Co-founders and co-artistic directors Chil Kong (left) and Philip W. Chung, photographed in Los Angeles.
By Ellis Song
It’s a bittersweet moment for the cast and crew of the Lodestone Theatre Ensemble as their final curtain call after 10 years of innovative and edgy theater nears. And their latest and last production, Grace Kim & The Spiders From Mars, set to open on November 14, hopes to capture the essence of one act ending and another beginning.
“I wanted this to be a gift for our supporters,” says Philip W. Chung, who wrote Grace Kim and is one of the founders of Lodestone. “I don’t want to give too much away, but I really wanted to bring in what I thought was best about Lodestone into this play and embody it with the spirit.”
Grace Kim was announced before Chung had the chance to even finish writing it, and he worried about whether he would be able to complete it in time. However, this was a story that he had wanted to do for 20 years.
“The skeleton of that story has always been with me,” says Chung. “It was inspired by old screwball comedies. As a kid, when you watch [these comedies], you say ‘Wow, that’s really good,’ but why can’t you do that with Asian people?”
As a maverick theater company, Lodestone is not only known for pushing the boundaries of Asian American storytelling, but will also be remembered for providing opportunities for young Asian American actors and actresses.
“I’ve gotten more confident with each challenging role that I’ve had,” says actress Elaine Kao. “It’s amazing that I’ve had these opportunities at Lodestone. I don’t think I would have had these opportunities to play these parts elsewhere.”
“I’ve seen an improvement in acting,” says Jeff Liu, of the changes he’s noticed in the Asian American theater scene since Lodestone opened. Liu, the director of Grace Kim who also directed the very first Lodestone production (Texas, 1999), is proud of the work they’ve produced but also realizes that it’s time for a different voice to contribute. “We’ve built something that’s recognized, but the funny thing is…we have become sort of an institution as well. So, maybe it’s time for someone else to say, ‘No, you don’t have it right; we’ll show you how it’s done.’”
Chil Kong, co-founder of Lodestone, is looking forward to life after the last bow. “I’m excited because I feel this is a new venture for all of us,” he says. “It’s not just about ending. It’s about beginning something else.”
Liu echoes those sentiments.
“A lot of people think that it’ll be a sad occasion, but I don’t know if I feel that,” he says. “I don’t feel these relationships that we’ve built and actually earned over 10 years will end after working together, staying up late, and doing this for no money simply because we love stories. We’re all going to carry this forward to whatever we do, and I’m really confident that some of us or many of us will work together on other things.”
