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Event
Beijing, CA
In 2050, China Invades America....
ASIAN AMERICAN THEATER COMPANY
PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
BEIJING, CALIFORNIA
by Paul Heller
July 1 - 17, 2010
preview Monday, June 28th
Directed by Duy Nguyen
Starring Stephen Hu, Lisa Kang, Tom Lazur, Jennifer Vo Le, Wayne Lee*, JanLee Marshall, Garth Petal*, and Erika Salazar.
(*Denotes members of Actors Equity Association.)
Beijing, California is an unflinching study of one nation's invasion by another?but this time, the victim is not Iraq or Afghanistan; rather, it is America, and the invader is China. As playwright Paul Heller noted in his January 29, 2009 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle's 96 Hours, "I hope the audience members will look at their own values and their perceptions of other countries?and how those might change if we were the ones being invaded. What I think we'll see is that Americans would act like everybody else in the world if they became citizens of a Third World country."
The play's futurist scenario takes place in 2050, when Katrina-like disasters and a series of financial meltdowns lead to America's collapse. The audience follows a series of characters and stories in the Bay Area over a span of 50 years, and discovers what happens to American values in the aftermath of foreign occupation.
Beijing, California contains three interwoven plots, each exploring a different aspect of the Chinese invasion. In one storyline, we follow the presidents of the U.S. and China as their deep, long-term friendship is shattered by China's ascendance and America's deterioration. In another, we examine a family amidst America's economic wreckage. Living on a Third World income, they are forced into a shocking business decision. The final story focuses on a Chinese American translator who must navigate a San Francisco segregated into Baghdad-like militarized zones, as she attempts to expose a terrible crime.
"This play is one of the most intellectually provocative plays I've seen in years," says Brad Erickson, Executive Director of Theatre Bay Area. "It got under my skin and really made me think about the things I take for granted as an American and what Americans unknowingly do to the world."
For more information, click here: www.asianamericantheater.org/beijing-california
Beijing, California is generously funded by CA$H, a grants program of Theatre Bay Area, in partnership with Dancers' Group; Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund; the Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation; and the Zellerbach Family Foundation.
WHERE:Thick House Theater, 1695 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
AATC is part of the Thick House Presenting Program
WHEN:Preview: June 28, 2010 at 8pm (Monday)
Opening Night: July 1, 2010 at 8pm (Thursday)
Performances: July 2-17, 2010
(Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 5pm)
TICKETS:
$15 - $25 sliding scale
Discounts available for students and TBA members
(contact pearl@asianamericantheater.org)
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LocationThick House Theater
1695 18th Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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Contact
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