Author: Alfredo Casuso

Media contact: David Perry / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

March 28 Chinese Historical Society Gala Honors San Francisco’s Fong Family with Phil & Sarah Choy Community Service Award

Film director Jon M. Chu Honored for Outstanding Artistic Achievement 

CHSA Heads Into Sixth Decade With Renewed Vision and New Leadership

21 January 2020 – SAN FRANCISCO, CA:  Just three years away from celebrating its 60^th anniversary year, the Chinese Historical Society of America (www.chsa.org) has announced plans for its annual Awards Gala, taking place on Saturday, March 28 at the San Francisco Grand Hyatt on Union Square.  In addition to honoring San Francisco’s much-admired Fong Family along with film director Jon M. Chu, the annual event will provide an opportunity for attendees to meet incoming board chair Douglas S. Chan and interim executive director Pamela Wong.  Founded in 1963, the Chinese Historical Society of America is the oldest and largest archive and history center documenting the Chinese American experience in the United States, operating out of its historic landmark building in San Francisco’s Chinatown designed by Julia Morgan.

After serving as board president for three years, Hoyt H. Zia recently stepped down as director. “I join everyone at the Chinese Historical Society in thanking Hoyt for his exemplary service to the organization,” said Chan. “He leaves a great legacy as a leader who – more than any other director – applied his deep experience in community organizations and as a corporate executive to help us at a critical moment in its operations.  He has been a leader in the establishment of a national initiative to link museums and historical societies dedicated to the history and contributions of Chinese Americans.  Words cannot express adequately our gratitude for his putting the building blocks in place to continue CHSA’s authoritative public programs and exhibitions and transform and modernize its operations.”

The annual Chinese Historical Society Gala, this year themed “A Celebration of Family” and always one of the season’s most-anticipated events, will take place on Saturday March 28, at 6pm at San Francisco’s Grand Hyatt on Union Square (345 Stockton Street).  The Phil & Sarah Choy Community Service Award will be given to longtime community leaders Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Fong along with sons Rodney Fong, CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and Barre Fong, an acclaimed documentary filmmaker. Coming off the mega-success of his recent Crazy Rich Asians, film director Jon M. Chu will be honored for Outstanding Artistic Achievement.

“Every organization goes through transitions,” Chan continued.  “I want all of our friends, supporters and donors to know that CHSA continues to thrive and grow.  We are indeed fortunate to have Pam Wong, for many years our deputy director, assume a leadership role while the board undertakes a search for a new executive director following the departure of Tamiko Wong last month. We wish Tamiko well in her next venture”

 “The Chinese Historical Society is lucky to have Pam Wong’s deep knowledge, skills, and institutional memory applied to our programs,” said Gala Chairperson Jane Chin, noting that CHSA’s next project is producing a short film featuring the “super fans” and memorabilia collectors of martial artist Bruce Lee and the launching of programs that include offering Cantonese and Mandarin language classes and Chinatown-themed walking tours as well as planning for its next major exhibit. 

Additional information about tickets for the March 28^th Gala will be forthcoming shortly or visit website www.chsa.org 

About the Chinese Historical Society of America:
As the oldest organization of its kind in the country, the Chinese Historical Society of America has since 1963 served as a leading content provider, dedicated to the interpretation, promotion, and preservation of the social, cultural and political history and contributions of Chinese communities in America. CHSA pursues this mission through exhibitions, publications, and educational and public programs in the CHSA Museum and Learning Center, a landmark Julia Morgan-designed building (formerly the Chinatown YWCA) located at 965 Clay Street, San Francisco.

media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

DANIEL’s HUSBAND Continues 12^th Season for Dezart Performs of Palm Springs: January 10 – 19

www.dezartperforms.org

27 December 2019 – Palm Springs, CA:  In the script notes for the off-Broadway hit DANIEL’S HUSBAND, playwright Michael McKeever comes straight to the point: “Mitchell Howard does not believe in gay marriage. His partner Daniel Bixby does. Life does what life does, as these two men learn the consequences of their points of view.” That deceptively simple prologue soon unspools into a dramatic presentation that cuts across lines rife with conflicts of gender, family, identity, law, life and death, love and loss. Directed by Darin Anthony, DANIEL’S HUSBAND continues the 12^th season for the award-winning Dezart Performs of Palms Springs, January 10 – 19.

