Pan Asian Rep to Honor Corky Lee, Cobi Narita and More at 40th Anniversary Gala

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre will celebrate the start of its 40th Milestone Season with a Benefit Dinner on Thursday, November 10th at the Golden Unicorn (18 E. Broadway at Catherine Street) in Chinatown.

The evening will be co-emceed by Pan Asian veterans Fay Ann Lee (Joy Luck Club, Forbidden City Blues, Ching Chong Chinaman) and Henry Yuk (Teahouse, Yellow Fever, Mom, Dad, I'm Living With a White Girl).

Individual tickets begin at $150 and sponsorship tables begin at $2,500. To purchase tickets, call 212-868-4030 or visit www.panasianrep.org.

Pan Asian Rep will salute Cobi Narita, whose tireless devotion to the jazz community has spanned more than forty years. Cobi worked as Executive Director of Collective Black Artists and founded the Universal Jazz Coalition to present and provide technical assistance to jazz artists with members of the Board that included BetTy Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Ahmad Jamal, Melba Liston, Clark Terry, George Wein, and Abbey Lincoln.

Pan Asian will also salute Corky Lee, an American photographer and photo archivist whose main goal through photography is to chronicle and explore the diversity and nuances of Asian American culture that is often overlooked by mainstream media. His photographs have documented the daily lives of Asian Americans as well as various historical moments in American history.

Pan Asian will salute the late playwright, performer, and paleontologist Cherylene Lee in an In Memoriam tribute. Cherylene had a very successful career as a playwright, exploring the parallels and conflicts between East and West, past and present, science and art, and her own family history. Cherylene's plays THE LEGACY CODES, about the Wen Ho Lee affair, and CARRY THE TIGER TO THE MOUNTAIN, about the death of Vincent Chin, as well as ARTHUR AND LEILA, were each produced by Pan Asian Rep in New York City. Cherylene's plays were seen in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and on and off Broadway in New York. Cherylene started her Hollywood career at age three, appearing in BACHELOR FATHER, the Dinah Shore Show, and with Gene Kelly on his TV show. She also appeared in the TV show M*A*S*H and the national tour of A Chorus Line. Cherylene was also a paleontologist, and her memoir, Just Like Really, was recently published.

The evening will be co-emceed by Fay Ann Lee and Henry Yuk and will include photo tributes and remembrances of past productions. Fay Ann Lee is proud to have appeared in many of Pan Asian Rep's shows. Fay's other Broadway and regional credits include Miss Saigon, Into The Woods, The Comedy of Errors, and King Lear. Fay wrote, directed, and starred in the romantic comedy Falling for Grace, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was licensed for television by STARZ. Fay is currently working on a follow-up rom-com as well as a drama feature based on a true-crime murder case.

Henry Yuk is a native New Yorker from Brooklyn, and has worked extensively with Pan Asian Rep as well as with NAATCO (Awake and Sing!, Cherry Orchard, You Can't Take It With You), and Ma-Yi Theatre Co. (The Square, No Foreigners Beyond This Point). His film work includes Brooklyn Lobster, Kundun (directed by Martin Scorsese), and the cult classic The Last Dragon. TV work includes The Sopranos, Cosby, Dellaventura, and various Law and Order episodes.

Presenters of the evening's honorees will include actress and director Tina Chen (Arthur and Leila), Broadway producer Lily Fan (Documentary Weiner, Hand To God, Jesus Christ Superstar, Chinglish), actor Rob Narita, and retired entrepreneur Linda Lew Woo (Miss Chinatown 1968). The celebration opens at 6pm with drinks and appetizers, and continues with traditional Peking Duck banquet and presentation to salutees. During the cocktail hour, Pan Asian is proud to present a portion of the Theatre Communications Group's (TCG) Legacy Leaders of Color Video Project that focuses on Pan Asian Rep Artistic Producing Director Tisa Chang and the company's 40-year history.

The evening will benefit Pan Asian Repertory's 40th Milestone Season that will include the World Premiere of INCIDENT AT HIDDEN TEMPLE, a new mystery by Damon Chua that focuses on China during the 1940's that uses the historic Flying Tigers and the presence of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek as the backdrop, which is to be presented January 21 -February 12, 2017 at the Clurman Theatre at Theatre Row; as well as the New York Premiere of ACQUITTAL, written by Shahid Nadeem. For more information on Pan Asian Rep's 40th Season programming, visit www.panasianrep.org.

Founded in 1977 by Tisa Chang, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre is the East Coast's most veteran producer of Asian American theatre dedicated to providing a professional forum to Asian American and minority artists. Still led by Artistic Producing Director Tisa Chang, Pan Asian Rep has opened doors for many who enjoy careers in film, television and on Broadway. The company has been invited to many international theater festivals including Edinburgh, Singapore, Cairo and Johannesburg.