Julyana Soelistyo, Debbie Tjong, and Michele Selene Ang to Star in WHAT YOU ARE TO ME at 2025 Criminal Queerness Festival

National Queer Theater (NQT) and HERE Arts Center have announced the cast and creative team for What You Are to Me, a new play by Dena Igusti, premiering as part of the 2025 Criminal Queerness Festival. The production will run June 13–22 at HERE Arts Center as part of the seventh annual festival, which highlights international queer and trans voices in theater.

What You Are to Me will feature a cast led by Tony nominee Julyana Soelistyo (Golden Child), Debbie Tjong (Sammy Rae & the Friends), and Michele Selene Ang (Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why). The cast also includes Grace Duah (HBO’s Gossip Girl), B. Bastian, and Lei Nico.

The story, which spans across decades and continents, follows Sari, an aspiring singer in 1994 Jakarta, and her relationship with a journalist named Lisa. After being forced to leave Indonesia in the aftermath of political unrest, Sari starts a new life in Queens, leaving her past behind. Years later, their story is unearthed by a young zine translator in search of forgotten queer histories.

Drawing from interviews with Indonesian lesbians impacted by the 1998 Jakarta Riots, What You Are to Me offers a look into the history of the long-censored Indonesian lesbian zine movement and the generational complexities of queerness, survival, and identity.

The production is directed by Keng S. Meateanuwat, with casting by Peter Dunn. The creative team includes Dmitri Barcomi (Production Manager), Dan Daly (Scenic/Props Design), Jason Goodwin and Jasmine Canjura (Costume Design), Alejandro Fajardo (Lighting Design), and Jeremy Kadetsky (Sound Design). Sean Griffin serves as Fight Director and Amaal Saifudeen as Intimacy Director. Mars Neri is Stage Manager.

About the Festival

The Criminal Queerness Festival (CQF) is an Obie Award-winning initiative dedicated to developing and presenting new plays by LGBTQ+ artists from countries where queer identities are criminalized or censored. Since its founding, the festival has showcased work from playwrights in countries including Syria, Uganda, China, and Venezuela. CQF is produced by National Queer Theater in partnership with NYC Pride and, for this production, with Musical Theatre Factory.

“This festival continues to be a vital platform for queer and trans voices from across the globe,” said Adam Odsess-Rubin, Founding Artistic Director of NQT. “The stories we present are a testament to artistic resilience and the power of community.”

Festival Lineup and Tickets

The 2025 Criminal Queerness Festival will run June 11–28 at HERE Arts Center and includes Tomorrow Never Came by Jedidiah Mugarura, frikiNation by Krystal Ortiz, and What You Are to Me by Dena Igusti. Each production will feature multiple performances and post-show talkbacks with playwrights and international guests.

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