LA JOLLA, Calif. – La Jolla Playhouse announces its 2016 Performance Outreach Program (POP) Tour production: Alice Chan, co-written by Robert Lee and Tony Award-winning actor and 2014/2015 Playhouse Artist-in-Residence BD Wong, who will also direct the play. The piece will tour schools throughout San Diego County February 1 – April 1, 2016. Commissioned by the Playhouse, this world-premiere play for young audiences will also have four public performances on March 5 & 6, 2016 at 1:00pm and 3:00pm in the Playhouse’s Rao and Padma Makineni Play Development Center. Tickets ($12 for adults; $9 for children) to the public performances on are on sale at LaJollaPlayhouse.org or (858) 550-1010.
Just about everyone at Chaffey Hills Elementary School finds Alice Chan super annoying, for a hundred hilarious different reasons. But what happens when the unpopular “Queen of the Science Fair” is cast by her well-meaning teacher as the lead in the Fifth Grade Play over the most talented and well-liked girl in the class? Fifth Grade Armageddon, that’s what! Alice Chan is a very funny comedy about breaking out of your comfort zone… and being yourself at the very same time.
“The lighthearted spirit and wit of the new POP Tour play, Alice Chan, convey a compelling and relatable message about what you can accomplish and, just as importantly, what you can discover about yourself when you dare to take a step beyond the familiar and safe,” said Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley. “The Playhouse has worked extensively with BD Wong over the years, and to have an artist of his caliber co-writing and directing our annual production for students speaks to the vital importance of the POP Tour program.”
The cast features Maggie Carney (Playhouse’s POP Tour 2014 Suzette Who Set to Sea, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Peter and the Starcatchers) as Miz Wiggum/Shaniya/Mr. Nimbles, Jyl Kaneshiro (Playhouse Without Walls’ presentations El Henry, The Car Plays) as Candace/Mama Chan, Dana Wing Lau (Playhouse Without Walls’ presentation The Grift at The Lafayette Hotel) as Alice Chan, and Kyla Garcia as Nikki.
The creative team includes BD Wong, co-playwright and director; Robert Lee, co-playwright; Jessica Bird, associate director; Lex Liang, scenic and costumer designer; and Chris Luessmann, sound designer.
La Jolla Playhouse is one of the few theaters in the country that annually commissions world-class artists to create a bold new play for young audiences annually. Playwrights create an innovative, 45-minute piece that addresses issues in the students’ lives. Last year’s POP Tour, The Astronaut Farmworker, completed 80 performances seen by 18,600 young people, teachers and families.
“The POP Tour has been a vital and dynamic part of the Playhouse’s programming and mission for nearly 30 years. It’s exciting and energizing to know that, as each season passes, this commitment to new theatre continues to extend to thousands of students, many of whom have never seen a play before. That it does so each year guided by the experience, passion and talent of dedicated theatre artists makes the POP Tour’s history that much more impressive,” said Playhouse Director of Education and Outreach Steve McCormick.
Introduced in 1987, the POP Tour travels throughout the county, touring schools, libraries and community centers. The set, costumes and props are designed to fit into a van and, in just 30 minutes, can be unloaded, placed in any space and be ready for children to experience. Prior to each performance, a Playhouse teaching artist visits each school to engage students in an interactive workshop to explore issues and themes at the core of the play. The Playhouse also provides schools with a standards-based engagement guide that enables educators to integrate the play into their existing curriculum. After each performance, the cast and crew conduct a question and answer session with the audience.
La Jolla Playhouse offers the Adopt-A-School program which provides funding for a POP Tour performance at schools that could not otherwise afford it. With the help of the theatre’s Education Committee, Playhouse Board members Judy Smith and Barbara ZoBell created the Adopt-A-School program for those who love theatre and feel no child should be without its transformative power. For more information, contact Bonnie Broberg at bbroberg@ljp.org. For more information about booking the POP Tour for a school performance, contact Paola Kubelis at pkubelis@ljp.org.
