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The purpose of my plays is to bring people together by first acknowledging their differences and then peeling back
the layers so that we can all see how similar we are. My first theatrical production was in February of 2009. The show was called Yellow Lens. I was on an Asian American listserve and a call was put out by Ms. Danielle Ma, a student on a scavenger hunt to find a one act for her end of the year show. I reached back and offered to write a play for her. The result was The Breakup. Ms. Ma loved The Breakup and it was not chosen for her review. However, though my dialogue with Ms. Ma it became apparent that The Breakup and more One Acts need to be created for young Asian American actors and more specifically for Asian American women actors. I then wrote to completion a total of 7 one act plays. 13 actors joined me on this journey and Ms. Parker Pracjek, Ms. Sofia Varino, Ms. Darya Gerasimenko and I made up the crew and Ms. Micia Mosely was my mentor producer at the WOW Café Theatre. The one act plays were made up of 1 monologue and 6 short plays for 2 actors. All of the plays were about individuals making pivotal decisions that severely impact or have impacted themselves and their relationships. The glue that held them together, and what constituted the plays could be deemed "Asian American" were: 1) myself as and Asian American Playwright, and 2) at least 1 of the 2 characters (of referenced characters) had to be Asian American. The plays that made up Yellow Lens were: The Relative - The Relative reveals a tragic event that occurred with their young niece. (Either the actor and/or the niece’s photo must be Asian.) Came To Believe - An Asian son becomes devastated when his mother no longer believes in his innocence. Twenty Dollars - A Chinese American teenager asks her Chinese grandmother for her hard earned cash, so she can go to a concert. Beauty and The Geek – An Asian college male freshman is targeted by another Asian college freshman to be her date to a cruel sorority rush party. The Dinner Party - A first generation Vietnamese grandmother must choose between her family and her employer, a Japanese American aristocrat. Two Point Two - Two college seniors (an Asian American male and a woman of any race) discuss their having gone through an abortion. The Breakup - An Asian American senior woman, seeks advice on how to breakup with her boyfriend from her college classmate (any woman of color). The plays were performed by the following actors: Otoja Abit, Janice Amano, Nanci L. Cone, Elise Cantu, Amy Chang, Vallen Dior Pilgrim, Kathleen Locklar, Douglas Rossi, Sean G. Tarjyoto, Jennifer Takaki, Lemon Timmons, John Wu, Caterina Xiroyanni Assistant Director - Sofia Varino Light Design and Technician – Parker Pracjek Set Design - Darya Gerasimenko The feedback received was that
the plays were universal and everyone could relate and the night was a great success. Please look for Yellow Lens: 2 in
2010 with new contemporary One Act plays for Asian Americans. If you would like to purchase the script or produce any or all of the one act plays, please contact me. Thank you for reading about Yellow Lens and I look forward to bringing you Yellow Lens 2.
Lemon Timmons and Amy Chang
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Elise Cantu and John Wu
Elise Cantu
Sean Tarjyoto and Janice Amano
Behind the Scenes
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THE CAST AND CREW OF YELLOW LENS, FEBRUARY 2009 K.S. Stevens (Playwright, Director and Producer) Ms. K.S. Stevens is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and The WOW Collective. Her credits also include Butch Mamas! Not your butch mama’s comedy and Third Time’s a Charm. Ms. Stevens’ plays have been produced at NYC’s LGBT Center, The Wings Theatre and the WOW Café Theatre. S.H. Varino (Assistant Director) Ms. Varino is a performer and theorist with a focus on theatre as ritual and as radical practice. Her research interests include dance, pedagogy, sexuality, economics and social theory. Her performance art explores themes of language, the body, desire, and stigma. She is co-founder in collaboration with Ms. Gillian Sneed of performance art project Cumul. www.cumul.org. Otoja Abit (Jarod 2) Mr. Abit continuously strives to master his craft. He has performed Off-Off Broadway in “Two Gentleman of Verona” (Thurio), “The Picnic” (Hal Carter), “The Laramie Project” (Matt Galloway), “25-50 