Monday, September 14. 2009Theatre is Alive in New York - Thunder Above, Deeps Below While some may claim that the theatre is dead I want to tell you all that it's alive and well in New York. Last Friday I had the pleasure of kick-starting my weekend with the best theatre I've seen in a long time. In Thunder Above, Deeps Below, playwright A. Rey Pamatmat tells the story of three homeless kids living on the streets of Chicago. He combines themes of gender and sexuality with classic themes of human survival and belief in the supernatural that take you through a full range of human emotion. I was thrilled, disturbed and exhausted when I left the performance. Now that's good theatre. Since the A. Rey (aka Big Mouth) is a contributing editor to Big Queer (and a close friend) don't take my word for it alone. Daniel John Kelly's spot on review of the play over at NY Theatre.com states: "Inspired by the late romances of Shakespeare, playwright A. Rey Pamatmat has created a wondrous magical adventure with Thunder Above, Deeps Below. It's large, loud, and complex—at times deeply funny, at times deeply disturbing. The play does credit to its classical roots while telling a story with real human characters that are entirely contemporary. Throughout the play, I found myself leaning forward in my seat, a huge smile on my face, totally immersed in the fantastical and yet heart-wrenching reality of the world of Thunder Above, Deeps Below."I saw a staged reading of the play at the 2008 Eugene Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference and was bowled over by it. Now in this world premier production, I am reminded how thrilling the theatre can be when you combine the talent of a brilliant writer with a super director and great cast. Do not wait to get tickets as it runs only to September 26, 2009. Click your mouses over to Second Generation reserve your tickets and get ready for some intense theatre. Tuesday, September 1. 2009
This post from one of our most dedicated contributors marks a departure from our stated editorial focus so let us know what you think. If you want to to read more arts, entertainment, or travel posts of a general nature without a queer slant please let us know by posting a comment below.
 Production stills from left to right: Carmen, Tosca, Les Contes d’Hoffmann & Hamlet The Metropolitan Opera’s 2009-10 season is anything if not eclectic, representing a judicious mix of old warhorses and operatic rarities. The new season will feature eight new productions – four of which are being billed as "company premieres" – and 18 revivals. Among the "tried and true" are new productions of two of the most popular operas in the repertoire: Bizet’s Carmen and Puccini’s Tosca. From the French repertoire, the Met will be offering new productions of Jacques Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann) and Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet, the latter based (somewhat loosely) on the Shakespeare play of that name. But perhaps most interesting to veteran operagoers will be the four new productions of operas never before heard at the Met: Rossini’s Armida, Verdi’s Attila, Janáček’s From the House of the Dead, and Shostakovich’s The Nose – all of which deserve the appellation "rarity." Continue reading "" Thursday, July 9. 2009The Brian Lehrer Show, the Stonewall riots & transgender rights I listen to the Brian Lehrer Show almost every morning on WNYC (the New York City affiliate of National Public Radio) and I'm a huge fan of Brian's, so I was excited to get a call from one of his producers inviting me to the Greene Space on June 23 to participate in a panel discussion with a live audience on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots and the future of the LGBT movement (From Stonewall to Gay Marriage, 6/23/09). Because there were so many people on the panel, I only managed to get in three sentences during the whole segment. But Brian had me back on the show for a solo appearance on June 26 to talk about transgender rights (Follow-Up Friday: Transgender Rights and Cell Phones and Planes, 6/26/09). In the course of the 20-minute interview, I took the opportunity to talk about the need for enactment of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) as well as the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) -- both of which are pending in the exceptionally dysfunctional New York State Senate. In addition to pending state legislation, Brian and I discussed local issues, including the failure of the openly lesbian New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to support a progressive and LGBT-inclusive legislative agenda in the City Council.Chris Quinn represents the 3rd Council district, which includes Greenwich Village and Chelsea. Quinn is facing a strong challenge by another 'out' lesbian, community activist Yetta Kurland. More about that race later. Thursday, April 2. 