Chay Yew's A LANGUAGE OF THEIR OWN Coming to MediaRites' Theatre Diaspora

MediaRites, a nonprofit organization that provides innovative, award-winning radio, theater and documentary programs, today announced that it will produce A Language of Their Own by award-winning playwright Chay Yew. MediaRites' Theatre Diaspora produces staged readings focusing on Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) identity and cultural issues to provide visibility while engages.

A Language of Their Own is about Oscar and Ming who had been together for four years. They break up after Oscar is diagnosed with AIDS, however, neither is able to let the other go completely. Both begin relationships with new boyfriends and find navigating these relationships just as complicated as when they were together - like learning and creating the nuances of a new language. NOTE: The play contains strong sexual language and situations so parental discretion for minors is advised.

MediaRites' Theatre Diaspora will perform two staged readings of A Language of Their Own, directed by Andrew Klaus-Vineyard, co-artistic director at defunkt theatre) with associate director Samson Syharath, at Portland Center Stage (128 NW 11thAvenue, Portland) on Saturday, September 10 at 7:30 p.m.and at Portland Actors Conservatory (1436 SW Montgomery St., Portland) on Sunday, September 18 at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets are $10 for general seating and $5 for Oregon Trail cardholders, students and AIDS Walk participants (provide registration). Tickets are available for purchase now at the donate button of www.theatrediaspora.org and www.brownpapertickets.com.

The Portland production is produced by Wynee Hu with co-producers Samson Syharath and Alex Haslett, all producing ensemble members of Theatre Diaspora. The cast is comprised of local actors: Jess Ford, Ming Young, Samson Syharath, and Ken Tang. Paige Rogers is the stage manager for this production.

Theatre Diaspora is Oregon's only professional Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) theatre company, committed to portraying authentic AAPI cultural, historical, and social perspectives to reach broad audiences. By strongly advocating through compelling performances and post-show discussions, Theatre Diaspora bridges communities to foster inclusion, social-awareness, and open conversations on race and cultural diversity - celebrating the AAPI experience. Theatre Diaspora is a project of MediaRites, an award-winning non-profit organization focused on cultural diversity by providing voices to the unheard. To learn more, visit the website: www.theatrediaspora.org.

Chay Yew, playwright and artistic director of Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago, is a recipient of the Obie and DramaLogue Awards for Direction. His productions have been cited by the Los Angeles Times and New York Times as one of the "Ten Best Productions of the Year;" Seattle Times and Strangers' Best Achievement in Theatre; and was named Best Director by Seattle Post-Intelligencer. He has directed world premieres by playwrights Jose Rivera, Naomi Iizuka, Kia Corthron, Julia Cho, David Adjmi and Jessica Goldberg, and performance artists Rha Goddess, Universes, Alec Mapa, Sandra Tsing Loh and Brian Freeman.

He is the recipient of the London Fringe Award for Best Playwright and Best Play, George and Elisabeth Marton Playwriting Award, GLAAD Media Award, Asian Pacific Gays and Friends' Community Visibility Award, Made in America Award, AEA/SAG/AFTRA 2004 Diversity Honor, and Robert Chesley Award; he has received grants from the McKnight Foundation, Rockefeller MAP Fund and the TCG/Pew National Residency Program.

Chay is also an accomplished and widely respected playwright, and his plays are published in two titles, The Hyphenated American Plays and Porcelain and A Language of Their Own, by Grove Press; the latter was nominated for a Lamda Literary Award. He is presently editing a new anthology Version 3.0: Contemporary Asian American Plays for TCG Publications. An alumnus of New Dramatists, he has held residencies at Mu Lan Theatre Company, Northwest Asian American Theatre Company and East West Players.

Andrew Klaus-Vineyard is co-artistic director at defunkt theatre, as well as an internationally exhibited multimedia artist and musician. Recent works include commissioned visual art for the Tate Museum in London and directing the acclaimed West Coast premiere of Stephen Spotswood's In The Forest, She Grew Fangs as well as the world premiere of The Udmurts by David Zellnik. He studied contemporary art and practice at Savannah College of Art and Design and holds a degree in Cultural Studies and Time-Based Art from Portland State University. Klaus-Vineyard will next be directing Hir by Taylor Mac at defunkt theatre and releasing a book of photography in early 2017. Visit www.timeoutfilms.com for more works.

See more info at our Facebook Event Page.

Theatre Diaspora is Oregon's only professional Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) theatre company, committed to portraying authentic AAPI cultural, historical, and social perspectives to reach broad audiences. By strongly advocating through compelling performances and post-show discussions, we are bridging communities to foster inclusion, social-awareness, and open conversations on race and cultural diversity - celebrating the AAPI experience. Theatre Diaspora is a project of MediaRites, an award-winning non-profit organization focused on cultural diversity by providing voices to the unheard.

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