“To say it’s a more-than-usual personal experience for me would be an understatement,” said Michael Shaw, founding artistic director for Dezart Performs who married his husband, Clark Dugger, in 2008 during the brief window when it was legal in California before Prop 8.

“For this production, I play the role of ‘Daniel’ so issues of whether to marry or not marry are real for me both onstage and off.”

Rounding out the cast for DANIEL’S HUSBAND are David Youse (Mitchell), Chuck Yates (Barry), Hanz Enyeart (Trip) and Deborah Harmon (Lydia).

DANIEL’S HUSBAND is “a profound look at love and commitment”(The Daily Beast) and a contemporary look at human vs. gay rights. “Daniel’s Husband is a certified small-scale crowd-pleaser, is perhaps most moving in those moments it expands our understanding of family.” (The Los Angeles Times)

After DANIEL’S HUSBAND the season continues with the Pulitzer Prize-winning working class drama SWEAT by Lynn Nottage (February 28 – March 8) and the comedy/drama EVERY BRILLIANT THING written by Duncan Macmillan, with Jonny Donahoe (April 3 – 12). 

Dezart Performs, one of the Coachella Valley’s preeminent theatre companies, recognizes that the performing arts enrich the life and culture of a community, promote greater understanding and provoke insightful discussion. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company, its mission is to provide an artistic home for bold and cutting–edge plays, creating an atmosphere of artistic growth for actors, writers, and directors who uniquely contribute to the diverse theatrical environment in the Coachella Valley.

All performances take place at the Pearl McManus Theater (at the historic Palm Springs Woman’s Club) 314 S Cahuilla Road, Downtown Palm Springs. Tickets may be purchased online at www.dezartperforms.org, or by calling (760) 322-0179. Showtimes are Fridays at 7:30pm; Saturdays at 2pm and 7:30pm; Sundays at 2pm.

12^th Dezart Performs Remaining Season  & Cast Listing

SWEAT

Written by Lynn Nottage

Directed by Michael Shaw

Drama

February 28-March 8, 2020

Evan – Eddie Stephens

Jason – James Owens

Chris – Cortez Johnson

Stan – Mike Truelock

Oscar – Miguel Arballo

Tracey – Theresa Jewett

Cynthia – Desireé Clarke

Brucie – Cary Thompson

Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize. SWEAT exposes the collapse of the American working class in the new millennium. “Sharp and threatening as a box cutter blade…ferociously engrossing…SWEAT never feels less than authentic—and crucial.” —Deadline.com

It’s the year 2000 in Reading, Pennsylvania and a group of friends go to work at the steel mill and then decompress at the bar like they’ve been doing for over 20 years. But, unbeknownst to them, their lives are about to be uprooted. Their steel mill is making some changes and the blood, sweat and tears of generations of loyal workers don’t seem to amount to much. SWEAT dissects the insidiousness of privilege and entitlement, reminding you that there’s always someone on a lower plane to blame for your troubles, and there will always be someone who stands to profit from your loss. 

*   *   *

EVERY BRILLIANT THING

Written by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe

Directed by Deborah Harmon

Comedy/Drama

April 3-12, 2020

Cast:

Narrator – Joel Bryant

“A heart-wrenching, hilarious play…One of the funniest plays you’ll ever see about depression—and possibly one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see, full stop!” —The Guardian

You’re six years old. Mom’s in the hospital. Dad says she’s “done something stupid.” She finds it hard to be happy. So you start to make a list of everything that’s brilliant about the world. Everything that’s worth living for. 1. Ice cream. 2. Kung Fu movies. 3. Burning things. 4. Laughing so hard you shoot milk out your nose. 5. Construction cranes. 6. Me. You leave it on her pillow. You know she’s read it because she’s corrected your spelling. Soon, the list will take on a life of its own. A play about depression and the lengths we will go to for those we love.

Media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

MEDIA ADVISORY / REQUEST FOR COVERAGE: through December  31: 

WHO: The Rainbow World Fund

WHAT: Presents the14^th Annual WORLD TREE OF HOPE: A 23-foot holiday tree decorated with thousands of white origami cranes, each containing written wishes of hope and peace from children and individuals from around the world. The WORLD TREE OF HOPE is the largest annual origami decorated holiday tree in the world.

