on my desk monday

On my desk today is the most beautiful blue and white rabbit rice bowl! It was handmade by Jade Schuyler of Chatham Pottery. Why did she make me such a beautiful gift? Well, those tickets should be a hint:

Because I saw the Where the Mountain Meets the Moon production at the Harwich Junior Theater:

and Jade was one of the actresses (she played Ma and she was so moving that she made the audience cry):

She was out of costume when she gave me the bowl, but she was fantastic!

The whole show was great! To the evil green tiger:

to Minli (the so, so talented Caroline Workman!) and the hilarious Dragon (B. Christopher Williams):

Honestly, they were all terrific! And it was so much fun seeing the story come to life again.  Here's me and the great cast and creative directors Nina Schuessler and Jane Staab:

And this is the selfie I tried to take with them:

I kind of like this one better, don't you? You can just make my glasses out at the bottom.

Great fun and a great way to end the summer!

finagling for a return trip

Do you go to a school in Hawaii? Would you like me to visit your school? Well, I might be back in Hawaii in April, so  maybe I could come*!

And, why (besides it obviously being Hawaii!) might I be coming back? To see the Where the Mountain Meets the Moon play there! Yes, as I may have mentioned earlier, the Honolulu Theater for Youth is putting on their own production of the book:

And it promises to be much different from the other adaptations that I've seen so far. At the conference, the theater put on a short excerpt of their first interpretation of the book. I'm told that the final performance will probably not be like this but what was shown was definitely intriguing! I really liked their idea of mixing a modern aesthetic:

with a very traditional one:

this is "The Story of the Old Man of the Moon" told in the Peking Opera theater-style

It's parallel to my own interpretation of my work, thematically--I like to think of my books as mix of my modern, Asian-American sensibilities and the traditional stories I take inspiration from. So you can see why I'm so interested in seeing the Honolulu Theatre's final product!

So I'm trying to work out a return trip! If you are a Hawaii school, let me* know if you'd be interested in having me for a school visit....it'd definitely help me make my decision!

*contact my school visit coordinator Aimee at gracelinvisits@gmail.com to set it up! Not only would your school not have to pay airfare (as I think the theater would pay for that), it would be the "local fee!" 

creating their own mountain

With the Wheelock show in Boston  and the Starry River of the Sky production in MN now over, I thought it would be a long time before I saw any images of my books on stage again. However, the completely-awesome-Abington-Friends-School-third-grade-teacher Felix Chen, sent some new photos that made my day!

story of Jade Dragon

In the fall, the aforementioned teacher Felix Chen and his co-teacher Karolye Eldridge shared Where the Mountain Meets the Moon with their class. It was so popular that the class decided to put on a play of it--writing the script in January, rehearsing from March, making costumes and scenery last month and putting on the play in May!

Minli meets Dragon

Green Tiger attacks

Minli meets the Old Man of the Moon

They even wrote a song and played that!

All I can say is WOW!

I heard the performance had a standing ovation and from just the photos I can tell they deserved it. I'm on my feet for them all the way over here.

Thanks so much, third graders, for bring the book to life! You are amazing!

on my desk monday

On my desk is a Where the Mountain Meets the Moon t-shirt, a departing gift from Wheelock's successful production, which closed last week.  Thanks so much to all that went to go see the show!

I was lucky to get to see it once last time. I'm a little sad that these characters won't be onstage anymore:

But while I was there, I raved and raved about the Starry River of the Sky production in MN (which just closed yesterday--I hope it did well, too. It definitely deserved to!)...and I was given some hope that Wheelock would consider producing that too! Everyone cross your fingers!

starry

So, last weekend I was in the Twin Cities to see  the Starry River of the Sky play by Stages Theater. They've put on a number of plays based on award winning novels, as their "wall of fame" showcases:

including Where the Mountain Meets the Moon:

Which, if you remember, I was too busy to see. 

However, I did make it to the Starry River of the Sky performance! And, I am so, so glad that I did. 

I was very interested on how the story would translate on stage. Even as a book, Starry River of the Sky is trickier than Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. It asks more from the reader. The themes are deeper and the characters are more subtle. But even though  Starry River of the Sky is a little bit more challenging, my hope is that readers find it that much more rewarding. 

