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GRACE KIM: Beginnings and Endings (The Final Blog)

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:30:23 -0800

GRACE KIM: Beginnings and Endings (The Final Blog)

I apologize in advance because this blog may not make complete sense to those of you who did not see our final production of Grace Kim & The Spiders From Mars…

It’s the evening of December 22 as I write this. At this very moment in the fictional world of Grace Kim & The Spiders From Mars, Wayne Cockburn has just landed at LAX after spending three weeks in China doing humanitarian work and will be greeted by Maysie Kim, his soon-to-be wife.

Tomorrow morning, the couple will board a Delta Airlines flight to Newark where they will spend Christmas with Maysie’s family in suburban New Jersey.

Tomorrow evening, Wayne will meet the Kim clan for the first time—Maysie’s computer tech father, her older brother Todd and his pregnant wife Sonia, family friend Clarissa and, most importantly, Maysie’s older sister Grace.

Over the course of the next three days, there will be much eating, drinking, the playing of Pictionary, karaoke-ing, the watching of Korean soap operas and even the addition of a new member to the family.

At 2 AM on Christmas Eve (a.k.a. this Thursday morning), Grace and Wayne will sit together in the Kim living room and listen to Cassandra Wilson’s hauntingly beautiful rendition of “Harvest Moon” and talk about their dreams and hopes and the future. Eighteen hours later while no one else is around (except for Clarissa), Grace will kiss Wayne. She will realize to her horror that she is in love with her sister’s fiancé.

I know it’s silly to talk about these characters as if they were alive and that the events of the play will actually unfold in real life and real time. Of course that’s impossible. There may be plenty of families named Kim in New Jersey, but none of them will be living out the plot of my play this Christmas or any other time. Yet, for me, these characters are real.

I grew up in the San Gabriel Valley and I remember on the night of October 25, 1985, a large group of people gathered in the parking lot of Puente Hills Mall in Hacienda Heights waiting for history to happen. Puente Hills was the “real” mall which served as the actual location of the “reel” Lone/Twin Pines Mall in Back To The Future and October 25, 1985 was the date in the movie when Marty McFly was to meet Doc Brown in that very parking lot and travel back 30 years to meet his father and mother during their high school years. Some fans of the film gathered on that location on that night hoping that a time traveling DeLorean would vaporize out of thin air and a bewildered teenager wearing a down vest and holding a Walkman with a Van Halen tape inside would climb out of the car to regale everyone with tales of traveling back to 1955.

Of course nothing of the sort happened. And yes, most of the people there knew that would be the case because the film was a work of fiction after all. But it didn’t matter. They loved Back To The Future and the characters and they just wanted to be at that spot on that night to celebrate and share together with others who also loved the movie. I know ‘cause I was there. One of my church buddies lived a few blocks away from the mall and we got on our skateboards just like Marty McFly and made our way to that parking lot to be a part of “reel” history.

I was just a kid and the thought of ever becoming a writer seemed like an impossibility at the time, but I think it was being there on that night that made me really realize how some fictional characters, even though they were not made of flesh and blood, could still have a profound impact on a person’s life. That’s a lesson I still remember every time I sit down to write.

After ten years of Lodestone and writing plays for even longer than that, the magic behind the process still amazes me. Writing is not a collaborative art. By nature, it is extremely solitary. It’s hours, days, weeks, months, sometimes years, sitting alone in front of the computer trying to create a world and a story that will hopefully touch an audience of complete strangers; that will make them laugh or cry or thrill them or move them. No matter how good or bad a writer thinks his script is, it’s not until the director and the actors and the rest of the crew put it up before a theater of paying people that you really know if it works or not. And if you’re lucky, everything somehow comes together and something that’s greater than the sum of its parts is the result.

I was lucky with Grace Kim. Jeff, my director, and the cast created something that was indeed greater than the sum of its parts. They turned these characters that I had written into living, breathing people. I’ve worked with many talented actors who elevated my work before. But this time was different. Maybe it was because this was the last Lodestone show or maybe I’m just better and more comfortable in my skin as a writer, but over the course of the six week run of the show, I found myself forgetting that I wrote this play and believing that Grace and Maysie and Wayne and the others were real people that I came to know, spend time with and care about.

