JUN 27 - JUL 21, 2024
Unbroken Blossoms
By Philip W. Chung
Directed by Jeff Liu
A World Premiere
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Unbroken Blossoms
By Philip W. Chung
Directed by Jeff Liu
A World Premiere
Presented at the David Henry Hwang Theater
June 27 – July 21, 2024
Opening Night June 30, 2024
An idealistic family man and a cynical, aspiring filmmaker are hired as the Chinese American consultants for Broken Blossoms, Hollywood's first onscreen interracial love story... between a white actress and a white actor in yellowface makeup. If the circumstances weren’t already questionable enough, the consultants must contend with the outsized ego of the film's director D.W. Griffith, who is attempting to belie criticisms of racism after the release of his controversial film The Birth of a Nation.
Presented by East West Players, Philip W. Chung's play Unbroken Blossoms is a historical reimagining of the making of a boundary-breaking Hollywood classic that shines a light on the collateral damage in the search for "authentic" representation, and asks what price we pay for our art.
Originally presented in 2015 by Visual Communications in partnership with East West Players.
Performance Schedule
Cast
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Gavin Kawin Lee (James B. Leong) is a theater, TV, film, and voiceover artist and an LA native. He is thrilled to be working with a stellar cast, director, and team at East West Players on the world premiere of Unbroken Blossoms. In theater, he has had the pleasure to work with talents such as Al Pacino in The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel at The Wallis, the director of Unbroken Blossoms, Jeff Liu, on Half of Chopsticks at Boise Contemporary Theater, and two joint productions with EWP: Tacos La Brooklyn at LATC and Hannah and the Dread Gazebo at the Fountain Theatre. Other theater credits include Coleman ‘72 at South Coast Repertory (u/s), Kim’s Convenience at Laguna Playhouse, Cock at Beverly Hills Playhouse, Akuma-Shin at Sacred Fools Theatre Co (u/s), and Blood at The Complex. TV/film credits include a recurring role on The Orville and supporting roles on Timeless, The Rookie, Shameless, Easter Bloody Easter, Hard Luck Love Song, Five Cent Life, among others. IG @gavin.k.lee
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Ron Song (Moon Kwan) received his MFA in sculpture focusing on installation and performance work from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He performed with Fluxus artists at the Seoul Arts Center in Seoul, South Korea, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and the Drawing Center in New York. He took a brief 20 year hiatus from a creative life in support of higher education at the University of Chicago, Stanford, and most recently at UC Irvine, before returning to the arts. He can be seen in the Emmy and Golden Globe nominated series Jury Duty as Ken Hyun, on Amazon Prime and Freevee which won the Best Ensemble award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards and was honored as one of ten AFI Television Programs of the Year for 2023. He is father to two brilliant and kind boys and husband to an Ironman World Championship athlete.
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Arye Gross (D. W. Griffith), best known for Minority Report, Big Eden, Gone in Sixty Seconds, A Midnight Clear, and House II: The Second Story, was previously seen here in M. BUTTERFLY, directed by Chay Yew. Other film credits include For the Boys, Grey Gardens, Mother Night, The Experts, Coupe de Ville, and Tequila Sunrise.
Television credits include regular and recurring roles on Castle, Wildfire, Ellen, The Riches, and The Practice.
Recent credits include The Rookie, 911, Monster, and Better Call Saul.
Recently seen in the L.A. premiere of Anna Ouyang Moench’s Birds of North America at OTE, other theatre credits include (on B’way) Brooklyn Boy, and regionally, Parfumerie (The Wallis), Circle Mirror Transformation, and the world premieres of Brooklyn Boy, Our Mother’s Brief Affair and Future Thinking (SCR), as well as The Great Leap (ACT-SF) John Heminges in The Book of Will (Denver Center), Chekhov X 4, Uncle Vanya, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, and Eight Nights (Antaeus Theatre), After the Revolution (Baltimore Center Stage), Room Service and Above the Fold (Pasadena Playhouse) Coney Island Christmas and Underneath the Lintel at The Geffen Playhouse, and The Winchester House and Stupid Fucking Bird for Theatre @ Boston Court.
