Immigrant journey project

**IMMIGRANT JOURNEY PROJECT**

by CHAT, Hmong Elders Center, SOY, Wilder, and WISE
facilitated by **MASANARI KAWAHARA**
directed by **RANDY REYES**
August 4 -20, 2017

Created by Center for Hmong Arts and Talent (CHAT), Hmong Elders Center, Shades of Yellow (SOY), Wilder, and Women’s Initiative for Self Empowerment (WISE) and facilitated by renowned puppet artist Masanari Kawahara, Immigrant Journey Project, directed by Randy Reyes, explores the 21st-century immigrant experience using puppetry, movement, and masks. In this devised work, community members will perform original stories alongside theatre professionals.

GENERAL INFORMATION

DATES

August 4 -20, 2017

VENUE INFO

IMMIGRANT JOURNEY PROJECT will take place at Steppingstone Theatre, located at 55 N Victoria St, St Paul, MN 55104

BECOME A PLAYMAKER

Donate $20 or more when you purchase a ticket and become a playmaker. Ticket sales only cover a third of actual production costs. Playmakers help make strong performances possible by helping to cover the real cost of a play.

CAST

KATIE
BRADLEY

ERIC
SHARP

SARAH
OCHS

PHASOUA
VANG

XENA
LEE

PA LEE
THAO

PA
CHANG

CHER PAO
VANG

SHERMAN
HER

KHIN
OO

ANTA
THOSAENGSIRI

TIWONGE
KAFERA

LYA
XIONG

PRODUCTION TEAM

RANDY
REYES

Director

CASSEY
KIVNICK

Assistant Director

KYLE
LEGACION

Music Director

AMY
ABRIGO

Stage Manager

MING
MONTGOMERY

Assistant Stage Manager

SARAH
BRANDNER

Scenic Designer

STACEY
PALMER

Costume Designer

MIKE
WANGEN

Lighting Designer

MASANARI
KAWAHARA

Properties Designer

THELMORE
JACKSON

Technical Director

MAY
LEE-YANG

Cultural Consultant

PHOTOS

MEET THE PUPPET MASTER

Masanari Kawahara is a performer, educator and Butoh practitioner who incorporates puppetry, mask and movement into his work. His latest work as a performer/writer/designer was a solo performance piece Little Boy, commissioned and developed by Pangea World Theater’s Alternate Vision series, performed in fall 2014 at Pillsbury House Theatre. He was a company member of In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre (HOBT) from 1998 to 2009. At HOBT, Masanari collaborated on numerous productions such as his latest production with HOBT is The Story of Crow Boy (2016). He also created, A Path Home: A Story of Thich Nhat Hanh (2009) which was chosen as outstanding puppetry by Lavender. He was the co-creator and designer of GOTAMA: Journey to the Buddha (2006), recognized by City Pages as one of the ten great sets/scenic designs of the year. Masanari Kawahara is a Playwrights’ Center McKnight Theater Artist Fellow (2010-2011).