CHING CHONG CHINAMAN - Bios

CAST

Sue Chan (u/s Desdemona) Oh boy, Sue was surrounded by Desdemonas for 6 years (she attended a college-prep high school, where everybody [and their mothers, literally] would obsess about college). She is very happy to be part of such a great and fun production. She would like to thank the friends and family who have been there for her through her on-and-off relationship with acting, inspirational cast and crew, Quincy for introducing her to oh-so many cool theatre opportunities (like this play), Peter for giving her this opportunity to learn and shine and AAP for being awesome.

Julia Cho (Desdemona, Producer) has performed/toured with East West Players, hereandnow theatre company, Lodestone Theatre Ensemble, and sketch comedy group OPM. Film credits include Wedding Palace and the Tom Hanks/Julia Roberts film Larry Crowne. TV credits include I’m In the Band (Disney XD), Hannah Montana (Disney Channel), and roles in two new shows: Whitney (NBC) and Work It (ABC). Julia also starred in the web series Jeff and Ravi Fail History, which screened at SXSW this year. She is incredibly proud to be a part of Artists at Play and the Los Angeles premiere of Ching Chong Chinaman.

Elizabeth Ho* (Chinese Woman) is honored to be a part of Ching Chong Chinaman, the inaugural production of Artists at Play! A lover of all things Hello Kitty and Star Trek, recent theatre credits include: The Chinese Massacre (Annotated) (Circle X Theatre Company), Wrinkles (East West Players), Grace Kim & the Spiders from Mars (Lodestone), Recent TV credits include How to Be a Gentleman, Bones, Melissa & Joey, Two and Half Men, Grey’s Anatomy and Castle. Elizabeth would like to give a huge hug to her CCC family and thanks her loved ones for all their support! For more information visit www.LizHo.com.

Steve Hu (Chinese Man) is thrilled to be in AAP's inaugural production. He recently finished an acting internship and production of Richard III at Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum. Past Bay Area credits include working with Ferocious Lotus Theatre, Asian American Theater Company, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Steve is a member of Bay Area Trifecta Ensemble.

Ken Narasaki* (Ed) is an actor, writer and working stiff. His plays include the recent adaptation of No-No Boy, award-winning plays Innocent When You Dream, and The Mikado Project (co-written with Doris Baizley), and Ghosts and Baggage. As an actor, he starred in Zwei Profis for German television, and appeared in Lane Nishikawa’s Only the Brave. He’s also appeared in nearly 60 plays, including Po Boy Tango, A Winter People, Theory of Everything, in Chicago, Los Angeles, Singapore, New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Sacramento, and elsewhere. He’s been married for more than 25 years to actress Sharon Omi with whom he has a beautiful daughter, Rosie.

Helen H. Ota (Grace) is thrilled and honored to be a part of Artists at Play’s first production. Congratulations Stefanie, Peter, Julia and Marie-Reine! Helen is the Artistic Director of COLD TOFU Improv and co-founder of Yes, And … Productions. Helen is also a performing member of the Grateful Crane Ensemble. Stage credits include Songs for a New World, The Betrayed, Project Momotaro, Manzanar: Story of an American Family, Natsukashi no Kouhaku Utagassen, Nihonmachi: The Place to Be, Twelfth Night, The Golden Hour and A Jive Bomber’s Christmas. Love to her family and most of all, MCP.

Quincy Surasmith (u/s Upton) is a jack-of-all-trades artist currently residing in Los Angeles. He graduated from UC Santa Cruz, where he studied Theater Arts and American History. There, Quincy was involved in a number of shows, including directing 12-1-A by Wakako Yamauchi and performing in Excerpts from Peeling the Banana for UCSC's Rainbow Theatre. Quincy is very excited to be part of Artists at Play's inaugural production, Ching Chong Chinaman. He can usually be found behind the computer at TN Project's Tuesday Night Cafe. Quincy can also currently be seen in the storytelling/cooking webseries, Romance of the Three Kitchens.

Scott Keiji Takeda (Upton) graduated from Pepperdine University with a BA in Theatre Arts. He made his professional debut at East West Players in September 2010, starring as “Brian Lackey” in Mysterious Skin. Scott most recently understudied the part of “Lee/Lee Tong” in Circle X Theatre’s world premiere of The Chinese Massacre (Annotated) by Tom Jacobson, directed by Jeff Liu. Scott is thrilled to be a part of Artists at Play’s inaugural production and thanks Julia, Stefanie, Marie-Reine and Peter for making it all possible. Scott also thanks his talented cast-mates, his family, and his girlfriend for all the love and support.

Wanru Tseng (u/s Grace, u/s Chinese Woman) spends most of her time working in a lab, always in the proper protective equipment, but she has also been knocking around the improv/commercial/ canceled-cable-series circuit for the past few years. She is excited to be working on a project that doesn't involve slating and turning to show her profile. Much love and gratitude to her castmates, Artists at Play, friends and family.

Kurt Yamamoto (u/s Ed) would like to thank Artists at Play for the opportunity to be part of this production of Ching Chong Chinaman. He recently understudied the role of “Edward” in Sun Sisters at Company of Angels Theater in Los Angeles. He is a past member of L.A.’s 68 Cent Theater Crew and is studying improv with Cold Tofu. * denotes member of Actors' Equity Association

CREATIVE TEAM

Lauren Yee (Playwright) Plays include Hookman; in a word; A Man, his Wife, and his Hat; and Samsara. Born and raised in San Francisco, she has been a MacDowell Colony fellow, a Dramatists Guild fellow, and a Public Theater Emerging Writers Group member; and a finalist for the Heideman, Jerome, Princess Grace, PONY Fellowship, and Wasserstein Prize. Published by Samuel French, Ching Chong Chinaman has been produced at Impact Theatre, Mu Performing Arts, Pan Asian Rep, and SIS Productions. Commissions: AlterTheater, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Kennedy Center, Mu Performing Arts (supported by the MAP Fund), and PlayGround. This season, catch more of her work at AlterTheater, Company One, Impact Theatre, and Moxie Theatre. BA: Yale. MFA: UCSD.

Peter J. Kuo (Director, Producer) is a founding member of Artists at Play. He has directed several plays and readings for numerous LA theatre companies. Favorites include Songs for a New World, Letters to a Student Revolutionary, Chinatown Correspondent, La Llorona Llora, Election Day and Bat Boy: The Musical. His written plays, The Amazing Wedding Race and Three Steps Back, have been developed and read at East West Players' David Henry Hwang Writers Institute. Previously the PR/Marketing Manager for East West Players, he is currently the Communications Associate for South Coast Repertory. Special thanks to Julia, Stefanie and Marie. Twitter: @PeterJKuo

Chika Shimizu (Set Designer) is a recent graduate from California State University, Fullerton, with a bachelors degree in Technical Theatre and an emphasis in Set Design, where she designed the sets for Romeo and Juliet and Tartuffe. After graduating, she worked as the assistant set designer to Sara Clement on Into the Woods and How the World Began for South Coast Repertory. Chika is currently assisting Takeshi Kata on Red at Alley Theatre and Outside People at Vineyard Theatre. She would like to say thank you to the director, cast, and design team.

Rachel Stivers (Costume Designer) started her theatrical career in the Wardrobe Department at Sacramento Music Circus. She worked there for eight seasons and treasures her time in the big tent! She graduated in 2008 from UC Irvine with a BA in Drama and Honors in Costume Design. Since graduating she has designed for The Chance Theater in Anaheim (Inventing Van Gogh, Hot 'N' Throbbing), The Ahimsa Collective (Foster Care to Fabulous, Two Figures), and It’s Top Secret with Golden Performing Arts. She has assistant designed with The Matrix Theater (Stick Fly), Ebony Repertory Company (Crowns), and South Coast Repertory (Fences, In a Garden, Crimes of the Heart).

