Artists At Play in association with Latino Theater Co.
Presents the World Premiere of

THIS IS NOT
A TRUE STORY

by Preston Choi
Directed by Reena Dutt

In this new play, CioCio from Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly completes her suicide, only to wake up realizing she is trapped in a never-ending loop of her story. Then Miss Saigon’s Kim joins the void, thrusting another tragic heroine into the deadly cycle, until a mysterious office woman throws their worlds out of balance. This Is Not a True Story unravels the history of Orientalist art and theatre, and looks at what happens when the tragic Asian heroine takes control of her own story.

This production includes strong language, theatrical haze, flashing lights, high frequency sounds, a non-firing prop pistol and gunshot sound effects, suicide, the myth of the American Dream, and discussions of sex work, sexual assault, and war violence. This production also includes women speaking for themselves and questioning the status quo.

No babies or butterflies were harmed in the making of this production..

90 minutes with no intermission

This Is Not a True Story is recommended for ages 13 and up.

  • Thursday, September 14 at 8:00 PM - PREVIEW
    Friday, September 15 at 8:00 PM - PREVIEW
    Saturday, September 16 at 8:00 PM - OPENING NIGHT
    Sunday, September 17 at 4:00 PM

    Thursday, September 21 at 8:00 PM - AAPI Affinity Night
    Friday, September 22 at 8:00 PM -0 USC Community Night
    Saturday, September 23 at 8:00 PM
    Sunday, September 24 at 4:00 PM

    Thursday, September 28 at 8:00 PM - UCLA Community Night | Understudy Performance
    Friday, September 29 at 8:00 PM
    Saturday, September 30 at 8:00 PM
    Sunday, October 1 at 4:00 PM

    Thursday, October 5 at 8:00 PM
    Friday, October 6 at 8:00 PM - Filipino American Community Night
    Saturday, October 7 at 8:00 PM
    Sunday, October 8 at 4:00 PM

    Thursday, October 12 at 8:00 PM - UCSD Community Night
    Friday, October 13 at 8:00 PM
    Saturday, October 14 at 8:00 PM
    Sunday, October 15 at 4:00 PM

  • Previews - Pay-What-You-Will $10-$50
    Thursdays - $10
    Section L - $38-$25
    Section A - $28-$18
    Section T - $18-$10
    Section C - $8-$5

    Groups of 6 or more get $10 OFF per Ticket. More Info here.

  • Artists at Play and Latino Theater Company is proud to present post-show opportunities for you to engage with the artists, learn more about the work on stage and the theatre itself.

    These informal sessions begin approximately two minutes after the end of the performance and typically last 20-25 minutes.

    Sunday, September 17
    Thursday, September 21
    Friday, September 22
    Thursday, September 28
    Friday, October 6
    Thursday, October 12

  • Latino Theater Company is committed to providing full access to patrons with disabilities. Our theatre is ADA accessible and is enabled with the following features.

    Accessible seating is available in the first 2 rows of our theatre for patrons with physical disabilities or mobility impairments. Please request special seating at the time of ticket purchase.

    Our theatre has raked seating, with steps to most rows. Most seats are fixed, though there are a limited number of free-standing seats that may be preferable for some patrons.

    If you need assistant please contact 213-489-0994 or tickets@thelatc.org

Cast

Julia Cho

Zandi De Jesus*

Rosie Narasaki

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

Reviews

“STAGE RAW TOP 10… RECOMMENDED… inventively told, sprinkled with humor and, ultimately, graced with a moving ending… outstanding performances.” — G. Bruce Smith, Stage Raw

“OUTSTANDING… Thought-provoking, highly entertaining… Hilarity, poignancy and above all, insight into the damage that racial stereotyping causes ensues… nuanced performances that are sometimes, tragic, sometimes comic and always on point.” — Ed Rampell, Hollywood Progressive

“FOUR STARS… nearly a laugh a minute… a wonderful new comedy that makes you think differently about the racial stereotyping of our classic literary characters.” — Rob Stevens, Haines His Way

“INTRIGUING… uses surrealist hilarity and preposterousness to tackle the often implicit, invisible prejudices theatrical audiences are so accustomed to seeing and loving, never realizing how hurtful they are… The imaginative staging is especially playful.” — Eric Gordon, People’s World

“BEAUTIFULLY explores representation, exposes racism in theater and film.”
— Caitlin Roehmholdt, USC Annenberg Media

“A THOUGHT-PROVOKING commentary on the importance of breaking asian stereotypes written in some of the orientalist stories you may know. despite the serious subject matter, i loved the humor infused throughout the show and of course, the female empowerment!” — Keshia Sih-Tseng, blogger/influencer

“VIBRANT… brilliantly ironic in dismantling the very stereotypes it presents.”
— Robert St. Martin, The Hollywood Times

“AMAZING… this is exactly how I think theater should be done in 2023… a comic rebellion against the characters that created this archetype… a beautiful, beautiful production.” — Sean Lim, Seoulite TV

“AN EYE-OPENER that uses subtle humor and the crude truth of our history surrounding the stereotypes forced upon Asian women… ends on a hopeful message that we as Asian women can write our story and happy ending.”
— Laura Sirikul, The Nerds of Color

Credits

Written by
PRESTON CHOI

Directed by
REENA DUTT

Scenic Design
YUKI IZUMIHARA

Lighting Design
HENRY TRAN

Sound Design
M. GLENN SCHUSTER

Projection Design
VANESSA D. FERNANDEZ

Costume Design
JOJO SIU

Prop Design
NAOMI KASAHARA

Dialect Coach
KURT SANCHEZ KANAZAWA

Associate Director & Dramaturg
KATHERINE CHOU

Stage Manager
YAESOL JEONG

THIS IS NOT A TRUE STORY

AUDIENCE REACTIONS

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