In celebration of Asian Heritage month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Committee of Actors' Equity Association will present Orphans of the Nightingale of the Desert Abridged: A Bollywood Spectacular, an evening of short plays written by members of the Ma-Yi Theater Company Writers Lab. This one-night only, free community event will take place TONIGHT at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7:00 p.m.; first come, first served) at the Engelman Recital Hall at Baruch Performing Arts Center (55 Lexington Avenue at East 25th Street).
The eight featured short plays are: Sanctuary by Don Nguyen; The Very Illuminating Allegory of Warrior Jayne Battling the Moldman by Samantha Chanse; Beauty and the Ignorant Beast by Naveen Bahar Choudhury; The Secret Treasure by Sung Rno; The Universal Declaration of Fungibility by Ralph Peña; On My Own by Rehana Lew Mirza; True Story by Nandita Shenoy; and What About the Children? by Mrinalini Kamath. By examining these works, the evening will allow for a post-performance discussion regarding the progress surrounding stage roles and opportunities for Asian actors in the theater.
The evening will be directed by Nelson T. Eusebio III, featuring a cast of Actors' Equity Association members (subject to change): Farah Bala, Ali Ewoldt, Julie Fitzpatrick, Karen Tsen Lee, Jason Liebman, Matthew Park, and Dave Shih. Bernita Robinson is stage manager. Nandita Shenoy and Mrinalini Kamath serve as producers.