José López (Lighting Designer) Born and raised in Boyle Heights. Solomania! (Kirk Douglas Theatre); Black Butterfly, Carpa Clash (Mark Taper Forum); Passion, Golden Child, A Widow of No Importance (East West Players); Loot (South Coast Rep); Everyman In the Mall, Twelfth Night (Cornerstone). Regional: ¡Gaytino!, Black Butterfly (Kennedy Center); Taking Flight (San Diego Rep); The Dodo Vaccine (Northwest Asian American Theater); Culture Clash's The Mission (La Jolla Playhouse). International: Guanyin: She Who Sees the Cries of the Universe (Hong Kong Cultural Center); Red (Singapore Rep). Durfee Artist Fellowship, Brody Visual Artist Fellowship, NEA/TCG Design Fellowship, Made in California LACMA, artist MTA Goldline Maravilla Station.

Dennis Yen (Sound Designer) is a Los Angeles based composer for film and television. He is also an award-winning composer and sound designer in the Los Angeles theatre world. He is excited to take part in this amazing production. Thanks Julia and Peter! It is great being reunited with my friends. Thanks for having me on board! Shout outs to The Gwai and 11!

Ken Takemoto (Property Master) calls Hawaii his home. He retired from LAUSD after 25 years as an art teacher. At East West Players, he worked on 50 productions as Property Master, five as Costumer Designer and four on stage as an actor. Television credits include Grey’s Anatomy, Heroes, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Ken was most recently seen in Transformers 3. Yoko, a German movie, is in post-production and will be released in 2012. He is honored to be Property Master of the first production by Artists at Play.

Rodney To (Choreographer) New York and Regional Theater credits include work with: The Public (New Works Festival), NYTW, Ma-Yi, Mark Taper Forum (New Works Festival), La Jolla Playhouse, East West Players, Playwrights' Arena, Steppenwolf & the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. TV/Film credits include: Wilfred, The Whole Truth, The American Mall, Love Monkey, Melissa & Joey and The Chris Rock Show. Jeff Award nomination for the title role in The Romance of Magno Rubio at Chicago's Victory Gardens Theater. Inductee in the Filipino American Hall of Fame (Chicago). Congrats to Artists at Play!

Amelia Worfolk (Stage Manager) is happy to be stage managing with her friends on this production. She is currently the Business Manager/Box Office Manager for Company of Angeles where she also been spreading her wings as a producer. Look for her next CoA production Wind Chimes by John Dubiel coming in February 2012. She was the Resident Stage Manager for Lodestone Theater Ensemble 2009 season. She was also ASM for East West Players’ Ixnay and worked crew at the Colony Theater. She studied Stage Management at UCLA and worked with their Graduate Level Director’s program while getting her BA in Economics.

Stefanie Wong Lau (Producer) is a graduate of UCLA and has been a theatre professional in Los Angeles for more than 10 years. She has done marketing, public relations, audience development, fundraising and special event planning for organizations such as East West Players, Ford Amphitheatre and Center Theatre Group, among others. Producing credits include Cold Tofu Improv’s original sketch comedy show Tofu Exposed, a university tour of Letters to a Student Revolutionary and a production of The Maids in a home on the National Register of Historical Places. Stefanie is a founding member of Artists at Play and excited to embark on this journey with her partners in crime.

Marie-Reine Velez (Producer) is a theatre and music events producer. Previous accomplishments include producing new performance work for over three years at TeAda Productions, including the TEADAWORKS New Performance Festivals, Ramble-Ations: A One D’Lo Show, The Healing Aloud Festival, Farid Mercury (with Robert Karimi) and Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in Santa Monica. From 2005 to 2009 she co-founded and ran the Eagle Rock Indie Rock Bowling Night at All Star Lanes, providing community and production support for local and touring bands in Los Angeles. She currently works in production and marketing for Visions and Voices: The USC Arts and Humanities Initiative.