And, the play is that. While the Where the Mountain Meets the Moon play was fun and joyous,  the Starry River of the Sky play was simply beautiful.  You can tell from the first look at the set:

Jeannine Coulombe was able to compress my dense book into a gorgeous, touching and truly moving 90 minute play. I think I like this adaptation even better than the Where the Mountain Meets the Moon adaptation she did earlier--and I didn't think that was possible!

And the acting was amazing. The main character, Rendi, is a hard part to play. At first he's unlikeable, but you slowly learn he's so prickly because he's so wounded inside. And as he heals, he emerges as the hero.  Andrew Moy played him perfectly with the blend of vulnerability and anger with a realistic transformation into compassion.  Peiyi, played by Julia Patterson, was ideally endearing and sweet-- exactly how I pictured her. Mr. Shan (Maxwell Thao), Madame Chang (Naomi Ko), Master Chao (Yen Thao)...everyone brought the characters to life in just the right way.  I was  so incredibly impressed!

Peiyi (Julia Patterson), the toad and Rendi (Andrew Moy)-- after the show!

me and Mr. Shan! (Maxwell Thao)

Meilan (Danielle Wong, who had played Minli in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon!), me and Tiwu (Isabelle Wong)

I've had some bittersweet moments about Starry River of the Sky which has sometimes made me doubt my direction. But when I was watching the story being performed, I almost forgot that I wrote it...and when the play was finished I was so proud that I had.  By putting on this production, Stages Theatre has given me such a lovely gift.

And, I think it'll give you one too. Go see it!

Thank you, Stages Theatre!

on my desk monday

On my desk are some mementos from my weekend in MN, where I saw Starry River of the Sky!

Along with the program and some tickets, there's a special porcelain rabbit bowl signed by all the cast members of the show...which I will tell more of in my next post. All I will say now is that it was truly beautiful and if you are anywhere near the Twin Cities, make the effort to go see it. It will be more than worth it. Really.

and another (yes, another!) one of my books hits the stage!

As if seeing Where the Mountain Meets the Moon onstage wasn't enough, I am so over-the-top-thrilled that Starry River of the Sky has also been adapted for the stage! It premieres TOMORROW at Stages Theatre in Hopkins, MN!

Here's a sneak peak of the set (all photos stolen from the Stages Theatre Facebook page! Hope they don't mind):

doesn't it look great?

as well as Peiyi and Rendi (displaying their mutual dislike!):

It seems hard to believe that I would have two novels adapted for the stage, but it makes more sense  when one realizes that Stages Theatre is the company who first adapted Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Their script is the one that Wheelock used to put on their show, which I think, in turn inspired places like the Bay Area Children's Theater and others see the book's stage potential. Stages Theatre is truly the visionary and not just in bringing my books to life (which is a feat in itself) but, also by having the courage to take on what others have thought as "ethnic stories" and revealing them as stories to be enjoyed by all.  Having both Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Starry River of the Sky produced as plays (hopefully to extreme success!) is, as my friend Janet Wong put, "a huge milestone for diversity in children's literature."

So, I am extremely grateful to them! I wasn't able to see the Stages Theater  production  of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (I had a production of my own to attend to), but I'm not missing this one! While I won't be at the premiere tomorrow, I will be at the May 3rd show! Schedule below:

Saturday, May 3rd 2014
Hopkins Jaycees Studio Theatre
1111 Mainstreet
Hopkins, MN 55343

Prior to the 1:00 pm Performance:
12:30 - 1:00 PM: Grace Lin book signing 
1:00 PM: Performance of Starry River of the Sky
2:15-2:45 PM: Talk with audience

Prior to the 7:00 pm Performance:
6:30-7:00 PM: Pre-show reception and Grace Lin book signing
7:00-8:15 PM: Performance of Starry River of the Sky

So, if you are local to the area--please, go see the show! If you aren't local, please spread the word! If it does well, maybe, just like what happened with Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, it'll catch the eye of other places and Starry River of the Sky could be performed in a theater near you! I can dream, anyway...

