AAPC 2025 PlayFest
November 7-8, 2025
Cambridge Armory
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Occupied
by Greg Lam
Directed by Violet Villanueva
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DENNIS - Nicholas Papayoanou
VOICE - Audrey Adji
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Visiting Jimmy
by Christina R. Chan
Directed by Violet Villanueva
KATHY - Karla Goo Lang
PRISON GUARD - Chantha Luk
JIMMY - Nicholas Papayoanou
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In Search of the King Shag
by Vivian Liu-Somers & Angele Maraj
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ALI - Naomi Ibasitas
JESSE - Elijah Estolano Punzal
KIWI QUEENNIE - Vivian Liu-Somers
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Madame Tiffani, The Minor Arcane
by Michael Lin
Directed by Mordecai SJ Choi
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ANDIE - Naomi Ibasitas
TIFFANI - Noli French
DUCKY - Mordecai SJ Choi
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Verbatim
by Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro
Directed by Violet Villanueva
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STEVE - Chantha Luk
BARBARA - Linda Chin
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Intermission - 15 Minutes
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Little Red Setup
by Jamie Lin
Directed by Mordecai SJ Choi
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LITTLE RED - Noli French
GRAND MARE - Kai Chao
WOLFF - Steve Bermundo
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The Further Adventures
of Secret Asian Man
by Dev Luthra
Directed by Jake Sung-Guk Sullivan
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CP/BOOF - Ankur Singh
IO - Audrey Adji
STAGE DIRECTIONS - Mavis Joy Manaloto​​
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Check Please
by Michelle Aguillon & Erin Davis
Directed by Mordecai SJ Choi
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LINA - Lisa Fermin-Granada
ANNA - Mavis Joy Manaloto
MIKE - Chantha Luk
DREW - Elijah Estolano Punzal
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Asian Reindeer Games
by Hortense Gerardo
Directed by Jake Sung-Guk Sullivan
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ASTON MARTIN - Karla Goo Lang
JEEVES - Steve Bermundo
ASIAN-AMERICAN DAD - Kai Chao
ASIAN-AMERICAN MOM - Vivian Liu-Somers
AAPI DAD - Elijah Estolano Punzal
AAPI MOM - Lisa Fermin-Granada
VANNA NOTWHITE - Audrey Adji
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Stage Manager for all shows is Sarah O'Neill
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Special Thanks to The Foundry
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Bios
Audrey Adji (Actor) she/her. Training: BMUS University of Illinois, Barrington Stage Company Musical Theater Conservatory, and Acting Intern Peterborough Players. Theater includes readings (Lyric Stage), Ammo (Asian American Playwright Collective), Three Wise Monkeys reading (CHUANG Stage), Yellow Face (Footlight Club), Christmas Time (Reagle Music Theater), The Jungle Book (Virginia Repertory), Cabaret (Peterborough Players), and The Moors (Armory Free Theater). Corporate includes HubSpot and SAI 360. Music includes Celebration of William Finn concert (Barrington Stage Company), Beginning of the End (album), and Little Women (pit). Awards include a cello and Best Actress in a Musical nomination. audreyadji.com
​Steve Bermundo (Actor) (he/him/his) has worked as a professional dancer in Los Angeles for most of his life. A few years after moving to Concord in 2018, he decided to give acting a try. He’s grateful that he’s able to continue performing on stage, this time as an actor. His roles include parts in local productions including Burlington Players’ “Chagrin Valley,” and “Working for Crumbs”, Hovey Players’ “The Elephant Man,” the Umbrella Theater’s “Middleton Heights,” and most recently Acme Theater’s “The Cottage.” Steve is very grateful to be among the ensemble in this year’s AAPC PlayFest. Enjoy the show!
Linda Chin (Actor) By day the Executive Director of Cambridge Women’s Center and Board Chair/Creative Advisor of Tunefoolery Music, Linda is thrilled to be part of Playfest 8 with such a super-talented team of AAPI theatre artists. Linda’s involvement in the NE/MA theatre community has included producing/directing at Wheelock, Reagle, Boston Theatre Marathon, Herter Park, Pao Arts, penning 100+ reviews for Theater Mirror and Sampan, adjudicating Mass. Educational Theater Guild’s Festival and musical theater programs, and performing in Joy Luck Club (Umbrella Stage). Heartfelt thanks to playwrights Michelle & Erin, Christina, Hortense, Greg, Michael, Jamie, Vivian & Angele, Dev, and Rosanna for telling our stories and trusting us to bring your words to life.
