From Artistic Director, Lily Tung Crystal - SHINE A LIGHT
SHINE A LIGHT
Now-October 18, 2020 at the JUNGLE THEATER
A huge thank you to the Jungle Theater for hosting Theater Mu at its designer-focused festival SHINE A LIGHT.
As we all know, the pandemic has changed many things and thwarted many plans. Theater Mu and the Jungle Theater were set to co-produce Lauren Yee’s magnificent show Cambodian Rock Band this past summer, but like many theater productions, our plans were halted midstream. SHINE A LIGHT doesn’t assuage all our sadness from not being in the theater with you, but we are grateful to be able to collaborate with the Jungle after all, and be in their beautiful space this season.
Despite the distance between us, Theater Mu has continued to create programming during the pandemic. From Mu-tini Hours to new play festivals, we’ve produced 35 virtual events since mid-March. The work has allowed us to employ actors, directors, playwrights, stage managers, and video producers, but the new space has offered less opportunity for designers.
So when the Jungle’s interim artistic director Christina Baldwin told me about the platform they were creating for the design community and invited us to take part, we jumped at the opportunity. SHINE A LIGHT helps us lift up the theater makers behind the scenes, providing a space to explore the themes that impact them and their work.
The designers and artist responders featured here are as diverse and varied as the diaspora from which they come. We have designers who were part of our 2019-2020 season—Mina Kinukawa (scenic designer, Cambodia Rock Band), Kenji Shoemaker (props designer, peerless), Khamphian Vang (costume designer, peerless), and Abbee Warmboe (props designer, Fast Company). Among the artists responding to their work—Sara Ochs (actor/singer), Anna Hashizume (actor/singer), Kealoha Ferreira (dancer), and Daisuke Kawachi (director). They all represent cultures and bring us narratives from East & Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and of course, America.
Some of our artists in turn collaborated with others on this project. Together they amplify the sense of community we share in the theater and the solidarity that will carry us through this pandemic, racial reckoning, and social and political transformation in the United States.
A heartfelt thank you to the artists for shining a light through this extraordinary and challenging time, and to you, our fans and supporters, for standing with us through it all.
LILY TUNG CRYSTAL
Artistic Director