THE COMPANY
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Kris Bona (he/she/they), Kannushi 1, Rikishi La Jolla Playhouse: Debut! National Tour: Spamilton. Regional: Bat Out of Hell (Paris Las Vegas); Invisible: A New Musical (54 Below); Disney’s Mulan (Tuacahn); Mamma Mia (McCoy/Rigby); Grease (Musical Theatre West); Kinky Boots (3-D Theatricals); Miss Saigon (California Theatre); The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Palos Verdes Performing Arts). Education: B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from AMDA Los Angeles. Thank you to Jacole and the whole La Jolla Playhouse team and Kara and Tiera from Firestarter. Gratitude from God. Support from DA & BM. Love for Mama and Papa.@krisbonafide
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Victor E. Chan, Understudy La Jolla Playhouse: Lempicka, Fly, Miss You Like Hell. Regional: On Your Feet (Moonlight Stage); Rock of Ages (Cygnet Theatre); 1776 (McCoy/ Rigby Entertainment); Sweet Charity (Reprise 2.0); Evita, In the Heights (SDRep); This Beautiful City (Diversionary Theatre); Chess (East West Players); Crush in Finding Nemo the Musical (Disney Creative Entertainment); Miss Saigon (Starlight Theatre); Rocky Horror Show (American Stage Theatre Co.). Movies: The Birth of an Alien, Heart of Mind, Platypus: The Musical, The Syndicate. TV: Oscars 2018 (ABC), Bent (NBC), NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS). Love to his wife Michelle, and sons: Gabriel, Elijah and Dorian. Proud member of AEA. @VictorEChan |
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Michael Hisamoto (he/him), Kannushi 2, Rikishi La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Michael is an interdisciplinary theatre artist who has worked with the Huntington, Trinity Rep, Lyric Stage Company, Hope Rep, SpeakEasy Stage, Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Kennedy Center, HowlRound/ArtsEmerson, Gloucester Stage, CompanyOne, MIT, Harvard, Boston University, Brown University, Merrimack Rep, Central Square Theatre, Ojai Playwright’s Conference, The Seven Devils Playwrights’ Conference, Palm Beach Dramaworks, and more. Education: Orange County School of the Arts. B.F.A.: Boston University. M.F.A.: Brown/Trinity Rep. AEA. Co-Artistic Director of New Repertory Theatre. michaelhisamoto.com | newrep.org
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Earl T. Kim, Shinta La Jolla Playhouse: Finding Avi -- Choreography/Narrative Design (2022 Without Walls Festival). International: (UK) Book of Days (Arcola Theatre), Macbeth (Shakespeare's Globe), Once in a Lifetime (Battersea Arts Centre); (RUS) Three Sisters (GITIS); (AUS) Cabaret (Queensland Perf. Arts Center), Dante's Inferno (The Old Museum) Merica (MetroArts). US: Botticelli in the Fire (Woolly Mammoth); Medusa Project (Steppenwolf). VO/Interactive: Norio in Ghost of Tsushima (Sony Playstation), Kim Allen in Evolutis Duality (PM Studios), and Voice Director for "Beyond the Story: 10 Year Record of BTS" (Macmillan Audio). Education: M.F.A. in Acting from East 15 Acting School/University of Essex, B.F.A. Contemporary Performance from Naropa University.
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Ryan Nebreja (he/him), Kannushi, Tate Gyoji, Rikishi La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Sama Sama (East West Players), Augustine Machine (Conservatoire National Superior d’Art Dramatique/CNP), Roberto Zucco (CalArts MOD Theatre), Futile Gestures (CalArts, film). Ryan is a San Diego native, LA-based performer with a background in professional breakdance and theatre. In addition to acting, he has performed in the international breakdancing circuit with notable appearances in Red Bull BC One, Freestyle Session Minnesota, Seattle’s Massive Monkey Anniversary, Vegas Shakedown, and Hip-Hop Festival Columbia. M.F.A. California Institute of the Arts.
