This Week’s Happenings 2.17-2.24
There’s a lot going on during the next couple of weeks as Audrey gears up for the release of our exciting spring issue! Purchase tickets now to the highly anticipated San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. Savor a one-night only collaborative dinner at LA’s The Tar Pit restaurant made by guest Chef Roy Choi. Asian American New Yorker artists: apply to be featured in the upcoming Locating the Sacred festival in Brooklyn. Be inspired to execute those brilliant ideas via a hot off the press book by a leading idea maker. For more, read on!
Image via 111minnagallery.com
WHAT: Purchase tickets to the upcoming San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF)
The Center for Asian America Media (CAAM) presents the 30th annual largest and most prestigious showcase for new Asian American and Asian films, music, and digital and interactive media in North America.
The festival will kick off with a screening at Castro Theatre of White Frog starring Joan Chen, B.D. Wong, Harry Shum, Jr., and Booboo Stewart, followed by a decadent opening night party at the magnificent Asian Art Museum.
The line-up this year includes: Hawaiian love story, Knots, starring Michael Kang; indie horror film, I Am a Ghost, directed by H.P. Mendoza, starring Anna Ishida and Jeannie Barroga; a live audience participation Filipino musical, and films honoring those affected by the Japan tsunami and earthquake.
WHEN: March 8-18
WHERE: San Francisco, Berkeley, and San Jose, CA
HOW: Purchase tickets to your films and events of choice today!
What would you do if you were a widow with a daughter who refuses to get married and your next door neighbor is in love with you?
If it were me, I’d crawl into a small dark space, eat chocolate, and sleep till it was over.
These are some of the problems widow Deepa Kirpalani faces in the East West Players‘ production of the world premiere of A Widow of No Importance.
I’ve always stumbled upon concerts and food festivals when I make these event listings, so I was happy to see some cool stuff coming up this week that won’t strain your hearing or cause you to gain five pounds. I’ve got everything from a fun-filled charity event to a Broadway performance featuring Asian American talent.
Sports Day for Charity Bowling Tournament
When: Saturday, August 20, Noon
Where: Bel Mateo Bowl, 4330 Olympic Ave., San Mateo, CA, 94403
How: Register for $30 a player
Join the Asian Americans for Community Outreach (AACO) in its 16th annual Sports Day for Charity event. This is always AACO’s biggest and most popular event each year, with more than 350 participants, and proceeds going to Wu Yee Children’s Services and Asian Women’s Shelter in San Francisco.
It’s time to channel your creative energy and exercise those writing skills of yours. East West Players, the largest organization in the nation that produces Asian American artistic work, is doling out thousands of dollars to the next aspiring playwriter in its Face of the Future competition. This year’s theme is focused on the melting pot of America, from the perspective of Asian Americans, including multiracial identity and clashes between cultures.
The first place winner gets a whopping $5,000, and second and third place winners receive $2,500 and $1,000, respectively. The winners might also get the chance to see their play come to life on the stage at East West Players! Submissions are accepted until August 31, with winners being notified in February 2012.
Got the mid-winter doldrums? Nourish yourself! There are so many ways to feed the soul this January, from fine art to fine food.
Ye Tao, Shanghai Baby.
Los Angeles Art Show
When: January 19-23, 2011
Where: Los Angeles Convention Center
How: www.laartshow.com/index.html
The 16th Annual Los Angeles Art Show returns to the Los Angeles Convention Center starting today. Beyond the usual fine art from around the world and from private collections, check out a special Asian Contemporary exhibition presented by 53 Art Museum from Guangzhou, China, curated and sponsored by the prominent Asian art magazines Art Gallery Magazine and Gallery Sights. The Art Show will also include a significant grouping of Chinese galleries who have never shown works outside of China.
Beyond fine art, there’s also book signings, street art, lectures and film screenings including The Rising Tide, a documentary shot in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen in the summer of 2006, exploring China’s march toward the future through the works of some their most talented photographers and video artists. There will even be guided tours in Korean and Chinese.
The Opening Night Premiere Party, which will be hosted by Kat von D (LA Ink), will help The Art of Elysium to expand its program to bring arts to critically ill hospitalized children, and increase substantially the number of school children who visit the Getty through the Getty Museum’s Education Department program for Title-One School visits.
Letters From My Mother
When: Thursday, January 20, 7:30pm
Where: Tateuchi Democracy Forum in the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, 111 N. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012
How: Admission is free, but please RSVP by calling 213-625-7000 or emailing boxoffice@eastwestplayers.org.
East West Players (EWP), in collaboration with the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST) and Japanese American National Museum (JANM), presents a staged reading of Letters From My Mother by Udaya Kanthi Salgadu and directed by Shaheen Vaaz. The reading will be performed by Asian American notables including Tamlyn Tomita, James Kyson Lee, Camille Mana, and more.
Letters addresses the horror of slavery and human trafficking still occurring in this day and age. It follows Sripa, a young Sri Lankan high school graduate who endured 26 months of forced labor in a household in the United States. Sripa draws strength only from her mother’s letters, until inquiries from a neighbor eventually lead to her rescue. Sripa must then find the courage within her to become an advocate for the abolition of human trafficking.
