Present
World Premiere Companion Productions
PANG SPA & TWO STOP
Community collaboration centered around themes related to the 1992 L.A. Uprising Presented during AAPI Heritage Month at Atwater Village Theatre
Details for Calendar Listings
Two Stop & Pang Spa
WHAT: TWO STOP
On the verge of the ’92 LA Uprising. A Korean market. A murder scene. A store owner and a neighborhood teenage girl face off. When her wild card mother arrives, secrets from the past explode in this tiny store. History and histories go head-to-head as LA starts to burn. Together they reach back decades and across the globe through war, strife, love and life, finding connection and even hope…but will it be enough?
WHO:
• Written by David Johann Kim
• Directed by Tracey A. Leigh
• Starring Suzen Baraka, JuneSoo Ham, and Iyanna Lott
• Presented by EST/LA, Tracey A. Leigh, Artistic Director
WHEN:
Previews: May 2 – May 3
Performances: May 4 – June 9
• Thursdays at 8 p.m.: May 2 (preview); May 9; May 16; May 23; May 30; June 6
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: May 3 (preview); May 10; May 17 (Hapa Night); May 24; May 31; June 7
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: May 4 (opening); May 11; May 18; May 25; June 1; June 8
• Sundays at 3 p.m.: May 5; May 12; May 19; June 2
• Sundays at 7 p.m.: May 26 (AAPI Day); June 9
HOW:
– https://www.estlosangeles.org/
– https://www.facebook.com/EnsembleStudioTheatreLA/
– https://www.instagram.com/estlosangeles/
– https://twitter.com/EST_LA
– https://www.youtube.com/@estlosangeles9117/videos
WHAT: PANG SPA
Daniel Pang returns home to LA’s Koreatown stepping into an unexpected life. Twenty years after the LA Uprising, the family business is gone, his brother is gone, and his parents are disappearing with dementia. As Daniel juggles his parents’ care and idiosyncratic neighbors a flinty young army vet arrives on a mission forcing him to confront his past. Pang Spa is a Los Angeles, K-town dramedy celebrating family, memory and identity through a journey of healing.
WHO:
• Written by David Johann Kim
• Directed by Reena Dutt
• Starring Christopher Callen, Ben Carroll, Hahn Cho, Edward Hong, Jasmine Kimiko, Dian Kobayashi
• Presented by Chalk Repertory Theatre, Amy Ellenberger, Artistic Producing Director
WHEN:
Previews: May 16 – May 18
Performances: May 19 – June 9
• Thursdays at 8 p.m.: May 16 (preview); May 23; May 30; June 6
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: May 17 (Hapa Night); May 24; May 31; June 7
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: May 18 (preview): May 25; June 1; June 8
• Sunday at 6 p.m.: May 19 (opening)
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: May 26 (AAPI Day); June 9
• Sunday at 7 p.m.: June 2
• Monday at 8 p.m.: June 3
HOW:
– https://www.chalkrep.com/
– https://www.facebook.com/chalkrep
– https://www.instagram.com/chalkrep/
SPECIAL DOUBLE-FEATURE PERFORMANCE DAYS:
For those who would like to attend both PANG SPA and TWO STOP on one day, there is a discount of $25 per performance on either Sunday, May 26, June 2, or June 9, use Code 2spa at checkout.
WHERE:
Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039
• FREE parking in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) lot one block south of the theater.
TICKET PRICES:
● $35
● Previews: $25
● Students, Veterans, Seniors $25
OTHER:
Appropriate for ages 12+
# # #
LOS ANGELES (April 1, 2024) Los Angeles theater survives and thrives on community collaboration now more than ever. In conjunction with AAPI Heritage Month, Chalk Repertory Theatre will present the world premiere of PANG SPA directed by Reena Dutt in collaboration with EST/LA’s world premiere production of TWO STOP directed by Tracey A. Leigh. Penned by David Johann Kim, these two world premieres are companion pieces centered around themes related to the 1992 L.A. Uprising. Both plays will be presented during AAPI Heritage Month between May 2 and June 9, 2024, at Atwater Village Theatre. This collaboration is a part of Center Theatre Group’s L.A. Artist Residency program, a division of the new CTG:Forward initiative.
“In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, it was clear to me that TWO STOP not only had characters I’d never seen before onstage, but as a story of transformation, it would be perfect for EST/LA’s first full production since the pandemic,” explained TWO STOP director Tracey A. Leigh. “I’m constantly surprised by TWO STOP’s immediacy; the writing is superb – the play crackles with intensity while being grounded in the deep humanity of each character. I am so excited to share our production alongside Chalk Rep’s production of David Johann Kim’s other multi-award-winning play, PANG SPA.”
TWO STOP takes place on the verge of the ’92 L.A. Uprising. A Korean market. A murder scene. A store owner and a neighborhood teenage girl face off. When her wild card mother arrives, secrets from the past explode in this tiny store. History and histories go head-to-head as L.A. starts to burn. Together they reach back decades and across the globe through war, strife and love, finding connection and even hope.
