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Chay Yew

CHAY YEW

  
Nationality:    USA
facebook     email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    The Gersh Agency  

His work has been produced by the New York Shakespeare Festival's Public Theater, Royal Court Theatre (London), Long Wharf Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, La Jolla Playhouse, Intiman Theatre, Portland Center Stage, East West Players, Dallas Theater Center, Cornerstone Theatre Company, the Group Theatre, and TheatreWorks (Singapore), to name a few. He is the recipient of the London Fringe Award, George and Elisabeth Marton Playwriting Award, GLAAD Media Award, APGF Community Visibility Award, Drama-Logue Award, and the Robert Chesley Award, among many other honors and grants. Mr. Yew has produced the Mark Taper Forum's Taper, Too season from 2000 to the present. A member of New Dramatists and the Dramatists Guild, he is concurrently the Director of the Asian Theatre Workshop at the Taper and the Artistic Director of Northwest Asian American Theatre/the Black Box in Seattle.
- http://www.aatrevue.com

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below is a list of Chay Yew's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Ameriville         As If He Hears         Beautiful Country         Blow         Distant Shore, A         Half-Lives         Here and Now         House of Bernarda Alba, The         Language Of their Own         Long Season, The         Malaya         Neon Mirage         Porcelain         Question 27, Question 28         Red         Second Skin         Snapshot         White         Winter People, A         Wonderland
Ameriville

Synopsis:
This thrilling exploration of the American experience prowls the dark corners of our contemporary landscape, peering through the lens of Hurricane Katrina to ask "if it happened again, would we be ready?" A brilliantly theatrical evening infused with the rhythms of hip-hop, Ameriville is a passionate and hopeful vision of a community's responsibility to one another amidst a nation in turmoil

Notes:
by Universes. developed with And directed by Chay Yew

1st Produced:

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
piece

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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As If He Hears

Synopsis:
His earliest play..banned by the Singapore government in 1988.
- http://www.aatrevue.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-     1999

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Beautiful Country

Synopsis:
Immigrant to the United States, drag queen Miss Visa Denied tells of Asian-American experiences over the last 160 years. Such as the internment of Japanese-Americans during the Second World War and the plight of Filipino workers now
- http://www.aatrevue.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Hyphenated America Grove Press,    

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama. - - Gay, theme/character full length

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Blow

Synopsis:
A young Hmong man in America feels alienated. America is not like "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". And he is gay too

Notes:
Performed as part of The Unity Fest Program

1st Produced:
Bank Street Theatre, New York     01 Dec 2001

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Gay one act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Distant Shore, A

Synopsis:
In the stifling jungles of Southeast Asia, two lives are forever entwined, destined to play out life rituals while constrained by culture and colonialism. We first see a pair in the 1920's, a place of rubber plantations and rebel insurgencies, and another 80 years later in the same city, now independent and metropolitan. Are these lovers destined to repeat their histories or will they break the cycle this time around? Love seems to be the only constant. An erotic and poetic play about globalism, fate and passion.
- http://www.aatrevue.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Kirk Douglas Theatre     2005

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Half-Lives

Synopsis:
Part of the triology on the gay Asian experience (with Porcelain and A Language of their Own)
- http://www.aatrevue.com

Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Here and Now

Synopsis:
A couple in their twilight years relives an entire relationship, full of youth, possibility, secrets, disappointments, and enduring connection. This piece is part ofSnapshot, an anthology of short plays. To perform this piece independently, click "Add to Shopping Cart" above. To perform this piece as part of the full-length collection, go to Snapshot.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Actors Theatre Of Louisville (Louisville, Ky, United States)     2002

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
3-7 min Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  1 male, 1 female (1-2 actors possible: exactly 1 male, 0-1 females)

Further Reference:
-

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House of Bernarda Alba, The

Synopsis:
Five desperate daughters struggle under their mother's domination as an all-Asian cast brings new energy to FredErico Garcia Lorca's the House of Bernarda Alba as adapted by Chay Yew.
- http://www.aatrevue.com

Notes:
Original Playwright - Federico Garcia Lorca

1st Produced:
Naatco     2002

Organisations:
National Asian American Theatre Company

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  cast of 9

Further Reference:
-

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Language Of their Own

Language Of their Own
When he is diagnosed as HIV+, Oscar tells his live in lover of four years Ming to leave, even though they are still in love with each other. Ming meets and moves in with Robert but because of his past ties he tries to sabotage this new relationship by sleeping around and beating Robert - which drives Robert away. It is only with the death of Oscar that things may sort themselves out.
- http://www.aatrevue.com

Notes:
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1st Produced:
New York Shakespeare Festival     1995

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
In: Two Plays By Chay Yew, Grove Press,    

