Ma-Yi Theater Company in Partnership with Second Generations Productions presents three workshops presentations taking place at Houghton Hall Arts Center in the Fred and Adele Astaire Ballroom, located at 22 E 30th St, New York, NY 10016 this May 23rd, 24th, and 25th at 2:00 PM
X#*1 You Very Much, MOM
Friday May 23rd, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Written By David Lee Huynh
Directed By Nana Dakin
Theatre meets TED Talk meets dark family secrets. Writer and performer Đavid Lee Huỳnh shares how the effects of French colonialism shaped Vietnam, rippled out, and made it so #%@#ing hard for his mom to say “I love you.” This developing solo show is taking place on May 23 at 2pm, and is told with whimsy, sardonic humor, and heart.
Waitlist Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdPCbGRcSahQdB14YTO5D6LndQnAqT_S5qTavvCa0cncBISSA/viewform
Kairos
Saturday may 24th, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Written By Lisa Sanaye Dring
Driected By Eric Ting
Two people fall in love during a tectonic shift in society. Their nascent relationship is tested by the advent of Prometheus, a procedure that grants immortality to a select few. What happens to love when linear time breaks open? This presentation will take place on May 24 at 2pm. The cast includes Grantham Coleman, Maureen Sebastian, Keith Randolph Smith, and Ching Valdes-Aran.
Waitlist Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSceq8oYHHM9MLX0HgQ9uZ_MCVi7pEDAlCq5cZczF2BVQ5z26A/viewform
Jesa
Sunday May 25th, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Writeen By Jeena Yi
Directed By Mei Ann Teo
The four Lee sisters are gathering to perform Jesa, the traditional Korean ritual of honoring your dead ancestors. If only they can remember how this sacred family ritual goes… This is the first year the sisters must perform the ritual without their looming matriarch. Past grievances are dredged up, secrets revealed, and the rice wine is flowing as the sisters navigate moving forward without letting their past haunt them. This presentation will take place on May 25 at 2pm. The cast includes Michele Selene Ang, Deborah S. Craig, Jully Lee, and Shannon Tyo.
Waitlist Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScd_pkL-VwEDGIXaw5qe9sfPBXs5DM4WzwvIwNCYWx_Jkh6Ug/viewform
These workshops are supported by funds from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs.
Playwright of X#*1 You Very Much, MOM
Đavid Lee Huỳnh is a Ragin’ Cajun Asian who went from working on his family’s shrimp boat to making Theatre all over the world. Onstage, he’s trod the boards in one of the rare American productions of a Shakespeare play to transfer to the United Kingdom (The Merchant of Venice, Royal Lyceum Theatre) and has worked with Theatre for a New Audience, Classic Stage Company, Ma-Yi Theatre Company, NAATCO, Yale Repertory, the Alley Theatre, and many others. On-camera, his work includes an eclectic range of credits from crime drama (FBI, Blue Bloods) to science fiction (Solitary) to high fantasy (Encounter Party). His work as a writer has been supported by Yangtze Repertory Theatre of America, HB Studios, Second Generation Productions, Ma-Yi Theater, Ozark Living Newspaper Theatre Co., and others. He is a professor in the Randolph College MFA Theatre Arts program as well as a co-founder and artistic producing leader of The Sống Collective.
Playwright of Kairos
Lisa Sanaye Dring’s play SUMO recently received its New York premiere with Ma-Yi and The Public. It was nominated for 5 Lucille Lortel Awards, including Outstanding New Play, and is currently nominated for 3 Drama Desk Awards. Lisa was the 2024 Tow Foundation Writer-in-Residence with Ma-Yi. She won an Edgerton Award, a Broadway World Award for Best New Play and a Stage Raw/Humanitas Prize. They have been a finalist for the Relentless Award, the O’Neill Playwrights’ Conference (2x) and the Bay Area Playwrights’ Festival (2x, one honorable mention). She received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Interactive Programming for a piece she co-wrote and co-directed called Welcome to the Blumhouse Live. Lisa lives in Brooklyn with her little dog, Ponyo.
Playwright of Jesa
Jeena Yi is an actor, playwright, and avid baker. Born and raised in Los Angeles she now calls New York City home. As an actor she has worked on and off Broadway, as well as appearances in film & television. Notable credits include Network (Broadway), Succession (HBO), Only Murders in the Building (Hulu), and Nyad (Netflix) She is immensely proud that her play Jesa will have its world premiere with Ma-Yi Theater company next spring at The Public Theater.