NATURALLY TAN Opening May 14 At ARTSpace Black Box Theatre
Experience a powerful amalgamation of seriocomic elements, music, dance, and compelling visuals through 35 memorable characters.
Told through the bold perspective of a vivacious drag queen named Tanvi, Naturally Tan follows Tanya Thomas' desperation to fit in as a minority in Singapore and her search for acceptance in America. Fueled by assimilation pains, Tanya delves into the heart of colorism that plagues the Asian diaspora, the complexities of racial identity, and the consequences of damaging beauty standards. Will Tanya hide behind her insecurities forever or will she embody her worth as a woman of color, mother, and artist?
Experience a powerful amalgamation of seriocomic elements, music, dance, and compelling visuals through 35 memorable characters as Tanya guides the audience through her transcendent cross-cultural path to self-worth.
"I hope that audiences not only find themselves thrilled by the entertaining nature of the show," said Tanya Thomas, "but recognize the dichotomous reality that our differences can be both a source of pain and strength."
Tanya Thomas is the playwright of Naturally Tan and performs over thirty characters during the course of its compact running time. She is an award-winning solo artist, playwright, producer, actress and voiceover artist who started off her career hosting Top 40 radio shows in Singapore, jazz shows on KJAZZ 88.1FM in Long Beach, CA, and hosting 3 podcasts for Apple. Her one-woman show, Naturally Tan, debuted as an official selection of Solofest 2021 at Whitefire Theatre in Los Angeles, where it also won a Best of Fest Award. The show received rave reviews at the Hollywood Fringe where it won Pick Of The Fringe and the Best of Broadwater award. It was also an Official Selection at the Binge Free Festival at Santa Monica Playhouse in 2021 and was an Official Selection at Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival in 2022. As an actress, her theatre credits include Nickel and Dimed (Santa Paula Theater), Cheyenne Blood (Elite Theatre Company) and Please Have A Seat (Ojai Art Center Theater). Film Credits include False Colors, Blame, Collide, Status Change and People Are Strange. As a voice actor, Tanya has voiced numerous projects for companies like Apple, Target, Amazon, Food Network, GoDaddy, Google, AM Resorts etc. For more information, go to https://tanyathomas.com
Jessica Lynn Johnson directs. Acclaimed both as a solo performer and as a director of solo artists, she is the founder of the company Soaring Solo Studios and a recipient of the Best National Solo Artist Award. Her directing credits include Unemployed Finally, The Mermaid Who Learned How to Fly, 365 Days of Crazy, Triangles Are My Favorite Shape, Bully-mia, Not My Show, Answers Outta The Blue, Dear Yoko, and more.
Naturally Tan takes an insider's looks at what it means to feel that you don't fit into the world around you, and the one-dimensional media representation of minorities that fosters invisibility. It is a show that balances its probing edge with warmth and humor. A narrative that spans worldwide, Naturally Tan adds a distinct voice to the full range and diversity of Asian American stories.
For more information visit https://tanyathomas.com/artspace.
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