delivering a geo-political thesis, but also a compassionate look at the lives of ordinary people. At times this very-right-now drama can seem to go on and on, but in the end it adds up to a very bittersweet conclusion and a lot to take home and unpack. 

Through July 31st at Timeline Theatre. 615 W Wellington Ave. 773-281-8463.