Star Place” (Terry), and “69 Ain’t Just A Number” (Various). Mr. Abit is a former Division-1 standout athlete. Janice Amano (Julia & Anna) In 2007 Ms. Amano wrote and performed in “Snapshots” (Yoko Ono). She also appeared in “American Cultures” (Lahappy), part of the ID America Festival (Quo Vadimous Arts). Her credits include “Drunk Reckonings” (Wings Theatre), “Who Wears Short Shorts” (American Theatre of Actors), “The Seagull” (Nina), and “Closer” (Alice). Elise Cantu (Bette) Ms. Cantu studied drama and communications at Ithaca College before moving to New York. She furthered her acting studies by completing a Meisner Program at the Ted Bardy Studio. She appeared in numerous showcases and short films, including Fix Me (Jordan). Amy Chang (Nai Nai & Madeline) Amy Chang: made in Taiwan, but she grew up with the peach trees of Georgia! Ms. Chang was in the film Children of Invention, currently screening at the Sundance Film Festival. She also starred in the short film Red opposite Gbenga Akinnagbe of HBO’s hit TV series, The Wire. Ms. Chang won Best Actress in a Comedy for her role as an 11-year-old in the play, “The Party.” Many thanks to playwright/director K.S. Stevens for “seeing my inner Grandma!” www.amychang-nyc.com Nanci L. Cone (Mom 2) Ms. Cone is an accomplished actress and singer. Vallen Dior Pilgrim (Marsha) Ms. Pilgrim is a trained and experienced film theater actor, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater Performance from Valdosta State University and a graduate of The New York School for Film and Television. She is currently a member The Actors Project New York and has studied under the instruction of Anthony Abeson for three years. Kathleen Locklar (Mom 1) Since graduating from Webster University's Conservatory of Theater Arts, Ms. Locklar has performed in numerous theaters in her hometown of St. Louis. Since moving to NYC 18 months ago, she has studied acting at HB Studio. In the summer of 2008 Ms. Locklear shot the documentary, Wise Women Speak. Douglas Rossi (Jarod 3) Mr. Rossi received his M.F.A. from the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Leading roles included, "All My Sons", "Three Sisters," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "A Christmas Carol," and "Orestes.” In NYC, he's played major roles in over a dozen plays and twenty films/commercials/web series. Acting awards include: "Angels in America" (Louis), "The Glass Menagerie" (Tom), "The Chosen" (Danny), "Never the Sinner" (Nathan Leopold) Shanley's "Dirty Story" (Cowboy Frank) and a nomination for best supporting actor in 2008's Midtown International Theatre Festival. Sean G. Tarjyoto (Winston and Stage Manager) Mr. Tarjyoto grew up in Eugene and Portland, Oregon. He graduated from New York University's Gallatin School with a concentration in drama and video. He is currently pursuing his M.F.A. at the Hunter College City University of New York. www.seangustavustarjoto.com Jennifer Takaki (Madame Azuma) Ms. Takaki comes from a background in film, television and print. She has appeared in productions
and advertisements for companies such as Optimum Online, GoodYear, MSNBC, AT&T, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and IBM. “Yellow
Lens” is her stage debut. Lindiana “Lemon” Timmons (Mei Lin) Ms. Timmons, age 13.9, is thrilled to make her debut in “Yellow Lens” at The WOW Café Theater. Ms. Timmons lives in the East Village and is an eighth grader at the Institute for Collaborative Education -- and who knows where she’ll end up in high school! (La Guardia High School!) John Wu (Jarod 1 & James) Mr. Wu is excited to be a part of “Yellow Lens.” His credits include a brief recurring role in The Sopranos, and co-starring roles in Law & Order: Criminal Intent. He also appeared in the made-for-TV movie For One More Day, and most recently Fringe. Caterina Xiroyanni (The Relative & Mom 3) Ms. Xiroyanni has been studying at H.B. Studio with William Hickey, Earle Hyman, Salem Ludwig, Arthur French, Peter Arcese and others. She appeared in the H.B. Playwrights Foundation's production of G.B. Shaw's "The Shewing Up of Blanco Posnet" (The Woman), directed by Herbert Berghof. She co-produced and co-directed "The Lottery" (Belva), "The Informer" (Frau Furcke), and "The Strangest Kind of Romance" (Bella). She appeared in "As You Like It" (Jacques & Le Beau). Additionally, she originated four plays by William Packard, under the title, "Behind the Eyes,” directed by Peter Arcese. |