Paper Dreams of Harry Chin
by Jessica Huang
Based on a true story. During the Chinese Exclusion Act, Harry Chin, a Chinese national, entered the U.S. by buying forged documentation. Like other “Paper Sons,” Harry lived the rest of his life keeping secrets – even from his daughter. Told through the eyes of a middle-aged Chin, The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin reveals the complicated loves and regrets of this Chinese immigrant. Through dreamlike leaps of time and space and with the powerful assistance of ghosts, the story of the Chin family reveals the personal and political repercussions of making a group of people “illegal.”
My role on this production involved designing the sketches for the experimental makeup worn by the “ghost” characters.
CREW
Director: Jeffrey Lo
Scenic Designer: Christopher Fitzer
Costume Designer: Becky Bodurtha
Assistant Costume Designers: Diana Khong, Chloe Chow, Tiffany Cartegena, Catherine Sarca
Sound Designer: Howard Ho
Projections Designer: Teddy Hulsker
Properties Designer: Stephanie Dittbern
Lighting Consultant: Kurt Landisman
Dialect Coach, Cultural Consultant: Patrick Chew
Vocal Coach: Janel Miley
Fight Choreographer: Xander DeAngeles
Dramaturg: Chloe Chow
Properties Assistant: Mylo Cardona
Stage Manager: Sarah Marie Selig*
Production Assistants: Kamaria Atiba, Ada May
Rehearsal Production Assistant: Claire Rand
CAST
Poet/Immigration Officer: Will Dao
Sheila: Kina Kantor
Laura: Carrie Paff
Yuet/Susan: Sharon Shao
Harry: Jomar Tagatac
Boss/Interrogator: Michael Torres
Understudy for Harry, Poet/Immigration Officer: Lore Gonzales
Understudy for Boss/Interrogator: Tony Ortega
Understudy for Laura: Jamie Strube
Understudy for Sheila, Yuet/Susan: Charlotte Ying Levy
Produced by San Francisco Playhouse (2022)