2009Still Relevant: MTV and Bill Clinton Yesterday, former President Bill Clinton introduced the premiere of MTV's new feature film Pedro, a biopic about Pedro Zamora, one of The Real World's most memorable cast members. In his Reuters blog entry "Pedro's Story Still Relevant Today" yesterday, Clinton commented on Zamora's impact: "For the first time, viewers saw an openly gay, HIV-positive young person on national television. As we followed his story each week, Pedro humanized the growing epidemic, reducing our ignorance and fears and increasing our determination to act. By living bravely and allowing MTV to show his story, Pedro set an extraordinary example of what a tremendous impact a single person can make in our world." MTV used the latest season of its flagship reality series to screen Pedro for preview audiences last fall. The cast of The Real World: Brooklyn, the season finale of which also aired last night, helped organize and promote a screening at New York's Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. One of the cast members on the Brooklyn installment of the series was Katelynn, a 24-year-old, recently post-op transgendered woman from West Palm Beach, Florida who piqued the interest of her housemates, including a straight Iraq War veteran who quizzically referred to her as "it." MTV isn't the powerful medium is once was, but The Real World's producers are evidently still interested in breaking new ground and helping to expand viewers' awareness. Katelynn's evolution, from dealing with her deadbeat boyfriend back home to coping with how and when to come out to new people she meets, has given her an opportunity to be an advocate in the same way Pedro was more than a decade ago. Both Pedro and The Real World: Brooklyn are both airing on MTV now, so check your local listings! Saturday, March 21. 2009Logo's Big Gay Sketch Show Casting VoteTuesday, February 24. 2009A story of 2 transgender kidsFriday, July 25. 2008Comrades in New York We Chinese queers have reappropriated the term comrades, or tong-zhi (同志), to describe ourselves for almost 20 years. Literally, tong-zhi means "having the same will." It's used to describe not only homos, but also bisexuals and transgenders. It's more like the term LGBT, or in fact, "queer", which really embraces everyone who have the same intention and goal to reach equality for the LGBTs. Four Chinese queer films will be coming to New York later in September during the Chinese LGBT Film Festival, titled "Comrades," during which we can get a glimpse of the lives of queers through the lens of a bunch of Chinese filmmakers. It's worth mentioning that the first tong-zhi film festival in mainland China in 2001 was shut down by the Chinese National Security Agency. For more information, visit Asia Catalyst. Monday, June 16. 2008Justin Bond - Delicious! Later this month, Tony-nominated performance artist Justin Bond will bring his critically acclaimed Lustre to the Abrons Playhouse. Lustre was hailed by Time Out New York as "dizzying, riotous and unexpectedly moving... a glitter-encrusted extravaganza" and I'm going to do everything I can to go see it. Justin Bondis one of my absolute favorite performers. Years ago just after I moved to New York for graduate school, we had a brief chat after one of his performances at The Cock (the old one) and he was absolutely charming (I have a memory like an elephant) and I can't wait to see Lustre. There are just six performances scheduled: June 25 at 8pm, June 26 at 8pm, and June 27 and 28 at 7:30pm and 10pm. Tickets are $20. The tickets will probably go fast so get more information or buy your tickets online at: https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/209 Tuesday, August 14. 2007Pansy Division on Tour! Can I Get a w00t w00t?
After a few years of only performing for special occassions and causes, Pansy Division announced that they'll be touring this fall! Continue reading "Pansy Division on Tour! Can I Get a w00t w00t?" Saturday, April 21. 2007Undesirable Elements: telling our stories as Asian Americans I'm not an actor of any kind, but I will be making my theatrical debut of sorts on April 21 at the Queens Theatre in the Park. I can tell you what "Undesirable Elements" isn't, but it's hard to describe exactly what it is. "UE" isn't a play and it's not fully staged, so don't come expecting "The Importance of Being Earnest," "A Raisin in the Sun," or "La Cage aux Folles." I could tell you that six Asian/Pacific Americans sit on stage, reading from scripts set on music stands and tell the stories of their lives, which would make it sound rather static. It's actually much livelier than that description would suggest. There's Joseph O. Legaspi, a Filipino American poet who talks about his childhood growing up in the Philippines and in Los Angeles. There's Moana Niumeitolu, a Tongan American who was raised Mormon in Utah. There's me (Pauline Park), the only Korean adoptee in the cast and the only openly transgendered person. There's Zohra Saed, an Afghan American scholar who speaks lyrically of her memories of Afghanistan. There's Raj Thakkar, an Indian American whose life has been greatly influenced by his childhood as the son of a Gujarati shopkeeper in Queens. And there's Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai, a young Chinese American poet and spoken word artist who lives in Brooklyn but who still has many family members back in Taiwan. You just have to come and see it for yourself. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to meet the entire cast. And if you can't make it to QTIP on April 21, there will be performances in the Bronx and Manhattan on June 14 and 15. Continue reading "Undesirable Elements: telling our stories as Asian Americans" |
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