Back on the Magic School Bus!
After finishing the 6 month AEA spring tour of TWUSA’s Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System as Wanda, I’m back on the bus! I was asked back to play Wanda in the Fall AEA tour of Magic School Bus and we will be traveling throughout the south, west coast, and midwest this time!
Here’s the Link for tickets and more info: https://twusa.org/shows-artists/on-tour-2/the-magic-school-bus/
Photo by Michael Cairns
The Reviews Are In!:4/4/4 at Edingburgh Fringe
I had the privilege of playing Alyssa/George Psalmanazar at the nearly sold out run of 4/4/4: 4 Real Asians, 4 White Men, 4 Fake Asians from August 4th-19th at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2023, and we got a Review in The Scotsman— one of Scotland’s biggest newspapers! Check it out!
Disenchanted! at Priscilla Beach Theatre
Check out this article on our nearly sold out run of Disenchanted! at Priscilla Beach Theatre playing from October 7th-15th where I play Hua Mulan, Princess Badroulbadour, and Pochahontas!
I’m heading to Winnipesaukee Playhouse!
I’ll be in Winnipesaukee Playhouse’s production of The Conference of the Birds from September 7-17!
Check out more details on their website: https://www.winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org/the-conference-of-the-birds.html
I am so excited to be a part of this ensemble show and work with them! More soon!
I’m published!
I’m published! I had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of a group of Jewish writers, where we each wrote short stories about our own unique Jewish identities. As someone who often felt out of place as a Jewish POC growing up, it was so special for me to be a part of this project. My short story is called “Pieces of a Chanukah Story” and you can purchase the anthology of short stories here!
Virtual Musical Reading of The Legend of Astrophela!
Back in September 2020, I had the wonderful honor to be in my friend Rushalee Nirodi’s musical “The Legend of Astrophela”. It was so inspiring to be a part of this queer fantasy musical that Rushalee wrote with a mainly BIPOC cast. I played the narrator and you can watch it online here!
Tisch’s All Asian Arts Alliance & Anti-Racism Resources
A little more than a year ago, a few classmates of mine and I began discussions revolving around potentially creating a community. A lot of us had met for the first time in a class called “Asian American Theatre”. I remember that day vividly.
The rush of cool air from the air conditioning blew my bangs slightly out of place as I entered that classroom. I looked around, and was amazed to see that the room was filled with chairs, and almost all of those chairs had an Asian student sitting in it. Most of us looked around in amazement, because well… Most of us had no idea that there were this many Asian actors in Drama. That class, almost felt like a safe haven, while also being a learning environment, a mourning place and a place of celebration.
We knew we needed to recreate this feeling, this place, this environment. And so, we formed the All Asian Arts Alliance, a community and a platform for artists of Asian descent at NYU Tisch.
And this summer, we have particularly been focusing on activism and providing resources for our community.
Check out our Instagram here!: https://www.instagram.com/allasianartsalliance/
I’m a Blogger Now!
I am now a student blogger for Broadway World! As of Late, I’ve written pieces centered around my Hapa identity and what it means to navigate that. Here are some excerpts from my blogs. Read further by pressing on the article titles!
From My Identity Imposter Syndrome and How One Show Helped Me Through It:
“A few weeks ago, I was facing identity imposter syndrome. This, which I have discovered, can be common among mixed race people, used to happen to me when I was younger but hadn't resurfaced much since. It began with someone saying, "I don't look Asian," and therefore I shouldn't really be offended at offensive things towards Asians. You see, to those who aren't mixed race, when something like this is said, it sticks heavy to our hearts, pulling us down to the earth whenever we attempt to affirm even just a tiny fraction of who we are.”
From When a Hapa Girl Finds Her Community & Strength at Tisch: “These memories are like framed pictures hung on the walls of mind. I like to take all of these down and stare at them sometimes, and I smile. To remind myself that I have love in my life, that I can be strong, and that my identity is valid.”
From My Asian White Identity and Our Privilege: “
As a result of the unlearning I have been doing, my own identity has been on the forefront of my mind.
I have realized and acknowledged the immense amount of privilege I have as a half white and half Japanese person.”
From My Experience at NYU Tisch : “Sophomore year, my favorite classes were suzuki/viewpoints training, and Chekhov training, which in the second semester became "throughline"; throughline was a class where you chose a challenging play and created a 20 minute story arc for the main character. Throughout that semester, you starred in and directed the piece. My project was Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire. Let me say that again. A Streetcar Named Desire. I don't think I'd ever seen an Asian play a classic such as this, that lounges around in extravagant clothing and speaks in that slow and luxurious southern accent. So as an Asian American, I took on the task of playing this traumatized southern belle with pride. And I learned a lot about what I am capable of through that..”