Ma-Yi Theater Company Will Open Season with Two Plays in Rep

Ma-Yi Theater Company - which had a breakout season with the award-winning success of the musical KPOP, and with Mike Lew's newest play TEENAGE DICK (at The Public Theater) - will debut two new American plays by Asian-American Playwrights this fall; SESAR byOrlando Pabotoy and THE CHINESE LADY, by Lloyd Suh, will perform in rep October 20 - November 18 at Theatre Row (410 W. 42ndStreet).

In 2014, Ma-Yi Theater Company enjoyed considerable success with its two-play repertory engagement of 'Chairs and a Long Table' by Han Ong and 'Livin La Vida Imelda' by Carlos Celdran at Theatre Row. The company returns to this format having just opened THE CHINESE LADY with an acclaimed out of town debut co-produced with Barrington Stage Company.

SESAR, written and performed by Orlando Pabotoy, who previously acted with Ma-Yi, makes his debut as a playwright; directed by Richard Feldman (The Juilliard School), SESAR, depicts the story of a 14-year-old Filipino boy, who after watching an excerpt of "Julius Caesar" on television, locks himself in the only family bathroom to dive head-first into the world of ancient Rome, determined to make sense of Shakespeare's famous tragedy. The boy's father, a former town mayor now exiled because of his democratic beliefs, joins his son in the bathroom, and using his own experiences, teaches him real-life lessons about power, love, and loss.

SESAR was developed in part during Mr. Pabotoy's Fox Foundation Actor Fellowship at Ma-Yi Theater Company

THE CHINESE LADY, written by Lloyd Suh (The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra Go!), directed by Ralph B. Peña (Among The Dead), and starring Shannon Tyo (Bright Half Life), and Daniel K. Isaac (Showtime's 'Billions'), is inspired by the true story of America's first female Chinese immigrant. It is a tale of dark poetic whimsy, a piercing portrait of America as seen through the eyes of a young Chinese woman; Afong Moy reflects on life in 1834 and beyond, as she is brought to the United States from China and put on display for the American public as "The Chinese Lady."

Tickets are available for SESAR and THE CHINESE LADY now, and can be purchased by calling 212-239-6200; or online at:www.telecharge.com/Off-Broadway/The-Chinese-Lady/

Photo Credit: Eloy Garcia