On the 24th day of Asian American Native Hawaii and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I attended Second Generation Productions and Ma-Yi Theater’s Play Reading of Lisa Sanaye Dring’s SUMO in Theatre Two at Theatre Row. Helmed by Ralph B. Peña, the cast featured Sergio Mauritz Ang, Chris Grace, Brian Lee Huỳnh, David Lee Huỳnh, Paul Juhn, Jasmine Sharma, David Shih, Scott Keiji Takeda, Paco Tolson, and Daisuke Tsuji.
SUMO- 1st Row: Sergio Mauritz Ang, Paul Juhn, Brian Lee Huỳnh, Daisuke Tsuji, David Shih, Scott Keiji Takeda, Paco Tolson. 2nd Row: Đavid Lee Huỳnh, Jasmine Sharma, Director Ralph B. Peña, Lisa Sanaye Dring, Chris Grace, Jakob Carter. Photo by Lia Chang
Entrenched in an elite sumo training facility in Tokyo, six men practice, eat, love, play, and ultimately fight.
Playwright Lisa Sanaye Dring and Director Ralph B. Peña. Photo by Lia Chang
The New York Premiere of SUMO will be presented during the Winter 2025 season as a co-production of Ma-Yi Theater Company, La Jolla Playhouse and The Public Theater, at The Public.
Scroll down for my photo coverage of the night which featured a SUMO/THE FAR COUNTRY crossover. After the show, we headed to The Yotel to enjoy a perfect summer night in community.
Gladys Chen and Theo Catapult. Photo by Lia Chang
David Shih, Director Ralph B. Peña, Gladys Chen. Photo by Lia Chang
Lia Chang, David Shih, Tina Chilip and Daisuke Tsuji. Photo by Lia Chang
THE FAR COUNTRY: Sergio Mauritz Ang, Jesse Cao Long, Joe Osheroff, Director Ralph B. Peña, Đavid Lee Huỳnh, Tina Chilip, Joyce Meimei Zheng, Hao Feng, Paul Juhn, David Shih. Photo by Lia Chang
1st row: Alexis Kulani Woodard, Michael Thanh Trần, Hao Feng, Lisa Sanaye Dring, Paco Tolson, Jesse Cao Long, Hieu Bui, Scott Keiji Takeda.
2nd Row: Shimali de Silva, Chris Grace, Sergio Mauritz Ang, Paul Juhn, David Shih, Đavid Lee Huỳnh, Joe Osheroff, Tina Chilip, Ka-Ling Cheung, Daisuke Tsuji, Joyce Meimei Zheng, Jully Lee, Howard Ho, Xiaoqing Zhang, Lennox T. Duong, Katelyn Trieu, Mandarin Wu. Photo by Lia Chang
Ka-Ling Cheung, Paul Juhn, Joyce Meimei Zheng. Photo by Lia Chang
Joe Osheroff and Ka-Ling Cheung. Photo by Lia Chang
Ka-Ling and Precious Sipin. Photo by Lia Chang
David Shih, Hao Feng, Lia Chang, Tina Chilip, Jesse Cao Long, Đavid Lee Huỳnh, Paul John and Daisuke Tsuji. Photo by Ka-Ling Cheung
Lia Chang and Ralph B. Peña. Photo by Ka-Ling Cheung
Tina Chilip and Paco Tolson. Photo by Lia Chang
Đavid Lee Huỳnh, Xiaoqing Zhang, Mandarin Wu, Jully Lee, Howard Ho. Photo by Lia Chang
Lennox T. Duong, Katelyn Trieu, Đavid Lee Huỳnh, Hieu Bui, Michael Thanh Trần. Photo by Lia Chang
Howard Ho and Jully Lee. Photo by Lia Chang
Scott Keiji Takeda, Paul Juhn, DAvid Shih, Daisuke Tsuji, Chris Grace. by Lia Chang
Tina Chilip and Hao Feng. Photo by Lia Chang
Đavid Lee Huỳnh and Michael Thanh Trần. Photo by Lia Chang
Shimali de Silva, Katelyn Trieu, Alexis Kulani Woodard, Jesse Cao Long, Đavid Lee Huỳnh, Lia Chang, Hieu Bui. Photo by Michael Thanh Trần
Đavid Lee Huỳnh and Lia Chang. Photo by Michael Thanh Trần
About the Artists
Lisa Sanaye Dring is a writer from Hilo, Hawaii and Reno, Nevada. She is currently the Tow Foundation Writer-in-Residence with Ma-Yi. They have worked with Meow Wolf and were honored as a recipient of the 2020/21 PLAY LA Stage Raw/Humanitas Prize. She has been a finalist for the Relentless Award, Seven Devils, a 2x finalist (one honorable mention) for the BAPF and a 2x finalist for the O’Neill. Lisa has been awarded fellowships at MacDowell, Blue Mountain Center and Yaddo, and received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Interactive Programming for a piece she co-wrote and co-directed called Welcome to the Blumhouse Live.
Ralph B. Peña is an Obie Award-winning theater-maker based in New York City. Recent directing credits include The Far Country (Yale Repertory), the world premiere of Lisa Sanaye Dring’s SUMO (La Jolla Playhouse/Ma-Yi), Lloyd Suh’s The Chinese Lady (Ma-Yi/The Public Theater, Indiana Rep, Long Wharf Theater, Barrington Stage | Drama Desk, Lortel, NY Outer Critics, Berkshire Theater Critics, CT Critics Circle Nominations), Michael Lew’s Tiger Style! at South Coast Repertory, and Daniel K. Isaac’s ONCE UPON A (korean) TIME for Ma-Yi Theater Company where he is currently Producing Artistic Director. For Ma-Yi he has also directed the world premieres of Hansol Jung’s Among The Dead, Michael Lew’s microcrisis, Lloyd Suh’s The Wong Kids (Off Broadway Alliance Best Children’s Play) and Children of Vonderly. He wrote and directed the short film Vancouver (Cannes World Film Festival, L.A. Indie Festival, NY International Film Award for Best Short and Best Director, 2023 UNIMA Citation of Excellence), and the documentary Twenty Years of Asian American Playwriting for PBS / ALL ARTS. Ralph has served as Ma-Yi Theater Company’s Producing Artistic Director since 1996, and is one of its founding members.
Visit www.ma-yitheatre.org for more information.
Lia Chang. Photo by Kalin Ivanov
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media producer, activist, documentarian and an Award winning filmmaker and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Lia is also the host and Executive Producer of BACKSTAGE PASS WITH LIA CHANG, an Arts and Entertainment and Lifestyle program that airs on Sunday at 6:30pm on FIOS 34, RCN 83, Spectrum 56/1996 and streams on MNN2. Lia was recently profiled on Asian American Life. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. www.liachang.com www.liachangphotography.com
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