Kai Chao (Actor) is thankful for our AAPI Community, and the opportunity to provide his perspective as a director, actor, choreographer and 1st generation Asian American. Directing: Chuan Stage/TC Squared – The Fortune Teller; MoonBox New Works Festival – Swan; Boston Theater Marathon - Various; AAPC Playfest – Various; Performing: Sullivan Rep - Hairspray; Lyric Stage of Boston - Pacific Overtures; Umbrella Stage Company – The Joy Luck Club, La Cage aux Folles, Side Show; Reagle Players – South Pacific, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Beauty & the Beast, Mame. Originally from California, he has also performed with Disney Entertainment. Thank you for the love and support, Al.
Mordecai SooJae Choi (Actor, Director) is excited to be returning to his home and community, offering both his acting and direction at this year’s AAPC Play Festival. He would like to extend his unconstitutional support for his fellow AAPI & BIPOC community members. Special thanks to Gabrielle, Michelle Aguillon, and his family.
Lisa Fermin-Granada (Actor) (she/her) is thrilled to be part of this year’s AAPC PlayFest 8! Lisa is a first-generation Filipino American. Her most recent works have been as dialect coach for The Heart Sellers (Horizon Theatre), and for Learning How to Read By Moonlight (Chuang Stage & Company One Theatre). Theatre Credits: Middleton Heights (Umbrella Stage Company), Joy Luck Club (Umbrella Stage Company), The Partition (Off-Kendrik), Asian American Playfest 4 (Starlight Square). Commercial/Industrial/Film Credits: HealthcareGov, Care Partners of CT, UMass Memorial Medical, Bluesight, Aspira Healthcare, The Big Y, Raytheon, Institute for Community Boston, National Mentoring, Simmons College, and JULA (HBO). When Lisa isn’t acting/coaching she keeps busy with her day job as a SPED Educator.
Noli French (Actor) (she/her) is excited to be joining the AAPC in this year’s festival! She appeared with the collective in this year’s Fringe Festival, with other recent credits including: Chella in Inventing Samanta (Central Square Theater), Ester in Dry Land (Portland Theater Festival), Chappy in Tumacho, Stephanie in POTUS, Zuzu in Dance Nation (Mad Horse Theatre Co.), Herself in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Fenix Theatre Co.), as well as performing in RENT at Portland Players Theater. Beyond performance, much of her time is dedicated to her work as a portrait, wedding, and event photographer. IG | @tacoaddict @frenchsfotos
Naomi Ibasitas (Actor) is a Filipino-American actor, stage manager, and director within the Boston fringe and community theatre scene, and very excited to be a part of the AAPC Playfest this year! In the past she has worked with Post Meridian Radio Players, Theatre@First and The Mrs. Hawking play series on YouTube!
Karla Goo Lang (Actor) is delighted to be in Playfest 8, having previously performed with the Asian-American Playwright Collective in The Dragonfly Plays (co-produced with Burlington Players), the South Asian-American Theater Festival, the Boston Fringe Festival, and in Playfests 4, 5 and 7. She is a fifth-generation Chinese American and is grateful for this opportunity to help share AAPI stories. Other recent stage credits include Women in Jeopardy! (Theatre III), Sweeney Todd (Opera51), and Boston Theater Marathon XXVII. Love to S and J.
Chantha Luk (Actor) (he/him) is feeling so at home with the AAPC. He has acted with a number of theater companies including The Burlington Players, Footlight, The Quannapowitt Players, and the Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. Some stage acting credits include playing Ryan Becker in Deuce, Duke Orsino in Twelfth Night, Carlos/Padamadan in Legally Blonde: The Musical, and the Fakir in The Secret Garden (Musical). Chantha is an award winning screenwriter, director, and musician. When he’s not on a stage, Chantha is writing and filming with his company Blatant Product Placement Productions, or singing for preschoolers all over the North Shore.​​​​​​​
Mavis Joy Manaloto (Actor) (she/her) is a Fil-Am theatre-maker and aspiring arts administrator, and she is thrilled to be part of another AAPC Playfest! Recent credits include TC Squared’s BUSING THE BUFFER ZONE (Lisa Chan), SAATh Festival’s HAPPY DAUGHTER (Carol), BU Fringe Festival’s GINKGO EXPRESS (Lady Plum Blossom), and AAPC Playfest 6 & 7. She is so grateful for this talented cast and crew and sends thanks to her loved ones for their continued support!
Nicholas Papayoanou (Actor) Born and raised in Singapore, Nicholas is an actor, singer and voiceover artist whose recent credits include Learning How to Read by Moonlight (CHUANG Stage, Company One), The Suppliant Women (Apollinaire Theatre), Mermaid Hour (Moonbox Productions), and The F&L at 1330 (Boston New Works Festival). In Singapore, Nicholas made his professional debut as Young Simba in Disney’s The Lion King and received further training from SOTA, Singapore Repertory Theatre, and SAF’s Music & Drama Company. He has performed for the Asian Youth Theatre Festival, National Day Parade, River Hongbao, and has provided voiceovers for brands including Spotify and Singtel.
