Nüwa in Fairyland
A World Premiere Production
MAY 23 - JUNE 1
Written by Brandon Zang
Directed by Carla Mirabal Rodríguez
Boston Center for the Arts, Plaza Black Box Theatre (539 Tremont St, Boston, MA)
After getting cast as Puck in his high school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Benji dives deep into method acting to prepare for his role. In the enchanted forest of foggy adolescence, he runs into a stranger: the Chinese creator goddess Nüwa (女娲).
Does she hold the key to his birthplace as a transracial adoptee? Or will Benji never escape Fairyland? Conceived by Chinese Canadian playwright Brandon Zang, Nüwa in Fairyland fuses Shakespeare's charm with Chinese folklore into a coming-of-age tale.
NOTE: The play and the performance of Nüwa in Fairyland is aesthetically bilingual in Mandarin Chinese and English; English translation surtitles will be projected during Mandarin Chinese dialogues.
Performance Schedule:
Thursday, 5/23, 7pm | Friday, 5/24, 8pm | Saturday, 5/25, 2pm & 8pm | Sunday, 5/26, 2pm
Wednesday, 5/29, 7pm | Thursday, 5/30, 7pm | Friday, 5/31, 8pm | Saturday, 6/1, 2pm & 8pm
*Stay tuned for the announcement on our community events!*
CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM
PLAYWRIGHT - Brandon Zang (he/him) is a Chinese Canadian playwright who uses worldbuilding to distance, deconstruct, and dissect the complex issues of today. His work has been developed at Lifeline Theatre, Live Arts, KCACTF, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Queen’s University, and the University of Chicago. His play Ah Wing and the Automaton Eagle is the winner of the 2023 Voaden Prize. Brandon is currently an MFA playwright at Boston University. He is super excited to be making his world premiere of Nüwa in Fairyland with Chuang Stage!
DIRECTOR - Carla Mirabal Rodríguez (she/her) is thrilled to be working with Chuang Stage! Carla is a director, actor, and producer from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Recent directing credits include John Proctor is the Villain (Asst. Director, The Huntington), In the Time of the Butterflies (Newton Theatre Company), El voicenote tiene que ser menos de 1 minuto (Dream Boston powered by The Huntington), Things You Should Know When Setting Up an Ofrenda (Huntington Theatre at Boston Theatre Marathon), Temporary (Teatro Chelsea’s A-Típico New Play Festival), Romeo + Juliet (Asst. Director, Teatro Chelsea), and Sonia Se Fue (Asst. Director, Teatro Chelsea). Carla is also the Artistic and Casting Associate at The Huntington. CarlaMirabalRodriguez.com
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR - Kaye Huiyuan Hu (she/they) Originally from Shanghai, Kaye is a Mandarin-English bilingual theater actress working in arts administration. Striving to bridge cultural and language barriers through the power of artistic expression, she works in Learning & Civic Engagement at the Peabody Essex Museum, and dedicates her time as the Public Relations Director & General Manager at Vermilion Theater, Inc. Ins: @kayeeee9
DRAMATURG - Regine Vital (she/her) is a storyteller, theatre artist, educator and producer from Somerville, MA. Regional credits: The Huntington, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, American Repertory Theatre, Actors' Shakespeare Project, ArtsEmerson, Company One, SpeakEasy Stage, Central Square Theatre. Fringe/Local: Fresh Ink Theatre, Boston University School of Theatre, Moonbox Productions, Plays In Place, Flat Earth Theatre, HUB Theatre of Boston, Open Theatre Project, Concord Players, Birch Tree Productions, Green Door Labs. NYC/Podcasts/Film: The Huntington, Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, Broadway Podcast Network, The Penumbra Podcast, Revolutionary Spaces. Education: BA, Boston University; MA, University of Massachusetts, Boston; MA candidate, King’s College London/Shakespeare’s Globe. "Merde, folks! 😉"
MOVEMENT DIRECTOR - Fernadina Chan is the Founder and Co-Director of Continuum Dance Project (CDP). Since its founding in 2013, CDP has received many grants and commissions: Boston Center for the Arts Choreographer Residency (2017); two LLC Grants from The Brookline Commission for the Arts; 2020 LAB grant from The Boston Foundation; AiR residency at the Somerville Arts Council’s ArtAssembled (2022); 2022-2023 Dancemakers Residency from Boston Center for the Arts and Boston Dance Alliance: and a commission to create a site-responsive work for Momentum Greenway Dance Series (2023). CDP is currently the inaugural artist in residence at BU Wheelock’s Earl Center for Learning & Innovation. CDP Co-directors Adriane Brayton and Fernadina Chan were 2022 Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Fellowship Finalists. Ms.Chan was the Founding Artistic Dean and Dance Department Chair at the Boston Arts Academy (BAA). Ms. Chan has received numerous awards as a dance educator.
