Hero Theatre Announces Full Company Of TEA

Hero Theatre has announced the full company of Velina Hasu Houston's Tea, directed by Rebecca Wear. The play will run from April 10 through May 17, 2020 at the Atwater Village Theatre complex.

Tea recounts the experiences of Japanese war brides living in the United States after WWII. After they experience a great loss, four war brides - Setsuko, Teruko, Atsuko, and Chizuye - gather to share tea. During the ceremony, the women reveal their hardships of leaving Japan for the United States. Featuring an all-female ensemble, and written by Los Angeles-based playwright Velina Hasu Houston, Tea is an inspirational story of overcoming prejudice and hardship.

Written in 1982, Tea has been continuously produced over the past three decades. Hero Theatre's production of Tea is part of their ongoing effort to bring more plays written by women of color into the classic American cannon. In 2016, as part of this same initiative, Hero Theatre produced Festival Irene: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of María Irene Fornés. The two week-long festival of plays by Fornés and her students from the legendary INTAR Hispanic Playwrights Lab culminated in a celebrated production of Fornes' The Conduct of Life.

The cast of Tea includes Jennifer Cheung, Lisa Dring, Tomoko Karina, Ariel Kayoko Labasan, Jully Lee, Andrea Lwin, Jessica Ma, Rosie Narasaki, Jane Park Smith, and Stephanie Wong.

The design team includes Carlo Maghirang (Scenic), Rose Malone (Lighting), Gahyae Ryu (Sound), and Jojo Siu (Costumes).

More information about Hero Theatre and this production can be found at herotheatre.org