Developed in the East West Players David Henry Hwang Writers Institute with the support of the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, Letters From My Mother is based on the playwright’s true life experience. This reading is presented as part of a month-long campaign to raise the awareness of human trafficking and modern day slavery. To learn more on human trafficking, visit www.castla.org.
A panel discussion and a wine and cheese reception follows the reading.
Dhobi Ghat
When: Opens January 21, 2011
Where: In theaters
How: dhobighatfilm.com
Shai (played by Indian American Monica Dogra) is a modern Indian American woman, on sabbatical from her prestigious job in finance, to indulge her photography hobby in Mumbai. She has a brief dalliance with Mumbai native Arun (Aamir Khan), a gifted but solitary painter, and strikes up an unusual friendship with Munna (Prateik), a handsome laundry boy (dhobi) with ambitions of being a Bollywood actor. As Shai takes an interest in Munna’s life and work in the dhobi ghat (the area in Mumbai where laundry is done), their friendship deepens despite significant class differences, and Arun becomes obsessed with recordings left by a beautiful former tenant of his apartment.
Kiran Rao’s directorial debut, set in the wild and chaotic metropolis of Mumbai, follows four people, separated by class and language, drawn together in compelling relationships. The films stars and was produced by Aamir Khan, one of India’s most popular actors.
Korean Community Day at Fowler Museum
When: Saturday, January 22, 2011, 1-4 pm
Where: Fowler Museum at UCLA, Westwood, CA
How: Admission is free
UCLA’s Fowler Museum is opening up its doors to celebrate Korean arts and culture. Bring appa and unni to this family-oriented day with art workshops and tours of their “Life in Ceramics: Five Contemporary Korean Artists ” exhibit. After the afternoon’s festivities are over, take a stroll around UCLA’s beautiful campus. Fun for the whole family!
dineLA Restaurant Week
When: January 23-28, January 30-February 4, 2011
Where: Restaurants throughout Los Angeles
How: www.dineLA.com/RestaurantWeek
Now’s your chance to try some of the best restaurants L.A. has to offer, all at special prix-fixe prices. From Hollywood’s recently opened W Hollywood complete with a dinner at Delphine, to a coastal getaway at Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows and dinner at Fig Santa Monica, dineLA Restaurant Week offers visitors the perfect excuse to visit Los Angeles and dine at a great value.
Check out participating restaurants here.
ALOUD: A conversation with Andrew Lam and Maxine Hong Kingston
When: Tuesday, January 25, 2011, 7 pm
Where: Mark Taper Auditorium, Central Library, Los Angeles, CA
How: www.lfla.org/event-detail/541/Maxine-Hong-Kingston
Acclaimed writer Maxine Hong Kingston.
Don’t miss the meeting of two brilliant minds in modern Asian American literature in casual conversation. Andrew Lam, the editor and co-founder of New America Media, and author of the award-winning Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora, and his latest work, East Eats West: Writing in Two Hemispheres, talks Asian American literature with Chinese American author Maxine Hong Kingston, the award-winning author of The Woman Warrior.
The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Kingston grew up active in antiwar activities in Berkeley, but left the mainland for Hawaii in the late ’60’s, where she wrote The Woman Warrior, and China Men, which earned the National Book Award. Her most recent books include a collection of essays, Hawai‘i One Summer, and her latest novel, The Fifth Book of Peace. Kingston was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 1997 by President Clinton. She is currently Senior Lecturer Emerita at the University of California, Berkeley.
The coveted leading role of Kim in the beloved musical Miss Saigon has been performed by an elite group of talented women on Broadway and around the world. Now, hear the stories behind the world renown musical, told by the Asian American actresses who played the powerhouse role.
In East West Player‘s world premiere of Road to Saigon, starting May 13, Jennifer Paz, Joan Almedilla and Jenni Selma star in a heart-warming, passionate and musical journey as they share memories about family, relationships, careers and personal milestones on their individual roads to Saigon.
Jennifer Paz.
Jenni Selma.
Jennifer Paz has played the title role of Miss Saigon with several companies, most recently receiving the 2008 Ovation Award for Best Lead Actress. She was again nominated for a 2009 Ovation Award for her work in The Last Five Years with EWP. Her Broadway and regional highlights include LES MISERABLES, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE WHO’S TOMMY, EVITA, and David Henry Hwang’s adapted FLOWER DRUM SONG.
After landing the role of Kim in the Broadway production of Miss Saigon, Joan Almedilla’s career took off. She then moved on to portray the role of Fantine on the Third National Tour of Les Miserables. Her other credits include the Broadway National Tour of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, and IT’S ONLY LIFE and SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD for the Rubicon Theatre Company which has been nominated for several Ovation Awards including Best Ensemble Cast.
Jenni Selma has appeared on Broadway as the understudy to Kim in Miss Saigon, as well as the first national tour. She has also appeared on CBS’ Star Search and many national commercials. She is actively involved with East West Players, having sung at numerous events and earning rave reviews as a standout performer in EWP’s LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS.
A part of the 44th season of East West Players (EWP), the nation’s premier Asian American theatre, Road to Saigon is developed and directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera, with musical direction and arrangements by Nathan Wang.
When:
Wednesday, May 13, 2010 – June 13, 2010
Where:
East West Players, David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center for the Arts, Los Angeles, CA
For tickets and special events, go to visit www.eastwestplayers.org or call 213-625-7000.
