Ma-Yi Theater Company and Second Generations Productions are proud to team up to present a free reading series for the community. The series will feature three plays: Tiny Father by Mike Lew, i know why iris chang died by Esmé Ng, and The Good Ones by Sopan Deb. Presented over three consecutive days, the readings will serve as the culmination of a 29-hour rehearsal process.

Tiny Father – RSVP here.

Written and directed by Mike Lew
Starring: Tina Chilip and Andy Lucien
June 17 at 1 PM

After winning the Weissberger New Play Award from Williamstown and making stops at the Geffen, Barrington, Chautauqua, and Audible, Tiny Father will have its first-ever reading in NYC. Daniel’s off-and-on friends-with-benefits situation takes an unexpected turn when he suddenly finds himself the sole parent to a micro-preemie in the NICU. But over the course of his tiny daughter’s long hospital stay, he befriends a tough-love night nurse named Caroline and begins to learn the ins and outs of becoming a father. Exploring the tension between parents, healthcare professionals, and hospitals, Tiny Father is a hilarious and heartfelt battle-of-wills based loosely on playwright Mike Lew’s own experience with NICU life.

i know why iris chang died – RSVP here. 

Written by Esmé Ng
Directed by Chaesong Kim
Starring: Sami Ma and Amanda Shi
June 18 at 3 PM

i know why iris chang died is tragicomic play told from the perspective of May – a trans masculine Chinese-American graphic artist. In the wake the Atlanta Spa Shootings, May prepares to publish their debut graphic novel, a recounting of their family’s experience during the Rape of Nanking. As May hyper focuses on the past, their twin sister puts her attention into conceiving a baby through IVF. This heartfelt, dark, and deeply funny two-hander takes a look at legacy, family, suicide, genocide, and healing from generational trauma.

The Good Ones – RSVP here. 

Written by Sopan Deb
Directed by Arpita Mukherjee
Starring: Anya Banerjee, Sara Haider, Abrar Haque, and Sathya Sridharan
June 19 at 1 PM

Inspired by real events. It’s 1987. Moni Sharma and Piyali Ganguli, two Indian immigrants living in New Jersey, are about to reopen Moni’s father’s Indian restaurant. Their good friend, Arjun Ghosh, has just returned from India newly married to a striking woman named Esha. All four have big dreams for themselves but live in the shadow of their fathers. Their carefully curated plans are shattered when a vigilante group that calls themselves “The Dotbusters” attack several Indian residents in the area.  As the incidents mount, they’ll fight to save the struggling restaurant, as well as their fraying bonds to each other.

All performances will take place at Studio 11A at Open Jar Studios, located at 1601 Broadway, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10019.