PRESENTERS ANNOUNCED

PAN ASIAN REPERTORY THEATRE
45TH ART & ACTION GALA DINNER
HONORS
MICHAEL G. CHIN, JODI LONG AND WOODIE KING, JR.

ERIN QUILL AND HENRY YUK
RETURN AS MASTER OF CEREMONIES

GUEST PRESENTERS INCLUDE
LUCY LIU, PETRONIA PALEY, AND RON PIRETTI

ONE-NIGHT ONLY
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2021 AT 6:00PM
AT THE GOLDEN UNICORN RESTAURANT IN CHINATOWN

New York, NY (September 13, 2021) – Pan Asian Repertory Theatre (Tisa Chang, Founding Artistic Producing Director) kicks off its 45th Milestone Season of recovery and healing with the annual celebration the 43rd Art & Action Gala Dinner, an in-person LIVE Benefit Dinner on Thursday evening, October 21, 2021 at The Golden Unicorn Restaurant in Chinatown (18 East Broadway at Catherine Street). Erin Quill and Henry Yuk return as Master of Ceremonies.

The 2021 Honorees are stage fight master, Michael G. Chin, Emmy-award winner, film, and stage actor Jodi Long, and founder of the New Federal Theater Woodie King, Jr.

Guest presenters are acclaimed Broadway, film and television actor Lucy Liu will present to Jodi Long, award-winning actor and director Petronia Paley will present to Woodie King, Jr., and fight director Ron Piretti will present to Michel G. Chin.

“As we look to overcome a challenging past year, Pan Asian Rep looks at recovery and healing,” shared Tisa Chang, Pan Asian Rep Founding Artistic Producing Director. “We are so excited to celebrate the reopening of theater beginning with a salute to those who make a difference at our annual theater Benefit Dinner The Golden Unicorn Gala.” She went on to say, “We look forward to sharing our season of renewal and rediscovery with you.”

The evening will be co-hosted by veterans Erin Quill (Avenue Q, King & I, and her blog, The Fairy Princess Diaries) and Henry Yuk (Teahouse, Yellow Fever, You Can’t Take It with You). The 2021 Benefit Committee includes Ernest Abuba, Richard Chang, Tisa Chang, Patricia Malone Chin, Damon Chua, Abby Felder, Lucy Kan, Victor Kan, Virginia P. Louloudes, Dora Lu, Erin Quill, Lu Yu and Henry Yuk.

The festivities are set to begin at 6:00PM with cocktails, followed by a traditional Chinese banquet at 7:00PM, and award presentation at 8:00PM co-hosted by Erin Quill and Henry Yuk.

Single tickets are priced at $200. VIP Tables of 10 start at $2,500. SPECIAL OFFER: Early Bird Special Tickets are priced at $150 and available only through September 15. To purchase tickets, please visit https://tiny.one/panasiangala, or the Pan Asian Rep website at https://www.panasianrep.org/45th-benefit-dinner. For additional information regarding the Benefit Dinner, please call (212) 868-4030, or via email at info@panasianrep.org.

COVID NOTE: For the safety of all, COVID policies established by the CDC and WHO will be strictly enforced. Proof of vaccination status will be required upon check-in. COVID policies can be found on the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre website.

Pan Asian Repertory’s 45th Season continues the company’s multi – year process for growth and transition to embrace expanded leadership towards a visionary new future with national and international collaborations.

The season of live entertainment begins after the new year with the return engagement of the hit Off-Broadway play The Emperor’s Nightingale by Damon Chua (January 15 – 30, 2022) at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street) and continues with the World Premiere of the new play Citizen Wong by Richard Chang (April 11-30, 2022) in the Mezzanine Theatre at A.R.T./New York Theatres (502 West 53rd Street). Closing out the 2021-2022 season is the annual play festival NuWorks 2022* (June 17 – 30, 2022). The season will also include staged readings commemorating the cultural events Day of Remembrance (February 2022) and Asian Heritage (May 2022).

For additional information, please visit the website at www.panasianrep.org

2021 HONOREES________________________________________________________________

Michael G. Chin (2021 Honoree) is a Fight Master with The Society of American Fight Directors, one of only twenty-one people to hold that distinction. He is a member of SDC (Stage Directors and Choreographers) and has choreographed fights on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway and in regional theatres around the country. He serves as fight director in residence for both The White Horse and Pan Asian Rep. He has taught stage combat at The Juilliard School and for The United Stuntman Association in Seattle, Mr. Chin is currently on adjunct faculty at Brooklyn College, Pace University all in New York City and at Muhlenberg College in Allentown PA. He also works as a professional actor and stuntman having acted/fought on the film John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellem, and television series’ "Blue Bloods," "Madam Secretary," "Blacklist," and "Blindspot," among other shows.

