An All-Asian Cast Brings Chinese Adventure Story to Life

(The following news release comes from )

In a rare occurrence, 18 Asian actors bring the colorful 2010 Newbery Honors winner “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” by Grace Lin to life beginning April 27 at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. For ages 8 and up, this world premiere follows young Minli on her quest where she encounters royalty, dragons and several more stories from which she learns what true good fortune really is.

For co-directors Rick Shiomi (Artistic Director at Mu Performing Arts) and Sandy Boren-Barrett (Artistic Director at Stages Theatre Company), their second directorial collaboration has been inspiring. “What an honor it is to work with and learn from Rick Shiomi. We each look at the show from our own artistic vantage point, and bring to the stage a truly unique experience for our audiences” says Boren-Barrett. “It has been great with Sandy really pulling the production cart and allowing me to offer my creative input. It’s been wonderful to see so many Asian-American youth in a show at STC,” says Shiomi.

Audiences can expect “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” to be a spectacular visual show that includes puppets and Chinese opera-style masks that aid the company of 15 youth actors and three adult actors who play more than 50 roles.

“This play offers stories with universal values set in the world of Chinese folktales. It’s a magical world where we see the best and worst in human nature, and of course the best wins out,” says Shiomi.

“Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” adapted by Jeannine Coulombe with sound score by Shirley Mier, opens April 27 and ends May 20. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.stagestheatre.org for performance dates and times, or by calling the Box Office at (952) 979-1111, Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for children (ages 5 to 17) and seniors (60+). Lap passes are available for free (ages 0 to 2) and $5 (ages 3 to 4).

Stages Theatre Company was founded in 1984 and since then has grown to become one of the largest professional theatres for young audiences in the country. We engage young artists with themes relevant to their lives and involve them in creating magical works featuring young people in meaningful roles. Through theatrical productions, workshops, conservatory classes and other outreach programs, Stages Theatre Company annually serves more than 130,000 young people and their families.