Be Like Water
Encyclopedia
Be Like Water is a play written by Dan Kwong
, originally produced at East West Players
, in association with Cedar Grove OnStage
. The play received its world premiere
in Los Angeles on September 17, 2008, directed by Chris Tashima
, at East West Players' David Henry Hwang
Theater at the Union Center for the Arts in Los Angeles
. The story follows a young Asian American
girl in 1970s Chicago
, who is visited by the Ghost of Bruce Lee
.
fanatic tomboy, challenged by school bullies, airhead rivals, and a mother who just wants her to be a "normal girl." When bad goes to worse, the Ghost of Bruce Lee appears to teach her the true meaning of strength and the true power of water.
Ghost of Bruce Lee: 32, Tracy's mentor, Chinese American
. The greatest martial artist in the world. Cocky, intense, philosophical yet funny.
Kimiko Fong: 38, Tracy's mother, Japanese American
. Elegant, tightly-wound, upper-class roots, can go from cheery to icy in a flash.
Frank Fong: 35, Tracy's father, Chinese American. Easy going working-class guy, droll sense of humor, not easily angered.
Bruce Lee: 13, Tracy's best friend, Chinese American. Scrawny, nerdy, acerbic wit, great disco
-dancer. An unapologetic oddball.
Jeremy Morton: 14, School bully, Caucasian. Working-class, tough, angry.
Tina Kawai MacDonald: 13, Tracy's classmate, Hapa
(Japanese Caucasian). Pretty, fashionable dresser, highly-groomed, rather superficial.
Two Hooded-Ninja
s: Companions of the Ghost in his Nether-world domain.
Dan Kwong
Dan Kwong is an American performance artist, writer, teacher and visual artist. He has been presenting his solo performances since 1989, often drawing upon his own life experiences to explore personal, historical and social issues. He is of mixed Asian American heritage...
, originally produced at East West Players
East West Players
East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As one of the nation's first Asian American theatre organizations, East West Players today continues to produce works and educational programs that give voice to the Asian Pacific American...
, in association with Cedar Grove OnStage
Cedar Grove OnStage
Cedar Grove OnStage is an Asian Pacific American theatre arts organization established in 2006, based in Los Angeles, co-founded by playwright Tim Toyama and actor/director Chris Tashima who serves as Artistic Director...
. The play received its world premiere
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
in Los Angeles on September 17, 2008, directed by Chris Tashima
Chris Tashima
Chris Tashima is a Japanese American actor and director. He is co-founder of the entertainment company Cedar Grove Productions and Artistic Director of its Asian American theatre company, Cedar Grove OnStage. He is the son of U.S. Circuit Judge A. Wallace Tashima...
, at East West Players' David Henry Hwang
David Henry Hwang
David Henry Hwang is an American playwright who has risen to prominence as the preeminent Asian American dramatist in the U.S.He was born in Los Angeles, California and was educated at the Yale School of Drama and Stanford University...
Theater at the Union Center for the Arts in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The story follows a young Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
girl in 1970s Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, who is visited by the Ghost of Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
.
Play summary
Tracy Fong is a 13 year-old ass-kicking, gung-fuChinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...
fanatic tomboy, challenged by school bullies, airhead rivals, and a mother who just wants her to be a "normal girl." When bad goes to worse, the Ghost of Bruce Lee appears to teach her the true meaning of strength and the true power of water.
Characters
Tracy Fong: 13, Chinese Japanese American. Tomboy-ish, tough, quick-tempered, defiant.Ghost of Bruce Lee: 32, Tracy's mentor, Chinese American
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
. The greatest martial artist in the world. Cocky, intense, philosophical yet funny.
Kimiko Fong: 38, Tracy's mother, Japanese American
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
. Elegant, tightly-wound, upper-class roots, can go from cheery to icy in a flash.
Frank Fong: 35, Tracy's father, Chinese American. Easy going working-class guy, droll sense of humor, not easily angered.
Bruce Lee: 13, Tracy's best friend, Chinese American. Scrawny, nerdy, acerbic wit, great disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
-dancer. An unapologetic oddball.
Jeremy Morton: 14, School bully, Caucasian. Working-class, tough, angry.
Tina Kawai MacDonald: 13, Tracy's classmate, Hapa
Hapa
Hapa is a Hawaiian language term used to describe a person of mixed Asian or Pacific Islander racial or ethnic heritage.-Etymology:In the Hawaiian language, hapa is defined as: portion, fragment, part, fraction, installment; to be partial, less. It is a loan from the English word half...
