I am that I am - ChuanFest @Manhattan

The word of my mother, my father, my sister, my roots: tiếng. The word of my oppressor, my lover, my partner: la parole. The word of the world that I have come to know, foreign yet familiar, oppressive yet loving, all at once: the word.

This movement-based choreopoem is a "bible" for an entire theatrical world—shaping the dance, music, lighting, and staging through text that operates on multiple registers: spoken word, multilingual passages, and directorial inspiration. Rooted in the literary tradition of Holy Scripture, the work explores the indistinguishable relationship between worship and performance, asking what theater is if not a tribute to the divine. Across its chapters, it navigates liminalities of language, gender, sex, and sexuality—an archetypal story that transcends personal experience to speak to the universal condition of being in-between, in transition, and always crossing imaginary boundaries.

With Opening Performance by Wisteria Deng:

After the Burning

The piece deals with the dull ache of an unrequited love, when one feels too ashamed to call it grief. It lingers in the severance that follows: the aftermath of a controlled burn. But even more so, After the Burning portrays healing: the massive, forgiving rain after a fire; the spring; the growth; and the memories that will forever sizzle. Bringing together poetry and movement, After the Burning is a tender meditation on what remains after destruction, and what, against all odds, begins again.

Both venues are wheelchair accessible. For accessible seating, or any other questions related to tickets, please contact us at [email protected].