Show Information


October 11 - November 6
Upperstage
Tickets start at $25

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About the Play


The Chinese Lady
by Lloyd Suh
October 11 – November 6, 2022
Upperstage
 

Special Programming
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Preshow Chats
 

Before every Signature Six performance, patrons can enjoy a Pre-Show Chat hosted by IRT staff and artists. Pre-Show Chats begin 45 minutes prior to the scheduled performance and last 20 minutes. 
 



OPENING NIGHT

Friday, October 14, 2022 | Performance at 7:30 PM

Raise a glass and cheers to the cast and crew at IRT’s Opening Night! After the show, delight in a champagne toast and a one-time-only chance to explore the set with IRT Artisans (masks required onstage).
 



COMMUNITY CONVERSATION: Afong Moy: Past and Present

Saturday, October 22, 2022 | Following the 5 PM performance of The Chinese Lady

Please join us for a post-show conversation about The Chinese Lady moderated by Dr. Melissa Borja, co-chair of the Indiana Chapter of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum and professor of Asian American studies and a historian of migration, religion, race, and politics. Panelists include Rupal Thanawala, President of Asian American Alliance Inc.  and CEO of Trident Systems, and Dr. Su-Mei Ooi, Director of Academic Affairs for DEI, faculty director of Butler in Asia Program, and Associate Professor of Political Science at Butler University.

The Chinese Lady explores the perspective of the most famous Asian woman in America in the 19th century. How does Afong Moy's story compare with the experiences of Asian American women today?
 



ASL/AD PERFORMANCE | TALK BACK

Sunday, October 23, 2022 | Talk Back following the 2 PM performance

The IRT offers ASL/AD services to our patrons with vision and hearing needs. Patrons with hearing needs are encouraged to sit in the interpretation zone and meet with the interpreter before the show. We also offer Assisted Listening Devices free of charge at each performance. To learn more visit irtlive.com/accessibility.

Join IRT staff and cast immediately after the performance for a post-show discussion that covers a variety of interesting topics related to the show. Post-show discussions typically last for 20 minutes.
 



Community Conversation: The Asian American Hoosier Experience

Tuesday, November 1, 2022 | Following the 6:30 PM performance of The Chinese Lady

Please join us for a post-show conversation about The Chinese Lady moderated by Lateva Woolfork, IRT Community Ambassador and Founder of SoCo PR and Co-Founder of Create.Connect.Collab. Hear from panelists Katherin Chi, Senior Director of Operations and Development at RISE Indy and member of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum Indiana Chapter, and Ellie Sisler, Creative Design Manager at OneAmerica Financial Partners, Owner of Ellie+Olive Cakes and Board Member of Asian American Alliance. How does the world of Afong Moy relate to the experience of Asian American Hoosiers today?
 



TALK BACK

Saturday, November 5, 2022 | Following the 4 PM performance

Join IRT staff and cast immediately after the performance for a post-show discussion that covers a variety of interesting topics related to the show. Post-show discussions typically last for 20 minutes.


piercing & poetic portrait

In 1834, 14-year-old Afong Moy was the first Chinese woman to come to America. She spent her life traveling across the country as a living exhibition for a paying public, who were mesmerized by her exotic ways and unnerved by her bound feet. Inspired by a true story, this critically acclaimed play unearths hidden history as a displaced woman and a young nation struggle with how to define themselves.

*Part of IRT's INclusion Series: Celebrating Diverse Storytelling

APPROXIMATE RUN TIME: 1 hour and 30 minutes

The Chinese Lady contains fog and artificial cigarettes. The play also includes descriptions of violence against Asian Americans. Recommended for patrons 8th grade and above.

read the study guide

 

Decolonizing The Chinese Lady–A Panel Discussion
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Decolonizing The Chinese Lady

Nancy E. Davis, Author of The Chinese Lady, Oxford Press, and John Kuo Wei Tchen, Clement A. Price Professor of Public History & Humanities at Rutgers University, give an in-depth look at the political and social climate surrounding Afong Moy's arrival in the United States in 1834, as the first Chinese woman to step foot in this country.

Click here to view this discussion

Credits:
Nancy E. Davis
John Kuo Wei Tchen
Curated by Nancy Bulalacao
Edited by Ken Leung
Produced by Ma-Yi Theater Company with The Public Theater

Afong Moy: Imagined vs. Reality–A Panel Discussion
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Afong Moy: Imagined vs. Reality

In this special panel conversation, Josephine Lee, Professor of English and Asian American Studies at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and the editor in chief of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Asian American Literature and Culture, speaks with Nancy Davis, author of The Chinese Lady, Oxford Press, about her 20-year research for her book The Chinese Lady. They discuss the differences between the imagined world of the play, and what actually happened to Afong Moy.

Click here to view this discussion

Credits:
Nancy E. Davis
Josephine Lee
Curated by Nancy Bulalacao
Edited by Ken Leung
Produced by Ma-Yi Theater Company with The Public Theater

Multimedia


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Video: The Chinese Lady Promo Video

Cast Members


Mi Kang
MI KANG
Afong Moy
Trieu Tran
TRIEU TRAN
Atung

Creative Team


Lloyd Suh
LLOYD SUH
Playwright 
Ralph B. Peña
RALPH B. PEÑA
Director
Junghyun Georgia Lee
JUNGHYUN GEORGIA LEE
Scenic Designer
Linda Cho
LINDA CHO
Costume Designer
Oliver Wason
OLIVER WASON
Lighting Designer
Fabian Obispo
FABIAN OBISPO
Composer
Richard J Roberts
RICHARD J ROBERTS
Dramaturg
Matt Shives
MATT SHIVES
Stage Manager

Sponsors