LODESTONE THEATRE ENSEMBLE PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
GRACE KIM & THE SPIDERS FROM MARS
A new comedy for anyone who’s ever felt like they were born on the wrong planet.
LOS ANGELES, CA – Lodestone Theatre Ensemble concludes its tenth and final season with the world premiere of GRACE KIM & THE SPIDERS FROM MARS, a new comedy written specifically to serve as Lodestone’s last show before the critically-acclaimed Asian American theater company permanently closes its doors at the end of 2009. The production will run November 14-December 20, 2009 at the GTC Burbank (1111-B West Olive Ave., Burbank, CA 91506, located inside George Izay Park). The show is written by Lodestone Co-Artistic Director Philip W. Chung . The director is Jeff Liu who directed TEXAS, Lodestone’s very first production in 1999.
“For our final show, I wanted to write something that would be accessible and funny,” says Chung. “But I also wanted the play to reflect our history. Whether you’ve been coming to our plays from the start or this is your first time, I hope you walk away with a sense of what Lodestone meant to my colleagues and me.”
Inspired by classic screwball comedies, GRACE KIM & THE SPIDERS FROM MARS tells the story of Grace, a young Korean American woman, who has withdrawn from the world after the death of her mother ten years ago. But Grace’s life is thrown upside down when she meets her sister’s fiancé and falls in love with him.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years,” says Liu. “It’s been quite a journey and Philip has brought it all together beautifully in this comedy about a smart, quirky heroine with a very active imagination searching for a new path in life, a reminder that every ending is really just a new beginning.”
GRACE KIM & THE SPIDERS FROM MARS stars Feodor Chin, Elizabeth Ho, Jully Lee, Elaine Kao, Rachel Morihiro, Hanson Tse and Kelvin Han Yee.
Philip W. Chung is the co-founder and co-Artistic Director of Lodestone Theatre Ensemble. His productions for Lodestone include the critically-acclaimed THE GOLDEN HOUR, ONE NATION UNDER GOD and LAUGHTER JOY & LONELINESS & SEX & SEX & SEX & SEX. He is currently writing the screenplays for the adaptations of the best-selling novels THE LAST CHINESE CHEF and THE SAMURAI’S GARDEN as well as an original script for director Justin Lin (BETTER LUCK TOMORROW).
Performances are Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8 pm (no show on Thanksgiving, Nov. 26), Sundays at 2 pm, November 14-December 20, with low-priced previews on November 12 and 13 at 8 pm. Tickets have been lowered to the same price as our first show in 1999: $12 for general admission and $10 each for reserved groups of ten or more. Tickets for the November 14 Opening Night Gala is already sold out!
For more information, call the Lodestone Theatre Ensemble hotline at (323) 993-7245 or visit www.lodestonetheatre.org, www.facebook.com/lodestonetheatre
Lodestone’s community partners for this production include Asians For Miracle Marrow Matches, East West Players, The K.W. Lee Center For Leadership and Visual Communications.
Founded in 1999 by Philip W. Chung, Alexandra Chun, Chil Kong and Tim Lounibos, Lodestone is committed to providing a forum for Asian Pacific American artists in all aspects of the theater arts.
Lodestone Theatre Ensemble is a Company-in-Residence at GTC Burbank. For more information on GTC Burbank check out www.gtc.org
GRACE KIM & THE SPIDERS FROM MARS
Written by Philip W. Chung
Directed by Jeff Liu
Produced by Stephanie Chang, Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle & Peter J. Wong
Associate Producer Nic Cha Kim
Associate Producer/Assistant Stage Manager CJ Evaristo
Stage Manager Amelia Worfolk
Set Designer Kit Stolen
Lighting Designer Christopher M. Singleton
Costume Designer Ivy Y. Chou
Sound Designer Dennis Yen
Technical Director Brian P. Nichols
Technical Consultant Luis Delgado
Assistant Director Howard Ho
Choreographer Shannon Wong