WHEN: Through December 31

WHERE: Grace Cathedral / 1100 California Street / San Francisco

WEB: http://www.worldtreeofhope.org 

HOW MUCH: FREE and open to the public

HOW TO WISH: Wishes can be submitted online for free at http://www.worldtreeofhope.org/make-a-wish/Wishes are printed, folded into origami cranes and placed on the tree

WHY: Wishes are powerful: they are the seeds of action. For the 14^th year, those seeds bear fruit. At 23 feet tall with up to 17,000 delicately folded origami paper cranes, the Rainbow World Fund World Tree of Hope is a visible symbol of a world hungry for connection and peace. The process is simple: Wishes are sent in from around the world, printed, and folded into paper origami cranes by a diverse team of more than 300 Rainbow World Fund volunteers including members ofSan Francisco’s LGBTQ and Japanese American communities, survivors of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, local children, and life-sentence prisoners from San Quentin. The origami “crane wishes” are then placed on the tree.  The process takes over 2500 hours. Wishes will be added to the tree throughout December and are accepted year round. Founded by Jeff Cotter in 2000, the 501(c)3 nonprofit Rainbow World Fund is the world’s first and only all-volunteer, LGBTQ-based humanitarian aid organization. The Fund works to help people affected by natural disasters, hunger, poverty, disease, oppression and war by raising awareness in, and funds from, the LGBTQ community to support LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ people locally and around the world. The Tree was inspired by the story of Sadako Sasaki, the Japanese child whose journey and death several years after the bomb was dropped in Hiroshima transformed the origami crane into a symbol of world peace. The Rainbow World Fund’s World Tree of Hope is the largest annual origami decorated holiday tree in the world. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 18th, 2019 Contact: Erica Kato Erica.kato@sfmta.com

**PRESS RELEASE**

Ride Muni Free on New Year’s Eve

20-Year Tradition Encourages Responsible Celebration

SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) will offer free rides on New Year’s Eve from 8 p.m. on Tuesday, December 31 through 5 a.m. on Wednesday, January 1. This year’s Ride Muni Free New Year’s Eve is sponsored by 76®.“We wish all San Francisco residents, workers and visitors a safe and happy New Year,” said Jeffrey Tumlin, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “So to help everyone celebrate the end of 2019 without the worry of drinking and driving, we are providing free Muni service on New Year’s Eve to get you around the city and safely home.”“2019 marks our 20th year in supporting Ride Muni free on New Year’s Eve! We want to wish everyone a safe, joyful, and happy New Year by being a passenger, not a driver. Leave the driving to Muni from 8 p.m. To 5 a.m. 76®. We’re on the driver’s side” said Bree Januhowski, 76® Brand Director.This program supports San Francisco’s Vision Zero goal to eliminate traffic fatalities.Ride Muni Free New Year’s Eve includes all Muni lines and routes. All information, including schedules and stops, will be posted on www.sfmta.com/nye. Clipper Card customers should

NOT tap their cards to make sure they don’t get charged a fare. Muni Mobile passes will not be necessary. Metro fare gates will be open that night.Don’t drink and drive, let Muni do the driving.New Year’s Eve Muni Service:

• Complimentary Muni service from 8 p.m. on Tuesday, December 31 to 5 a.m. on Wednesday, January 1.
• Owl service frequency is doubled on the 5 Fulton, 14 Mission, 22 Fillmore, 24 Divisadero, 25 Treasure Island, 38 Geary, 44 O’Shaughnessy, 48 Quintara-24th, 90 Owl, 91 Owl, L Owl and N Owl routes.
• Extra LRV Metro shuttles will run from West Portal to 4th and King until 2:15 a.m.
• Extra LRV Metro service between Embarcadero and West Portal will run until 5 a.m.
• Service on cable cars will be provided by buses after approximately 6 p.m.
• Service on the F Market & Wharves will be provided by buses all day.

