Taiwanese Cast Member Leo Yu-Ning Chang Starring In REVELATION: THE MUSICAL
Photo Credit: Leah Beth Etheredge
Leo Yu-Ning Chang, who holds a masters degree in theatre from San Diego State University and is making his Off-Broadway debut in Revelation: The Musical, is currently an adjunct university faculty member in New York City, and has started a Go-Fund-Me campaign to raise funds for his visa and green card to remain in NYC as a performer.
Casting Revelation: The Musical included the typical factors of type, role, culture, race, vocal range, availability, etc., however this production Off-Broadway, produced by Melissa Mollner and directed by Dustin Ceithamer provided special challenges.
According to Ceithamer, "casting is HARD! For example, one of the characters in the show needed to be fluent in Mandarin, able to rap in English, dance in lyrical and hip hop styles, and hold tight harmonies while singing primarily a tenor line. Out of the 300 actors who submitted for the project only one fit this bill perfectly, Taiwanese native Leo Yu-Ning Chang. We could not imagine a better fit for the role and believe us we searched!"
In our current culture, authentic casting matters. Disingenuous casting can distract an audience, be offensive, and even "break" a show. "There is subject matter in Revelation that points to the nations of the world and we are thrilled to have such a diverse cast of powerhouse talent" said Mollner. The show also featured two other Taiwanese performers during its run - guest artists Amelia Fei and Madeline Blue.
Revelation runs till June 9 at The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal St. Tickets and more information is available at RevelationTheMusical.com.
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