Because this play was written to serve as Lodestone’s swan song and will never be produced again anywhere else, these characters will now and forever only exist in my memory as they were in this production—it will always be Liz and Hanson sitting together and listening to Cassandra Wilson, it will always be Elaine tenderly placing that blanket over her sleeping sister, Jully talking about the hidden meaning behind the song “Come On Eileen,” Rachel slapping Feo so he’d understand she was about to go into labor, and Kelvin and Liz sharing memories of the absent mother and wife they both still loved and couldn’t let go of. And I will miss all of them. Because they are real.

So maybe they don’t exist in our world, but in that other world where these people will continue to live and breathe, I’d like to think they are all moving on with their lives. And because I like to wish the best for the people I care about, I hope they all take to heart Mrs. Kim’s mantra that the whole point of life is to fail at greater and greater things.

So I’d like to think that Grace will really get on that plane to Seattle this New Year’s Day and start her new life. I’d like to think that Wayne and Maysie will start that clinic in that Chinese village and make a real difference. That Todd and Sonia will welcome their beautiful daughter into the world and love her like the loving parents I know they will be. That even though they are 3,000 miles apart, Clarissa will still talk to her best friend every day via phone, email, text or ichat. That Mr. Kim will be fine living in an empty house for the first time (but hopefully meet a nice Korean widow next Sunday at church). And every year at Christmas, I hope the Kim clan will gather together once again in New Jersey a.k.a. America’s undeodorized armpit and laugh and cry and fight and share and love.

And every once in awhile, when it’s late at night and her heart is breaking (and she’s sufficiently drunk), I’d like to think that Grace will take out her lucky lodestone, maybe even crack a small smile, blast Abba as loud as possible and dance as if the world were hers.

Philip W. Chung is a writer and Co-Artistic Director of Lodestone Theatre Ensemble.
He blogs at: http://youoffendmeyouoffendmyfamily.com/

The First Lodestone Meeting

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:33:10 -0800

The First Lodestone Meeting

Co-Founder Tim Lounibos remembers Lodestone’s first production...

So we turned to choosing a name for our company.

During our brainstorming sessions, the four of us (Alexandra, Phil, Chil & I) came up with quite a few possibilities and decided to choose our two favorites and present those to everyone else to vote on.

Lodestone sprouted out of my brain. A product of Swift and Gulliver’s Travels (Part III, Chapter III: The flying or floating island is exactly circular, its diameter 7,837 yards, or about four miles and a half, and consequently contains ten thousand acres…At the center of the island there is a chasm about fifty yards in diameter, from whence the astronomers descend into a large dome…But the greatest curiosity, upon which the fate of the island depends, is a lodestone.”).

Obviously, Lodestone Theatre Ensemble was the winner; but the others were not losers for they and several more of our brainstorming ideas became the headings for our donor list.

The next order of business was putting out a call for plays. We gave ourselves the month of August to find our favorite, and the finalists came down to Lucy Kim’s Leon & Clark (John Cho and I played the brothers in EWP’s reading of it) and Judy Soo Hoo’s Texas. We went back and forth but finally decided on Texas.

And that’s when everything kicked into high gear.

Chil discovered the newly established Secret Rose Theatre, and I’ll never forget our first meeting. Walking into that space – rectangular-shaped, 49 seats and a strip mall feel – it was clear that this would provide the perfect claustrophobic venue for Judy’s trailer trash piece.

However, it was also clear that there would be some daunting obstacles. Negotiating with the owner was like talking to a wall—a quite annoying one that clearly had a driving desire to place quantity and cash over quality and comfort. It was sort of a turn-and-burn slaughterhouse approach and by the time we came along, she already had productions coming in and out and through each other well into the new year…except for one slot which opened up on Sept. 30—less than one month away.

At that point is when the outside world slowed to an infinite quiet, like an imagined momentary pause before the Big Bang. In that heightened sense, that lazer-focused nano-second state, I thought of the various elements that went into producing a play: money—we had none; marketing—no idea; cast and crew—nada; time—very little; but we did have the play and – all humility and conceit aside – we did have the savvy…and this space really was perfect. Phil, Chil, Alexandra and I met each other’s gaze, knowing full well we were all in agreement, then stated, “Let’s do it.”

That was a special moment that proceeded a very crazy and hectic three weeks.

I was in charge of marketing for Texas. Never had done anything like it before. First thing I did was to meet with Rita Hollingsworth (RMH Media), Heeli Kim (New Line Cinema) and Suzanne Hee (EWP) – all extremely talented publicists – to get a crash course and learn the tricks of the trade. Then I assembled a crack team with much energy and experience that included Corinne Chooey, SoYun Kim and Emily Liu, and we hit the ground running.

