New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Photo by Lia Chang
Programs and AALDEF Stop Asian Hate buttons. Photo by Lia Chang
Lainie Sakakura was living her best ‘Oprah’ moment at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts’ presentation of My AAPI Broadway Story: Breaking Barriers in the Bruno Walter Auditorium at the Library for the Performing Arts on March 14.
JoAnn M. Hunter, Jose Llana, Baayork Lee, Lainie Sakakura and Telly Leung. Photo by Lia Chang
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Broadway stars came together to share stories of how they broke the mold, pushed their way into non-traditional casting, and continue to work as actors, directors, choreographers, writers, producers, and educators to create space for future generations.
JoAnn M. Hunter and Telly Leung. Photo by Lia Chang
In “My AAPI Broadway Story,” Lainie Sakakura (6 Broadway shows including Fosse, Chita Rivera The Dancer’s Life), spoke with Baayork Lee (13 Broadway shows, Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award recipient), Ann Harada (7 Broadway shows including Cinderella, 9 to 5), Telly Leung (7 Broadway shows including Aladdin, In Transit), Jose Llana (7 Broadway shows including Rent, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee),and JoAnn M. Hunter (19 Broadway shows including School of Rock, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway) about their journeys on the Great White Way. The program included incredible live performances and never-before-aired archival footage of their original Broadway performances.
Telly Leung. Photo by Lia Chang
Telly Leung. Photo by Lia Chang
JoAnn M. Hunter and Lainie Sakakura. Photo by Lia Chang
JoAnn M. Hunter and Lainie Sakakura. Photo by Lia Chang
JoAnn M. Hunter. Photo by Lia Chang
Jose Llana and Lainie Sakakura. Photo by Lia Chang
Jose Llana. Photo by Lia Chang
Ann Harada and Lainie Sakakura. Photo by Lia Chang
Baayork Lee. Photo by Lia Chang
Ann Harada and Lainie Sakakura. Photo by Lia Chang
The program also featured Lincoln Center Theater’s original cast members of the Tony Award winning revival of The King and I – Adriana Braganza, Amaya Braganza, James Ignacio, Timothy Yang.
Timothy Yang, James Ignacio, Amaya Braganza and Adriana Braganza. Photo by Lia Chang
Music Director Keiji Ishiguri, Timothy Yang, Amaya Braganza, James Ignacio, Adriana Braganza, Ann Harada, Jose Llana, Lainie Sakakura, Baayork Lee and JoAnn M. Hunter. Photo by Lia Chang
Special thanks to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts’ Curator of the Billy Rose Theater Division Doug Reside, Artistic Producer Ryan Patrick Ervin, Nick Karalexis, Manager of Audio and Video Technologies, Patrick Hoffman, Director, Theatre on Film and Tape Archive, and intern, Avelina Sanchez.
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Curator of The Billy Rose Division Doug Reside, Lainie Sakakura and Ryan Patrick Ervin, Artistic Producer. Photo by Lia Chang
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Nick Karalexis, Manager, Audio & Visual Technologies and Lainie Sakakura. Photo by Lia Chang
The program was taped for the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive, and will be available to the public to view.
JoAnn M. Hunter and Gregory Mitchell in STEEL PIER (Photo by Carol Rosegg); Ann Harada in CINDERELLA (© Joan Marcus), Baayork Lee in A CHORUS LINE (Photo courtesy of Martha Swope), Jose Llana in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Photo by Joan Marcus); and Telly Leung in GODSPELL (Photo by Jeremy Daniel).
The free program was directed and conceived by Lainie Sakakura.
Lainie Sakakura. Photo by Lia Chang
Lia Chang, JoAnn M. Hunter, Jose Llana, Baayork Lee, Lainie Sakakura and Telly Leung. Photo by Telly Leung
Timothy Yang, Amaya Braganza , Adriana Braganza and James Ignacio. Photo by Lia Chang
Music Director Keiji Ishiguri. Photo by Lia Chang
Corner of Bitter and Sweet reunion Avelina Sanchez, Timothy Yang, Lainie Sakakura, Jason Ma, Isabela Sanchez and Fenton Lee. Photo by Lia Chang
Baayork Lee and Lainie Sakakura. Photo by Lia Chang
Baayork Lee, Jose Llana, Lainie Sakakura, Lia Chang, Ann Harada, Jason Ma. Photo by Avelina Sanchez
Lainie Sakakura, Ann Harada, Jose Llana, Lia Chang and Jason Ma. Photo by Isabela Sanchez
Lia Chang
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer, a performing arts photographer and an award-winning filmmaker. A co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, Lia makes films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, and The Last Dragon. She stars in and is the Executive Producer for the indie films Hide and Seek (AA Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Best Actress Nomination), Rom-Com Gone Wrong, and When the World Was Young (2021 DisOrient Film Audience Choice Award for Best Short Narrative). Lia made her stage debut as Liat in a national tour of South Pacific with Barbara Eden and Robert Goulet, was featured as Joy in Signature Theatre’s revival of Sam Shepard’s Chicago and has worked extensively Off-Broadway. Photo archives: Lia Chang Theater Portfolio collection,1989-2011, housed in the AAPI collection in the Library of Congress’ Asian Reading Room; Lia Chang Photography Collection in The Billy Rose Theatre Division of the New York Public Library. Awards: 2000 OCA Chinese American Journalist Award, the 2001 AAJA National Award for New Media. Lia is an AAJA Executive Leadership Graduate (2000), a Western Knight Fellow at USC’s Annenberg College of Communications for Specialized Journalism on Entertainment Journalism in the Digital Age (2000), a National Press Photographers Association Visual Edge/Visual Journalism Fellow at the Poynter Institute for New Media (2001), a Scripps Howard New Media Fellow at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism (2002), and a National Tropical Garden Environmental Journalism Fellow (2003). www.liachang.com, www.liachangphotography.com
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