Lee Reynolds Award - Tisa Chang

Tisa was born in China and raised and trained in NYC. Was a dancer and actress on Broadway (Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen, Pacific Overtures, King & I, Sweet Charity, Basic Training Of Pavlo Hummel) in films (Ambush Bay, Escape From Iran, Year Of The Dragon) directed the Chinese Theatre Group at La Mama and founded Pan Asian Repertory Theatre in 1977 to celebrate professional Asian American artistry and to expand the boundaries of American theatre. As director, Tisa specializes in intercultural productions including the premieres of Return Of The Phoenix, adapted from the Peking Opera and later premiered on CBS TV’s Festival of Lively Arts; Ghashiram Kotwal, the Marathi play with music; Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Nights Dream done as a Mandarin/English adaptation; Cambodia Agonistes, which toured to Cairo and Johannesburg; last season’s The Joy Luck Club, and Rashomon for 2001. She has been invited to 14 countries, been a panelist with NEA, NYSCA, DCA, and currently serves as a panelist with the Philadelphia Theatre Initiative and on the Executive Board of SSDC. Her son Auric Abuba is now 20.

Image taken from www.panasianrep.org