Cast Set for UNBROKEN BLOSSOMS at East West Players
Unbroken Blossoms performs at the David Henry Hwang Theater June 27 through July 21, 2024.
East West Players will present Unbroken Blossoms, by Philip W. Chung and directed by Jeff Liu. Originally presented as a staged reading in 2015 by Visual Communications in partnership with East West Players, Unbroken Blossoms will have its world premiere as the second production of East West Players’ 2024 Season. Unbroken Blossoms performs at the David Henry Hwang Theater June 27 through July 21, 2024 with opening night on Sunday, June 30th, 2024.
About Unbroken Blossoms
Unbroken Blossoms, by Philip W. Chung (KCET/Artbound’s East West Players: A Home on Stage) and directed by Jeff Liu (EWP’s The Brothers Paranormal & Chinglish) is the story of the silenced voices behind the real silent film Broken Blossoms. This play is a historical reimagining of the making of the boundary-breaking Hollywood classic that shines a light on the collateral damage in the search for "authentic" representation, and asks what price we pay for our art.
The play follows Moon, an idealistic family man, and James, a cynical, aspiring filmmaker. The two are hired as the Chinese American consultants for Broken Blossoms, Hollywood's first onscreen interracial love story... between a white actress and a white actor in yellowface makeup. If the circumstances weren’t already questionable enough, the consultants must contend with the outsized ego of the film's director D.W. Griffith, who is attempting to belie criticisms of racism after the release of his controversial film The Birth of a Nation. Based on actual events, this world premiere production illuminates a historical conflict just behind the silver screen.
Unbroken Blossoms was originally presented in 2015 by Visual Communications in partnership with East West Players, and was also a semi-finalist for the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference.
Unbroken Blossoms playwright Philip W. Chung was a Co-Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Lodestone Theatre Ensemble, as well as the consulting producer of the 2023 KCET/Artbound documentary, East West Players: A Home on Stage, currently available for streaming at eastwestplayers.org/artbound. Philip W. Chung and Unbroken Blossomsdirector Jeff Liu have collaborated in the past, on a hybrid theater-film-streaming production of the play Yellow Faceby David Henry Hwang for the YOMYOMF Network on YouTube.
Tickets to Unbroken Blossoms may be purchased online at eastwestplayers.org or by calling (213) 625-7000.
Cast & Crew
The cast of Unbroken Blossoms comprises Gavin Kawin Lee* (LATC & EWP’s Tacos La Brooklyn, EWP & The Fountain Theatre’s Hannah and the Dread Gazebo) as James Leong, Ron Song (Amazon’s Jury Duty) as Moon Kwan, Arye Gross*(EWP’s M. Butterfly, AMC’s Better Call Saul) as D.W. Griffith, Alexandra Hellquist (Rogue Machine Theatre’s On The Other Hand, We’re Happy) as Lillian Gish/Gilda, and Conlan Ledwith* (Antaeus Theatre Company’s The Winter’s Tale) as Richard Barthelmess. Paul Dateh (LATC & EWP’s Tacos La Brooklyn) understudies the roles of James and Moon, Ty Aldridge (Geffen Playhouse’s The Inheritance) understudies the roles of Richard and Griffith, and Valerie Rose Lohman (3D Theatricals’ Parade) understudies the role of Lillian.
The creative team includes direction by Jeff Liu^ (EWP’s The Brothers Paranormal & Chinglish), intimacy direction by Shinshin Yuder Tsai (Long Beach Playhouse’s She Kills Monsters), fight choreography by Cesar Cipriano (EWP’s Spring Awakening), scenic design by Mina Kinukawa† (EWP’s Voices From Okinawa, Theater Mu’s The Kung Fu Zombies Saga), projection design by Sam Clevenger (EWP’s On This Side of the World & Assassins), properties design by Michael O'Hara (EWP’s Chinglish, Celebration Theatre’s A New Brain), costume design by Jaymee Ngernwichit (EWP’s On This Side of the World), lighting design by Wes Charles Chew (EWP’s The Great Jheri Curl Debate & Assassins, Artists at Play’s The Chinese Lady), assistant lighting design by Kelly Rodriguez (Shakespeare on the Bluff’s Macbeth), sound design by Cinthia Nava (Rubicon Theatre’s Almost, Maine), stage management by Brandon Hong Cheng* (EWP’s Kairos, Spring Awakening, Assassins, Man of God; CTG’s Our Dear Dead Drug Lord), and assistant stage management by Irene DH Lee (EWP’s Kairos & Spring Awakening).
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association
^Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
†Member of USA 829
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