BENJI - Trevyn Wong is thrilled to be joining Chuang Stage. A recent graduate from UNC School of the Arts, he is currently based in NYC. Credits include Amadeus in AMADEUS and Cuddy in WITCH. Last year he appeared in American Players Theatre’s summer season performing classical texts in a rotating repertory company. Thanks to Brandon for his friendship. Rep: Henderson Hogan Agency trevynwong.com
MR. BAILEY - Matt Goldstein is excited to be working with Chuang Stage for the FIRST time as Mr. Bailey/Oberon in Nuwa In Fairyland. Recent credits include Ratcatcher/Other Roles in Kindertransport at Newton Theatre Company, Trujillo/Other Roles in In The Time of the Butterflies at Newton Theatre Company, and lent his voice as Radio DJ in Huntington's production of The Heart Sellers. He is honored to work with Carla and this amazing cast and wishes to thank his family, friends, and fiancee for always pushing him forward. Much love to everyone!
MARYANNE - Jen Alison Lewis is thrilled to return to Chuang after Flight of a Legless Bird last year. An actor in theatre and film/tv, Jen also directs, coaches, and teaches Acting at Bunker Hill Community College and Wheelock Family Theatre. She directed the 2023 & 2024 Boston Area Theatre Audition and was Interim Executive Director of StageSource. Favorite roles include Rosalinde in As You Like It (Merely Players); Desdemona in Othello (Dream Role Players), Hermia in Midsummer Night’s Dream (It’s a Fiasco); Legally Dead (Boston Playwrights'); Living Out (Lyric Stage); and The Friends of Eddie Coyle (Stickball). Proud member, SAG-AFTRA, and MFA alum, Emerson College. Thanks to Tym, Adam and Laura for supporting and playing with me, and to Alison, Carla and Brandon for this opportunity! www.jenalisonlewis.com
DAMIAN - Henry Dolgoff played Prince Charming in CINDERELLA (Imagine Theatre) and can be seen as Shmuel in Hulu TV mini series WE WERE THE LUCKY ONES. Other credits: Stage: TAKIN’ OVER THE ASYLUM, DEATH OF A SALESMAN, THREE SISTERS (Royal Conservatoire Scotland); LOVE AND INFORMATION, BLOOD AT THE ROOT (New York University Tisch/Carnegie Mellon University). Short film: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (RCS), DEJA YOU (RCS/On the Verge Festival). Training: Royal Conservatoire Scotland. The role of Damian in NUWA IN FAIRYLAND is his US professional stage debut.
NÜWA - Bowen Huang (she/her) is excited to be working with Chuang Stage again as NÜWA in NÜWA IN FAIRYLAND! Recent credits include: Curtain Call Theater: I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change(Woman #1); The Umbrella Art: Dracula (Marilla). Emerson Stage Credits: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Sonya). Born and raised in Chongqing, China, I appreciate my loved ones from around the world for all the support. And thank you to this cast&crew who made this show happen! 特别感谢爸爸妈妈支持我的音乐剧梦想，我爱你们。www.angelbowen.com
BENJI/DAMIAN (Understudy) - Yihong Yuan Hailing from Vancouver, Canada, and Changchun, China, Phoenix is thrilled to enter the world of professional theatre as understudy for Benji/Damian, and has thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with the cast and production staff. Phoenix is a sophomore at Brandeis University studying Economics, Legal Studies, and International Studies. His previous appearances in Brandeis University theater include Wolf in “Wolf Play”, Orlando in "As You Like It," The Ghost in "Hamlet," and Nancy in "Space Girl."
DESIGN AND PRODUCTION TEAM
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER - Winnie Chiang (she/her) is excited to be working with Chuang Stage as the Production Stage Manager in Nüwa in Fairyland! Her recent credits include John Proctor is the Villain, Fat Ham, The Heart Sellers (Production Assistant at The Huntington); The Chinese Lady (Assistant Stage Manager at Central Square Theater); Much Ado About Nothing (non-union Assistant Stage Manager at Commonwealth Shakespeare Company).