(Japanese Caucasian). Pretty, fashionable dresser, highly-groomed, rather superficial.
Two Hooded-Ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
s: Companions of the Ghost in his Nether-world domain.
World Premiere company
East West Players, Los Angeles, CA; Opened September 17, 2009; Closed October 12, 2009Original Los Angeles cast
(in order of appearance)- Ghost of Bruce Lee – Cesar Cipriano
- Tracy – Saya Tomioka
- Bruce Lee – Shawn Huang
- Jeremy – Jonathan Decker
- Frank – Michael Sun Lee
- Kimiko – Pam Hayashida
- Tina – Ariel Rivera
- Hooded Ninjas – Michael Sun Lee, Pam Hayashida, Ariel Rivera, Jonathan Decker
Los Angeles production staff
- Director – Chris Tashima
- Martial Arts Choreographers – Diana Lee InosantoDiana Lee InosantoDiana Lee Inosanto is a Filipino American actress, stuntwoman, martial artist and film director, sometimes credited as D. Lee Inosanto.-Personal:...
& Ron BalickiRon BalickiRon Balicki is an actor and stuntman for various films and television series. He is also a well known martial arts practitioner, teacher and author. He is a student and the son-in-law of Dan Inosanto.-Biography:... - Dance ChoreographerChoreographyChoreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
– Blythe Matsui - Set DesignerScenic designScenic design is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers have traditionally come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but nowadays, generally speaking, they are trained professionals, often with M.F.A...
– Akeime Mitterlehner - Costume designerCostume DesignerA costume designer or costume mistress/master is a person whose responsibility is to design costumes for a film or stage production. He or she is considered an important part of the "production team", working alongside the director, scenic and lighting designers as well as the sound designer. The...
– Naomi Yoshida - Lighting designerLighting designerThe role of the lighting designer within theatre is to work with the director, choreographer, set designer, costume designer, and sound designer to create an overall 'look' for the show in response to the text, while keeping in mind issues of visibility, safety and cost...
– Jose Lopez - Sound DesignerSound designSound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production and video game software...
/Music CompositionComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
– Dave Iwataki - Projection DesignerVideo designVideo design is a creative field of stagecraft. It is concerned with the creation and integration of film and motion graphics into the fields of theatre, opera, dance, fashion shows, concerts and other live events. Video design has only recently gained recognition as a separate creative field...
– Alexander Gao - Property MasterProperty masterThe property master is an artistic and organizational employee in a film, television or theatrical production who is responsible for purchasing, acquiring and/or manufacturing any props needed for a production...
– Ken Takemoto - Hair, Makeup & Mask Design – Alyssa Ravenwood
- Stage ManagerStage managementStage management is the practice of organizing and coordinating a theatrical production. It encompasses a variety of activities, including organizing the production and coordinating communications between various personnel...
– Ondina V. Dominguez
Reviews
- 9/19/08 review by F. Kathleen Foley for Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
- 9/19/08 review by Cristofer Gross on theatertimes.org
- 10/01/08 review by Jennie Webb for Back StageBack StageBack Stage is an entertainment-industry brand aimed at people working in film and the performing arts, with a special focus on casting, job opportunities, and career advice.Back Stage publishes a weekly tabloid-sized trade magazine in the U.S...
- 10/02/08 review by Bill Raden for LA WeeklyLA WeeklyLA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
- 10/02/08 review by Jana J. Monji for Pasadena Weekly
- 10/03/08 review by Lynda Lin for Pacific Citizen
- 10/08/08 review on 'view from a loft' artist's blog
- 10/17/08 review by William Hong on Asia Pacific Arts (UCLA Asia Institute)
- Oct. '08 review by Edward Pollard for Black Belt (magazine)
Awards
- 2009 Back StageBack StageBack Stage is an entertainment-industry brand aimed at people working in film and the performing arts, with a special focus on casting, job opportunities, and career advice.Back Stage publishes a weekly tabloid-sized trade magazine in the U.S...
Garland's Critics List (Jennie Webb):- CHOREOGRAPHY – Ron BalickiRon BalickiRon Balicki is an actor and stuntman for various films and television series. He is also a well known martial arts practitioner, teacher and author. He is a student and the son-in-law of Dan Inosanto.-Biography:...
, Diana Lee InosantoDiana Lee InosantoDiana Lee Inosanto is a Filipino American actress, stuntwoman, martial artist and film director, sometimes credited as D. Lee Inosanto.-Personal:...
, and Blythe Matsui - SOUND DESIGN – Dave Iwataki
- CHOREOGRAPHY – Ron Balicki