The Theater Offensive, New England's leading creator and presenter of Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) theater, will present the World Premiere of the musical "Surviving The Nian" from April 14 - May 5  at the Calderwood Pavilion at Boston Center for the Arts, 

In "Surviving The Nian," fireworks explode when Kaylin  returns to Hong Kong for the first time in five years, bringing her lover Asha - and a completely new life plan - to introduce to her family. However, they have plans of their own for her. Where do her loyalties lie? This groundbreaking show reminds audiences that families in even the most faraway lands are, well, familiar.

With music and lyrics by Melissa Li and a book by Abe Rybeck (together, at left) and Melissa Li, "Surviving The Nian"  has been developed over the past four years through The Theater Offensive's Plays at Work program. Rybeck and Li recently received the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation award in recognition of their collaboration on the new musical.

Directed by Patrick Wang, the cast features Megumi Haggerty, Mariko Kanto, Gary Ng, Abria Smith, Hyunsoo Moon and Judy Tan.  

Melissa Li is a classically trained folk/acoustic-pop singer-songwriter, who has been playing at clubs, theaters and universities in the Boston area for the last 7 years. Also an accomplished filmmaker, Melissa holds a B.S. in Film Production from Boston University and has completed more than 6 documentaries, 10 films and an award-winning music video.

Her introduction to acting started during the Fast Forward Program at the ICA.  In 2001, she joined The Theater Offensive’s True Colors Out Youth Theater Troupe and performed a collectively written piece at local high schools and community events. In 2002, she followed the troupe as a filmmaker and created a documentary called "Everybody’s Got a Story."  

Abe Rybeck  is the founding Artistic Director of The Theater Offensive. He has created programs such as the True Colors Out Youth Theater Troupe, which performs in community centers and schools; A Street Theater Named Desire, which performs AIDS prevention shows; Plays At Work, which develops new scripts for the theater; and Out on the Edge, one of the nation's premiere festivals of LGBT theater.  

Earlier he was the lead singer of the cabaret band Adult Children of Heterosexuals. Writing new shows is still Abe's favorite part of his job and he's currently working on two new plays: "Bombshell,"  about actress Judy Holliday's relationship with her female NYPD cop lover during the 1950s red scare; and "Hello Goodbye Peace,"  about a Jewish family farm in West Virginia. His previous plays include "Dirt," a domestic comedy about insider gay politics and housecleaning; and "Immaculate Infection,"  co-created with Brenda Cotto Escalera and Noelia Ortiz Cortés. His musicals include "Pure Polyesther:  A Biblical Burlesque," which retells the Book of Esther as a coming out story, and "Blame It On The Big Banana,"  about the Sandinista revolution. His full-length solo performances include "This Is Not A Test" and "Breaking The Dress Codes." 

Founded in 1989 by Rybeck, The Theater Offensive has driven its ambitious programming to the cutting edge of queer culture and politics. Grounded in the commitment to build an activist-based artistic forum, the group's groundbreaking programming has become a vital arena for the unique voice of queer cultures, and has led to lasting coalitions between the varied communities within the queer umbrella.
  
For information on "Surviving The Nian," call 617-933-8600 or visit  www.bostontheatrescene.com.  

NOTE: Pay What You Can Night is Thursday, April 19 ($10 minimum).

Talkback sessions with different members of the creative team will be held after: the 8 p.m. performance on Saturday, April 14; the 3 p.m. performance on Sunday, April 15; the 7:30 performance on Wednesday, April 17: the 3 p.m. performance on Saturday, April 21;  and the 3 p.m. performances on Sunday, April 22, and Sunday, April 29.

-- OnStage Boston

 

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