Ma Yi Theater Production: Washer Dryer

By
AsianInNY
– February 14, 2016Posted in: FILMS & THEATER

Photo by Isaiah Tanenbaum

Article By Tatiana Ho

“Washer Dryer”, a comedy surrounding an Asian American couple, shows the struggles of cultural barriers and how, sometimes, family acceptance can be a struggle as well. It all starts when newlyweds Sonya and Michael decide to live together in a small studio apartment located in New York City’s Upper East Side. Like every play, there is a conflict, one of which being that the apartment can only be rented to one tenant at a time. This forces the new couple to hide their living situation in the mist of random family visits and a nosey landlord. The odd title is used in the likes of an actual Washer Dryer machine that is rare to find in New York City apartments. And turns out to be the main reason why Sonya doesn’t want to move to a more accommodating area.

“Washer Dryer” is a huge testament to the talent held within Asian artist support group, Ma Yi. The group/company holds pride in being able to expose Asian American playwrights to the theater. With the lack of Asian American exposure to the entertainment world within the United States, Ma Yi holds a huge benefit for members starting out. They pride themselves in offering not only exposure, but writing labs and networking opportunities based in the New York City area. The theater company makes sure to cast an accurate portrayal of characters within their productions, a rule that can be widely appreciated for theater lovers.

The comedic play “Washer Dryer” presented it’s opening night at the Beckett Theater on February 2, 2016 with its last day scheduled to be on February 21, 2016. Nandita Shenoy, the author of this theater masterpiece, has written other works such as “Lyme Park”, shown in the Round House Theatre, “Safe Haven” and many others.
Benjamin Kamine directed the play in a fashion that captures the audience with bright colors and an eerily accurate set up of a New York Studio apartment. Both plan on continuing their work with the Ma Yi theater company. Other productions made possible by Ma Yi can be seen on http://ma-yitheatre.org/season/current/.

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