San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 7th Floor San Francisco, CA 94103 SFMTA.com

At midnight on New Year’s Eve, a city-sponsored fireworks show from a barge off of The Embarcadero, south of the Ferry Building will take place. Motorists should anticipate delays in the area from approximately 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. No closures or re-routes are planned. SFPD and SFMTA will monitor for any necessary re-routes. For details, please visit www.sfmta.com.BART will provide additional service until approximately 3 a.m., January 1. After 8 p.m. BART

service to and from the East Bay will be split between Embarcadero and Montgomery stations. Antioch and Richmond line trains heading into San Francisco will not stop at Embarcadero Station. Exit at Montgomery Street Station for the fireworks show. Dublin/Pleasanton and Fremont/Warm Springs line trains will not stop at Montgomery Street Station. After the fireworks, Dublin/Pleasanton and Fremont/Warm Springs trains will not stop at West Oakland. The first East Bay stop is Lake Merritt Station. Millbrae and Daly City passengers should use Montgomery Street Station. Full fare pricing will be in effect. For more details, please visit www.bart.gov.Caltrain service will be free after 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and continue until 5 a.m. For more details, please visit www.caltrain.com.SamTrans will offer free rides on all buses beginning at 8 p.m. on December 31 until 5 a.m. on January 1. For more details, please visit http://www.samtrans.com

“Beautiful China, Picturesque Zhejiang” Culture and Tourism Show Kicks Off Tours in Los Angeles

16 December 2019 – Los Angeles, CA On December 11, the “Beautiful

China, Picturesque Zhejiang” Culture and Tourism Promotion, sponsored by the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, was successfully held in Los Angeles, California. Huang Hangjuan, the president of Zhejiang Vocational Academy of Art and Gu Jin, the Cultural Counselor of Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles attended the event. A total of 100 representatives from the cultural, tourism and media sectors were in attendance.

“The ‘Beautiful China, Picturesque Zhejiang’ Culture and Tourism exhibit introduced Zhejiang’s fascinating landscape gallery to the United States, providing an opportunity for members of the public to touch the real Zhejiang in a poetic and pictorial sense,” said Huang. “This exhibit will allow the American people to experience the wisdom of traditional craftsmen in Zhejiang in wonderful, interactive ways.”

During the opening ceremony in Los Angeles, an elaborate dance of flowing choreography brought to life the landscape and culture of Zhejiang followed by a performance of “Sing Me Home”, a song made famous by Chinese American cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Afterwards, members of the public thronged to the the exhibition to experience Zhejiang’s rich cultural heritage including century-old Wang Xingji Fans, stone carving seals, Zhejiang tie-dye technique and other traditional crafts of Zhejiang.

“Zhejiang, located in the east coast of China, is one of the cradles of Chinese civilization,” said Huang during her remarks. “The West Lake, Jianglang Mountain, Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Ruins of Liangzhu ancient city have been listed on the World Heritage List. The three most representative commodities of China — silk, tea and porcelain — are produced in large quantities in Zhejiang. Hangzhou, the provincial capital, is one of the seven ancient capitals of China and the permanent home of the headquarters of the World Tourism Federation.” 

According to Huang, as early as the 13th century, Marco Polo called Hangzhou “the most beautiful and luxurious city in the world” noting that the 2022 Asian Games will also be held in the city. Zhejiang is also one of the provinces with the most economic strength, the highest degree of openness and the strongest entrepreneurial and innovative vitality in China. 

“In recent years, more and more Zhejiang business people have gone abroad and entered the United States, actively participating in the construction of various projects in America.” Huang said. “The great economic development in Zhejiang has given birth to a new generation of Zhejiang business professionals going abroad.” 

During thee promotion, Gu Jin, the Cultural Counselor of Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles noted that both China and the United States have rich historical and cultural resources. 

“Culture is like a bridge and tourism is a canal,” said Gu. “We should encourage people from the two countries to continuously communicate with each other, go to each other’s cities and towns, learn and experience culture from each other, so that people of the two places can have a better understanding of the two countries. Today, Zhejiang brought their own cultural heritage and tourism resources to Los Angeles, I believe that today’s activity will help our American tour operators, travel agents and agencies learn more about Zhejiang, and bring more American tourists to go to Zhejiang, either for leisure or business.”

“Culture and tourism exchanges and cooperation between Zhejiang and the United States are frequent, and both sides are committed to mutual benefit and ongoing mutually successful partnerships,” Go continued. “This promotion will further promote the cultural and tourism exchanges between Zhejiang province and the United States, showing the profound history and culture of “Picturesque Zhejiang” and provide a snapshot of the booming development to the American people, and create a broad and good cooperation prospect for the development of culture and tourism between the two destinations.

For more information about Zhejiang’s culture, tourism and economics, please contact:Steven Ye / xye@zjbonart.com