More info about the show HERE!

an "epoch" in my life

There's a scene in the book Penderwicks on Gardam Street  where one of the sisters, Jane, has her play performed and she thrilled beyond measure--when she realizes, “... all this was the result of her imagination come to life.”

Well, this weekend, I felt the same way! I truly had, as Anne of Green Gables would say, an "epoch" in my life. Because, for the first time, I was able to see my book performed as a play!

Being the author of the book, Wheelock let me have some sneak peaks before the show. Unfortunately, I was so captivated by everything, I didn't take that many photos! But here are some that I did take.

First, there was the set. It simple, but so effective! One of my favorite parts of the show is the fact that the never had the moon and the mountain onstage together until the very end...until the "mountain meet the moon." Such a subtle but effective touch!

 And then there were the costumes and props! They were amazing! I'm really sad that I didn't take more pictures. There were more than 70 costumes to create and the wardrobe people made all of them (working until the crack of dawn before the show, I am told). I was so impressed! These are the heads for the stone lions and the green tiger:

And then right before the curtain opened, I sneaked in and saw the performers:

 including some of my favorite characters, the monkeys:

And then it was SHOWTIME!

And it was wonderful.

Truly, truly, I loved it! I thought it was the perfect stage adaptation. The actress, Caroline Workman,  who played Minli was incredible, I couldn't believe she was only 14 years old. She had the perfect balance of earnestness, enthusiasm and optimism. And Ba (played by Michael Tow) truly captured the kindness of the character I envisioned while Ma (Grace Napier) was played with just the right mix of vulnerability and bitterness. For her part, Rain Dragon adored Dragon (Stewart Evan Smith) and has been talking about "Red Dragon" ever since the show.  But ALL the actors and actresses were marvelous!

And Wheelock, true to their "color-blind casting" added some surprising but completely cool things. For example, one small part was given to a deaf actor who signed in Chinese sign language!

So, obviously I ♥ the show!

At the end of Saturday's show, they asked me to come onstage, which was another thrill...

Which I will truly remember my whole life!

Many people have asked me if the show will be coming to their area. All I can say is, I wish it would! Wheelock decided to produce Where the Mountain Meets the Moon after someone on their advisory board heard (and saw) the Stages production in MN. After seeing that show, she brought the script to Wheelock and the rest is history!

So if you'd like to have the show come to your area, I'd suggest doing the same. Find a local theater company and recommend  the play. The script is available and I think Wheelock might even rent out their costumes and props!  Or if you are interested in the musical version, you could even contact the Bay Area Children's Theater about their script! I'd love to see the story performed everywhere, and not just for selfish reasons.

But, in the meantime, please see the Wheelock show! You won't be disappointed!

on my desk monday

It's a goldfish prop from the Where the Mountain Meets the Moon play! I had the most amazing weekend participating in its premiere--I'll post more tomorrow, but in the meantime go see the show! If you enjoyed the book, you'll love the play!

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon hits the stage in the Bay Area!

If you are in the Bay Area, go see Where the Mountain Meets the Moon onstage! I found this video clip with a sneak preview and I really wish I could go!! It opens THIS SAT!!


Min Kahng, the playwright and composer of this production, has also been tweeting images like this:

Oh my gosh, doesn't that look awesome? Did I mention how much I wish I could go?
I will, however, be going to see Boston's Wheelock production in April (I plan to be there for the April 11th and the April 12th shows, there might be a booksigning or something, stay tuned) and I am also going all the way to Hopkins, MN to see the Starry River of the Sky production there (the plan is to be there for the May 3rd show, I think there might also be a booksigning--will let you know!). I am SO, SO thrilled that I will get to see these shows, at least! 
But, if you can, please see the Bay Area production and tell me what I am missing!

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon on Stage

I heard through the grapevine that the Where the Mountain Meets the Moon production had a very successful run--I think the final shows were completely sold out.  As well as Pocket Pacy, many people scouted the show out for me and gave it glowing reviews:

my cousin Alex (the one in the plaid), who goes to college in the area

Friend Linda & son Max(in yellow sweater  & yellow t-shirt) flew out from Boston!

and the Stages Theater Company (the people that produced it) put out this video montage of the play:

Doesn't it look good? I will dream and hope that someone puts the play on again, near me!