Jodi Long (2021 Honoree) is an Emmy Award winning actress for her role as Mrs. Basil E in Netflix’s “Dash and Lily”, and is a veteran of stage, film, and television. She made her Broadway debut at age 7 in Nowhere to Go but Up directed by Sidney Lumet, the first of five Broadway shows that include Loose Ends, The Bacchae, Sondheim’s Getting Away with Murder and the revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song, for which she won an Ovation Award at The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Numerous Off-Broadway productions include Old Money (Lincoln Center); Red and The Wash (Manhattan Theater Club), David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child and Family Devotions (Public Theater); and The Tooth of Crime (La Mama). Film work: Marvel’s Shang Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, "The Tale" (HBO), Beginners, Patty Hearst, Sour Sweet, Striking Distance, Rollover and The Hot Chick. Television series: Okcha in TBS’s “Sullivan and Son”, AMC’s “Falling Water”, Margaret Cho's mother in “All American Girl,” Café Americain,” and “Miss Match.” And yes, Jodi is Patty “the power lesbian”, in that episode of “Sex in The City.” Jodi's one woman play, Surfing DNA, produced at NJ Rep in 2019, was named top ten NJ theater performances and at East West Players in Los Angeles, Jodi received an Ovation Nomination for Best Solo Performance. Jodi wrote and co-produced Long Story Short directed by Christine Choy, a documentary about her parents, that was voted the top ten documentaries by UCLA's Asia Institute.

Woodie King, Jr. (2021 Honoree) founded New Federal Theatre in 1970. He began his professional career in 1965 as cultural arts director for Mobilization for Youth. As director of New Federal Theatre, Mr. King has produced over 400 plays by the most important writers in theatre, including LeRoi Jones’ (Amiri Baraka) A Recent Killing, Ed Bullins’ The Taking of Miss Janie (Drama Critics’ Circle Award), J. e Franklin’s Drama Desk Award-winning Black Girl, Ntozake Shange’s Tony nominated For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf, and David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and the Railroad. Mr. King is an acclaimed director who has directed productions for regional theatres throughout the U.S. He directed Checkmates by Ron Milner for ETA Chicago, Inner City Cultural Center, Westwood Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles (winner of the NAACP Image Award, Best Director), Jomandi Theatre in Atlanta, Waterfront Theatre San Francisco, Arena Stage in Washington, DC; and on Broadway starring Denzel Washington and Ruby Dee. Mr. King also directed James Weldon Johnson’s adaptation of God’s Trombone for the Shubert Theatre in Philadelphia, The Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC, and New Federal Theatre in NYC. He has directed Off-Broadway and in resident theatres. Mr. King is the recipient of the AUDELCO Award for Best Director for Robert Johnson: Trick the Devil by Bill Harris and Appear and Show Cause by Steve Taylor. A writer, editor, drama critic and teacher, Mr. King has taught at Yale University, Columbia University, Oberlin College, Penn State University. Mr. King is the recipient of an Obie Award for Sustained Achievement, an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Wayne State University, a Doctor of Fine Arts from the College of Wooster, and a Doctorate of Humane Letters from John Jay College (CUNY), A Doctorate of Humane Letters from Lehman College. He was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in January 2012; in 2013 he received the Edwin Booth Award; and in 2016, he received the Ida B. Wells Award from the National Conference of Black Writers.

