Cast featuring Keiko Agena (left) and Rex Lee (right).
The Alliance Theatre is excited to announce the cast and creative team of its upcoming production, THE CHINESE LADY. The production marks the return of Playwright & Pulitzer Prize finalist Lloyd Suh (Bina’s Six Apples) to the Alliance and welcomes Director Jess McLeod.
Inspired by the true story of Afong Moy, The Chinese Lady is a darkly poetic, yet whimsical portrait of our past seen through the eyes of a young Chinese woman. Afong – thought to be the first Chinese woman to step foot on U.S. soil – is only 14 years old when she’s brought to the United States in 1834 and put on display as “The Chinese Lady.” Decade after decade, she performs as a living exhibit, showing curious white visitors how she eats, what she wears, and how she walks on tiny bound feet. As time wears on, the lines between her performance and her identity begin to blur. Described as "moving and often sharply funny" (The New York Times), The Chinese Lady examines the ongoing struggle for empathy and understanding across cultural divides.
“The Chinese Lady is deeply rooted in history and is concerned with a young person navigating the tumult of history towards a sense of self-actualization,” said Playwright Lloyd Suh. “When I first heard about Afong Moy, her story haunted me. Afterwards, I did a deep dive to find out as much as I could about her, because I needed to understand her story even just on a personal level.”
The Chinese Lady features actors Keiko Agena (TV: Gilmore Girls) as Afong Moy, and Rex Lee (TV: Entourage and Fresh Off the Boat) as Atung. Understudies for this production include Akasha Grace and Terence Lee.
The creative team of The Chinese Lady includes Director Jess McLeod, Playwright Lloyd Suh (Alliance Theatre: Bina’s Six Apples), Set Designer Se Hyun Oh, Costume Designer, Dramaturg, and Cultural Consultant Hahnji Jang, Lighting Designer Lee Fiskness, Sound Designer Megumi Katayama, and Composer Fan Zhang.
Additional production support is provided by Stage Manager Xiaonan Chloe Liu, Stage Management Production Assistant Myah Harper, and Production Management Lead Haylee Scott.
“Not only does the historical record completely ignore Afong Moy, but there is absolutely nothing on record that comes from her point of view. The real Afong Moy is completely unknowable,” added Suh. “It’s a play that allows – even requires – an audience to respond personally. My hope is that everyone has a personal reaction [that resonates with] their own personal history, their social location, their relationship with all of what came before and especially what is happening in the world on the particular day they might experience it.”
Learn more about The Chinese Lady.