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David Shih (he/him), Mitsuo La Jolla Playhouse: Tiger Style!. Ma-Yi: ONCE UPON A (korean) TIME, KPOP (Ars Nova), Bike America. Broadway: Life of Pi. Off-Broadway: Will Eno’s Gnit (TFANA), NAATCO’s Henry VI and Awake and Sing! (The Public), Somebody’s Daughter (2ST), Crane Story (Playwrights Realm). Regional: Life of Pi (A.R.T.), Kim’s Convenience (Westport Country Playhouse), The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin (Indiana Rep), The Great Wave (Berkeley Rep). TV: Billions, Hunters, City on a Hill, Iron Fist, The Path, Blindspot, Elementary, Madam Secretary, The Blacklist, Unforgettable. Film: The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Eighth Grade, Saving Face. Voice of Eddie Toh in Grand Theft Auto V. |
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Miller Tai (he/him), Fumio, Boss La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Regional: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (South Coast Repertory); The Emperor’s Nightingale (Lewis Family Playhouse); Amadeus, South Pacific, Anything Goes, Love's Labour's Lost (Utah Shakespeare Festival); Miss Saigon (Music Theatre of Wichita). Television: Mom, Young Sheldon, Friends from College, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Murder in the First. Upcoming Film: V/H/S ’85. Big sumo-sized thanks to Lisa, Ralph, Stephanie, Jennifer, Adrian, the cast and crew, and La Jolla Playhouse.
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Scott Keiji Takeda, Akio La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Regional: The Great Leap (Cygnet Theatre); Valley of the Heart (Mark Taper Forum/El Teatro Campesino); Next to Normal, Mysterious Skin (East West Players); Ching Chong Chinaman (Artists at Play). Film/TV: Huge in France, Grey’s Anatomy, Made for Love, No No Girl, Evergreen, MDMA, Carrie Pilby. Voice of Shimizu in Need for Speed Unbound. Commercials: Allstate, Xfinity, Samsung, Bank of America, Chase. Huge thanks to the cast/crew and everyone at LJP. Love and gratitude to his parents, sister, and wife. We’re doing it! |
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Adam Tran (he/him), Ren La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Regional credits include: Mongrel (Know Theatre of Cincinnati); Million Dollar Quartet (Actors Theatre of Indiana); King Lear (Cincinnati Shakespeare Co); Silent Sky (Summit Performance Indianapolis). Adam would like to thank his wife, Kelsey Leigh Miller, who brings such wisdom and strength to his life. And lastly, he would like to thank his sweet daughter, Nora, who expands his capacity for love daily. The two of you make daily life the dream.
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Viet Vo (he/him), So La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Off-Broadway: Romeo and Bernadette, Fishing for Wives. National Tour: Miss Saigon (Limited). Regional: Vietgone (Alley Theatre, Guthrie Theatre), Gold Mountain, The Musical (Utah Shakespeare Festival); Miss Saigon (Casa Manana); A Christmas Story (The Engeman Theatre). TV/Film: Cupids (Tribeca Film Festival), The Blacklist (NBC), Tales of the City, Manifest (Netflix), Lost (ABC). A Huge Mahalo nui loa Cast and Crew for their continued work and drive.
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Shih-wei Wu 吳士瑋 (he/they), Taiko Drummer and Composer is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and movement artist. With a background in Western Classical music and Japanese folk music, Shih-wei performs and writes music that reflects his Taiwanese and Asian American heritage and the diasporic communities of Los Angeles. Shih-wei’s latest project is Red Eye 2 Tokyo, which has just released their first album, Friends I Have Just Met. Shih-wei also appears on the soundtrack for Netflix's Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles (2022) and is the shakuhachi and shinobue soloist on PS5 exclusive Rise of Ronin (2025).
