In co-production with AJ Epstein Presents at West of Lenin
Written by Lloyd Suh
Directed by AJ Epstein
“It’s deceptively simple on the page, and incredibly powerful on stage… an intimate portrait of a Korean American family.”
American Hwangap tells the story of Min Suk Chun, who some 15 years earlier left his family in a West Texas suburb to return to his native Korea. On the occasion of his 60th birthday (hwangap), he returns to his ex-wife and now adult children. Through a tense birthday weekend filled with humor, heartbreak and half-filled expectations, this American hwangap and its aftermath bears a family not quite whole but still somehow transformed, and not quite happy but still somehow beautiful.
DATES
February 1 – 25, 2018
Thursdays – Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 2pm
Plus a pay-what-you-can Industry Night on Tuesday, February 13 at 8pm
TICKETS
See Brownpapertickets
Adults – enter the discount code BIRTHDAY for 12% off!
Students/Seniors/Veterans – enter the discount code FAMILY for 17% off!
DURATION
95 minutes with no intermission
Join us for post-play discussions on February 11 & 17!
CAST
Michael Cercado, Kathy Hsieh, Mara Palma, Stephen Sumida, & Moses Yim
CREATIVE TEAM
AJ Epstein – Director
Lex Marcos – Scenic Design
Brendan Patrick Hogan – Sound Designer
Sarah Mosher – Costume Designer
Zanna King – Lighting Designer
Korean Language Coach – Yeojin Chung
Liz Stacio – Stage Manager
PR Firm – Smarthouse Creative, LLC
PRESS
Seattle Gay Scene – “Solid piece of theater”
Northwest Asian Weekly – “It’s all about family”
Broadway World – “A Powerful Family Story”
Miryam’s Theater Musings – Tale of a Divided Korean Family
AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
“This is about family and regret, and it is beautiful and funny and sad. The cast totally killed it.”
“I loved it!”
“Thoroughly enjoyed it.”
“I could totally relate.”
“Saw this last night and loved it! Go see it if you can!”
“Saw it opening night and I can’t stop thinking about it.””It’s a solid piece of theater that mostly works due to the charm of the characters and the actors playing them and the dynamic created by Mr. Suh’s interesting look at a Korean American family.”
“Stellar . . . strong production”
LOCATION
West of Lenin is located in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood at 203 N 36th St, Seattle, WA 98103.
LLOYD SUH is the author of Charles Francis Chan Jr’s Exotic Oriental Murder Mystery, American Hwangap, The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra Go!, Jesus in India, Great Wall Story, and others, produced with Ma-Yi, Magic Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Play Company, La Mama, Denver Center Theatre Company, ArtsEmerson, The Guthrie Theatre with Mu Performing Arts, East West Players, and internationally at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila, and with PCPA in Seoul, Korea. He has received support from the NEA Arena Stage New Play Development program, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, NYFA, NYSCA, Jerome, TCG, and Dramatists Guild, and has been a recipient of the Roe Green Award from Cleveland Playhouse and the Helen Merrill Award. His plays have been published by Samuel French, Playscripts, Smith & Kraus, Duke University Press and American Theater magazine. He is an alum of Youngblood and the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, and from 2005-2010 served as Artistic Director of Second Generation and Co-Director of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab. He currently serves on the Dramatists Guild Council and has since 2011 served as Director of Artistic Programs at The Lark.
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