I lost about 15 lbs.

It’s the first time I could never sleep in (before Lodestone and a family, I was a 7-8 hours a night guy—no more, no less). I’d find myself waking up with the sun, turning on the computer and marketing the show. I would go non-stop until around 3-4 a.m., fall into bed and (like clock-work) would find my racing mind waking me up once again at dawn to start the whole process over.

One of my favorite memories, were the wee-hour emails with Chil, Phil and Alexandra. “What the hell are you doing up at 3:30 a.m?” “What the hell are you doing up?” “You two need to go to bed or find a room.” “Fuck off, I’m working.” “Fuck you!” “I’m back to work, love y’all.” “Isn’t producing fun?”

Another memory is leaving the theatre during the set-build. Our dream was coming to fruition but there was still a hell of a lot of work to do. With pr/marketing, I was constantly on the phone…while driving. Hanging up the phone with Suzanne Hee, I noticed that the light at the oncoming major intersection had just turned red, and another slow-motion moment occurred as I screechingly plowed into a three-car collision. Chil was behind me and saw the whole thing. He made sure no one died but couldn’t stay long for there was a set to build and a play to produce.

CT scans were negative but I still had to see a neurologist because of an unforeseen symptom that occurred once, late at night, while driving on the freeway during the first week of our run. He asked me five questions:
Have you been getting enough sleep? No.
Have you been eating and drinking regularly? What’s that?
Have you had an undue amount of caffeine? Hell yeah, coffee’s what keeps me going—it’s my lifeblood!
Have you been experiencing stress? I’m producing a play for the very first time. Whadda you think?
Have you been smoking or drinking alcohol? Maybe I should start…

Turns out I had my first and only migraine (humans are a very adaptable species ;-).

Well, opening night was sold out and the after-party was a blast. At a time when the average LA theatre audience was around 30% of the house, we sold out to 110% capacity for the entire run..

…and that’s how Lodestone began.

I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished: never compromising our artistic integrity, providing a platform for writers who weren’t mainstream enough for others, supporting the theatrical and cultural communities whenever possible, as well as remaining relevant and ahead of the curve… and we’ve done so comfortably “in the black” from inception, allowing us now to go out on our own terms.

So, raising a glass of soju, here’s a toast to Grace Kim’s final weekend and Lodestone Theatre Ensemble’s bowing-out. I’m definitely looking forward to the wrap party!

How To Fire Your Director And Not Alienate Your Cast

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:30:21 -0800

Happy Holidays Everyone!
Nic Cha Kim here with my latest blog entry. For those who have seen Grace Kim & The Spiders From Mars – Thank you, come again! It’s closing weekend for Lodestone’s last show ever so for those who haven’t, this is your last chance.
A while back, I wrote about my experiences working with Lodestone as their Resident Producer. I mentioned the only reason I joined Lodestone in the first place was so I could possibly get my plays produced. While that may be the selfish truth, I also paid my dues. Since 2004, I produced 8 mainstage shows, a number of readings and more fundraisers than I can count. And the entire time I did that, all I could think about was when would it be my turn.
After writing two plays through the DHHWI program at East West Players and having them both turned down by Lodestone, I started to question my involvement in theatre at all. After writing for years without a real production, I seriously thought theatre does not want me. And rightfully soÖ after all, why should it when my goal is a career in film and/or television. I had enough of writing plays and wanted something else to do.

At around this time, Lodestone Co-AD Phil was selected as a recipient of the Korean Film Council’s inaugural Filmmakers’ Development Lab. Based on his positive experiences with the program, he encouraged me to submit an original script. I knew my old screenplay attempts would not compete with the current crop of rising talent, so I started a new storyÖ and for the first time in a long while, it felt great to just write. I took a week off from work and for five days, I wrote my first horror script. Called Disgrace Rising, it’s about a brother’s obsession to complete his sister’s failed suicide attempt now left in a coma. Caught in the act, he is sent to prison where he discovers a dangerous power.

Over the years, Phil has provided me meticulous notes on every story I submit. Despite having declined my previous attempts for production, Phil has always shown an active interest in my writing and a willingness to read my plays. I can tell you, that is a rare trait and treat, so I sent Phil the script and asked what he thought of it. Here’s how he got back to me. It’s not exactly verbatim, but the spirit of the truth is there.

PC – Hey Nic. I read your script. It’s a good try, but I don’t think it’ll win. (he was right)

NCK – Hey Phil, thanks for your thoughts. What can I do to make it better? (fucker)

PC – I don’t think you can, but I got some good news for you. (o-kaaay?)