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Lisa Sanaye Dring, Playwright was a recipient of the PLAY LA Stage Raw/Humanitas Prize. She has been a finalist for the Relentless Award, the Bay Area Playwrights Festival (2x, one honorable mention), the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference and the O'Neill Playwrights Conference. Kaidan Project: Walls Grow Thin, a play she co-wrote with Chelsea Sutton, was nominated for seven Ovation Awards including Best Production (winner of five). Lisa's work has been developed/produced by The New Group, Actors Theatre of Louisville, East West Players, Circle X, SCF @ Son of Semele, Playwrights’ Arena, Rogue Artists Ensemble, The Motor Company and Theatre of NOTE. This season she also has productions with Skylight Theatre and Know Theatre of Cincinnati, and next year Lisa has a rolling world premiere with Rogue Artists Ensemble, Contemporary American Theater Festival and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. She is a Yaddo and MacDowell fellow and was a member of East West Players' and the Geffen's Playwrights Groups. She co-wrote and co-directed Welcome to the Blumhouse Live, which was nominated for an Emmy. lisasanayedring.com
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Ralph B. Peña, Director
is an Obie Award-winning theater-maker based in New York City. Recent directing credits include Lloyd Suh’s The Chinese Lady at The Public Theater, Indiana Rep, Long Wharf Theater, Barrington Stage (Drama Desk, Lortel, NY Outer Critics, CT Critics Circle nominations), Michael Lew’s Tiger Style! at South Coast Repertory, and Daniel K. Isaac’s ONCE UPON A (korean) TIME for Ma-Yi Theater Company, where he is currently Producing Artistic Director. For Ma-Yi he has directed the world premieres of Hansol Jung’s Among the Dead (NYT Critic’s Pick), Michael Lew’s microcrisis, Lloyd Suh’s The Wong Kids (Off Broadway Alliance Best Children’s Play) and Children of Vonderly (both NYT Critic’s Picks). He wrote and directed the short film Vancouver (Cannes World Film Festival, L.A. Indie Festival, NY International Film Award for Best Short and Best Director, 2023 UNIMA Citation of Excellence), and the documentary 20 Years of Asian American Playwriting for PBS/ALL ARTS. |
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Wilson Chin, Scenic Design
La Jolla Playhouse: The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical, Wild Goose Dreams, Kill Local, Hollywood. Broadway: Cost of Living, Pass Over (Drama Desk and Lortel Award nominations), Next Fall. Off-Broadway: A Bright New Boise (Signature), The Thanksgiving Play (Playwrights Horizons), Space Dogs (MCC; Lortel Award nomination), Teenage Dick (Ma-Yi/Public), This Land Was Made (Vineyard). Opera: Turandot (Washington National Opera), Lucia di Lammermoor (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Eine Florentinische Tragödie/Gianni Schicchi (Canadian Opera; Dora Award winner). Film/TV: Pass Over (dir. Spike Lee), “Game Theory with Bomani Jones” (HBO). Eastern Region Board member of Local USA 829. Instagram: @wilsonchindesign |
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Mariko Ohigashi, Costume Design La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Off-Broadway: Romeo and Juliet (Lynn F. Angelson Theater); A Delicate Balance (Connelly Theater); Out of Time (Public Theater); Veil Widow Conspiracy (NYTW Next Door); Vis-à-Vis (NYCB Choreographic Institute); Hanjo (Japan Society). Regional: Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson-Apt 2B (Dorset Theater Festival); Romeo and Juliet (Two River Theater); Williams College Dance Concerts. International: The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro (Rohm Theater Kyoto); Hansel and Gretel (Suntory Hall); The Count of Monte Cristo (Kinokuniya Hall); Lulu (Shinjuku Bunka) and Carmen (Kanagawa Kenmin Hall) with Tokyo Nikikai Opera. Education: M.F.A. from NYU-Tisch, B.A. from UNC-Chapel Hill. marikoohigashi.com
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Paul Whitaker, Lighting Design La Jolla Playhouse: Kill Local, Kingdom City. New York credits include work at The Public Theater, MCC Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Second Stage Theatre, Atlantic Theater Company and others. Regional credits include The Guthrie, The Alley, Yale Repertory Theatre, Denver Center Theater, Geffen Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, La Jolla Playhouse, The Children’s Theatre Company, Long Wharf Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Center Stage, Hartford Stage, Dallas Theater Center, Minnesota Opera, San Diego Opera and others. Paul is a Principal Lighting Designer/Theatre Consultant for Schuler Shook. schulershook.com; paulwhitakerdesigns.com
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Fabian Obispo, Sound Design
La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Off-Broadway: Public Theater’s Sea Wall/A Life and Oedipus El Rey (Hewes nomination); Ma-Yi’s The Chinese Lady (Lucille Lortel nomination), and his musical Felix Starro. Regional credits include Arena Stage’s Agamemnon and His Daughters (Helen Hayes nomination), Alliance Theater’s
Bina’s Six Apples (Suzi Bass nomination) and American
Conservatory Theater’s Imaginary Invalid (Bay Area Critics Circle nomination). Film: Vancouver (best original score, LA Film Festival’s Indie Short Fest Award). TV: 20 Years of Asian American Playwriting (a PBS Documentary, original score). He is also a recipient of the Berkshires Theatre Critics Award and the Barrymore.
