Bak Chang
Commissioned by The 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle
Book & Lyrics by Lauren Kahane
Music & Book by Emily Chiu
After the death of her Ah Ma (grandmother), Shannon (a 25-year-old Taiwanese-American) is determined to make her grandma's special bak chang (a glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaves) for her mom for Mother's Day, but she can’t track down the recipe! Desperate for connection both to her Ah Ma and to her heritage, and with the help of her Ah Ma’s friends — a multi-ethnic group of Tai chi practicing grannies — Shannon sets out on a quest for the recipe, a quest which forces her to confront and acknowledge her own grief.
In January 2020, Lauren and composer Emily Chiu had a reading of their musical Bak Chang in NYC, the culmination of their year-long First Draft Commission from Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre.
The cast + team behind 2020 Bak Chang reading, featuring Shannon Tyo, Jaygee Macapugay, Jo Yang, Erin Quill, Cheryl Stern, Salma Shaw, Mary Jo McConnell, Inga Ballard and Natalie Toro. Direction by Nina Zoie Lam.