NORTHWEST ASIAN AMERICAN THEATRE ANNOUNCES NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

The Northwest Asian American Theatre (NWAAT) announces Chil Kong as the new Artistic Director. Mr. Kong comes to NWAAT from Southern California where he just completed his tenure as Director of the Calaifornia Program at San Diego Repertory Theatre, a bi-national, multicultural program devoted to representing artistic collaborations about the Californias.

He served as Artistic Director of Shaolin To Go, an innovative Asian American playwriting group, where he presented new plays and developed new works by playwrights within Los Angeles and San Diego. As Artistic Director of Asia On Stage, in Boston, Mr. Kong developed a successful education program targeting Asian youths. He also served as Artist in Residence at Asian American Repertory Theatre in San Diego, CA for two seasons bringing his gifts as a director and actor to the stage, as well as his keen business background to the continued development of this theatre.

As former Artistic Director of NWAAT and now serving on the Board of Directors, Bea Kiyohara enthusiastically supports Chil Kong's appointment. She states, "The board is looking forward to Chil's leadership and artistic vision. Coupled with his unlimited enthusiasm, we know that Chil will successfully take us into the 21st century."

Chil Kong has a wide range of experience as a producer, director and actor. He has produced several critically acclaimed productions including the world premiere opera, Misa Azteca based on the Latin mass, and incorporated indigenous Native American, Spanish and Latin into one mass opera. Culture Clash in Bordertown was based on 100 interviews of community members from both sides of the Mexico-U.S. border.

He directed the world premiere of Doris Chu's Within the Forbidden City, a historical play commemorating the 100th anniversary of life inside the capital city of China during the fall of the last emperor. His deconstruction of Tennessee William's Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, placed the Politt family the evening before the communist take over in Hong Kong. Other directing credits include, David Henry Hwang's FOB, Terrance McNally's Sweet Eros and Velina Hasu Houston's Tea.

As an actor his has graced the stages of American Repertory Theatre, The Huntington Theatre and Trinity Repertory Theatre. His acting credits include title roles in Three Penny Opera and Hanuman and the Monkey King, as well as Blessing From Heaven and The Waiting Room.

Mr. Kong is committed to NWAAT's mission of serving the Asian community. He states, "It is vital that we present plays that are truthful depictions of our Asian American heritage. It is necessary that mainstream society understand the Pan Asian experience in its entirety. NWAAT can be a forum for change, a center for communication, a developer of minds, a venue that challenges us while entertaining us, a forum for the greater understanding of the 'American' experience."

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