Elijah Estolano Punzal (Actor) (They/He) is a scholar-artist whose recent work has been seen with CHUANG Stage, Company One Boston, The Playground Experiment, Central Square Theatre, and Tufts University. Elijah was the puppeteer of EDDIE in “Learning How to Read by Moonlight” co-produced by CHUANG Stage and Company One Boston. They also were the dramaturg for Central Square Theatre’s production of “Her Portmanteau,” the 4th play in Mfoniso Udofia’s Ufot Family Cycle. Elijah a PhD student in Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at Tufts University.
Ankur Singh (Actor) After a break of two years, Ankur is returning to the theatre and AAPC and is super thrilled to work with the amazing and talented ensemble. Previous collaborations include Funny Drone, Buried Alive, A Christmas Carol, Ideation, Henry V, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Disgraced.
Vivian Liu-Somers (Actor, Playwright) is thrilled to be part of the Asian American Playwright Collective (AAPC) Playfest 8. Based in the Boston area, Vivian is an actor, writer, and director, and a proud AAPC playwright. Her collaborative work spans productions with AAPC (including the inaugural Boston Fringe Festival), Asian American Theater Artists of Boston (AATAB), Newton Theatre Company, Yorick Ensemble, TC Squared, The Nora Theater Company, Umbrella Stage Company, Company One, Chuang Stage, Fresh Ink, Pao Arts Center, Boston Theater Marathon, Boston One Minute Play Festival, SlamBoston, commercial work for the Boston Celtics and others, and several independent short films She wrote and performed Secret Menu for the Boston Theater Marathon XXVI. More of her work can be found at rebrand.ly/vliusomers.
Michelle M. Aguillon (Playwright/Producer) Recent collaborations: Chuang Stage, Plays in Place, Company One, Umbrella Stage Co, Central Square Theater, Emerson College, Brandeis University, O4FXSake Productions. Directing credits: Dance Nation, The Kittie Knox Plays, Yellow Face, Appropriate, Elephant Man, In the Heights, Middleton Heights, Hold These Truths, Dracula - A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Sense and Sensibility, Passion, Augusta and Noble, Fences, The Joy Luck Club, Disgraced, Vietgone, Rabbit Hole, among others. Recent: Dramaturg and Community Tour Director, Learning How to Read by Moonlight (Chuang Stage/Company One). She has produced the AAPC Annual Playfests since 2020. Many thanks to this amazing team of AAPI artists!
Christina R. Chan (Playwright) is a first generation Chinese American. Her work amplifies AAPI stories of resilience, joy, and community and have been workshopped/produced at Company One Theater, Chuang Stage, TC2 Theater, ArtsEmerson, Pao Arts Center, BCA, and Museum of Fine Arts. Christina is a 2025 awardee of The Boston Foundation’s LAB grant to write a play about Chinese mothers boycotting during Boston’s busing crisis. Her play “Stir Frying Mahjong” was a semi-finalist for the O’Neill Theater Conference. Christina is a co-writer on “The Chinatown Musical” commissioned by Company One Theater and being developed by Chuang Stage. She is a co-founder of AAPC.​​​
Erin Davis (Playwright) is a playwright, dramaturg, hiker, and fried green tomato enthusiast. Originally from Georgia and now a proud Brighton resident, Erin appreciates collaboration, as building community through thoughtful conversations and collective creativity drives her art. Erin has a passion for new work and work that centers queer voices. Their work, honeyhole, was produced as part of the 2023 Boston New Works Festival and the 2025 SheATL Festival. They additionally were a member of the 2024 VoltLab Cohort at Company One Theatre and are a graduate of Boston University’s School of Theatre.​​
Hortense Gerardo (Playwright) Hortense Gerardo, Ph.D., is a playwright, screenwriter, and Director of the Anthropology, Performance, and Technology (APT) Program at the University of California, San Diego. Her works have been performed widely including: LaMama Experimental Theatre, Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) Boston, International Performance Art Festival, Nuit Blanche Festival, Toronto, and the Without Walls Festival, La Jolla Playhouse. She received a Fellowship from Mass Cultural Council in Dramatic Writing, and an Elliot Norton Award nomination for Outstanding New Script for her play Middleton Heights. Current work addresses issues of identity, power, and the existential poetics of human and machine learning interaction. www.hortensegerardo.com
Greg Lam (Playwright) is a playwright, screenwriter, podcaster and board game designer who now lives in the Bay Area. He is the co-founder of the Asian-American Playwright Collective, a member of The Pulp Stage Writer’s Room, Playground SF, and the administrator of The Pear Theatre’s Playwright Guild. For more about Greg, see https://greglam.wixsite.com/home.
