Asian Americans Blow Shit Up

Guest Post by Julia Cho and Nicholas Pilapil



Asian Americans being sexy. It's a rare thing to see in the media. We're usually kept on reserve to play the sexless friend or dying immigrant (see #NotYourAsianSidekick). And if we are allowed to be sexy, it's typically as some unattainable mythical creature, who's always down to fuck and has nothing else going for them. Or you're a Chinese Olympic diver named Ning Zetao then everyone just wants to touch your abs. We become objectified and glorified sex objects.

In Artists at Play's production of The Two Kids That Blow Shit Up by Carla Ching, we blow that shit up and bring it back to reality -- that Asian Americans can be fucking sexy ... in a real way.

Diana and Max, The Two Kids That Blow Shit Up, meet at 9 years old, the day Diana's dad and Max's mom start fucking (older Asians get some action too!). The play jumps back and forth in time over 20 years, as Diana and Max fall in and out of love with each other, trying not to make the same mistakes as their parents.

Fund This: 'The Two Kids That Blow Shit Up'

Help Artists at Play present the world premiere of Carla Ching's play.



This year, the Los Angeles-based Asian American theatre collective Artists at Play will present its sixth mainstage show, the world premiere production of Carla Ching's The Two Kids That Blow Shit Up, directed by Jeremy Lelliott. I mean, come on, the title alone has got you intrigued, right?

The play follows Diana and Max who meet at 10 years old -- "the day their parents start fucking." Over the next 18 years, their parents break up, get back together, marry and divorce. And they see each other through it all, trying not to make the same mistakes their parents did. It's a play about "trying not to fall in love with your best friend so you end up hating them."

The Two Kids That Blow Shit Up will have a 4-week run at Hollywood's Lounge Theater in August/September 2016. Artists at Play is currently trying to raise funds for the production through Indiegogo.

Here's a video with some more details:

Artists at Play Presents '99 Histories'

September 13-28 at the Lounge Theatre



Hey, Southern California theater-goers. Artists at Play invites you to the Los Angeles premiere of 99 Histories. Written by Julia Cho and directed by Leslie Ishii, the play is a powerful story about the bonds between mothers and daughters. It runs September 13-28, with previews on September 11-12, at the Lounge Theatre.

99 Histories is a drama about memory, legacy and home. Eunice, a Korean American former cello prodigy, comes home pregnant and unmarried, and tries to mend her relationship with her mother Sah-Jin. Haunted by violent memories, Eunice must confront her ghosts before she can move forward.

Here's some more information about the production:

Artists at Play presents Cowboy Versus Samurai

September 26 - October 20 at Inner-City Arts



For all you theatre fans in Los Angeles, don't miss your chance to see Artists at Play's marvelous production of Michael Golamco's Cowboy Versus Samurai, now running through October 20 at Inner-City Arts in downtown Los Angeles. Director by Peter J. Kuo and featuring Feodor Chin, Julia Cho, Daniel Vincent Gordh and West Liang, the play is a clever and poignant re-telling of Cyrano de Bergerac with an Asian American twist. Here are some more details about the show: