Magic Theatre Announces Cast of THE CHINESE LADY

Magic Theatre announces the complete cast and creative team for the Company's first production of the 2019-2020 season, the Bay Area Premiere of Lloyd Suh's The Chinese Lady, directed by Mina Morita. Previews begin on Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at Magic Theatre's Fort Mason location (Fort Mason, 2 Marina Blvd., Building D, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94123), with a press opening on Wednesday, October 16 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets range from $15 - $75 and are on-sale now at MagicTheatre.org.

"One of the joys of being a part of Magic is to experience playwrights over time, as their singular lens on the world sharpens," said Artistic Director Loretta Greco. "There is perhaps no better example of this than the trajectory of Lloyd Suh's work as he has grown from an adventurous emerging playwright (American Hwangap, Jesus in India) into the gravitas of mid-career. We are thrilled to welcome Lloyd and his revelatory The Chinese Lady back home, to Magic, where this stirring play began."

"It's so meaningful to be able to bring this play to the Bay Area," said playwright Lloyd Suh, "which was essential to the history it aims to excavate. It's even more meaningful to bring it to Magic, which has been a critical artistic community to me for more than a decade. I'm honored and thrilled!"

"It is no small thing to consider whose gaze shapes history and therefore our current framing of the world," said Director Mina Morita. "This conjuring of Afong Moy, a person who really lived in our midst, is a graceful act of purpose -- a reshaping of our understanding."

Inspired by the true story of the first Chinese woman to arrive on American soil, The Chinese Lady follows Afong Moy after she is brought from China to America and put on display for an eager public yearning to learn of the exotic East. Leavened with humor and insight, Suh explores the way we consider both ourselves and others.

The Chinese Lady runs approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.

The cast of The Chinese Lady features Rinabeth Apostol* as "Afong Moy" and Will Dao* as "Atung."

In addition to Ms. Morita, the creative team includes Jacquelyn Scott (Set Design / Props Design), Abra Berman (Costume Design), Wen-Ling Liao** (Lighting Design), Sara Huddleston (Sound Design), Liz Matos* (Stage Manager) and Sonia Fernandez (Dramaturg / Local Casting). Thescenery will be engineered and built by Acme Scenery Company.

The production personnel for The Chinese Lady are Sean Dunnington (Assistant Director), Amanda Marshall (Assistant Stage Manager), Kylie Joerger (Production Assistant), Brittany Price (Assistant Lighting Designer), Lyle Barrere of Desired Effect (Master Electrician), Michael Kelly (Sound Engineer), and Liz Kreter-Killian (Light Board Programmer).

*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.

**Member of United Scenic Artists local 829, which represents the designers and scenic painters for the American theatre.

Magic Theatre's 2019-2020 season is produced by John Marx and Nikki Beach, Toni Rembe and Arthur Rock, Clay Foundation West, Sandra Hess, Kathryn Kersey , Martha Heasley Cox Foundation, Larry S. Goldfarb, and Buffington Miller.

The Chinese Lady is produced by Nancy Livingston and Fred Levin.

Magic Theatre's Adopt-a-Play parents help to welcome the cast and production team into the Magic community by hosting welcoming events from the first day of rehearsal through the final performance. The Adopt-a-Play parent for The Chinese Lady is Katrina Wong.