99 HISTORIES: The One with Two Julia Cho's

Artists at Play co-founder Marie-Reine Velez interviews Julia Cho… not the writer, but the actor and fellow AAP producer. Read on for their conversation about the writer Julia Cho, her play 99 Histories (in which actor Julia Cho plays the role of “Eunice”), and what they think might happen if the two Julia Cho’s ever meet.

AAP co-founders Marie-Reine Velez and Julia Cho

Marie-Reine Velez: So, once more, you’re not the Julia Cho who wrote the play?

Julia Cho: NO, unfortunately. I wish I was that Julia Cho!

MRV: From the moment I met you, and especially since we started Artists at Play, I had a feeling that it was inevitable that you would be in a Julia Cho play and chaos would ensue, or we would create some kind of theatrical paradox. Did you also ever have this feeling?

Julia Cho and Julia Cho

JC: YES. I’ve always envisioned my meeting with the writer Julia Cho to be a colliding of universes, perhaps leading to a break in the space-time continuum – physically represented by Julia Cho and I doing the mirror exercise as everything around us collapses.

MRV: One of the main parts of our selection process is that the co-founders/producers all have to agree on AAP’s next production. What drew you to 99 Histories as a written play that helped you decide on a personal level for AAP?

JC: There are so many elements in 99 Histories that are eerily similar to my life. I couldn’t help but be moved as I read the play, reliving thoughts and moments that felt like my own. Perhaps it’s the Korean, growing up in L.A. experience I share with the writer. And of course, there is also that all-too-familiar conflict/friction between parent and child or the push-pull you have with someone when you love each other so deeply but also know exactly which buttons to push to set them off.

MRV: I love that the main setting for this play is in Los Angeles. Having grown up in Koreatown and other parts of the area, what kind of connection/similarities do you see between the Korean American community in Los Angeles?

JC: Throughout the rehearsal process, our director Leslie Ishii and the cast often find ourselves questioning certain moments or character traits with 'Is this a Korean thing?’ or ‘Is this an Asian thing?’ or ‘Is this a parent-child (or family or American or HUMAN) thing?’ What is familiar to me is how my parents also didn’t share too much of their history unless asked. With immigrant parents, there is a sense of leaving that life behind in the country where they came from. Maybe it’s too painful to revisit; I can’t imagine uprooting my entire existence, leaving behind my friends and family, to start anew in a completely foreign land. And/or maybe that past life is considered of no consequence to the present and the future.

99 Histories rehearsal

MRV: 99 Histories is also a story about mental health, particularly how families address these issues internally. What has been your biggest takeaway from this process so far?

JC: It makes you wonder how many problems could have been alleviated sooner and more effectively had they been acknowledged and dealt with right then and there. When we feel isolated and alone, it feels almost easier to keep everything within. What I’ve learned more and more through working on this piece is how much we can learn and grow once we allow ourselves to share what scares us, what ails us. Because from even the smallest gesture of reaching out, wanting to connect, there is usually someone there who understands your pain or experience or at the very least cares enough to help you through it.

MRV: One of the things we haven’t really talked about in relation to this play is the impact of knowing – or in this case, not knowing – family history. How does 99 Histories build value in discovering events in our near and distant past?

JC: Mental health in this story is also connected to history. There is such a need from "Eunice" to discover more about her past, and in that process she also finds links to her own mental health. There is so much in this family that has been unspoken and untold. History is intrinsically part of who we are, whether it is hidden from or shared with us. Elders might think that they are protecting or shielding us, but there is no escaping the past. It will inevitably catch up to us because it is actually built into the genetic makeup of who we are. So we may as well explore and share and embrace it all.

MRV: Thank you for sharing all this with us! So, are you off-book yet?

JC: Not yet, but I'm getting there!

PURCHASE TICKETS FOR 99 HISTORIES HERE.

Artists at Play Readings 2014

Marabella by Boni B. Alvarez

She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen

Continuing our mission to present stories of underrepresented communities, Artists at Play will develop and showcase two new works to the Los Angeles theatre community for our second springtime reading series.

Expanding upon our mainstage fall production, Artists at Play hopes to develop talented writers whose works deserve to be shared with our local audience. Also, in the midst of a national discussion on the lack of diversity in American theatre, we are proud to present plays that feature hugely diverse casts including an eclectic array of female characters.

Playwrights like Boni B. Alvarez and Qui Nguyen provide unique voices that shed light on the complexities of relationships and humanity. This is why we find their plays so dynamic, stories that both intrigue and excite us.