NCK – Good news? You just told me my script sucked. (asshole cunt fucker)

PC – No, I didn’t say it sucked. I said it wouldn’t win. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about. (he usually does)

NCK – So what’s this good news? (sigh)

PC – I talked to Chil and we think you’re ready for Trapezoid. We want it to open the Lodestone season next year. (say what?)

NCK – UhhÖ you know it’s not finished yet, right?

PC – We’re aware of that.

NCK – Are you sure? Why not produce Hyperbola or Point? (one last shot)

PC – Pass. I want to see Trapezoid. (not sinking in)

NCK – I don’t understand. You haven’t even seen a draft yet. (what is going on here?)

PC – Doesn’t matter. (still not sinking in)

NCK – ButÖ I’m just getting it started. (seriously, what is going on here?)

PC – I’m interested in what you’re going to write and whatever you write, you’re going to rewrite it anyway. We think you’re ready. You in?

It suddenly occurred to me why Lodestone matters. Lodestone doesn’t just develop plays. They develop writers. Over long periods of time. It wasn’t enough for me to write one or two plays and then rewrite the same thing over and over again, which is often the case at the DHHWI. I had to exhibit progress for the craft and an ability to push forward and if that means failing twice, even better. I swallowed the bitter pill for years, but Phil’s call certainly made up for that and I still consider it one of the best compliments I’ve ever received. Sure, Phil didn’t actually compliment me and basically said he didn’t like my screenplay, but his trust in my ability as a writer to deliver a compelling play by year’s end is compliment enough. I’ll never forget that.

Now, I’ve made a big deal about Phil’s involvement in my development as a writer, but I must not forget Chil. Much has been said about the two leaders of Lodestone. Honestly, you couldn’t find two more different people with the same mission statement, but it’s their differences that make Lodestone work. For those who don’t know, Chil saved my production of Trapezoid. It’s never enough to have a good script. You need a good director with a clear vision and I made the mistake of hiring a novice who didn’t have one, much less share mine. If you heard the rumors, yes, it’s true I did fire my director a week before opening and while that’s sad on a personal level, it did activate the cast and crew to give their all. I’ll never forget when Chil stepped in and took control. Within minutes, he reblocked a pivotal scene between Peter and Amy. Two lovers, I thought it was strange they never touched in the first director’s version, but all of a sudden I saw passion. They couldn’t take their hands off each other and that is exactly what the moment needed. At the end of the scene, all the designers cheered the new direction and I knew my play was saved.

To Phil and Chil and the cast and crew of every production, reading, workshop and fundraiserÖ THANK YOU for breaking my cherry. It’s been real.

Nic Cha Kim wrote Lodestone’s production of TRAPEZOID and has served as Resident Producer of Lodestone Theatre Ensemble since 2004. Producing credits include CLAIM TO FAME, AZIATIC NATION '04, SOLVE FOR X, THE TROJAN WOMEN, LODESTONE AFTER DARK and lastly -- GRACE KIM & THE SPIDERS FROM MARS.

The End of Lodestone!!!

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:27:16 -0800

***THE END OF LODESTONE ***
The FINAL week of "Grace Kim & The Spiders From Mars!"
Shows are SELLING OUT. RSVP NOW.

"Fresh and witty...includes slapstick, romance, and quick, witty verbal fencing between characters that is reminiscent of films of the genre, such as His Girl Friday and It Happened One Night...My only regret is that my first Lodestone production was their last."--Asia Pacific Arts

"...delightfully awesome...I'm beyond impressed...GO GO GO! You'll regret it if you miss it."
-- 8Asians.com

"What a graceful exit/Christmas show it is!"-- Don Shirley at LA Stage

"This production is a wonderful ending for Lodestone...a wonderful way to celebrate Christmas, a gift worth opening this season." -- Rafu Shimpo

"Chung's play is filled with characters to care about, some inspired musical numbers, and a love story that grips..." --stagescenela.com

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM
THE KIM FAMILY!

http://tiny.cc/KimXmasCard

LAST CHANCE to see Lodestone's FINAL show!

Check out the latest Grace Kim Video Blog!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMTZdUPi-MA

LODESTONE THEATRE ENSEMBLE

under the artistic direction of Philip W. Chung & Chil Kong
proudly presents our final production

The World Premiere of

GRACE KIM & THE SPIDERS FROM MARS

A new comedy for anyone who's ever felt like they were born on the wrong planet...

