In close company, I like to refer to this as possibly the only non-racist production of The Mikado. Produced by the Savoy Company (the oldest and longest running community-theater dedicated the Gilbert & Sullivan productions!), this version was conceived of and directed by Bill Kiesling. This came together because Bill reached out to my friend and colleague Rob Buscher who was hired on as a cultural-consultant to see about how they would even pull off a production without all the shitty racist depictions of Asian people. I’ve known Rob for over a decade at this point, and a lot of trust built up over those years. He brought me into the fold as the Choreographer. It was my first Gilbert & Sullivan production, and my first time working with a multi-generational ensemble of 50+ ppl. It was a very welcoming environment and everyone was super game to go with me on the ride. The range of movement experience of the cast was very wide, and so I made it my goal to include EVERYone in every section, not as background but as important texture throughout. It was scary and fun and I couldn’t have pulled it off without Bill’s generosity and my co-choreographer/ensemble-whisperer, Jackie Scheiner.

Photo credits: Helga Yang