The readings will be presented on Sunday, April 6, at the Women's Club of South Pasadena. Marabella will be presented at 2 p.m., and She Kills Monsters at 5 p.m.

Each play will be followed by a talkback. All readings are complimentary. Pre-sale $15 ticket includes dinner, hosted bar and dessert reception. (Tickets are $20 at the door.)

Get Your Tickets!

The Plays, Playwrights and Directors

As part of our second reading series, Artists at Play will present Marabella by Boni B. Alvarez along with She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen. Learn more about the respective playwrights and directors below, then join us for the readings on Sunday, April 6. Tickets available here.

Marabella
When her baby's father loses his wife, Marabella returns to her beloved Jason and his two sons whom she once nannied... and the attractive new tutor. A contemporary adaptation of Medea that leads a multi-ethnic cast in a thrilling and provocative journey.

Boni B. Alvarez (Playwright) is a Los Angeles-based playwright whose plays include Dallas Non-Stop, Dusty De Los Santos, The Special Education of Miss Lorna Combonga, Poke Back, and Ruby, Tragically Rotund. His plays have been produced/developed by Playwrights’ Arena, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Chalk Rep, Skylight Theatre, The Vagrancy, and Second Generation (2g). He won a 20/20 Development Award from InterAct Theatre and has been a finalist for the PEN Center USA Literary Award, Aurora Theatre’s Global Age Project, and Clubbed Thumb’s Biennial Commission. He attended Sarah Lawrence College (BA), ART/MXAT Institute at Harvard University (MFA), and USC (MFA).

Peter J. Kuo (Director) is a co-founder of Artists at Play, and an L.A. based theatre artist and administrator. His written plays, The Amazing Wedding Race and Three Steps Back, were developed in East West Players' David Henry Hwang Writers Institute. He wrote the book for The Antique Shop with composer Nathan Wang. Commonly known as a director, his directing credits include: Ching Chong Chinaman, Ordinary Days, Songs for a New World and Letters to a Student Revolutionary. As an arts administrator he's worked at South Coast Repertory, East West Players and LA Stage Alliance, among others.

Tiffany Moon (Dramaturg) is a dramaturg and theatre manager devoted to the development and production of new works. She is a member of the reading committee and the general manager of the Ojai Playwrights Conference, and is currently associate-producing Alice Tuan's Hit with Los Angeles Theatre Center. In addition, she leads post-show conversations and guides audience members through lobby engagement activities at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Tiffany will graduate with her MFA/MBA in Theatre Management from CSULB in May, where she serves as the general manager of California Repertory Company.


She Kills Monsters
After the passing of her younger sister, Agnes finds Tilly's Dungeons & Dragons notebook. What follows is a journey of self-discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was Tilly's refuge. An homage to the geek and warrior in all of us.

Qui Nguyen (Playwright) Originally from Arkansas, Qui Nguyen is a Brooklyn-based writer, fight choreographer, and co-artistic director of the OBIE award-winning Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company. His scripts include Krunk Fu Battle Battle (East West Players); Bike Wreck (produced at Youngblood and Metropolitan Playhouse); Trial By Water (produced at Ma-Yi Theater/Queens Theatre in the Park); Aliens Vs. Cheerleaders (Keen Teens); and the critically acclaimed Vampire Cowboys productions of The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G, Alice in Slasherland, Fight Girl Battle World, Men of Steel, Living Dead in Denmark, Stained Glass Ugly, A Beginner's Guide to Deicide, Vampire Cowboy Trilogy, and Soul Samurai. Additionally, he is a resident playwright of New Dramatists, a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre, co-director of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab, an alumnus of Youngblood, and an advanced actor/combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors. He has an MFA in Playwriting from Ohio University.

Andy Lowe (Director) Finalist of the California Young Playwrights (1994), Founding Artistic Director of the Asian American Repertory Theatre ('95-'05), Andy Lowe has been a producer of events and writer, director and/or producer of over 50 theatrical productions throughout San Diego. Receiving two mayoral commendations, he was recognized as one of 2001's "Top 30 Most Influential Asian Americans Under the Age of 30" by Political Circus Magazine. From 2007–12, Andy served as “Theatre-in-Residence Program Coordinator” for the La Jolla Playhouse, while developing projects as producer/director of ChinesePirateProductions.com including a nationally recognized stage adaptation of Joss Whedon’s “Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog” (2011).  Andy is an advisor for Gam3rCon San Diego and current Production Manager for East West Players.


Come enjoy the readings on Sunday, April 6 and stay for dinner, drinks and dessert! Get your tickets now: http://bit.ly/AAPReadings14