THE CHINESE LADY
by Lloyd Suh
TIPPING POINT THEATRE
NORTHVILLE, MI
Feb 10 - March 3rd, 2024
“Jasmine Rivera has masterfully conducted a beautiful examination of humanity that will get you in the gut and the heart.”
- AUDIENCE REVIEW
“Such beautiful, moving, eye- opening, vulnerable and challenging work that was done during this piece. So many thank yous to all who fought to bring this artistic piece to us.”
- AUDIENCE REVIEW
THE CHINESE LADY
by Lloyd Suh
TIPPING POINT THEATRE
NORTHVILLE, MI
Feb 10 - March 3rd, 2024
DIRECTOR - JASMINE RIVERA
STARRING
AFONG MOY - JOSIE MI
ATUNG - DON CASTRO
AFONG MOY (U/S) - INCHAI REED
ATUNG (U/S) - TAE HOON YOO, AKA BIG FIRE
SCENIC DESIGN - JUNGAH HAN
ASSISTANT SCENIC DESIGN - YUCHEN MA
LIGHTING DESIGN - ABI FARNSWORTH
COSTUME DESIGN - SUZANNE YOUNG
PROPS DESIGN - BETH DUEY
SOUND AND PROJECTION DESIGN - WILL MYERS
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR - JOHN CHARLES
STAGE MANAGER - TRACY L. SPADA
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER - KINZA PARKER
PRODUCTION PHOTOS - WALLACE BRIDGES
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
“She is like a wisp, a memory, a poem.”
Not much is known about the historical Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman to reach the United States. We know only the barest of facts: a young girl taken from her home country, never to return, whose star shines briefly then passes out of history into obscurity. Her name is but one of the many whose stories have been hidden from most Americans, painfully unaware of the deep and diverse history that forms the bedrock of our national origins.
But all is not lost. Here, in this theatre, we attempt to bring Afong back to us. Of her personal thoughts, voice, and humanity we can only speculate, but as artists and audience members we can together imagine the woman who, once exhibited as an object, might finally be seen and heard.
The resurrection of Afong and her redemption is of import not just for Chinese and Asian American history, but for all who hear her story. Afong begins her journey as a bright and hopeful girl, confident in a mission to unite cultures that gives her life meaning and purpose. The audience may see a naïve little girl and exploited prisoner of circumstance. But over time, as Afong grows to define herself and her place in the world it is she who teaches us: not just as Americans learning history that has been hidden from us for too long, but as human beings yearning, like her, for connection and meaning.
In many ways, Afong is our honored ancestor. “There has never been anyone like me,” she declares. “I am the first.” As an exhibition object she was the first to experience the exoticization and dehumanization so many Asian American women have endured in the years since her arrival. But her strength and determination to endure despite heartbreak and loss are a light for the generations that follow her.
As a play, The Chinese Lady has been one of the most widely produced works in recent years, with productions across the country at regional theaters ranging from NYC to California. Despite the fog of history, Afong’s story resonates, her name endures, and her walk-even on bound feet-has crossed thousands of miles and more than a hundred years of time.
She arrives in a Michigan where, like the rest of the nation, the rapidly changing population has grown more and more to include people like our heroine who have journeyed from afar to build a new life in this country. The Northville, Novi, and Detroit metro area of today are not the cities of yesterday. Historically, such change can lead to either fearful division or indifference. As we walk with Afong today, I hope her story may inspire us to truly listen, see one another as full human persons, and bring that wisdom home.