MEDIA ADVISORY - Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS) Hosts 3rd Annual Summer Reading: "TEENAGE DICK" by Mike Lew
The Californer/10283417

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Californer -- WHAT:  Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS) presents its 3rd Annual Summer Staged Reading featuring TEENAGE DICK by Mike Lew. This modern adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard III reimagines one of the most famous disabled characters in history as a 16-year-old outsider navigating the political turmoil of high school. TEENAGE DICK is a hilarious and sharp-witted play that explores themes of perception, disability, and the treacherous path to ascendancy.

Attendees will enjoy an immersive staged reading of TEENAGE DICK featuring music by Peaboo and the Catz, followed by a concert after the Saturday night performance. Peaboo and the Catz is a San Francisco Bay Area pop-rock band, which includes 11-year-old Mila Siguenza on guitar and backup vocals, Michael Asuncion on drums, and 12-year-old lead singer and bassist Presley "Peaboo" Asuncion, who is featured in the Emmy-award-winning HBO documentary "1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed" by W. Kamau Bell and Melissa Hudson Bell.

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WHO:  CATS has cast a talented ensemble of local Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) actors: Vinh Ton as Richard, Alicia Cho as Ms. York, Evelyn Kuo as Buck, Claire Chen as Clarissa, Ryder Tafaoimalo as Eddie, and Margarita Jamero as Anne Margaret. The staged-reading performances are directed by Chris Sicat, a local visual artist, theater director, and educator, along with Assistant Director Camille Bayer, Art Director Tracy Nguyen, Assistant Art Director Vallene Tran, Light and Sound Engineer TK Tran, Tech Assistant Max Kennedy, and Music Director Paolo Asuncion who is also playing drums for the Saturday concert in place of Michael Asuncion.

WHEN:  June 21-22, 2024, at 7:00 p.m.

WHERE:  Akiyama Wellness Center, 110 Jackson St, San Jose, CA 95112

COST: General admission is $15 and student admission is $10, plus the Eventbrite fee

HOW TO ATTEND: People can purchase tickets at Eventbrite. Reporters and journalists should contact Joanne Ho to attend.

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About Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS)

Founded in 1995 by the late Dr. Jerry Hiura, the late Steve Yamaguma, and Miki Hirabayashi, CATS has been a beacon for Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) artists, providing a platform for their voices and talents. CATS has showcased comedians, authors, playwrights, musicians, dancers, performers, and filmmakers. CATS produces the annual Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Film Festival, which celebrates its 10th year in October 2024, and in July 2024, the inaugural AAPI Playwright Festival. CATS, a 501c3 non-profit organization located in San Jose Japantown, continues to fulfill its founders' dreams of supporting, mentoring, and, ultimately, presenting AAPI artists and their stories while enriching the cultural landscape of San Jose and Silicon Valley. Visit catsasiantheaterscene.org.

Follow CATS on Social Media:
Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok: @catsasiantheater
YouTube: @asiantheater
X: @catsasian