Month: March 2023

Meg Lin, writer/performer of “What Am I, Chopped Suey?” on the inspiration for her show and identity struggles. 

Usually, women’s solo performance work is intentional and often passionate. In speaking with Meg Lin, I wondered what incident, experience, or insight inspired her to create her show. 

“The biggest influence in my life was my mom who struggled with paranoid schizophrenia. I grew up in a traditional Chinese-American family in the ‘80s and ‘90s when mental wellness was not talked about. There weren’t many resources back then, but a lot of public shame and unknowns. I struggled with trying to hide the trauma and yet survive and understand what was happening to my family. Why me? 

“In the midst of it all, I was growing up not being white in America. I was raised in a Los Angeles suburb and a lot of people would think, ‘Oh, then you fit in.’ 

Lynne Jassem, writer/performer of “Being Richard Greene” on gender identity.

Lynne and I caught up on the phone recently while she was out walking her dog.

I asked if there was a particular incident that inspired her show, “Being Richard Greene.” 

In her robust New York accent, she said, “It wasn’t an incident, it was a way of being. I had gender confusion for a lot of my life. In 1949, when I was three years old walking with my mother down Main Street in Queens, I saw a woman dressed like a man. 

“I said, ‘Mommy, mommy, that’s what I want to be!’ That’s how my show starts. From there we go through all the different decades and experiences, good and bad, centered around this issue. 

Vannia Ibarguen, choreographer/performer of Andean Triptych, on speaking up, fitting in, and standing out

Vannia and I had a conversation recently, and I asked her, “Solo pieces are often passionate. What inspired what you’re presenting?” 

Vannia has a direct, simple way of communicating, and pulls her artistic inspiration from everyday heroes and those seeking to understand their identities more deeply. 

She said, “Andean Triptych was originally three dance pieces that came together. The idea was to portray how different cultures clash, especially in South America.

“I’ll be showcasing two of those three pieces at the Festival, but I’ll describe all of them.