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama. - - Gay, full length

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Long Season, The

Synopsis:
the Long Season begins in 1930's Seattle, where a young Filipino named Allos has left his love and country behind in order follow his dream of attaining riches in the United States. He has signed a contract with a cannery in Ketchikan, and leaves immediately for Alaska. His vows of love are tested as he finds comfort in the bed and poetry of the foreman's wife, and as the cannery explodes in conflict, he must decide whether he is willing to put his life on the line for his dreams.
- http://www.aatrevue.com

Notes:
Music by Fabian Obispo; lyrics by Chay Yew; book by Chay Yew

1st Produced:
Perserverance Theatre     2005

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Malaya

Synopsis:
In South East Asia's Colonial Malaya during the 1920's three individuals play out their destiny. Fast-forwarding to the present, the same city is now urban and fiercely independent. But will these three new lives repeat the same cycle or break away from it? Fate, love, politics, and culture collide in this new play inspired by FedErico Garcia Lorca's Blood Wedding.
- http://www.aatrevue.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Seattle Repertory Theatre     2003

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Neon Mirage

Synopsis:
38 million people visit Las Vegas every year for the glitz, the tits and the gold. But what's it like to live and work in America's Disneyland for grown-ups? Could you tell what's real and what's just a mirage?

Notes:
written by Liz Duffy Adams, Dan Dietz, Julie Jenson, Lisa Kron, Tracey Scott Wilson And Chay Yew, Music And Lyrics by Rick Hip Flores. Venue 5: Henry Street Settlement - Harry de Jur Playhouse

1st Produced:

Organisations:
the 2006 Apprentice Company from Actors Theatre of Louisville

1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy Musical Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  Various

Further Reference:
-

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Porcelain

Porcelain
A crime of passion. John Lee kills his lover Will in a public toilet in Bethnal Green, East London. the story is told in flash backs and the preparation of a Channel Four television documentary.
- http://www.aatrevue.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
In: Two Plays By Chay Yew, Grove Press,    

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama. - - Gay, full length

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Question 27, Question 28

Question 27, Question 28
A story of the struggles, plights and courage of Japanese American female detainees of the American internment camps of WWII. Chay Yew drew from the special archives of the Japanese American National Museum to create a documentary theater project based on the testimonials, transcripts, documents and interviews with Japanese American female internees living in California during World War II.
- http://www.aatrevue.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Asian American Theatre Company, San Francisco, California     2003

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in Version 3.0: Contemporary Asian American Plays, Theatre Communications Group (2 Aug 2011)   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Red

Synopsis:
When Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution sweeps through China the Beijing Opera comes under threat.
- http://www.aatrevue.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Intiman Theater,|Seattle     1998

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Hyphenated America Grove Press,    

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama. - - Gay, full length

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Second Skin

Synopsis:
What does it mean to be Asian American in a post-Sept. 11 America?
- http://www.aatrevue.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Dad's Garage     2004

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Snapshot

Synopsis:
A photograph captures and documents a single moment in time and space -- a snapshot of history, of a reality bounded by the photo's frame. But what lies outside, beyond, behind the photograph? And what stories, memories, or associations does an image of place inspire? In this multi-writer project from Actors theatre of Louisville, a diverse assortment of talented playwrights encounter and transform Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, 1969, a compelling image of the monument by renowned photographer Lee Friedlander. their thought-provoking scenes and monologues range from delightful comedy to utterly serious tragedy, each approaching the photo's themes through a new lens. To perform the entire collection, click "Add to Shopping Cart" above. To perform an individual piece independently, click on its title below:

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Actors Theatre Of Louisville (Louisville, Ky, United States)     2002

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
80-100 min Drama/Comedy

Parts:
Male:  11            Female:  11            Other:  11 males, 11 females (4-25 actors possible: 2-15 males, 2-15 females)

Further Reference:
-

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White

Synopsis:
An older man at a bath house is upset he is no longer attractive to the younger clientele

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Bank Street Theatre, New York     2001

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
One act. - - Gay, one act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Winter People, A

Synopsis:
An adaptation of the Cherry Orchard that cleverly folds in pieces of Anton Chekhov's other masterworks to tell this ever-timely story. A middle-aged chanteuse, Madam Xia, returns from San Francisco in the spring of 1935 to her family estate in the heartland of China during the last days of the Nationalist Government. A portrait of the challenges of a family in transition, A Winter People is a poetic, haunting play.
- http://www.aatrevue.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Was The Morning People; Singapore     2002

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Wonderland

Synopsis:
A gay son and his parents struggle to get on in America

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Playhouse, La Jolla, Ca     1999

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Hyphenated America Grove Press,    

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama. - - Gay, full length

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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