Color Outside the Lines

This is the bone I throw to the whites, and I will stand by it being a dang good bone, so to them I say, you’re welcome. This is still international. Once is the beautiful money-maker our head honchos want while still incorporating the work of an Irish playwright, Edna Walsh, and a sprinkling of bilingual performance in Czech. It’s a touching musical that shows the complexities of human connection and vulnerability that explores outside of the classic “guy meets girl” story.

Edna Walsh talks about her experience writing for Once

When the play was originally written in 1986, Taiwan was still under martial law. It was written, against all odds, in a time when censorship and the political climate would not allow it to thrive, and became Taiwan’s first modern theatre success. The play has been adapted through the years and Stan Lai, the playwright, translated and adapted the play to English so it could be more accessible to American audiences. Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land colors outside the lines because it was meant to be censored in the country it was made in, not intended to be presented on an American stage, yet it did exactly those things. Beyond being an incredible story highlighting theatrical traditions of Chinese culture and farcical comedy, this particular revision highlights issues within language and cultures while keeping the integrity of its roots intact.

Riding on the edge of a musical without fully committing to the genre is Lauren Yee’s Cambodian Rock Band. Within Irvine exists a strong Asian community, whether it be Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, or otherwise, the East Asian community is underrepresented in the theatre produced at UCI. Yet, on campus there exists Theatre Woks and other small groups dedicated to representing our culture. By putting a play that delves into topics as heavy as genocide while simultaneously allowing the characters to find solace in art, we not only allow them a place on the mainstage, but show the community that we are aware of their existence and the power of art in our individual journeys. I also believe that not many people, even Cambodians, speak much about the horrific events that happened during that time, so it is an educational piece that will hopefully spark something in viewers to learn about world history and how it ties in with our own lives.

An article from 1987 about the state of Taiwan when Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land was created

Cambodian Rock Band

Stan Lai on adapting his play over the years

Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Almost self-explanatory as to why it would be relevant to our community, Valley of the Heart is the history of two immigrant families living in California right before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, with one being Japanese and the other Mexican. Similar to how The Color Purple tells of black people of the past, Valley of the Heart opens our eyes to see the past of those who paved the path of where we live right now, who just so happen to be immigrants. When we are ever exposed to the story of the Japanese during WWII, it most often has to do with how White Americans treated them. I was drawn to this play because it shows the intersecting of two communities we don’t often associate with each other, but whose influence is relevant to the way California is today. The wave of their history is still rippling the water in our present day.

pt. 2, with more talk of California history and why it is relevant to us today