2003-2004 Season

Playwrights

Samantha Chanse
Samantha Chanse is a writer/performer who moved to the SF Bay Area in 2001 and has been bitching about the weather ever since. A native new yorker with a knack for public humiliation, Sam has most recently written for & performed in the Bindlestiff Pinay Collective at Bindlestiff Studio and various sketch and standup comedy shows; once upon a time she performed in an Asian American Theater Company production. She is currently the Program Manager at SF-based arts nonprofit Kearny Street Workshop. On the side she entertains fantasies of making music.

Christopher Chen
Chris was born and raised in San Francisco. He is a graduating senior at UC Berkeley. As a member of Theatre Rice, UC Berkeley’s only Asian American theater group, he has written and directed three plays, as well as run a playwriting workshop. A shorter play of his, Divergence, was produced by the Playwright’s Cafe for the 2003 San Francisco Fringe Festival. He plans on pursuing an M.F.A. in creative writing in the near future.

Jarrett Chin
Jarrett Chin lived his life according to what everyone else expected out of him: working, frustrated, and bored. Then one day, he left the U.S. for the summer as an overseas missionary, teaching conversational English to Chinese students, and returned home as…a determined actor! He recently written and directed the short film, The Babble which is currently in post-production, and was a cast member of Mysterious Acts Improv. He can also be seen getting his food stolen in a Cash One commercial. His most recent play, Classroom Drama will be workshopped this coming April.

Wesley Du
Wesley Du feels extremely happy and fortunate to be a part of the NewWorks Incubator group and he wishes to continue working with such a talented group of actors and writers.

Frank Isidro
No bio available

Alex Park
Alex Park is an MFA candidate in creative writing at San Francisco State. He has written several plays, short stories and is currently working on his first novel.

Siwaraya Rochanahusdin
No bio available

Alice Shikina
Alice Shikina received her BFA in theatre from Miami University and has completed some graduate work at the University of Hawaii in Asian theatre and directing. She has been acting since she was 13 and began her directing career in the Czech Republic. Alice moved to San Francisco in 2000 and since then, has directed several shows including Being on the Outside and Crowded Fire’s The Garden of Jezebel. She also dances and was last seen at the International Butoh Festival in 2002. She spends her time during the day designing for StayWell/American Red Cross.

Actors

Karla Acosta
Karla currently spends her days performing in middle schools all over Northern California with one of Kaiser Permanente’s educational theatre shows. She has also toured with New Conservatory Theatre Center’s “The Inner Circle” and has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Favorite past roles have been Geri from “Redwood Curtain” and Romaine Patterson from “Laramie Project.”

Jared Asato
No bio available

Greg Ayers
Greg is a graduate of the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts. He has toured nationally with the Missoula Children’s Theatre and locally with the Kaiser Educational Theatre Programs. Some of his favorite roles include Hally in Master Harold…and the Boys, Tim in Noises Off!, and Eugene in both Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues.

Samantha Chanse
Please see bio under “Playwrights”

Jarrett Chin
Please see bio under “Playwrights”

Michelle Ching
Michelle Ching is pleased to be one of AATC’s inaugural incubatees! Other credits include: “Ikebana” (Trinity Rep/Breadloaf), “Novel-ah!!” (The Perishable Theater), and “Swish-Pan” (NY Fringe Festival). After graduating from Brown, Michelle spent some time in Shanghai as a VJ on MTV China. This past year she taught kindergarten and middle school drama at The Hamlin School.

Yoonie Cho
Yoonie Cho wants to thank her husband Phil for putting up with her odd schedules. She also wants to thank Louise and Dave for coming to all of her performances. You guys are awesome! Finally, Yoonie wants to thank Sean and AATC for giving her the opportunity to work with the playwrights to put “our” stories out there. This is fun! It’s been great to work with a promising playwright who provides pizza for the rehearsals. Long incubate AATC!

Leon Goertzen*
Leon Goertzen is happy to return to AATC after having been an actor in last year’s workshop of Joel Tan and Ginu Kamani’s play, The Cure. In the Bay Area, Leon has worked with the Magic Theatre, Berkeley Rep, San Francisco Mime Troupe, Alcazar Theatre, New Conservatory Theatre, Actors Theatre of San Francisco, Calaveras Rep, and California Conservatory Theatre. In Los Angeles, he enjoyed working with East West Players, the Road Theatre Company, and Knightsbridge Theatre. He has a BFA in Drama from North Carolina School of the Arts.

