Pan Asian Repertory Theatre Announces Lineup For Its 42nd Season At Theatre Row

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre (Tisa Chang, Founding Artistic Producing Director), breaking new ground through a new educational initiative, launches its 42nd Season with the New York premiere of the play The Emperor's Nightingale, by Damon Chua (November 26 - December 16, 2018) and, with a prestigious grant and support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the World premiere of the new play The Brothers Paranormal by Prince Gomolvilas (April 27 - May 19, 2019) both to be presented at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street). The season will also include the staged reading series Two Faces of Chinese America, and the 2018 Golden Unicorn Gala set for Thursday, October 18, 2018.

The 42nd Season continues the company's multi - year process for growth and transition to embrace expanded leadership towards a visionary new future with national and international collaborations.

The Pan Asian Repertory Theatre 2018-2019 season launches with two new plays as part of the staged reading series Two Faces of Chinese America: Citizen Wong by Richard Chang inspired by the 19th Century activist and journalist Wong Chin Foo and his fight against the "Chines Exclusion Act." One performance only on Sunday afternoon, September 23, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. at Flushing Town Hall (137-35 Northern Boulevard, Flushing).

The second reading in the series is One Day in Old Chinatown by Marcus Yi, a new musical that follows the first Asian American vaudeville performer, Frank Lee, in his first year of show business. One performance only on Friday, September 28, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in the Bruce Mitchell Room at A.R.T. NY (520 8th Avenue, 3rd Floor).

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre will host the 2018 Golden Unicorn Gala Dinner on Thursday, October 18, 2018 at The Golden Unicorn in Chinatown (18 East Broadway at Catherine Street). The 2018 Golden Unicorn Honorees are veteran stage & film actor, playwright and director Ernest Abuba, former Senior Program Officer for the Arts at the Doris Duke Charitable Fund Cheryl Ikemiya, and in memoriam, composer of Sayonara George Fischoff.

The 2018-2019 Mainstage season launches in November with the New York premiere of the play The Emperor's Nightingale by Damon Chua (Incident at Hidden Temple), an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's story "The Nightingale," set in 18th-century China, and brings to light the youthful exploits of the future Emperor Qianlong who befriends a magical bird who helps him learn what he must do to be King. The play employs traditional Chinese lion dance, puppetry, and a pair of tigers and pandas to tell this fun, thrilling tale. A show for the whole family. Directed by Chongren Fan (Lost in Shanghai), performances are set to begin Monday, November 26, 2018 for a limited run through Sunday, December 16, 2018 at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street). Opening Night is set for Sunday afternoon, December 2, 2018 at 2:30 p.m.

"I'm delighted to work with Pan Asian Rep for the New York premiere of this play," stated Damon Chua, playwright. "The Emperor's Nightingale began its life three years ago when I was commissioned by DC-based Adventure Theater to create a TYA play that marries Hans Christian Andersen's "The Nightingale" with Chinese history. For me, this was an opportunity to create a play with an all-Asian cast to showcase traditional Chinese art forms." He concluded by stating, "The play has been produced in Minneapolis and will have its California premiere next year. Theaters and audiences have been embracing this small window into Chinese culture. Whether young or old, I hope you will be entertained as we explore the issue of what makes a good leader."

The Emperor's Nightingale will play the following performance schedule suited for all family members -- School Matinees: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 11:00 a.m.; Public Performances: Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. & 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

In Spring 2019, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, with a prestigious grant and support from the National Endowment for the Arts, will present the world premiere of the new play The Brothers Paranormal by Prince Gomolvilas (Big Hunk o' Burnin' Love) that follows two Thai-American brothers who specialize in domestic hauntings. When the siblings investigate the home of an African-American couple displaced by Hurricane Katrina, everyone's notions of reality, fantasy, and sanity clash against the shocking truth. Pan Asian's world premiere of The Brothers Paranormal is the play's kick-off before later productions in the Midwest, Northwest, and beyond. Directed by Jeff Liu (Yellow Face), performances are set to begin Saturday, April 27, 2019 for a limited run through Sunday, May 19, 2019 at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street). Opening Night is set for Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.

"The play's intersection of genre and race, as well as the exploration of the spirit realm in a country that's doing some deep soul-searching, is what drives my passion for this project," stated Prince Gomolvilas, playwright. "While I interviewed and shadowed actual paranormal investigators, I also talked to one of the world's leading experts on dying, death, and grief-all in an effort to explore the play's disparate themes: the trauma of displacement (from one's country of origin, from post-Katrina New Orleans, from the corporeal world); the high incidence of mental health issues among Asian immigrants; and the different ways in which people cope with incredible loss."

For additional information, or to purchase tickets please visit the website www.panasianrep.org, or via email at info@panasianrep.org. or by calling (212) 868-4030.

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