PRODUCTION MANAGER - Becca Cottrell is excited to return to Chuang Stage as Production Manager for Nüwa in Fairyland! Recent credits include Wardrobe Supervisor for A Strange Loop with SpeakEasy Stage Company, Assistant Stage Manager for the Queer Voices Festival with Boston Theatre Company, and Assistant Stage Manager for The Interrobangers with Company One Theatre. Congratulations to this fabulous team and thank you for all your hard work!
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER (REHEARSAL) - Emma J. Hunt is so thrilled to be joining the incredible team at Chuang Stage again! She served as production stage manager for last fall's sold-out run of The Fortune Teller by Christina R. Chan. Other stage management credits include Clyde's (Huntington Theater), Thirst, Rooted, Preludes, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (Lyric Stage Boston), Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Titanic Theater Company), and Everyday Life and Other Odds and Ends (Sleeping Weazel/ArtsEmerson). Emma is a graduate of Northeastern University where she studied theater and history. In her free time she can be found writing, baking and watching lots of nerdy television.
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER (PERFORMANCE) - Kiera Starr Turner is excited to be working with Chuang Stage as Overhire Assistant Stage Manager in Nüwa in Fairyland! Recent credits include working as a production assistant/stage manager intern during The Bands Visit and The Heart Sellers through The Huntington and SpeakEasy Stage. Congratulations to this incredible cast and crew. Thank you Molly Bourque, Nerrissa Williams, and everyone who helped me throughout the MASI program to teach me even more about technical theatre.
SCENIC DESIGNER - Qingan Zhang is excited to come back for another CHUANG Stage production at BCA. Qingan is a multidisciplinary scenic designer and producer. She recently co-founded the non-profit interdisciplinary production company Cellunova Productions. Qingan’s selected scenic design credits: Beyond Words (2024, Central Square Theater), Wolf Play (2024, Brandeis University), The Fortune Teller (2023, CHUANG Stage), The Chinese Lady (2022, Central Square Theater). Qingan would like to express gratitude for all the unwavering support received from the remarkable production team of Nüwa in Fairyland. qinganz.com
PROP DESIGNER - Addie Pates is a Boston based theatre artist who’s excited to working with Chuang Stage for the first time. When not sourcing props, she can be found doing carpentry or stage crew gigs. Catch her onstage this summer in “T: An MBTA Musical” and “Marian, Or the True Tale of Robin Hood. Her thanks to the team!
LIGHTING DESIGNER - Ashley Yung is a Chinese-American Boston born-and-based Lighting Designer. Previously, you may have seen her work in Fortune Teller (CHUANG Stage), Party Bots (Lyric Stage), and SKINLESS (Found in Translation). She has her BFA in Theatre Design/Technology from Emerson College. She also works at Pao Arts Center as the Theatre and Performance Program Manager. ashleyyung.com
SOUND DESIGNER - Anna Drummond (they/them) is thrilled to be designing for Chuang Stage again! Anna is a Boston-based sound designer specializing in SFX curation for theatre companies and educational institutions. Organizations include The Front Porch Arts Collective, The Huntington Theatre, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Company One (C1), Fresh Ink Theatre, Central Square Theater, Trinity Repertory Company & Brown University, Harvard University, Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music, Brandeis University, Northeastern University, and Emerson College. Anna was awarded the Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Sound Design in 2023 for their work on K-I-S-S-I-N-G and holds a BA with Honors in Sound Design/Audio Post-Production from the Visual & Media Arts Department at Emerson College. Love to Dyl, Eleanor, Jeremy, and the Bad Luck Crew for everything, always.
COSTUME DESIGNER - Sandra Zhihan Jia is an Elliot Norton-nominated Asian-American theatre costume and artistic concept designer currently based in California and Boston. She holds an MFA in Theatre Costume Design from Boston University ('23) and a BA in Drama from the University of California, Irvine, Claire Trevor School of Arts ('20) and cinema makeup certificate. She is excited and honor to be working again with Chuang stage. Her recent credits include Beyond Words at Central Square Theatre, Wolf Play at Brandeis University and Fortune Teller at Chuang Stage. For more portfolio please visit: Sandrazh.com