2021 PRESENTERS______________________________________________________________

Lucy Liu (2021 Presenter to Jodi Long), the critically acclaimed film, television, and Broadway actress, made her NY stage debut in the Pan Asian Rep production of Fairy Bones. She made her Broadway debut in God of Carnage. Liu can be seen in the upcoming highly anticipated film sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Recent television credits include “Why Women Kill,” and for seven seasons co-starred in “Elementary” (CBS) for which she received a Teen Choice Award and in 2013, Best Actress Award from The Seoul International Drama Award. Other television credits include “Difficult People” (HULU), “Southland” (Critic’s Choice Award and a NAACP nomination), “Marry Me” (Lifetime), “Ally McBeal” (Fox, Emmy, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations), “Cashmere Mafia,” “Dirty Sexy Money,” and “Set It Up” (Netflix). Film credits include Charlie’s Angels, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, Kill Bill, Chicago, Lucky Number Slevin, The Man with the Iron Fists, Detachment, East Fifth Bliss, Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You, among others. Animation credits include “Lady Sagami” in the Academy Award nominated film The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, “Viper” in the Kung Fu Panda trilogy, and “Silvermist” in Tinkerbell’s Legend of the Neverbeast. Television director credits include “Elementary,” “Luke Cage,” “Graceland,” “Law & Order: SVU” and “Why Women Kill.” As film producer credits include Freedom’s Fury that premiered at The Tribeca Film Festival. She co-directed and produced the short documentaries; Redlight and Meena. Liu is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and served on the Board of Trustees for the American Theatre Wing (2016-2021). For her involvement with UNICEF, she has been awarded for her outstanding humanitarian work; Women’s World Award, the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award, and the Harvard Artist of the Year Award. She also received the New York Women in Film & Television Muse Award, and three People’s Choice Award nominations. In 2019, Liu was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Petronia Paley (2021 Presenter to Woodie King, Jr.) is an award-winning actor and director. Broadway credits include The Gin Game, On Golden Pond. Off-Broadway credits include Most Dangerous Man in America, The Trial of One Short-Sighted Black Woman V Safretta Mae and Mammy Louise (Audelco Award), and Long Time Since Yesterday (New Federal Theatre); Coriolanus and Hamlet (TWAS Productions); Classical Theatre of Harlem: Electra (Audelco Award) and The Cherry Orchard (Classical Theatre of Harlem); On The Way To Timbuktu (Augello Award, Ensemble Studio Theatre); Revengers Tragedy (Red Bull Theatre). Regionally she has appeared in The House That Will Not Stand (Berkeley Repertory/Yale Repertory); Macbeth, Trojan Women (Helen Hayes nomination), The Oedipus Plays (Shakespeare Theatre); King Lear (Yale Repertory); A Raisin in the Sun, Telltale Hearts and Buses (Crossroads Theatre); Death of a Salesman (Oberlin College); Arena Stage: Nothing Sacred and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Arena Stage). Internationally she was seen in Her odes Atticus, The Oedipus Plays (Shakespeare Theatre at the Odeon). Film credits include 2 Days in New York, The White Girl, Almost Summer. Television credits include “Modern Love,” “New Amsterdam,” “Billions,” “Blue Bloods,” “Damages,” “The Guiding Light,” “Another World,” “All My Children,” “One Life to Live.” As a director, she has directed Looking for Leroy (Adecco Award), and Kernel of Sanity (New Federal Theatre); Antony and Cleopatra and Medea (TWAS Productions); Munched (Sugar Valley Theatricals). As a playwright she has written the play On the Way to Timbuktu. Howard University BFA. Member of Ensemble Studio and Actors Studio. Proud board member of New Federal Theatre.

Ron Piretti (2021 Presenter to Michael G. Chin) has staged the fights for the Broadway, National and International productions of West Side Story and In the Heights. Other Broadway productions include: The Miracle Worker, Bengal Tiger at the Bagdad Zoo (additional fight direction), The Performers, The Last Ship. He has staged the fights for Hartford Theatre Works, Goodspeed, The Dallas Theatre Center, and numerous theatres around the country. Ron appeared as Officer Kruk in the Broadway production of West Side Story directed by Arthur Laurents; Off-Broadway in The Travelling Lady at The Cherry Lane. Regionally: Clown in 39 Steps and toured Northern Ireland and in Eugene O’Neal’s Hughie. He has also appeared in numerous film and TV productions. He has taught acting, stage combat and directed at such colleges as Actors Studio MFA program at Pace University, Wagner College, Marymount College and many other colleges and universities around the country. Ron attended Trinity University in San Antonio and received his MFA from the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago.

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Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, celebrating its 45th Milestone Season, is the most veteran Asian American theatre company on the East Coast. Tisa Chang founded Pan Asian Rep in 1977 at Ellen Stewart’s La Mama ETC with the vision to promote equity and access that Asian Americans artists can equally follow, focusing on stories of probing social justice issues with distinctive Off-Broadway Productions, Tours, National Outreach, and Community Service. Mel Gussow of The New York Times described it as "A Stage for All the World of Asian –Americans” and wrote that “Before Pan Asian Rep, Asian Americans had severely limited opportunities in the theater....” The company has nurtured thousands of artists and is a “who-is-who” of Asian American theatre history, with notable alumni/ae: Ako, Ernest Abuba, Tina Chen, Philip Gotanda, Wai Ching Ho, David Henry Hwang, Daniel Dae Kim, Lucy Liu, Ron Nakahara, R.A. Shiomi, Lauren Yee, and Henry Yuk.

Pan Asian Rep Programs are made possible, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council; City Council member Margaret Chin; and major support from Howard Gilman Foundation, Shubert Foundation, NY Community Trust COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund, Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels, Lucille Lortel Foundations; and many generous individuals.

Milwaukee Mob, Infogram, Instagram, Behance, www.gimmeshelterproductions.com, www.triviscompany.com, Bing, Nimbus Magazine, Metropolitan Playhouse.