BOSTON, MA — CHUANG Stage, Boston’s Asian American theatre company, is proud to present the world premiere of Nüwa in Fairyland, a new play by playwright Brandon Zang. This highly anticipated production will take the stage in the Black Box Theatre at Boston Center for the Arts from May 23rd to June 1st.
Nüwa in Fairyland introduces us to Benji, a Chinese transracial adoptee, whose life takes a magical turn when he is cast as Puck in his high school’s production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Deep into his method-acting preparation, Benji unexpectedly encounters Nüwa, the Chinese goddess of creation, in the mystical foggy forest of Shakespeare's world. This encounter takes Benji on an extraordinary adventure that blends Shakespeare's classics with Chinese folklore to find the realities of the Asian American diasporic experience.
Brandon Zang, the playwright, describes Nüwa in Fairyland as "a love letter to theater, the diaspora, and the eternal quest for home.” Brandon adds: “Created from folklore, stories of transracial adoptees, and my own lived experience, this bilingual play is at its core a coming-of-age story that confronts the most complicated relationships that cannot be described with language. I hope audiences will bring an open mind and leave with a full heart!"
Directed by local bilingual theatre visionary Carla Mirabal Rodríguez, Nüwa in Fairyland will unfold this spring as a heartfelt chronicle for all, exploring themes of identity, culture, and language diversity on stage. "I love plays that go beyond the scope of our own world," says Carla. "Brandon has created a world that combines the reality of high school with the wondrous world of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Chinese folklore. There is magic in this play, in the characters, in the setting, in the language, in the relationships. Bi-lingual theatre is transformative, and I'm excited for audiences to take this journey with us."
CHUANG Stage is the current Launchpad Theatre Resident at Boston Center for the Arts, committed to fostering joyful and radical stories that transform the narrative of Asian Americans in the city of Boston and beyond. Executive Director Alison Yueming Qu shares: “Boston local creatives, the next generation of poignant Asian American voices, and works that celebrate the translingual lived experiences are the heart of CHUANG Stage. We are deeply excited and honored to present Nüwa in Fairyland for its first staged production in Boston and kick-start community dialogues on a more just future in Asian American stories.”
Nüwa in Fairyland, written by Brandon Zang and directed by Carla Mirabal Rodríguez. Produced by CHAUNG Stage. Venue: Boston Center for the Arts, BCA Black Box Theatre, 539 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116. For more information, please visit www.chuangstage.org. Tickets are pay-as-you-are, starting at $0! (Suggested Price: $25).
About CHUANG Stage
Founded in 2018, CHUANG Stage is Boston’s Asian American theatre company, cultivating joyful and radical pan-Asian stories that pioneer translingual activism in the arts. CHUANG Stage envisions a future in the American theatre moved forward by theatre artists and audiences of Asian descent through innovative productions that focus on the diverse language needs of the pan-Asian immigrant community. For more information, please visit chuangstage.org.
About BCA Launchpad Residency
Launchpad is a 3-year residency that supports Boston-based theater ensembles or companies in the early stages of development by providing space, mentorship, and support in growing their audiences and impact. Resources are designed to meet the needs of the company and include access to rehearsal and performance spaces, mentorship, administrative and production support, marketing, and a platform for producing and performing innovative new work. This program seeks to promote groups who are actively taking artistic risks, exploring multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary creativity, and challenging audiences.
About Boston Center for the Arts
Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) supports working artists to create, perform, and exhibit new works; develops new audiences; and connects the arts to community, and has for over five decades engaged the creative community for public good. While the organization’s physical residence is in the historic South End, BCA touches every part of Boston’s cultural ecosystem. A leading force in the city’s cultural community, BCA has supported thousands of individual artists, small organizations, and performing arts companies, who add depth and dimension to the Boston arts ethos. Through residencies and programming, BCA serves as an epicenter for an expanding cohort of artists working across all disciplines, and has catalyzed careers by providing fertile ground for experimentation and artistic risk-taking. To learn more about Boston Center for the Arts, visit bostonarts.org.