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Hana Kim, Projection Design La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Broadway: The Old Man and The Pool, Summer 1976. Off-Broadway/New York: The Harder They Come, Eve's Song, The Visitor – Lucille Lortel Award nomination (Public Theater); Everything Rises (BAM); Magdalene (Prototype Festival). New Music/Opera: L’Orfeo (Santa Fe Opera), Sweet Land (The Industry), The Anonymous Lover (LA Opera). Regional: Geffen Playhouse, OSF, South Coast Rep, Magic Theatre, A.C.T., among others. Awards: Princess Grace Award, Sherwood Award from CTG, Helen Hayes Award, LA Drama Critics Circle Distinguished Achievement Award, among others. hananow.com
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Alberto "Albee" Alvarado, Wig and Hair Design La Jolla Playhouse design credits: The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical, Bhangin’ It, to the yellow house, The Last Tiger in Haiti (makeup design). Favorite LJP Supervisor credits: Lempicka, Fly, Cambodian Rock Band and Side Show. Albee’s additional regional design credits include work for San Diego Opera, San Diego Junior Theatre and, most recently, Transparent (makeup design, Mark Taper Forum). When he is not in the theatre, Albee enjoys creative activities, spending time with his hubby Daniel, Gigi (pup) and “framily.” “I’m here to amplify underrepresented voices because representation matters…YOU matter.”
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Chelsea Pace, Intimacy Staging and Co-Fight Designer La Jolla Playhouse: As You Like It. Broadway: A Strange Loop, Leopoldstadt, KPOP. Off-Broadway: Help, Bundle of Sticks. Select Regional: POTUS (Berkeley Rep); Born with Teeth (Aurora); Bridges of Madison County, Into the Woods, Daphne’s Dive, RENT, Detroit ‘67 (Signature Theatre); Tattooed Lady (Philadelphia Theatre Co.); Fun Home, John Proctor Is the Villian, White Noise (Studio Theatre); Midsummer (Folger); Incendiary, Strange Loop (Woolly Mammoth). Select Film/TV: Drive Away Dolls, League of Their Own, Harlem, RAMY, Mashed, Wu-Tang, Tender Bar. Author of Staging Sex: Best Practices, Tools, and Techniques for Theatrical Intimacy. Founder of Theatrical Intimacy Education. chelseapace.com @professorpace
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James Yaegashi, Cultural/Martial Arts Consultant and Co-Fight Director Born in Yokohama and raised in rural Yamagata, Japan, sumo was a fabric of life growing up. The love of sumo played a big part in his becoming a martial artist with over 20 years of practice and a black belt in both judo and aikido. Acting credits include original roles on Broadway (Breakfast at Tiffany’s, A Naked Girl on the Appian Way, original cast of Take Me Out) and Off-Broadway (NYSF/The Public, LCT, Ma-Yi, Signature Theatre, The Civilians, TFANA), as well as film & TV (Robert Minoru on Marvel’s Runaways, Mech Cadets, The Calling, Poker Face, The Blacklist, New Amsterdam, Madame Secretary, Man on a Ledge, etc.). James has also directed for Sea Dog Theater, the Asian American Writers Workshop, Ma-Yi Studios and the 52nd St. Project.