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Alexandra Hellquist (Lillian Gish & Gilda) is a multi-ethnic, international actor, who speaks three languages and lived in seven countries growing up. With her Chinese/Filipina/Spanish/Swedish/Danish roots, she delights in being a chameleon, and strives to find the beating heart of empathy in every story she’s lucky enough to help bring to life. LADCC and Stage Raw winning actor for On The Other Hand, We’re Happy at Rogue Machine Theatre, she’s also a member of Antaeus and Theatre of NOTE, and has collaborated with Lower Depth and Griot amongst other beloved LA theatre companies. They recently found and co-produced the critically-acclaimed, award-winning world premiere of Kill Shelter by Ashley Rose Wellman at NOTE. Alexandra loves developmental dramaturgy, the joy of nurturing new works, and is now branching into film/TV creative development. Singer, partner dancer, story-structure-nerd, and practical idealist. Excited and grateful for this EWP debut, and extending her theatrical family! More at alexandrahellquist.com.
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(Richard Barthelmess) East West Players debut. Earlier this season: The Winter's Tale (Antaeus Theatre Company). Other credits include South Coast Repertory, San Diego Repertory Theatre, Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, Classical Theatre Lab, Greystone Theatre, over a dozen productions at First Stage Milwaukee, as well as developmental work with Northern Sky Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, and NMI. Screen: Sounds of Silence, BBC Gaulier Documentary. Training: London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), École Philippe Gaulier in Paris, BADA at Oxford.
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(u/s James B. Leong & Moon Kwan) As a longtime student of East West Players Conservatory, Paul is excited and honored to be the understudy for Unbroken Blossoms! A multifaceted actor and musician from Los Angeles, Paul is known for being the English voice of Wakana Gojo in the popular anime My Dress-Up Darling. He also recently made his theater debut as Benjiro in Latino Theater Company's world premiere of Tacos La Brooklyn. As a musician, Paul might be most recognized for his video “Hip Hop Violin,” which became one of the first-ever viral videos on the Internet. His new album "Healing" was released last fall and is now streaming on all platforms worldwide.
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Valerie (u/s Lillian Gish & Gilda) is thrilled to make her EWP debut! A SoCal Native, Valerie works across stage, screen, and voiceover. Recently, she originated the role of Viola Bishop in the musical The Great Age of Sail, which will premiere in LA later this year. Other favorite on stage credits include Parade (Mary Phagan/3D Theatricals), Peter Pan (Wendy/Broadway in the Park), and The Crucible (Mary Warren/Westminster Playhouse). She fell into Video Games a few years ago, after voicing Edith Finch in Annapurna Interactive’s What Remains of Edith Finch, for which she received a BAFTA Award Nomination for Best Performance. Other VO credits include Class of 09, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Wylde Flowers, and Blacktail. After a brief hiatus, Valerie jumped back on-camera last year, recently starring in the films One to Grow On, Exception, and She Comes in Colors Everywhere. In her free time, Valerie likes to make gothic gay witch rock music under the pseudonym VRL. Much love to her puppy Wendy, her family, and Skylar. "This one’s for my Dad!"
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Ty (u/s D. W. Griffith & Richard Barthelmess) is elated to be making his East West Players debut! Previous credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Queen Margaret’s War of the Roses (Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum); The Inheritance (Geffen Playhouse); 45 Plays for 45 Presidents (Red Theater Chicago); Reemus & the Black History Museum (Black Ensemble Theatre). IG: @tyaldridge13.
Credits
Playwright
Philip W. Chung
Director
Jeff Liu^
Intimacy Director
Shinshin Yuder Tsai
Fight Choreographer
Cesar Cipriano
Scenic Designer
Mina Kinukawa †
Projection Designer
Sam Clevenger
Properties Designer
Michael O'Hara
Costume Designer
Jaymee Ngernwichit
Lighting Designer
Wesley Charles Siu Muen Chew
Assistant Lighting Designer
Kelly Rodriguez
Sound Designer
Cinthia Nava
Stage Manager
Brandon Hong Cheng*
Assistant Stage Manager
Irene DH Lee
*Member of Actors Equity Association
^Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
†Member of USA 829
Advisories
Production Warning
Please be advised that this production contains loud noises, theatrical haze, and flashing lights.
Content & Trigger Warning
This production contains adult language, use of racial slurs, depictions of psychological and physical abuse against women, and depictions of hate crimes against Asian Americans.
A Content Warning is a verbal or written notice that precedes potentially sensitive content, allowing for the viewer to prepare themselves so that they are able to engage or disengage with the content. Trigger warnings are of a more serious nature that may cause a physiological and/or psychological response, such as anxiety. There may be overlap between the two.
If you would like to learn more about the content warnings of this show, please reach out to boxoffice@eastwestplayers.org.
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