OKC theater spotlights women's hidden history with 'The Chinese Lady' and 'Silent Sky'
From the first documented Chinese woman to come to America to an early astronomer who changed humanity's understanding of the universe, Southern Plains Productions is uncovering hidden history this summer.
"This year has been really exciting, because I knew I wanted to spotlight two women of such strong character who were vital parts of our ongoing American story," said Jackson Gifford, founding artistic director of the fledgling Oklahoma City theater company.
Launched in 2021, the nonprofit professional production company is putting on two shows for its 2023 summer season: a July production of "The Chinese Lady," by Pulitzer Prize finalist Lloyd Suh, at Plenty Mercantile, and an August presentation of "Silent Sky," by popular and prolific playwright Lauren Gunderson, inside Science Museum Oklahoma's Kirkpatrick Planetarium.
Here's what you need to know about Southern Plains Productions' upcoming shows:
What kinds of shows does Southern Plains Productions put on in OKC?
In its third season, Southern Plains Productions works to reimagine live theater with inventive artistic experiences to spark conversations and bring the community together.
By focusing on staging shows in the summer, the arts production company also brings together collegiate and early-career artists to present innovative plays.
"We exist to reimagine live theater in a way that feels equitable and inclusive," Gifford told The Oklahoman. "With that, we also operate in a site-specific model, so every performance happens in ... a new space."
Working in different venues not only helps the company tailor its shows to the stories' specific narratives but also allows Southern Plains Productions to present plays in spaces outside traditional theaters.
"With that, we've really been able to reach new audiences. After our production of 'Lizzie' at the Tower (Theatre last year), we found this new rock 'n' roll audience who also is now a fan of theater," Gifford said.
Who is 'The Chinese Lady' and how is Southern Plains telling her story?
Southern Plains Productions is collaborating with the Oklahoma City Asian District Cultural Association and Plenty Mercantile to present the Oklahoma premiere of Suh's "The Chinese Lady." Performances are July 20-22 at The Venue at Plenty, 807 N Broadway in downtown OKC's historic Automobile Alley district.
Along with hosting the play, Plenty Mercantile will showcase works by local Asian American and Pacific Islander artists during the show's run.
"The Chinese Lady" is based the true story of Afong Moy (portrayed by Cindy Tsai), the first documented Chinese woman in America. For nearly half a century, she was towed across the country as a curiosity and marketing tool.
"She was bought by these two merchants from her family in the 1800s to be toured around the United States as a 'living museum piece.' She was also brought to market and sell Chinese imports in order for these merchants and museums to make profit off of her," said New York City-based theater artist Samantha Toy Ozeas, who is directing the show for Southern Plains Productions.
"She was supposed to only be kept as an exhibit for two years and ended up being toured around for about 20 years of her life — and her history is completely forgotten."
The term "living museum piece" sounds nice and civilized, but the director pointed out that Moy had no agency or autonomy and was basically treated as a sideshow attraction.
"In her later years, she was toured around and owned by P.T. Barnum. ... As her story progresses, her costume changes, her face and makeup, become a little bit more akin to something that would be in a circus," said Ozeas, who is Chinese American.
"If the first Chinese woman in America was brought here with the understanding that she could be in some way purchased or bought, and that was only 200 years ago, the reality is we haven't moved very far away from that sort of mentality."
Although 90% of the OKC's production's creative team is Chinese or Chinese American, Ozeas said only one of them had heard of Moy before.
After partnering with Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre last year on the play "The Great Leap," OKC's Asian District Cultural Association is collaborating with Southern Plains Productions on "The Chinese Lady."
"Asian and Asian-American experiences are often left out in media, especially theater ... so this is giving our community one of the first examples to really see a relatable story - unfortunately relatable - told in theater art," said Andrea Schultz, executive director of the Asian District Cultural Association.
She said the show gives a better glimpse into the history of Asians coming to North America.
"Now, we call this our home, but still are not always treated that way. And it's sad that we're still sometimes exoticized or exploited."
How is Science Museum Oklahoma helping tell the story of 'Silent Sky?'
Southern Plains Productions will stage Gunderson's "Silent Sky" Aug. 11-13 inside Science Museum Oklahoma's planetarium.
"Especially because of the content of the story ... this was one of those opportunities where we really didn't want to pass it up because it was so new for us," said Waylon Troyer, Science Museum Oklahoma's planetarium director.
"If you look back to some of the older programming from our planetarium, we used to do laser light shows with Pink Floyd music. And I think this is just an extension of combining the planetarium, a place that's traditionally used for education and discussing science ... with art. It is a theater space, after all; it's just a very unconventional theater."
Penned by one of America's most-produced playwrights, "Silent Sky" centers on early astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868-1921), who worked in Harvard University’s Observatory as a human “computer." She not only discovered about 2,400 variable stars between 1907 and her death in 1921, but she also figured out a method for measuring stellar distances.
Although her work helped forever alter the way humans view the universe, Leavitt received little credit during her lifetime, and her contributions have largely been forgotten.
"When she took a job at Harvard's observatory, she wasn't allowed to look through their telescope ... but her work in the late 1800s and early 1900s is quite amazing and we're still using the method that she came up with," Gifford said.
Along with dealing with the restrictive gender norms of the time, Leavitt began experiencing hearing loss as a teenager, and her hearing continued to deteriorate throughout her life.
"We've been working with Hearts for Hearing to figure out how we can best tell the story," Gifford said. "We've hired a hard-of-hearing actor from Minnesota; she also does ASL (American Sign Language) and signs. So, we're incorporating elements of ASL, as well as elements of the cochlear implants and the hearing aids and what that would have looked like back in the time that she lived. ... We've 3-D printed this hearing aid to look as authentic as possible."
Staging "Silent Sky" inside the planetarium also will help make the show more authentic and immersive.
"Working with the science museum's planetarium, we have the opportunity to go to a database that essentially has every night sky dating back far, far, far into history. So, as we watch this play that takes place in the 1800s (and 1900s), we will literally be sitting under the 1800s (and 1900s) sky that Henrietta would have been under as she looked at the stars," Gifford said. "It's giving me chills right now to think about."
Gifford said Southern Plains Productions also is planning a special private Aug. 10 benefit performance of "Silent Sky" that will help raise funds for Science Museum Oklahoma's efforts to build a new, larger, state-of-the-art planetarium inside its former OmniDome Theatre space. The new planetarium is projected to open in fall 2024, Troyer said.
SOUTHERN PLAINS PRODUCTIONS' 2023 SHOWS
'The Chinese Lady'
When: July 20-22.
Where: The Venue at Plenty, 807 N Broadway.
'Silent Sky'
When: Aug. 11-13.
Where: Science Museum Oklahoma's Kirkpatrick Planetarium, 2020 Remington Place.
Tickets and information: https://www.southernplainsproductions.org.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC theater's fact-based shows to spotlight women's hidden history
