The National Asian Artists Project (NAAP) will present its Discover: New Musicals program later this month!
This year, Discover will showcase three new short or one-act musicals by emerging AAPI writers, composers, performers, and creatives. Being held June 23 at 7:30 PM at Theatre 315, tickets are available for purchase .
NAAP was co-founded by Baayork Lee, Steven Eng, and Nina Zoie Lam. The project is a community of AAPI artists, educators, administrators, community leaders, and professionals, who recognize the need to build bridges between the work of artists of Asian descent, and the many communities that the work can serve. NAAP鈥檚 work extends through four core programs: Discover, their showcase of new musicals; Rediscover, for revivals of classic American musicals re鈥揺nvisioned with an all-Asian cast; Broadway Community Chorus, a chorus comprising professionals and emerging artists; and educational programming including Theater Club, a partnership with P.S. 124鈥攁 local NYC elementary school.
The first of this year's offerings will be Death & Taxes, which features music by Brooke Trumm and a book and lyrics by Clare Fuyuko Bierman. Directed by Cassey Kikuchi Kivnick, the presentation will feature music direction by Minhui Lee, and performances by Kat Capili, Isabella Paragas, and Siobahn Sung. Set in 18th-century France, a noblewoman, a philanthropist, and a goat farmer turn a political conversation over brunch into something much deadlier.
The Pearl Of The East, which features a book, music, and lyrics by Zonia Tsang will be directed by Austin Ku. Featuring music direction by Yan Li, the presentation will star Jennifer Duka, Lydia Gaston, and Kyanna Villaruel. Set in 2019 during the protests in Hong Kong, a 70-year-old grandmother tells the story of her journey illegally immigrating to Hong Kong on a boat with her family during the Cultural Revolution in the '60s.
Finally, the program will showcase Where We Are: A Song Cycle, which features a book, music, and lyrics by Rae Covey, will be directed by Brian Jose, with music direction by Ruiran Xun. The presentation will star Teresa Attridge, Danny Bae, Elaine Baez, Jenelle Catherina, Christine Toy Johnson, Kennedy Kanagawa, Cole Hong Sisser, Drew Tanabe, Vikas Venu, and James Wong. Where We Are is inspired by a collection of maps curated by the Hand Drawn Map Association. From a set of directions given to a father en route to his child鈥檚 first college drop off, to a chart of all the freckles, moles, and scars on a woman鈥檚 body throughout the course of a lifetime, the piece is a cycle centering on themes of being where and who you are, from moment to moment.
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