Ping Chong
Encyclopedia
Ping Chong is an American
contemporary theater director, choreographer, video and installation artist. He was born in Toronto and raised in the Chinatown
section of New York City
. Chong is internationally recognized as a director, writer, and multi-disciplinary artist, and is considered a seminal figure in Asian American theatre
and the Asian American
arts movement.
, he began his theatrical career as a member of Meredith Monk
's The House Foundation. He created his first independent theatre work, Lazarus in 1972. Many of Chong’s works concern the interaction of Eastern and Western cultures and/or issues of cultural diversity, and frequently draw on documentary and interview-based materials (as in Undesirable Elements and Children of War).
In 1975, Chong founded Ping Chong & Company (originally called The Fiji Theatre Company). The company's mission is "to explore the meaning of contemporary theatre and art on a national and international level," and "to create and tour innovative multi-disciplinary works of theater and art, which explore the intersections of history, race, art and technology in the modern world."http://www.pingchong.org/company.htmlhttp://www.undesirableelements.org/pages/about-pcc.html The company has created and toured more than 50 works by Chong and his collaborators, which have been presented at major theatres, performing arts centres, and arts festivals around the world.
Recent productions have included several large scale puppet
theatre works, Cathay: Three Tales of China (2005), Obon: Tales of Rain and Moonlight (2002), and Kwaidan
(1998). Kwaidan and Obon were both based on Japanese ghost stories collected and published by Lafcadio Hearn
. Cathay was set in China and used three interconnected stories to explore three eras of Chinese history: the Tang Dynasty
, the Japanese invasion
during World War II
, and contemporary China today. Cathay was named one of the Top 10 Shows of the 2005-2006 Season by NY Theatre Wire, and was awarded three Henry Hewes awards for achievement in theatrical design.
Since 1992, Chong has created over 30 works in the Undesirable Elements project, an ongoing series of oral-history theater works exploring issues of race, culture, and identity in the lives of individuals in specific communities. The development process includes an extended residency and rehearsal period during which Ping Chong and collaborators conduct intensive interviews with potential participants from the local community. These interviews then form the basis of a script, performed by the interviewees, that covers the historical and personal narratives of individuals who are in some way living between two cultures.
fellowships and two Obie Award
s. The second of these, which he received in 2000, was for "Sustained Achievement." He was awarded the Yomiuri Prize
in 1995 for Undesirable Elements. In 2006, Chong was named to the first round of USA Artist Fellows by the United States Artists
Foundation http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/Public/USAFellows2006/USAFellows2006/PingChong/index.cfm.
A/PA archives survey of Ping Chong & Co.'s records: http://dlibdev.nyu.edu/tamimentapa/?q=node/26
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
contemporary theater director, choreographer, video and installation artist. He was born in Toronto and raised in the Chinatown
Chinatown, Manhattan
Manhattan's Chinatown , home to one of the highest concentrations of Chinese people in the Western hemisphere, is located in the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
section of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Chong is internationally recognized as a director, writer, and multi-disciplinary artist, and is considered a seminal figure in Asian American theatre
Asian American theatre
Asian American theater is theater written, directed or acted by Asian Americans.- Background :Asian American theater emerged in the 1960s and the 1970s with the foundation of four theatre companies: East West Players in Los Angeles, Asian American Theatre Workshop in San Francisco, Theatrical...
and the 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,...
arts movement.
Career and works
Originally trained as a visual artist and filmmaker at the School of Visual Arts and Pratt InstitutePratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
, he began his theatrical career as a member of Meredith Monk
Meredith Monk
Meredith Jane Monk is an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. Since the 1960s, Monk has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance, recording extensively for ECM Records.-Life and work:Meredith Monk is primarily known for her...
's The House Foundation. He created his first independent theatre work, Lazarus in 1972. Many of Chong’s works concern the interaction of Eastern and Western cultures and/or issues of cultural diversity, and frequently draw on documentary and interview-based materials (as in Undesirable Elements and Children of War).
In 1975, Chong founded Ping Chong & Company (originally called The Fiji Theatre Company). The company's mission is "to explore the meaning of contemporary theatre and art on a national and international level," and "to create and tour innovative multi-disciplinary works of theater and art, which explore the intersections of history, race, art and technology in the modern world."http://www.pingchong.org/company.htmlhttp://www.undesirableelements.org/pages/about-pcc.html The company has created and toured more than 50 works by Chong and his collaborators, which have been presented at major theatres, performing arts centres, and arts festivals around the world.
Recent productions have included several large scale puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
theatre works, Cathay: Three Tales of China (2005), Obon: Tales of Rain and Moonlight (2002), and Kwaidan
Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things
, often shortened to Kwaidan, is a book by Lafcadio Hearn that features several Japanese ghost stories and a brief non-fiction study on insects...
(1998). Kwaidan and Obon were both based on Japanese ghost stories collected and published by Lafcadio Hearn
Lafcadio Hearn
Patrick Lafcadio Hearn , known also by the Japanese name , was an international writer, known best for his books about Japan, especially his collections of Japanese legends and ghost stories, such as Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things...
. Cathay was set in China and used three interconnected stories to explore three eras of Chinese history: the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, the Japanese invasion
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and contemporary China today. Cathay was named one of the Top 10 Shows of the 2005-2006 Season by NY Theatre Wire, and was awarded three Henry Hewes awards for achievement in theatrical design.
Since 1992, Chong has created over 30 works in the Undesirable Elements project, an ongoing series of oral-history theater works exploring issues of race, culture, and identity in the lives of individuals in specific communities. The development process includes an extended residency and rehearsal period during which Ping Chong and collaborators conduct intensive interviews with potential participants from the local community. These interviews then form the basis of a script, performed by the interviewees, that covers the historical and personal narratives of individuals who are in some way living between two cultures.
Awards
Chong is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including five National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
fellowships and two Obie Award
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
s. The second of these, which he received in 2000, was for "Sustained Achievement." He was awarded the Yomiuri Prize
Yomiuri Prize
The is a prestigious literary award in Japan. The prize was founded in 1948 by the Yomiuri Shinbun Company to help form a "cultural nation". The winner is awarded one million Japanese yen and an inkstone.-Award categories:...
in 1995 for Undesirable Elements. In 2006, Chong was named to the first round of USA Artist Fellows by the United States Artists
United States Artists
United States Artists is an independent nonprofit and nongovernmental philanthropic organization based in Los Angeles, California and dedicated to supporting the work of living American artists by the granting of cash awards, called USA Fellowships...
Foundation http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/Public/USAFellows2006/USAFellows2006/PingChong/index.cfm.
External links
Archival resources
- Ping Chong Archive, 1971-2007 Music Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
A/PA archives survey of Ping Chong & Co.'s records: http://dlibdev.nyu.edu/tamimentapa/?q=node/26