Written by Philip W. Chung
Directed by Jeff Liu
Produced by Stephanie Chang, Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle & Peter J. Wong

Starring: Feodor Chin, Elizabeth Ho, Elaine Kao, Jully Lee, Rachel Morihiro, Hanson Tse, Kelvin Han Yee, Junko Goda, Dan Jyung, Christopher Takemoto-Gentile and Tina Tong.

Inspired by classic screwball comedies, GRACE KIM & THE SPIDERS FROM MARS tells the story of Grace, a young Korean American woman, who has withdrawn from the world after the death of her mother ten years ago. But Grace's life is thrown upside down when she meets her sister's fiancé and falls in love with him. This play was written to be Lodestone's last show of its tenth and final "Beginnings and Endings" season and will be permanently retired after this run.
November 14-December 20, 2009
Thursday-Saturday 8pm, Sunday 2pm
(FINAL WEEK!)

THURSDAY SHOW: 2-for-1 general admission tickets if you say the codeword "Ziggy Stardust" at box office
$12 general admission (Special Low 1999 Ticket Price)
$10 (groups of 10+)

GTC Burbank
1111-B W. Olive Ave.
Burbank, CA 91506

The theatre is in George Izay Park between S. Victory Bl. and N. Griffith Park Bl. Park near the jet plane at 1111 W. Olive and walk past the Olive Recreation Center. The theatre is behind the rec center; the entrance faces the softball fields.

To RSVP: (323) 993-7245

For more information, go to:
www.lodestonetheatre.org

http://www.facebook.com/lodestonetheatre

Please support our community partners for this production: Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches, K.W. Lee Center for Leadership, Visual Communications, East West Players.

Lodestone is a Company-in-Residence at GTC Burbank.
For more info. on GTC Burbank, go to www.gtc.org

Lodestone Theatre Ensemble is a nonprofit Asian American theatre company founded by Alexandra Bokyun Chun, Philip W. Chung, Chil Kong & Tim Lounibos with a mission to develop, create, promote and present edgy, compelling and impassioned works that bridge communities through truthful and entertaining artistry.

MORE ABOUT LODESTONE!
http://youoffendmeyouoffendmyfamily.com/ten-years-gone-from-texas-to-grace-kim/

KOREAM Article
http://iamkoream.com/final-curtain/
NBC video on Lodestone
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/station/as-seen-on/Lodestone_Theatre_Company_Takes_Its_Final_Bow_Los_Angeles.html

REVIEWS:

http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?lodestone_on_holiday_10189.aspx
http://www.8asians.com/2009/12/11/lodestones-final-season/
http://rafu.com/news/?p=6915

http://stagescenela.com/html/grace_kim___the_spiders_from_m.html

Lodestone's final reading NOVENAS Dec 6

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:37:57 -0800

LODESTONE THEATRE ENSEMBLE presents
The final installment in the Yellow Box series:

A reading of a new play
NOVENAS
Written by Vanessa Tamayo
Directed by Kipp Shiotani

When Helen returns home to care for her dying father, her teenage daughter is thrust into a new world of Filipino mythology, Catholic ritual, and karaoke-obsessed lolas. Set against the backdrop of Filipino grandmothers in mourning, Helen is forced to confront the community that expelled her from their midst.

SUN, December 6, 2009
7pm

GTC BURBANK
1111-B W. Olive St.
Burbank, CA 91506
(inside George Izay Park, just west of S. Victory Blvd.)

FREE ADMISSION (but donations gladly accepted and encouraged).

FREE PARKING: Park near the jet plane in front of George Izay Park at 1111 W. Olive St. Walk into the park, past Olive Recreation Center. GTC Burbank is behind the Rec. Center, facing the softball fields.

NO RSVPS required, however, please arrive at least ten minutes before curtain for seating (which is limited and on a first-come basis).

THERE WILL BE NO LATE ADMISSION!

For more info. about Lodestone:
(323) 993-7245
www.lodestonetheatre.org
www.facebook.com/lodestonetheatre

The Yellow Box reading/workshop series was created to develop actors, writers and directors through the exploration of new and classic works.

Lodestone Theatre Ensemble is a nonprofit Asian American theatre company founded by Alexandra Bokyun Chun, Philip W. Chung, Chil Kong & Tim Lounibos with a mission to develop, create, promote and present edgy, compelling and impassioned works that bridge communities through truthful and entertaining artistry.