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Alice Tuan, Dramaturg is a nationally-acclaimed, internationally-produced playwright, teacher, performer and dramaturg. She is a Playwright Associate at East West Players and facilitates its monthly Playwright Group, where Lisa Sanaye Dring first generated the raw draft of SUMO and Inda Craig-Galván wrote The Great Jheri Curl Debate, produced by East West Players in 2022. Tuan's play Last of the Suns (Berkeley Rep, Ma-Yi Theater) had a bilingual Chinese-English version performed by the Chinese International School in Hong Kong in March 2019. Almasi Collaborative Arts also staged a reading with an African cast in Zimbabwe in July 2019. Tuan is best known for Ajax (por nobody) (Flea Theater, Salvage Vanguard, Melbourne Fringe, Toronto’s SummerWorks) which, along with four of her other plays, is archived in the Billy Rose Collection at Lincoln Center in NY. Her new play The Buckle Sisters will be workshopped in December 2023 at Boston Court Theater. Before theatre, Tuan taught English as a Second Language in Guangzhou and Los Angeles.
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TBD Casting Co.; Stephanie Yankwitt, C.S.A., Casting Theatre highlights include The Coast Starlight by Keith Bunin at La Jolla Playhouse, Zora Howard's Stew at Page 73 Productions and Jackie Sibblies Drury's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Fairview for Soho Rep. Currently, their work is represented in NYC with a production of Will Eno's GNIT at Theatre for a New Audience, as well as an Off-Broadway production of Mrs. Warren's Profession. Upcoming work includes a podcast of original short plays for the Broadway Podcast Network. Stephanie and Margaret are both CSA Members who sit on the Equity in Entertainment Committee.
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Marie Jahelka, Production Stage Manager La Jolla Playhouse: Put Your House in Order, Hollywood, Ether Dome. Other regional credits include: The Inheritance (Geffen Playhouse); The XIXth, The Taming of the Shrew, Shutter Sisters, The Underpants, Native Gardens, The Wanderers, Red Velvet (The Old Globe); Once on This Island (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); A Chorus Line (Moonlight Stage Productions); The Humans, Aubergine, Evita and Violet (San Diego Repertory Theatre); The Last Five Years, HIR, Shakespeare’s R&J, Mistakes Were Made (Cygnet Theatre); Hairspray, The Full Monty (San Diego Musical Theatre). She received her B.A. in Theatre Arts from University of San Diego.
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Kira Vine* (she/her), Assistant Stage Manager La Jolla Playhouse: Pick Me Last, The Luckiest, Love All. Regional: The Gardens of Anuncia, Ebenezer Scrooge’s Big San Diego Christmas Show, Noura, Native Gardens (The Old Globe); A Christmas Carol (American Conservatory Theatre); The Great Khan, Actually, Aubergine (San Diego REP); Hedwig & the Angry Inch, Homos: Or, Everyone in America (Diversionary Theatre); Cabaret (Cygnet Theatre); Bottle Shock: A New Musical, Ain’t Misbehavin’ (CA Center for the Arts); Bliss: Or, Emily Post Is Dead (MOXIE Theatre); Seven Spots on the Sun (InnerMission Productions); Agent 355 (Chautauqua Theatre Company).
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Ma-Yi Theater Company Founded in 1989, Ma-Yi Theater Company is a Drama Desk, Lortel, and Obie Award-winning, Off-Broadway not-for-profit organization whose primary mission is to develop and produce new and innovative plays by Asian American writers. Its numerous acclaimed productions include Mike Lew’s Teenage Dick and Bike America, Qui Nguyen's The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G and Soul Samurai, Hansol Jung’s Among The Dead. Other productions include: ONCE UPON A (korean) TIME by Daniel K. Isaac, Rescue Me by Michi Barall, Lloyd Suh's The Chinese Lady. The Ma-Yi Writers Lab, the company’s signature program, is the largest resident company of Asian American playwrights in the country. Ma-Yi’s productions have earned 10 Obie Awards, The Ross Wetzsteon Award, 6 Drama Desk nominations, and Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Play, to name just a few.
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