*Denotes member of Actor’s Equity Association

Biraj Lala
Biraj Lala last appeared in Density Over Duration’s Productionof “Strobe Vision” as part of the 2003 San Francisco Fringe Festival. Theatrical credits include “The Marriage of Bette & Boo”, “Orchards”, “Sin”, and AATC’s “The Clouds, the Ocean, & Everything in Between”. Biraj is excited to be part of AATC’s first Incubator ensemble and would like to thank the ongoing support of family and friends.

Denise Leong
Denise Leong is a recent graduate of UC Berkeley where she was a member of Theatre Rice (modern asian american theatre group). She is currently working in the environmental field. Her dream job is to be an international spokesperson for recycling!

Melissa Wong Renati
Melissa Wong Renati, a native San Franciscan, is a graduate of UC Berkeley, with a B.A. in Art Practice (Painting). She studied voice privately and currently sings as cantor for Saints Peter & Paul Church (No. Beach) and Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral (Chinatown) in San Francisco. As an actress she performs live musical folktales with Opera Piccola, an arts education nonprofit based in Oakland. They tour to elementary schools and libraries throughout Northern California. As a singer, she has performed with the SF Symphony Chorus, SF Chamber Singers, Byron McGilvray Chorale, and with the Andrea Fulton Chorale at the annual Bracebridge Dinner pageants at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park. Her latest work as an actress will be with Word for Word Performing Arts Company’s production of “Immortal Heart” by Amy Tan, opening July 16, 2004, at the Magic Theatre in SF.

Rajiv Shah
No bio available

Gopi Shastri
Gopi Shastri is a native New Yorker, who is currently working at the Center for South Asian Studies, UC Berkeley. Her first San Francisco theatre debut was “Triptych: Stories of Desi Women”. Gopi’s background includes Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kalaripayattu, Capoeira, Carnatic vocals and jazz vocals. She misses Ray’s Pizza.

Alice Shikina
Please see bio under “Playwrights”

Brian Wang
Brian Wang is currently studying law in San Francisco at UC Hastings. When he’s not flirting constantly with the thought of dropping out to pursue a lifelong dream of acting, Brian is getting beaten by his two loving parents for daring to consider such a ridiculous notion. Finding solace in the warm, inviting and empathetic company of his fellow Incubatees, Brian feels extremely fortunate and appreciative of this opportunity to learn from so many talented individuals. Many thanks for all the support to MSG, SPOP, Lodestone, the G-List, ASUCH, APALSA, Section 3, Mei, and, of course, Ma and Ba.

Wilton Yeung
Little is known about this reclusive young man. From the wild look in his eye one might assume that this gentleman is a bit of a lady’s man and a world traveler besides. But why harp on the conspicuous truth? Behind this rugged exterior lies a dashingly witty and intelligent individual who enjoys the quieter moments of life: listening to Metallica and playing his guitar. He feels fortunate to be a part of such an interesting and unique project. He would like to thank his friends and family for being such a positive driving force in his life, and his friend Renee for being the inspirational goddess that she usually is.

Mentors

Sean Lim
Sean Lim currently serves as the Artistic Director of the Asian American Theater Company. He has directed and produced over 18 productions including Tea by Velina Hasu Houston, Letters to a Student Revolutionary by Elizabeth Wong, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, Achievers by Michael Golamco and Question 27, Question 28 by Chay Yew. Sean attended Stanford University where he directed the Asian American Theatre Project, a theater company founded by AATC and Stanford alumnus David Henry Hwang. He is the recipient of the 2001 Community Building Award by the Stanford Asian Pacific American Alumni Club.

Philip Kan Gotanda
A long-time resident of San Francisco, Philip Kan Gotanda is one of the nation’s leading playwrights. Mr. Gotanda also holds a law degree from the Hastings College of Law. Mr. Gotanda has worked with East West Players and the Asian American Theater Company, as well as New York’s Manhattan Theatre Club, Mark Taper Forum, and New York Shakespeare Festival. Most recently, Mr. Gotanda’s The Ballad of Yachiyo opened at London’s Gate Theatre in co-production with the National Royal Theatre. Gotanda is presently developing works for San Jose Repertory (an adaptation of Hedda Gabler) and the American Conservatory Theatre (an adaptation of Rashomon). He is an Associate Artist at Seattle Repertory Theatre. Gotanda is also an internationally respected independent filmmaker. His recent feature film debut, Life Tastes Good, which he wrote, directed, and co-produced, was screened at the Sundance Film Festival and Dublin Film Festival.