Carla Ching's 'TBA' Opens March 13 with Leung & Barall

Second Generation, the nation's preeminent Asian American theater company devoted to developing the next generation of APA theater artists, presents the world premiere of TBA by Carla Ching, directed by Denyse Owens, and starring Ken Leung (series regular on ABC's "Lost"; X-Men 3, Rush Hour, The Squid & The Whale), and Michi Barall (Hotel Cassiopeia, Queens Boulevard: The Musical). The production will open at The Milagro Theater at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center (107 Suffolk Street) on March 13 at 7PM, as part of ELEVEN, a month long celebration commemorating the company's eleventh anniversary.  

"When Silas Park's girlfriend leaves him, he becomes a shut-in, pumping out blistering autobiographical writings in his little East Village apartment.  Just as Silas finds himself unexpectedly on the verge of literary stardom as the next Asian American wunderkind, his brother Finn shows up on his doorstep, accusing Silas of stealing his life. TBA is a play in two acts, in the crevice between fact and fiction," explain press notes.

Playwright Carla Ching is a former Angeleno, educator, teaching artist and former member of Peeling, the pan-Asian performance collective.  Her full length plays include Dirty (finalist for the Cherry Lane Mentorship Project), Found Objects, and The Ripple Effect.  Her one-acts include "Multicultural Education" (commissioned by Ma-Yi in collaboration with the Jerome Foundation) and Little Goth Girl (presented by Second Generation as part of TEN at the Public Theater in 2007).

Cast members for TBA are Michi Barall, Dustin Chinn, J. Julian Christopher, Ken Leung, and Nedra McClyde. The creative team includes Chris Brown (Lighting Designer), Christine Carroll (Costume Designer), Nick Francone (Scenic Designer), and Shane Rettig (Sound Designer).

TBA is being presented as part of Second Generation's ELEVEN, which also includes SIX world premiere one act plays and FOUR "In the Works" readings of new full length plays. Featuring 36 performances in 34 days, ELEVEN is a large-scale celebration of the next generation of Asian American dramatic literature, incorporating over 40 artists in a month-long program of world-class, world premiere productions. 

Performances of TBA run March 11 – April 5 at the Milagro Theater, CSV Cultural Center (107 Suffolk Street between Rivington and Delancey).  Preview performances are March 11 & 12 at 8pm  ($11).  Opening Night: March 13 at 7pm. ($50, includes opening night party) Regular performances March 15 at 8pm. March 18-21 at 8pm. March 22 at 3pm. March 25 -April 5 at 8pm. ($18). 

Student tickets are available for $11.  Tickets for groups of 10 or ore are $14.  Eleven Celebration Pass ($29), which includes a ticket to TBA and SIX plus priority seating at every "In The Works" performance may also be purchased.  Tickets are available through Theatermania.com at 212-352-3101 or at www.2g.org.

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