AFTERMATH LITURGY World Premiere To Be Presented By Contemporary Asian Theater Scene

Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS) will present the world premiere staged reading of "Aftermath Liturgy," an original play with music commissioned from award-winning playwright Min Kahng, on May 2 at Wesley United Methodist Church in San Jose's Japantown.

The one-hour theatrical experience explores the collision of identity, faith, and queerness through a narrative that reflects Kahng's lived history. The production features a unique staging in which Kahng performs as the live musician while an actor portrays his persona-a pastor guiding the audience through the moment when personal truth and religious doctrine collide and how to navigate it. The performance includes live music, visual projections, and audience participation.

"This commission reflects our dedication to developing new works that bring authentic, often-unheard Asian American stories to the forefront," said Leianne Wong Lamb, board president of CATS. "By presenting Min's deeply personal journey, we are expanding the AAPI theatrical canon with a story that is both timely and essential for our community."

Staging the production at Wesley United Methodist Church in San Jose's Japantown provides a site-specific layer of authenticity. By telling a story about the deconstruction of faith within an active sanctuary, the production seeks to bridge cultural gaps and foster dialogue about belonging and self-discovery.

"The staging of 'Aftermath Liturgy' is particularly powerful because it allows the audience to witness the creator interacting with a version of his own story within a religious space," said Caroline Kondo Moore, CATS Theater Programs co-director. "It is an interactive journey that invites the audience to reflect on how we rebuild when the systems we were raised in no longer hold our truths."

Kahng is a prominent voice in Northern California theater, recently receiving a San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle award for his musical "Happy Pleasant Valley." A MacDowell Fellow and National Endowment for the Arts grant recipient, Kahng is also known for "The Four Immigrants: An American Musical Manga." "Aftermath Liturgy" marks his most autobiographical storytelling to date.

Lisa Marie Rollins, a Filipina and Black director, playwright and theater maker, serves as director for Aftermath Liturgy. Rollins leads THE IRIS LAB, a residency, research space and new work incubator for global majority theater makers located at the University of California, Santa Cruz.