Pan Asian Rep’s 35th Anniversary Gala on March 19 honors Daniel Dae Kim and Dr. Patrica E. Taylor; New Season includes Stella Rising, BAUDELAIRE: La Mort

Daniel Dae Kim and Dr. Patricia E. Taylor will be honored at Pan Asian Repertory Theatre’s 35th Anniversary Gala on Monday, March 19, 2012, at the Edison Ballroom, 240 W 47th Street in New York. Tickets are $350, $500 and $1,000; tables begin at $5,000. Call 212-868-4030 or visit www.panasianrep.org to purchase.

Daniel Dae Kim image courtesy of DDK Entertainment

The evening will be co-emceed by Broadway performer Raul Aranas (Miss Saigon), and SLANT's Richard Ebihara and Perry Yung.  Pan Asian Rep will honor Daniel Dae Kim, alum from Pan Asian Rep’s 1993 production ofA Doll House and star of television series “Hawaii Five-O,” “Lost,” and Academy Award-winning film Crash; and Dr. Patricia E. Taylor, research scientist, who with husband Kenneth Taylor, former Canadian Ambassador to Iran in the 70′s, was a key player in the escape of 6 Americans during the Iran hostage crisis.

The 7th Annual Red Socks Award, established to honor the memory of Lilah Kan, will be given to an Asian-American performer, to be announced at the event. The evening’s entertainment will also present highlights from Pan Asian’s musicals, andspecial In Memoriam photo tributes to Ellen Stewart founder of La Mama E.T.C. and Jadin Wong entertainer and artists manager.

The evening opens with a cocktail hour and dinner, and continues with the awards ceremony, dancing and a raffle, proceeds of which will benefit Pan Asian Repertory’s continuing commitment to nurturing the next generation of Asian-American artists and audiences.

Pan Asian Rep is also launching their spring season this month withSTELLA RISING and BAUDELAIRE: La Mort, two unique productions featuring veteran artists from the jazz, dance, theatre and experimental music communities. STELLA RISING and BAUDELAIRE: La Mort play off-Broadway at the West End Theatre (263 W. 86th Street between Broadway & West End Avenue in the Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew, 2nd floor). STELLA RISING runs March 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17 at 7:30pm; and March 11 at 3:00pm; and BAUDELAIRE: La Mort runs March 23, 24, 28, 29, 30 and 31 at 7:30pm; and March 25 and April 1 at 3:00pm.

STELLA RISING
Written and performed by Napua Davoy
Directed by Karine Plantadit
March 8- 17, 2012
Tony Award©-nominated dancer Karine Plantadit (Come Fly Away) makes her directorial debut with Stella Rising, a new musical play. This Hawaiian-paradise-meets-The-Grapes-of-Wrath story of a mother and daughter reconciliation, features an original jazz and classical score written and performed by Napua Davoy (who has been called “one of the most extraordinary song stylists in today’s jazz world” by Newport Jazz Festival creator George Wein).

BAUDELAIRE: La Mort
Directed and Choreographed by Shigeko Sara Suga
Co-created with Ernest Abuba, Anna Gheesling and Minouche Waring
March 23- April 1, 2012
Inspired by Baudelaire’s masterpiece Les Fleur du Mal, Baudelaire: La Mort is dance theatre that fuses Butoh, Flamenco and French poetry, featuring Ernest Abuba, Anna Gheesling, and Shigeko Sara Suga with Tiffany Chen, Aaron Chieu, and Timothy Liu.
Baudelaire: La Mort features an original score written and performed live by Yukio Tsuji, and a Flamenco guitar performance by Arturo Martinez. The scenic design is by Gian Marco Lo Forte & Justin West; lighting design by Marie Yokoyama; co-Costume Design by Keiko Obremski; and Stage Managed by Katie Kavett and Ada Chau.

Via Subway, take the 1 train to 86th Street. Tickets $35 with discounts for seniors and students, tickets for performances
March 8 and 23 are $50 and include post-show party, call OvationTix 212-352-3101, or visit www.panasianrep.org.

About Pan Asian Repertory Theatre
Founded 35 years ago, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre is dedicated to providing a professional outlet to Asian American and minority artists. Led by Tisa Chang, Pan Asian Rep celebrates the talent and creativity of professional Asian American Theatre Artists. It has opened doors for many who enjoy careers in film, television and on Broadway. Daniel Dae Kim, Lucy Liu, David Henry Hwang and Philip Ken Gotanda are several actors and playwrights who have collaborated with Pan Asian Rep over the years. Notable past productions include: Ghashiram Kotwal, the Marathi play with music, exposing Brahmin abuse of privilege in 18th century India; Teahouse by Lao She, which spanned fifty years of modern Chinese history; Yellow Fever, the first of a trilogy of “Sam Shikaze, Private Eye” plays; and the musical commission Cambodia Agonistes – a mosaic of songs and ballets, with music composed by Louis Stewart, and text and lyrics by Ernest Abuba. Recent New York premieres include the musical Shanghai Lil’s by Lilah Kan and Louis Stewart; The Joy Luck Club by Susan Kim, based on the novel by Amy Tan, and the acclaimed revival of The Teahouse Of The August Moondirected by Ron Nakahara. January 2001 kicked off Pan Asian’s move into a new homebase, with the Legend of White Snake adapted & directed by Lu Yu followed by the momentous Rashomon. The company has been invited to many international theater festivals including Edinburgh, Singapore, Cairo and Johannesburg. It was the first professional theater from the United States to be requested at the Havana Theatre Festival in 2003. Variety Magazine continued to note “….the aesthetic mission and professional chops of the Pan Asian Repertory Theater are admirable.”