National Asian Artists Project
National Asian Artists Project, Inc. (NAAP) is non-profit 501 (c)(3) company who seeks to showcase the work of artists of Asian descent, primarily in the American theater. It was founded in 2004 by Baayork Lee, Steven Eng, and Nina Zoie Lam.[1]
Work[edit]
NAAP employs a multi-faceted approach to serving the community:
- Educational programming, presenting educational opportunities to children at P.S. 124 in New York's Chinatown, via the P.S. 124 Theatre Club which has included participation in iTheatrics Junior Theatre Festival.
- Original productions—the Discover: New Musicals [2] series presents new works by emerging artists with companies of actors of Asian descent.
- Revivals of classic musicals, the Rediscover series has included productions of Oklahoma,[3][4] Carousel,[5] Hello Dolly![6][7][8] (Directed by Lee Roy Reams), and Oliver![9][10][11]
- The NAAP Broadway Community Chorus provides performance opportunities for established and emerging professional artists, as well as for those with a passion for musical theatre. The chorus performs music from across the Broadway repertoire and beyond, with engagements, and has performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.[12][13] The chorus provides opportunities to collaborate with top Broadway artists, as well as offering vocal, dance and theatre masterclasses to its members.
NAAP in the News[edit]
On April 25, 2017, the Tony Awards Administration Committee announced[14] that Lee will be honored for her longstanding commitment to future generations of artists through her work with the National Asian Artists Project and theatre education programs around the world, as the recipient of the 2017 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award.
Theatrical Productions[edit]
- Oklahoma: October 25, 2010 at the Acorn Theatre
- Carousel in Concert: June 4, 2012 at The Peter Jay Sharp Theater
- Hello Dolly!: April 29, 2013 at The Pershing Square Signature Center
- Oliver!: June 5–7, 2014 at The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theater inside The Pershing Square Signature Center
- 5th Anniversary Gala:[15] October 5, 2015 at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts—included musical numbers from Broadway shows, highlights from past NAAP productions and current material, as well as what Ms. Lee hopes to stage in the future. With a cast of over one hundred supervised by Ms. Lee and director Richard Jay-Alexander, the evening featured seasoned Broadway professionals—friends and supporters of NAAP—staging many of the numbers.
References[edit]
- ^ "How NAAP Began". NAAP. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
- ^ "Jose Llana, Kimiko Glenn Among Cast of National Asian Artists' Discover: New Musicals | Playbill". Playbill. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
- ^ "Baayork Lee to Direct All Asian-American Cast of Oklahoma! | Playbill". Playbill. 19 October 2010. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
- ^ "Baayork Lee Directs All Asian-American Cast of Oklahoma! Oct. 25 | Playbill". Playbill. 25 October 2010. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
- ^ "PHOTO CALL: Carousel in Concert, With Ali Ewoldt, Diane Phelan, Steven Eng, Devin Ilaw, Helen Park and More | Playbill". Playbill. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
- ^ Musto, Michael (2013-04-11). "Baayork Lee Is Presenting An All-Asian Version of Hello, Dolly!". Village Voice. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
- ^ "Asian-American Benefit Production of Hello, Dolly!, Directed by Lee Roy Reams, Presented April 29 | Playbill". Playbill. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
- ^ "Christine Toy Johnson Will Star in Asian-American Benefit Production of Hello, Dolly!, Directed by Lee Roy Reams | Playbill". Playbill. 16 April 2013. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
- ^ "Steven Eng and Baayork Lee Will Helm National Asian Artists Project's Oliver! | Playbill". Playbill. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
- ^ "All-Asian Oliver!, Helmed by Steven Eng and Baayork Lee, Held June 5–7 | Playbill". Playbill. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
- ^ "Special: Baayork Lee's National Asian Artists Project Puts on an OLIVER! To Remember". Broadway World. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
- ^ Bureau, INQUIRER.net US (30 April 2014). "Top artists to headline June 'After the Storm' benefit at Kennedy Center in DC". globalnation.inquirer.net. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
- ^ "Lea Salonga, Darren Criss, Lou Diamond Phillips and More Headline After the Storm at the Kennedy Center | Playbill". Playbill. 15 June 2014. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
- ^ "Baayork Lee to Receive 2017 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award". TonyAwards.com. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
- ^ "Baayork Lee's National Asian Artists Project Plans October Gala | Playbill". Playbill. 18 August 2015. Retrieved 2017-05-07.