Artists at Play

06/14/2026

15 YEARS AGO ... Artists at Play proudly debuted with the Los Angeles premiere of Lauren Yee's "Ching Chong Chinaman," directed by AAP co-founder Peter J. Kuo. Wishing a very Happy Birthday to Lauren, whose "Mother Russia" will be at South Coast Repertory early next year. A New York Times Critic’s Pick, the "off-beat comedy about identity and the cost of capitalism" will be helmed by another early AAP collaborator Jennifer Chang (director of AAP's sophomore outing, "Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them" by A. Rey Pamatmat).

A playwright, screenwriter and TV writer adept at balancing the intimate with the universal, Lauren Yee is an accomplished and widely produced voice in American theatre. Here’s a selection of five of Yee’s celebrated plays.

06/12/2026

15 YEARS AGO ... These inspired theatre nerds, freshly rejected for a partnership proposal they hoped to score for a one-off show, decided to officially launch a theatre-producing collective. In the summer of 2011, Marie-Reine Velez, Stefanie Lau, JULIA CHO, and Peter J. Kuo introduced themselves as Artists at Play with work already underway for the Los Angeles premiere of Lauren Yee's CHING CHONG CHINAMAN.

15 YEARS LATER ... Since Peter took his talents to A.C.T. in San Francisco, Artists at Play went on to add Nicholas Pilapil and Katherine Chou to the team. In this special anniversary season, AAP continues amplifying and showcasing Asian Pacific Islander Desi American artists and stories. Join us for our 2026 programming and our continued work expanding the theatre landscape here in LA and beyond: artistsatplay.org/support

The producing team of Artists At Play.

06/11/2026

Extending this invitation from TeAda Productions to their Just Play theatre & storytelling workshop. Open to all community and happening in Mid City, Los Angeles this weekend: bit.ly/pasifikaplaydate2026

06/11/2026

In our 15th anniversary season, Artists at Play proudly presented four brand new works commissioned as part of The Neighborhood Project! AAP's 2026 Spring Readings showcased these new plays created and developed by the inaugural cohort of the AAP Playwrights Group, focused on uncovering the rich cultural histories and vibrant social fabric within Asian ethnic enclaves throughout Los Angeles County.

At the closing of this program over the weekend, Artists at Play producers also had some special announcements to share about the rest of our season. Please consider making a contribution to celebrate AAP's 15 years and our ongoing work: artistsatplay.org/support

06/10/2026

How exciting to be in such fine company! Having just wrapped up The Neighborhood Project, a new playwriting program focused on Asian ethnic enclaves throughout Los Angeles County, Artists at Play remains proudly California-bred and based. Support your local arts and theatres!

California Association of Nonprofits: "California’s nonprofits are integral to the fabric of our state – they are the changemakers who work tirelessly to improve lives and strengthen communities. These advocates not only provide essential services but also shape policy, foster community engagement, and drive innovation to address some of our most complex social challenges."

Welcome to the CalNonprofits community of members Artists at Play, Boston Court Pasadena, Company of Angels (CoA), In Other People's Shoes, Inkwell Theatre, Playwrights' Arena, and Theatre Unleashed!

06/10/2026

Happy Birthday to Roger Tang, the Godfather of Asian American Theatre!

Roger is pictured here (center, red jacket) last year at Artists at Play's mainstage production of नेहा & NEEL. AAP had the honor of hosting members of the Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists (CAATA) visiting Los Angeles along with colleagues from Pork Filled Productions, Breaking Wave Theatre Company, and artEquity.

06/09/2026

Happy Closing to The Neighborhood Project! Many thanks to everyone who joined Artists at Play back at the Los Angeles Theatre Center for our final presentation of our 2026 reading series. Over the weekend, we presented the first public reading of DJINN by Aditi Pradhan, directed by Reena Dutt, featuring actors Deepti Gupta, Anusree Roy, Priya Mohanty, Achintya Pandey, Mueen Jahan, Syona Varty, with stage management by Bonnie-Lynn Montaño.

The 2026 Artists at Play Spring Readings showcased new plays commissioned and developed as part of the AAP Playwrights Group: The Neighborhood Project. Four new works were created to uncover the rich cultural histories and vibrant social fabric within Asian ethnic enclaves throughout Los Angeles County.

Please consider making a contribution to Artists at Play's 15th anniversary season and our ongoing work: artistsatplay.org/support

06/08/2026

CONGRATULATIONS to the inaugural cohort of the Artists at Play Playwrights Group and THANK YOU to everyone who helped us close out The Neighborhood Project reading series!

Four new works were commissioned and developed to uncover the rich cultural histories and vibrant social fabric within Asian ethnic enclaves throughout Los Angeles County. The 2026 AAP Playwrights Group: The Neighborhood Project included the following playwrights, plays/locales:

📍Sarah Cho, DOUGH BROKE (set in Koreatown)
📍Carolyn Huynh, IT'S HARDER THAN IT LOOKS (El Monte)
📍Katherine Chou, CALIFORNIA GOLD (Cerritos/Artesia)
📍Aditi Pradhan, DJINN (Little Bangladesh)

Proud to present these brand new works into the world as part of AAP's 15th anniversary season. To make a contribution to our ongoing work and the rest of this year's programming: artistsatplay.org/support

(from l. to r.) Nicholas Pilapil, AAP producer & TNP facilitator; Carolyn Huynh, Sarah Cho, Aditi Pradhan; AAP's Marie-Reine Velez & Julia Cho; Katherine Chou