Jamie Lin (Playwright) is a Taiwanese-American theater artist originally from the Bay Area and a member of Boston’s Asian American Playwright Collective (AAPC), as well as a former Company One Co-Lab fellow. Her works have been produced by CHUANG Stage, Pao Arts Center, AAPC, Brandeis University, Theatre@First, Company One, and as part of the Boston Theater Marathon. She is passionate about diversity, equity, inclusion & accessibility and serves as Theatre@First’s EDI Coordinator. Offstage, she is a graphic designer and avid D&D player.
Michael Lin (Playwright) is a Boston-based actor and playwright with a fondness for short comedies and radio plays. In the past, he has had the pleasure of working with the Post-Meridian Radio Players, Theatre@First, Fresk Ink, and Flat Earth Theatre. Michael is currently working on adapting the classic Arsène Lupin stories to audio drama.
Dev Luthra (Playwright) is a theatre maker of South Asian and European descent, trained at East 15 Acting School, London and at Shakespeare & Company, Lenox MA. His plays include Macbeth’s Children (co-written with Michael Bettencourt, AATE New Play Award) focusing on the fate of the children in Shakespeare’s play and Malcolm’s decision to return to a country in the throes of civil war. Second Chances focuses on the issues of housing justice. Weighting the Wait, a play about living with the impact of homicide, devised with the Louis D Brown Peace Institute, is scheduled for production at Open Theatre Project, Boston. His one act play Secret Asian Man focuses on his experience being raised in two cultures.
Angele Maraj (Playwright) (she/her) is a songwriter, playwright and performer whose original works have been presented at events such as the Boston New Works Festival (Once Upon a Carnival), This Is My Brave and the Boston Theatre Marathon (tell me a story). Company One Season 26 Co-Lab playwright; 2025 Candela Summer Musical Theatre Writer Fellow; 2022 Dunamis Boston Emerging Artist Fellow. Her first full-length play le temps was named a finalist for Season 14 of Fresh Ink Theatre/CHUANG Stage as well as the Green Mountain New Play Festival. Angele’s background as an Indo-Trini-American and guiding values of humor, curiosity, kindness, and inclusivity inform her artistic practice. www.angelemaraj.com
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Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro (Playwright) My plays have been produced in many theaters, including the Huntington Theatre, Pan Asian Repertory, East West Players, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and La Mama. I was a Huntington Playwriting Fellow and received an MCC Artist Fellowship in Playwriting. Several of my shorter plays have been anthologized by Baker’s Plays, Heinemann, Meriweather, Smith and Kraus, Charta Books Ltd, and PlaySource. I am also writer of the documentary, “Japanese American Women: A Sense of Place,” directed by Leita Hagemann, part of a traveling exhibit of the Smithsonian Institution.
Sarah O’Neill (Stage Manager) is excited to return for her fifth AAPC play festival! She also stage managed AAPC’s short play presentation at last year’s SAAthFest. Additional recent stage management credits include The Humans, Let Nothing You Dismay, and Court-Martial at Fort Devens (Arlington Friends of the Drama), Blood Relations (Theater III), Twelfth Night (Dream Role Plays), the workshops/staged readings for Skinless (Chuang Stage/AATAB/Pao Arts Center) and the Testament of Bondar Bidaksh (New Rep Theatre), and the 2024 production of The Dybbuk (rehearsal stage manager, Arlekin Players).
Jake Sun-Guk Sullivan (Director) Select Directing: Guthrie Theater: The Heart Sellers (AD); Theater Mu/Stages Theatre Co: The Name Jar, A Different Pond; Lyric Arts: [title of show], The Wedding Singer; Theater Mu/The Jungle Theater: Cambodian Rock Band (AD); [un]qualified theatre: H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man; IGHCT: West Side Story. Select Acting: Walking Shadow: The Witch; Lyric Arts: Our Town, The 39 Steps; Theatre Mu: Two Mile Hollow (Reading), Flower Drum Song. Awards: 2022 Ordway/Knight Fellowship for Emerging BIPOC Directors. Training: BFA Musical Theatre, MSU Mankato; MFA Directing Candidate 2027, Boston University. Excited to be joining the Boston community!
Violet Villenueva (Director) This is Violet’s third production with AAPC, and she is deeply grateful to be involved, alongside an amazing cast, crew, and playwright team. Previously, she directed some of AAPC’s part of the Boston Fringe Festival in Somerville (2025) and performed in AAPC/Burlington Players’ Dragonfly Plays. She wishes a million thank yous to all of the folks involved in making this playfest happen. Shout out to Juan for keeping her sane as she balances ~12 passions/hobbies (Saturdays working with high schoolers at Minds Matter, salsa/jazz funk/hip hop, her newfound love of making sushi, etc.). Enjoy the show!