In PANG SPA, Daniel Pang returns home to L.A.’s Koreatown stepping into an unexpected life. Twenty years after the L.A. Uprising, the family business is gone, his brother is gone, and his parents are disappearing with dementia. As Daniel juggles his parents’ care and idiosyncratic neighbors a flinty young army vet arrives on a mission forcing him to confront his past. PANG SPA is a Los Angeles, K-town dramedy celebrating family, memory and identity through a journey of healing.
“1992 was a defining year for Angelinos. It’s a part of our history that illustrates camaraderie as well as conflict across communities. What PANG SPA does is acknowledge the repercussions of those choices, and bring the aftermath to light through a complex, compelling, and often funny slice of life.” said PANG SPA director Reena Dutt.
In the Korean American community, the 1992 Los Angeles Uprising is remembered as Sai-i-gu (April 29 in Korean). Also known as the 1992 Los Angeles Riots or the 1992 Rodney King Riots, the L.A. Uprising was a major outbreak of violence, looting and arson that began on April 29, 1992. The L.A. Uprising was a response to two events: the acquittal of four white L.A. policemen on all but one charge connected to the severe beating of Rodney King, an African American motorist in March of 1991; and the fatal shooting of African American teenager Latasha Harlins by Korean convenience shop owner Soon Ja Du thirteen days after the beating of Rodney King. Korean Americans suffered extremely high economic losses as 2,300 Korean American businesses were looted or burned and suffered over $400 million in property damages. During the L.A. Uprising, Korean Americans received very little aid or protection from police authorities due to disparities in social status and language barriers.
TWO STOP stars Suzen Baraka, JuneSoo Ham, and Iyanna Lott.
The creative team for TWO STOP includes Ashley Weaver, Stage Manager; Maria Hong, Costume Design; Justin Huen, Set Design; Xinyuan Li, Light Design; Austin Quan, Sound and Video Design; and Chuma Gault, Video Effects Design.
PANG SPA stars Christopher Callen, Ben Carroll, Hahn Cho, Edward Hong, Jasmine Kimiko, and Dian Kobayashi.
The creative team for PANG SPA includes Roella Dellosa, Stage Manager; Maria Hong, Costume Design; Justin Huen, Set Design; Xinyuan Li, Light Design; and Austin Quan, Sound Design.
David Johann Kim (playwright) fell hard for dramaturgy when working on new plays with powerhouse dramaturgs, Mame Hunt (at Berkeley Rep) and Morgan Jenness (NYSF’s New Works Now Festival and NY Theatre Workshops Dartmouth retreat) as an actor. Mabou Mines Ruth Malaczech asked David to be part of the writers’ group when she was devising A Drop in the Ocean in residence at NYTW. Les Waters selected David to be part of the devising team for their Joint Stock-style production, Act 3 Sc 2 of Life at UC San Diego. Kim holds an MFA from UC San Diego and is a member of The Dramatists Guild, EST/LA’s Playwrights Unit, Chalk Rep’s Writers group, Playwrights ThinkTank and cofounder of EST/LA’s Ignite Project. His play PANG SPA was a semifinalist for the 2018 O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Ashland New Play Festival and Bay Area Playwrights Festival and the final round of Dennis and Victoria Ross Foundation Playwrights Program. Both of his plays PANG SPA and TWO STOP were awarded the Los Angeles New Play Project Grant in November 2022.
Tracey A. Leigh (TWO STOP director and EST/LA artistic director) is an Obie Award and NAACP Theatre Award-winning actor. She has an extensive career in theatre-making and new work development. She has appeared on stages throughout the U.S. and internationally, including a Broadway National Tour and performances Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop, Primary Stages, Signature Theatre, Soho Rep, P.S. 122 and La Mama Experimental Theatre Club; regionally at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, the Guthrie Theatre, The National Theatre in Washington DC, The Denver Center, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company and ACT in Seattle; and at Southern California’s South Coast Repertory Theatre, The Old Globe Theatre, The La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego Repertory Theatre, Boston Court Pasadena, Sacred Fools, Echo Theater Company, Lower Depth Theatre and Rubicon Theatre Company.
A member of Ensemble Studio Theatre Los Angeles since 2011, Tracey became Associate Artistic Director in 2012, then served as Co-Artistic Director with Gates McFadden from 2013-2014. During that time, she produced and directed numerous projects and festivals for the company while working at USC as a dramaturg for second year MFA playwrights. After stepping away from the company for several years, she became Artistic Director in 2021. Tracey continues to work as an actor, recently appearing in the co-production of American Son at Ensemble Theatre Company Santa Barbara/The English Theatre of Frankfurt and the Playwright’s Arena/LGBT Center co-production of THREE, an adaptation of Anton Chekov’s Three Sisters. She is also a proud member of Artistic Directors of Color Alliance, Greater Los Angeles.
