Assistant Dramaturg. I Dream of Chang & Eng, by Philip Kan Gotanda, directed by Peter Glazer.
U.C. Berkeley / Berkeley, CA / Mar. 2011
I Dream of Chang & Eng, one of master playwright Philip Kan Gotanda's most recent plays, tells the story of Chang and Eng Bunker, "the 'original Siamese twins,' whose early lives were spent as a touring 'freak' exhibition. Charismatic and canny, they bought out their contract and toured themselves around the world, advising the king of Siam and carousing with English aristocracy before settling down on a Southern plantation, marrying sisters and fathering 21 children between them. Gotanda's new work promises to take the audience on a journey as fantastic as Chang & Eng's own."
(Text courtesy of the Department of Theater, Dance & Performance Studies' promotional materials.)
I worked as part of the dramaturgy staff for this production, under the supervision of the Department of Theater, Dance & Performance Studies' Prof. Shannon Steen. I conducted research into the early 19th-century historical background of the piece, and contributed regularly to rehearsal and to Gotanda's script revision process.
This production was directed by Peter Glazer, another professor in the Department of Theater, Dance & Performance Studies, and stage-managed by Shane Traister. All photographs courtesy of Joshua Hesslein at TDPS.