Chinglish |
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David Henry Hwang |
Wynne Chan |
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Xun Zhang Byron Guo |
Bingcong Zhu |
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Producer's Note
In November of 2020, I along with the Plethos Productions Board of Directors faced the monumental task of predicting what 2021 would be like and choosing our season shows accordingly.
At that point in the pandemic, even the board getting together in person at all was not something we were up for, so trying to predict what auditions, performances, audiences, and local regulations would be like in the next year felt impossible.
However, despite this enormous challenge, we stuck to our mission:
"To use theatre as a tool to unite communities".
Our dedication to creating opportunities for new stories to be told, to break the boundaries of traditional casting, and ultimately to create performances that are as fresh, innovative, and diverse as our community - led us to Chinglish.
The show beautifully encompasses everything we were looking for in a mainstage show that represents our organization, but most importantly, our community. The show's witty humor got our attention, but the unique cultural aspects are what compelled us to add it to our season and trust that we'd safely bring it to life one way or another.
Chinglish both celebrates the uniqueness of Chinese culture, as well as expresses human experiences which unite us all. It's a show in which many here in the Bay Area will see themselves, their family members, their homes, and their experiences, while others will get to learn about and dive into a world they've never encountered before.
Our hope is that in our upcoming 5th season and beyond, we will continue to produce shows like Chinglish, which accurately represent our beautifully diverse community.
If you want to ensure that our zero-staff, volunteer-based nonprofit can continue fulfilling our mission, we ask that you help us get the word out about our shows, and consider making a tax-deductible donation at plethos.org.
Thank you for your support and enjoy the show!
Karin
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Karin Richey
Founder, Executive Director
Plethos Productions
Cast
Creative Team
Wynne Chan 陳嘉盈
Karin Richey 卡琳·里奇
Skyler Riordan 晓炜
Kathleen Qiu 邱凯瑟琳
Ben Stevens 本·史蒂文斯
Kristy Aquino 克里斯蒂·阿基诺
Jennie Yeung 楊梁婉媚
Amber G.H. Gee
Jasper Gong 利 广 文
Alfred Parish
Meet the Company
Lan Zhong 钟兰
"You are more powerful than you think."
The play tells the fundamental differences between the two cultures in such a light-hearted and warm way, which makes the play entertaining and educational at the same time.
Recent credits include: Chemical Hearts, Home Free, Succession
Xun Zhang 张逊
"Yes I CAN do more than one thing at a time!"
I really want people to keep on chinglish-ing so we can all understand each other better!
Recent credits include: Vmedia Arts Go See A Show
Find me on Facebook
Anthony P Cardoza 童立
"Thanks to Carmen for her love and support, and to all the people in China who helped me through my personal Chinglish journey ( 三人执行必有我师)."
I love seeing the characters struggle to connect across the gulf of language and culture and the very real ways they succeed and fail.
Recent credits include: The Sound of Music (Herr Zeller); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Egeus); Blessed Thorn (Spinoza); or in the movies Junho, The Adventures of Tinbone & Benny, or The Vampire and the Vigilante.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9977724/
Byron Guo 郭冰融
"You'll spend a lifetime learning English & Chinese only to realize the only thing you've done is improve your Chinglish."
As an Asian American actor I'm usually working with material made for Westerners about Westerners. Or an Eastern character as defined by a Western playwright. Getting to put on a show about the merge of my two cultures that's written by the legendary David Henry Hwang is a true treat and too much fun!
Recent credits include: Killing My Lobster & Left Coast Theatre Company and will be appearing next in "The Wickhams" w/ the Spreckels Theatre Company
Guo.byron@gmail.com
Bingcong Zhu 朱冰聪
"Good good study, day day up."
For a bilingual comedian, what's juicier than a delicious sandwich made of Chinese, English and comedy?
Recent credits include: Midnight Kill (Yangtze Repertory Theatre), No Exit (Columbia Blue Glaze Theater)
Skyler Riordan 晓炜
能在节目单里写中文特别好玩 :)
Chinglish lets me celebrate something about my background that I've never been able to celebrate through theater before, or thought that I ever would until I came across this opportunity and pursued it.
Recent credits include: Anonymous (South Bay Musical Theater, 2021), Macbeth (Silicon Valley Shakespeare - 2019), Urinetown (Sunnyvale Community Players - 2019), Miracle on 34th Street (Los Altos Stage Company, 2019)
Will Livingston 威廉·利文斯頓
"What we know is a drop, what we don't know is an ocean"
Chinglish helps remind me that despite our language and cultural differences there is much we can learn from each other. I love how the play takes what we think we know and turns everything on its head. It brings up pertinent conversations that are necessary for todays globalized world. Society could really use a little more empathy and Chinglish is a way we can all help support and understand one another a little better.
Recent credits include: Wridget in An Invitation Out with Quantum Dragon Theatre and Neal in Bluff with JoLee Productions.
will-livingston.com
Wynne Chan 陳嘉盈
Creating a culture specific show means you get to share your favorite things from your culture with everyone else. For Chinglish, we got to create a world for our characters that builds from what we grew up with. From the calligraphy pieces that reminds us of our parents' homes, to the songs we sing at our worst moments alone in a karaoke room, to the comfort food we miss from the local's favorite roadside spot. Every bit was built together, by myself and the cast, to transport you to a culture we love. We hope you enjoy your two hours in Guiyang with us.
Karin Richey 卡琳·里奇
Skyler Riordan 晓炜
Kathleen Qiu 邱凯瑟琳
“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” - the Notorious RBG
I love the play on translations throughout the play. The translations throughout are all so terrible, and the translators themselves don't do great. Yet, there is still a way to communicate between two vastly different cultures that don't use words to achieve understanding. At the end of the play, we reach that understanding despite the language barriers.
Recent credits include: Plethos Productions - Elephant and Piggie are in a Play!; SF Playhouse - The Great Khan, The Fit; Custom Made Theatre - How to Transcend a Happy Marriage, Passion; Quantum Dragon Theatre - An Invitation Out; Pear Theatre - Sweat; West Edge Opera - Orfeo ed Euridice
www.kathleenq.com
Ben Stevens 本·史蒂文斯
Kristy Aquino 克里斯蒂·阿基诺
Jennie Yeung 楊梁婉媚
"I speak both Chinese and English!!"
I like the bilingual productions. Recent productions include Shanghai Tourist Festival, ZeiJiang Arts Festival.
Amber G.H. Gee
Jasper Gong 利 广 文
This is his first show with Plethos Productions and hopes to collaborate on future shows. He enjoys being a mentor to aspiring student theatre technicians at Ohlone College in the Theatre and Dance Department.
Alfred Parish
Photos
Chinglish Cast
Daniel & Xi Yan (Played by Will Livingston & Lan Zhong)
Cai & Bing (Played by Xun Zhang & Bingcong Zhu)
SPECIAL THANKS
Thank you to the City of Hayward for allowing us to rehearse and film at the Douglas Morrisson Theatre.
SAVE THE DATE
Plethos Productions' 5th annual Season Announcement Soiree will be held on Saturday, January 15. Enjoy performances, awards and be the first to hear all about our exciting 2022 season. Plus attendees get a one night only discount on season subscriptions. Don't miss it!