Reena Dutt (PANG SPA director) is dedicated to new and reimagined texts that catapult polarizing conversations through unexpected stories with the bodies, voices and life experiences of the underheard. Her Broadway debut was on The Collaboration at MTC as Assistant Director to Kwame Kwei-Armah of the Young Vic in London, and she most recently assisted Leigh Silverman on Merry Me at NYTW. Upcoming: An Experiment with an Airpump (CalArts), Pang Spa (World Premiere, Chalk Rep), Galileo’s Daughter (WAM). New York: Columbia University, Playwrights Realm, A.R.T. West Coast: UC Riverside, Artists at Play, Coeurage Ensemble, UC Riverside, Greenway Court Theatre, East West Players, Sacred Fools. Script Development Highlights: The Public, Boston Court, Playwrights Realm. Assistant/Associate Director: MTC, NYTW, The Public, The Fountain Theatre, Geffen Playhouse. Theatre Fellowships: Drama League NY Directing Fellow, LCT Directors Lab, Directors Lab West.
Reena is also a film director and producer having screened films at over 80 festivals worldwide including Sundance, LAFF, Outfest, Frameline, Cucalorous, NBCUniversal, BET, PBS/Latino and HBO. Reena was the first South Asian Community Liaison at the Ford Amphitheatre in Los Angeles and served on the board of Theatre of NOTE. She produced panel discussion connecting 99-seat theater to large theatre houses in the LA area at the Hollywood Fringe Festival and acted as an Associate Producer for Directors Lab West/Connects during the pandemic. Theatre Fellowships: Drama League NY Directing Fellow, LCT Directors Lab, Directors Lab West. Film Fellowships: Project Involve at Film Independent, SFFilm, and Trans Atlantic Partners with the Goethe Institut (Berlin). More Info: reenadutt.com
TWO STOP runs May 2 (opens May 4) through June 9, with performances taking place on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. on May 5, 12, 19 and June 2; and Sundays at 7 p.m. on May 26 and June 9. There is a Hapa Night performance on May 17, and an AAPI Day celebration performance on May 26. To purchase tickets and for more information please visit https://www.estlosangeles.org/.
PANG SPA runs May 16 (opens May 19) through June 9, with performances taking place on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m. on May 26 and June 9; and Sunday at 6 p.m. on May 19 and Sunday at 7pm on June 2. There is a Hapa Night performance on May 17, and an AAPI Day celebration performance on May 26. To purchase tickets and for more information please visit https://www.chalkrep.com/.
General admission to all performances are $35, with $25 tickets available to seniors, veterans, and students. There are three special double-feature performance days for those who would like to attend both PANG SPA and TWO STOP on one day with a discount of $25 per performance on either Sunday, May 26, June 2, or June 9, by using Code 2spa at checkout. Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Ave in Los Angeles, CA 90039. Parking is free in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) parking lot one block south of the theater.
David Johann Kim, Chalk Rep, and EST/LA are proud recipients of the Los Angeles New Play Project award. The world premiere productions of PANG SPA and TWO STOP are funded in part with the support of this grant. LANPP is a newly established grant program, launching in 2021, that helps support original work presented on small and mid-size stages in Los Angeles. In addition to LANPP, Chalk Rep and EST/LA are recipients of the Venturous Theater Fund grant, a fund of Tides Foundation, for each production. Both companies are grateful for the continued support of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and its Organizational Grant Program. Without the generous support of these grants and individual donors, the productions of PANG SPA and TWO STOP would not be possible.
Chalk Repertory Theatre is a non-profit performing arts company with a 16-year tradition of revealing the spaces and stories of Los Angeles in all its beautiful, complex diversity. The company was founded on principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion, anti-racist practices, and identity-conscious casting. It is dedicated to making Los Angeles theatre expansive, inclusive, non-traditional and rule breaking while partnering with a variety of spaces as intimate as a living room and as public as an iconic landmark. Founded in 2008 by five graduates of the MFA Theatre program at the University of California, San Diego, Chalk Rep has become a leader in site-specific theatre garnering awards and partnering with iconic institutions such as L.A.’s Natural History Museum, the Page Museum, the William Andrews Clark Library, Saint John’s Episcopal Cathedral, Columbia Memorial Space Center, and Hollywood Forever Cemetery. In addition to play productions, Chalk Rep fosters artist development and community through its Writer’s Group, FLASH Festival, and a salon series called Open Circle.
Ensemble Studio Theatre Los Angeles (EST/LA) is a company of artists who collaborate to develop original, bold, risk-taking theatre. Through the telling of diverse stories, we challenge our artists and our audiences to meet the moment; to see the world through a new lens and explore our shared humanity. As an incubator for dynamic and audacious new theatre, EST/LA provides a space where artists across all aspects of identity, perspective, and experience feel safe to create daring work that shakes people up. As a company, EST/LA is dedicated to the discovery and development of new voices while continuing to support our member artists. We encourage all of our theatre makers to practice openness and curiosity; to wrestle with the things that make us uncomfortable; to delve into complex issues; to challenge the status quo by questioning assumptions; and to lift up those who’ve been traditionally marginalized as a result of those assumptions. It is long overdue for our membership to accurately reflect the city in which we live and create. Ensuring that the broader LA community sees itself represented in our work and in who we are is essential for meaningful and transformational engagement — with both our audiences and each other as artists. Embracing the enormous variety of human experience is imperative not only for the creation of impactful theatre, but for the future of EST/LA.
