Pan Asian Repertory Theatre to Launch 49th Season with Staged Reading of EMPRESS MEI LI LOTUS BLOSSOM

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, under the leadership of Founding Artistic Director Tisa Chang, will open its 49th milestone season with a staged reading of Empress Mei Li Lotus Blossom, a new play by Christine Toy Johnson directed by Nina Zöe Lam.

The reading will take place Friday, September 19, 2025 at 5pm in The Bruce Mitchell Room at Spaces@520 (520 8th Avenue – 3rd Floor). Admission is open to the public with a $20 suggested donation; reservations are required.

A modern comedy of errors about a young Asian artist striving to make it on Broadway, Empress Mei Li Lotus Blossom will feature a cast including Rin Allen, Michelle Liu Coughlin, Andrew Dobbie, Doug Harris, and EJ Zimmerman, with stage directions read by Hannah Jew.

Christine Toy Johnson is a Tony and Obie Award-winning playwright, actor, and advocate whose works have been developed and produced at theaters nationwide and included in the Library of Congress’s Asian American Playwrights Collection. Director Nina Zöe Lam, co-founder of the National Asian Artists Project, made her Broadway debut in Miss Saigon before transitioning into directing and helming productions at major venues across the U.S.

About Pan Asian Repertory Theatre

Now in its 49th milestone season, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre is the most veteran Asian American theatre company on the East Coast. Founded by Tisa Chang in 1977 at La Mama ETC, Pan Asian Rep has nurtured thousands of artists and produced groundbreaking stories focused on equity, access, and social justice. Alumni include David Henry Hwang, Daniel Dae Kim, Lucy Liu, Lauren Yee, and many more.